Friday, June 29, 2012

My Bucket List

It's final! I am retired! However, to maintain my current level of living, I must find another job. OK, that figures. I worked so very hard as a teacher. That was a hard, hard job, a hard life. There, got that off my chest, so to speak! Now, for the fun part. Let's make a list--you, too--of all the things we want to see and do before, you know, the bucket gets kicked, the Rapture comes, or the Aztecs are right.

In no particular order (but as they come into my head), items for my bucket list:

1. I would love to go to Iceland and take an auto trip around the island. I want to see glaciers and puffins (are they in Iceland?) and museums. I want to drink tons of coffee like the characters do in the Nobel winning novel by

2. I want to join the local quilter's club. That's been my plan for two years now and I still have not joined. I want to go to Dallas on a quilt-shop-hopping trip to buy a few pieces.

3. Related to #2 is making one example of all the items I've marked in all my magazines. What fun!

4. I want to have an adventure with my former Pretend Children.

5. I want to go to Nova Scotia with my sister.

6. I want to have enough money to repair all the broken things on my house, especially, no, not especially, because all these items have equal intention in them. I want my swimming pool in working order so my family can come over for a pool party with a cookout and all!

7. I want my house put back into order.

8. I want a fun job without the stress of being responsible for children's behavior.




Thursday, June 28, 2012

Coming soon: Life after retirement!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

It's time for goodbye....

I've packed all my things and took with me all things indicative of my personality. The library no longer reflects me...well, the bright paint on the desk and file cabinet I could not remove, the two trashcans I painted. One of my favorite teacher friends from years ago repeatedly said, "I'm going home soon." She finally did. And now I've gone home. I retired from teaching and school libraries and rooms full of children and noise. I was tired and easily annoyed. That's how I knew it was time. So I said goodbye.

(Next post: the joy of teaching)

A favorite souvenir

A favorite souvenir
These are my two girls from Ireland!

Judy's shared items

Books on my very ambitious TBR list (*denotes read)

  • *Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox
  • The Odd Women by George Gissing
  • The Zen of Fish by Trevor Corson
  • How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell
  • The Cod Tale by Mark Kurlansky
  • In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
  • *Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
  • Dag Hammarskjold by Elizabeth Rider Montgomery
  • The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet by Rabbi Michael L. Munk
  • Children of Strangers by Lyle Saxon
  • Spiritual Writings by Flannery O'Connor
  • Nightmares and Visions: Flannery O'Connor and the Catholic Grotesque by Gilbert H. Muller
  • The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor
  • Flannery O'Connor's South by Robert Coles
  • Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
  • Sylvanus Now by Donna Morrissey
  • *Vincent de Paul by Margaret Ann Hubbard
  • Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
  • A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
  • The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel
  • Readicide by Kelly Gallagher
  • *Ruined by Paula Morris
  • Say You're Not One of Them by Uwem Akpan
  • Wandering Star by J.M.G. Le Clezio
  • Silence by Shusaku Endo
  • *The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  • Kari's Saga by Robert Jansson
  • *The German Mujahid by Boualem Sansal
  • Western Skies by Joseph Conrad
  • *The Giver by Lois Lowery
  • *Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski

School Library Journal - NeverEndingSearch

Imperium

Imperium
A semester course in one book about the Soviet Union. Click on image for my review.