Chitter Chatter Spring Edition (2022)

[LadyWordsmith]

Happy Spring! It's been so quiet. I hope everyone is doing all right. How are folks? What have you been up to? What are you looking forward to most about Spring? 

[LilyElizabeth]

It has been quiet around here. Let's see. I am 3 classes away from earning my BA in August. (At least I hope it's August. I still don't know if I am getting financial aid for Summer semester or if I have to wait for Fall.) After that I'm going to go full-time to get my Masters in Clinical Counseling. I'll be really busy at that point. 

 

I'm in a fairly new relationship with a wonderful man. He's really good to me. He keeps saying he wants to hear my heart, and knows when something is wrong even before I do sometimes. I'm not used to a partner that cares about what I think and feel. This is really nice. We are talking marriage, but the formal proposal has not taken place yet. His first wife proposed to him, so he is open to my doing that if I decide to. The downside to our relationship is that he's busier than I am! We talk on the phone a lot, and often go to church together, but we don't really see much of each other. He has met my family, although I have not met his, and my family likes him.

 

I know it's silly, but I found the perfect white lace dress, so I bought it. It was only $30, so that's not much money lost if I don't end up needing it. Problem is, I bought the biggest size they had and I still have to lose about 10 pounds to make it fit comfortably. Luckily, there is time for that, and my weight is going down for some reason. 

 

I've been having trouble with my blood sugar going dangerously low, so I cut back on my meds, and seem to have figured that out. I see the doc on Tuesday to discuss that and my blood pressure. 

 

That's about it with me except I am starting in April to have to go to the office twice a week instead of the once that I'm used to. 

[LadyWordsmith]

That's awesome that you're almost done with your BA, Lily! I hope they give you the summer funding. 

And your new relationship sounds wonderful. ❤️ I hope that works out long and happy! 

I don't think it's silly at all that you bought the dress. If you like it and it's affordable you have it ready and don't have to worry about it later! 

I hope everything stays worked out with your blood pressure and blood sugar! I've had low-blood sugar issues in the past and they're awful. 

***
Things have been anything 'but' quiet here, though it's all been good chaos. 

We are planning our first summer family vacation trip in five years (it would have been in 2020 probably if not for the obvious). We'll be driving and doing two weeks on the East Coast. We will visit friends in Philadelphia, my uncle in New York City (my son is turning 17 this summer and has never been to New York!), and then high school friends, and my in-laws in Virginia. I have found a reliable house-sitter to stay at our place and keep my furry hoard from going neurotic. My son's best friend (who is legally an adult) is one of our dog's favorite people (he is not comfortable with a lot of people so this is major), so they will enjoy having him here. And he's very responsible. 

Our puppy was born yesterday! Which is to say I do not yet know which of the ten puppies our friends Great Pyrenees had on Saturday (very nicely while we also happened to be over visiting!) will be ours, but we have been promised second pick of the litter, after the family decides which couple of pups they are keeping for the farm. They are 3/4 Great Pyrenees and 1/4 Anatolian Shepherd, and their parents (who both look like Pyrs, but apparently Daddy's Anatolian genes are producing some colorful puppies!) have wonderful temperaments and health. We have been wanting another Pyr since our first one passed away a little over Nine years ago. For the personality most. So over the next few weeks we will go over regularly, socialize with the puppies, and figure out which one should come live with us (and will be good with cats. The farm has several cats that are indoor/outdoor house cats to interact with). 

We will bring the puppy home 'after' the road trip to spare our pet-sitter a not yet housetrained puppy.

SCA life has also been busy. I am going to be Apprenticing to a Laurel in a couple of weeks at our local Baronial event. (I have been in the SCA for almost 24 years and have only now found the perfect Peer to be student to, and that is mostly because he is a good friend who was also not a Peer until winter of 2019). Our families have become best friends over the past couple of years, and he has 'allll' the awesome supplies in his house to learn all the things I've been wanting to do more of. 

This is the same scribe I teamed up with for that lovely Black-and-Gold floral Italian piece I posted back in December, and many other works. We already team-up a lot on projects. So that's going to be a nice adventure in leveling up my craft. Baronial will just be the formal apprenticing ceremony. 

Work is... work. lol. Still teaching 11th Graders. April is State Testing which is always insane and we are preparing for that. Being a Virtual school (but still a Public School with all the same requirements) we set up testing centers across the state and students come to them for testing. 

