Gardens and Peek A Boo

Roma tomatoes

Slicing tomatoes 

Grape tomatoes

Little baby bell peppers

Spinach

One of the hammocks

Peek

A 

Boo with Ezra

Checking out the lights in the garden

It is fun to enjoy the garden in the evening until the mosquitoes start to bother us. 

Summer Is For Reading and Relaxing

In my mind, I know I have retired, but it really just seems like summer vacation. So I'm going to enjoy my vacation now and retirement will really start when everyone else goes back to school.  

I finished our book club book a few hours before book club.  It was a good book and it made you think.  Some book club members didn't like it and had very strong feelings. I don't want to live the Nordic theory of love necessarily, but I do enjoy reading about how people in other countries live. Having lived in Greece, Japan, and Germany, I know I would compare my life in the US with life in these countries. I always tried to find good things in each place we lived, whether it was stateside or overseas. I don't think everything is perfect in our country, but it is where I choose to live. I am grateful to have been able to experience other cultures too.  

We had a good discussion about the book.  

Next month, I will lead the discussion on Ground Zero by Alan Gratz. I like his books. He writes young adult historical fiction

Walking around the garden

Talking to Gary in the garden

Listening to birds in the garden

Listening to windchimes in the garden

Looking for butterflies in the garden

Just relaxing in the garden

Reading in the garden

Napping in the garden

I'm reading The Personal Librarian. It is a good book. I've read several of Marie Benedict's books and I enjoy them.  They are historical fiction. 

The spinach is growing

Check out these carrots that Isla and Gary planted

Tomatoes

We have grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and tomatoes for slicing growing in our deck garden planter boxes

Also peppers, parsley, oregano, thyme, and rosemary

I went to Target and they are already setting up the back to school displays. We just started our summer break. 

Weekend

Izzy found this moth

She loves critters and creatures. 

It was content to stay with her 

They were checking each other out

Love this girl

The women at church pulled a prank on our husbands, dads, and brothers. We all ordered the same tie for the guys for father's day. We also had some extra ties for guys who are single or their wife/daughter didn't get the message.  It was fun to watch them notice the matching ties.  

Happy Fathers Day!

 

Last Day At Work

The room looks so different. My students wouldn't even recognize it. 

Brenda popped in for a visit. We've worked together for 16 years. 

Kyvette stopped by for a quick picture, we've worked together for 5 years

Last photos of my very last classroom ever. 

It was hard. But it is time to go on to the next chapter of my life

One last picture with me in my classroom. 

Let me introduce you to Tiyona Gupton. Way back in 2004-2005, Tiyona was one of my fifth grade students.  Now she is a vocal music teacher at my school.  I am so proud of her. She worked hard to get through college and to get this job. I know she will go on to do many great things in her life.  

The top two pictures are from the 2005-2005 yearbook. The bottom picture is us grinning on the last day of my last year of teaching and Tiyona's first year of teaching.  

Goodbye GW Carver Elementary School. We've had a great 20 years together. 

Now on to summer vacation! 

and retirement.

Gary and I have planned for this. We have saved and invested wisely and have made decisions that make this step into retirement easier. My 20 years here and my 6 years teaching in Prince George's County all count because we have a state teacher's retirement plan. 

I have two notes on my phone: 

1. A Bucket List of things we would like to do and places to visit 

2. A list of Things To Do In Retirement

I don't actually feel like I've retired yet, it just feels like I am on summer vacation. I know it will hit me when everyone else goes back to school though. I've asked Gary to plan a trip somewhere. We've decided to stay in country this year. We've talked about taking some trips to do some more family history work. There is so much available online, but for some things you need to go to the county clerks office and check the records. We have plans to go to Indiana in the fall too. Our hometown has a weeklong Fall Festival and it was one of our first dates back in 1978. We haven't been back together since then. It should be fun to visit and see some family and friends we haven't seen for awhile too.