I started making Valentine Confetti on Super Bowl Sunday. Popcorn coated with melted white chocolate and packaged with red, pink, and white M&Ms. The first batch went to LGA Bike Club.

Everyone liked it so I kept making more and more bags. If you were in my path in the past two weeks, you probably got one. All of my CBET students got one.
The best story came on Thursday at Del Paso School. It was Jose’s first day, he did quite well, he has good English language skills. At the end of class, we talked about Valentine’s as a special day. I asked each student if they would be my valentine, then gave them the treat. All the ladies smiled or giggled and said yes. Jose, the last person I asked said, “No, I can’t. This is only my first day.”

Grandma: Odin, put down those nunchucks before you give me a hug.

Odin: Ok.

G: Your t-shirt says “The legends about my dad are all true.” What do people say about your dad?

O: Well … the bad guys say “Your dad is nice.”

A while later I asked for another hug.

O: I can’t right now. I’m busy.

There are times when helping Mario collect gold coins while running down a track is far more important than giving hugs.

Phyl finished the orange fleece pajama pants.  Next:  a knit top.

Previous successful projects:

This top you will never see again. One day as Phyl was looking at a bunch of pictures, she noticed how too often she was wearing this particular top. She vowed never to wear it again, unless we’re making jams, jellies, or pies.

This is me trying to drive Dave crazy. I borrowed his jacket when I went outside and put it back on the back of a barstool where I’d found it. But it were ever so slightly askew. Dave noticed and perfected its drape. So, when he wasn’t looking and before I went home, I fixed his jacket up nicely.

I was hired last fall by WALKSacramento to coach an after-school junior high bicycle club at Leroy F Greene Academy.

Because I’m an LCI (League Cycling Instructor; #3879), I was qualified to coach this club, one of many after-school clubs at LGA. I am a first in this region for this kind of job, so there were very few guidelines. It was fun from the very first moment.

Megan McManus is our staff advisor. Here students are learning about tire pressure, where to find the correct psi, and pumping up their tires to the correct pressure.  WALKSacramento has been very supportive by providing helmets for each club member and providing some excellent equipment basics.

Attendance has fluctuated cover our twice-monthly meetings. From this group, six have stuck with it. LaTraye (far left) was recently elected captain.

And four have qualified for first club ride on February 17 because they proved to Coach they had mastered these skills:

To be honest, it makes me smile to be called “Coach.”

Last November, I began teaching English at Sierra View School. The program is CBET – Community Based English Tutoring – with 32 instructional hours. Mostly I teach the parents of students at the school, although anyone in the community may attend. If a class takes places after school, childcare is also provided.

Sierra View is the school I retired from 11 years ago, so it’s fun to come back. Especially when I can visit with old friends like Joann, the school secretary. Joann and I first met when she was my #1 parent volunteer at Westside Charter School. Then I hired her to be our school secretary and essentially “my right arm.” We were a great team.

Today, we had a little party for Valentine’s Day and Yvette Medina, a program specialist from the district office, was our guest.

I love teaching this class and I’m learning lots of Spanish. I have 3 pages of vocabulary words to study. I’ve learned the word for great grandmother is “bisabuela” and great great grandmother is “tatarabuela.” And, while cats in the United States reportedly have 9 lives, in Mexico they only have 7.

In January, I began teaching at Woodlake School

followed quickly by Del Paso School. In total I have mostly Hispanic women. At Del Paso, I also have (one each) Laotian, Pakistani, and Iraqi ladies. Soon I will add another school site but serving two schools, Hagginwood and Castori. Four schools but just 12 hours/week. A great part-time job.

Progress through Friday night,

Saturday night,

Sunday night.

This project records the last bicycle tour I did with Billie and JD last May/June, the Katy Trail in Missouri.  You may recall, we had some weather challenges on this tour. Rain, flooding and tornadoes required some vehicle assistance which is the light pink line. The towns on the map are where we stayed overnight, except for Mokane where we pushed our bicycles through deep water to be rescued by the local fire department. Fun times!

Not very much progress this past week due to a jigsaw puzzle obsession. Whew! It’s finished now.

Moving along nicely after a little nudge and one small misstep. A little seam-ripping is good for the soul.

Meanwhile I tried to face my sewing demon. Which of these many projects should I take into the sewing cave this weekend? I was successful at choosing the oldest unfinished project – a gift for a friend in Virginia. I too became unstuck today

The first walnuts fell on October 1 and I began gathering. It was easier to pick walnuts from the opened hulls rather than stooping over to pick them from the ground after they dropped. October 19: Some days, I picked up from the ground only 2 pounds of walnuts scattered under 28 producing trees. This equalled about 50 squats. Aha! A discovery on November 14. I used a Webster dusting tool with an extension handle. I was able to gently brush the branches and the walnuts rained down. Much easier! Not very many walnuts hit me on the head. By December 5, the harvest was over. Grand total = 205 pounds. In 1012, I gathered about 40 pounds. What will next year be like? The dryer for a small orchard: I’m already excited for the 2014 harvest because Justin is going to buy a small walnut gatherer. Oh darn, maybe not so many squats next season.

Doug’s softball team had a fundraiser tonight

at the IBEW union hall.

Dave and Phyl’s sons, Jon and Greg were there.

This guy was so proud of his butter warmer.

The littlest helpers at the crab feed, Odin and Kellen.