This year that's a bit more hectic than the last couple because my son is a Junior and will be taking his ACT. Fortunately I can 'proctor' at the same site as him (the one local to our house) as long as I am in another room. I just cannot be a test administrator this year. Honestly I'm happy with that. Running the room for the ACT is the most anal-retentive set of directions I have ever followed. 

Still unpacking the house. Made progress on several boxes of craft supplies and 'random stuff tossed in boxes' over Spring Break.

Oh! And my garden is starting to sprout! Most things seem to have survived the winter. The Irises are coming up, and the Yoshino Cherry is starting to bud. Looking forward to seeing what else blooms this year. It's a bit early yet to know how the crepe myrtle and hydrangeas fared. 

I will post photos when the garden starts blooming! 

[LilyElizabeth]

Lady, congratulations on finding a peer that you mesh with! I'm excited for you. 

 

Sounds like you have a lot going on. But it all sounds good. Congrats on the new puppy too. 

 

 

[LilyElizabeth]

Sooooo...

 

My alleged boyfriend has not been in touch for over a week. My kids said they saw him driving his work truck the other day. Time to move on....

[Ryrin]

Exactly, Lily. 
 

I had my surgery on the 20th to reattach my achilles to my heel. Surgery took a bit longer as it was a pretty severe injury. I was given a nerve block (as well as knocked out) so really the pain isn’t bad at all. My last pain meds were on the 23rd. I have a cast on my left foot to the calf. My toes are pointed down. I will get a new cast every two weeks moving my foot up. 
 

How was everyone’s weekend? 

[LadyWordsmith]

I'm sorry to hear that, Lily! ?

My weekend was good. ? I went to the annual state Iris Show (to check it out, so many gorgeous flowers!), and then we had a play-visit with our puppy and his family! He's 4.5 weeks old now and about 6 pounds. He will come home with us at the end of June. 

We have named him Iroh! (Yes, after Uncle Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender). 

Edited May 4, 2022 by LadyWordsmith

[Ryrin]

He’s adorable!

 

We have an Iris show here. 
 

No pain, just a bit of discomfort now and then. Learned how to get around, shower etc. Husband has been off to help. 

[LilyElizabeth]

He's adorable, Lady!

 

Well, I think I have another boyfriend. If not, we're getting close to being a couple. I learned some lessons and am ready to Rock and Roll again. 

[LadyWordsmith]

Good for you, Lily! Hope this one works out better. ?

Glad you are healing well, Ryrin! 

Currently in my second week of administering State Testing to students in our school (this week it's 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. So none of my kiddos, but it's fun to see students I will have in a few years.) By the second test or third with the same students it turns into 'how fast can Mrs. C get through the repetitive parts of the instructions you've heard every year since you were in 3rd grade.' And how interesting can I make inflections without varying from the required script. ? Possibly my most challenging bardic performance. 

Would be nice if we weren't also having our standard May tornado season at the same time. Warnings were going off Monday on the radio on my drive home (thankfully not for my county, but not far away either), and we are anticipating the same weather set-up tomorrow afternoon. Today was blissfully lovely, so we took a long walk this afternoon around our favorite park when I got home. 

In other exciting news my best friend's son (whom we helped raise for several years when he was younger and she was a single mom working) is graduating from college on Saturday! So very proud. Looking forward to celebrating. 
 

[LadyWordsmith]

Hooray, we're back online! I hope everyone has had a good last few weeks. 

Things are going mostly well here. The school year is 'over!' All my grading is done. Graduation for our Seniors was on Saturday (we have been doing outdoor graduations the past two years, which is awesome because we have been able to use a Confetti Canon 😉 ). All that's left is the (hopefully won't be cancelled tomorrow because now we're expecting storms) end of year Field Trip to our local Amusement Park. 

[Ryrin]

Hi!  
 

I’m doing ok. I go back to the Dr next Monday. I maybe have two weeks left in a cast after that. I’ll be excited to get back in a boot. I can do things but it takes a lot of energy. 

[LilyElizabeth]

Isn't summer vacation wonderful? I've been on summer break since early May and I'm loving it. I do have to work still, but at least I don't have both. 

 

And that guy? He was more lessons. *sigh*

[Ryrin]

It seems as if we have too many lessons. 

[LadyWordsmith]

I hope you're out of the cast, soon, Ryrin! 

Sorry to hear that, Lily. 

I do love summer vacation. Two months without grading or repeating myself on instructions a dozen times. And next year I get to move up to teaching my favorite material (moving from 11th Grade American Lit to 12th Grade British Lit).  

Our family vacation is coming up in a week! First road trip in five years. 🙂 Very excited. 

[LilyElizabeth]

Have lots of fun, Lady!