Death and Taxes

Sometimes I love living in a small town, actually, the majority of the time.  But sometimes a town where the town offices are actually staffed by people who have held their position for less than 35 years might be nice.  It might allow for some progress.

At the present time every tax bill (sewer, water, excise, fire, property) is sent to the same person at town hall who issues each bill on a separate piece of paper, sometimes in the same envelope, others in all separate envelopes.  And you HAVE TO SEND SEPARATE CHECKS!  What a waste of paper. 

If your bill is 285.04 and you pay 285.00, you are charged 15 dollars "demand" on the 4 cents.  However, if you pay over, not a word is said and it does not appear as a credit on your next bill.  My suggestion of putting this all on the computer to save paper and human error from entering it in a ledger...yes, a ledger...was met with sarcasm and rudeness.

I am adding the South Deerfield Town Hall to my prayer list in the hopes that someday soon there will be a computer and a consolidation of bills.

Open Windows

YEAH!!!!  It is 59 degrees today and the window are open!  Finally after a long, cold winter the fresh air can replace the closed in, winter heat air.  There are still piles of snow to melt, but I can see grass in the front yard, and the garden is coming into view.  I love winter, but enough is enough.  Everything in moderation, which is why I choose to live in New England and experience 4 distinct seasons. 

Nothing profound, no crazy kids, food crisis or lament about a long day.  Just opening the rest of the windows and heading outside.

Nothing without joy

Preschool.  After teaching at the preschool this morning I got to thinking...we have really had a range of experiences in this family!

Madeleine began preschool at 3 in the basement of the Cotuit Congregational Church.  Cotuit Nursery School was, as I heard from the moms at playgroups and library events, the place to send your child.  Led by  Mrs. Barth, the children were hugged and snuggled and encouraged to choose activities that interested them.  As a mom with an 11 year old  a 3 yr old and a 1.5 year old, that 3 hours twice a week was priceless.  She was happy, Sophie was happy not to be bossed around, I was happy to only chase after one and Kayla was in school.  Then we moved.

Our next preschool was a no-brainer.  When we moved to Western MA I knew I wanted Maddy to go the Gorse Child Study Center @ Mt. Holyoke College.  I had done many observations there in my training to be a teacher, and I loved the philosophy, the use as a lab school for the psych and ed departments of the college and the curriculum.  The drive to South Hadley was too long to drop off, go back home and return, so Sophie and I joined playgroups in South Hadley, went shopping, and took long beautiful walks on the historic campus.  To this day Mount Holyoke in the fall is one of my all time favorite places.

Unfortunately, Mount Holyoke sold the preschool to a national company, and the qualities I had loved were no longer.  And just as Sophie was to enter.

Sophie went to Old Deerfield Nursery School,in the basement of the Old Meetinghouse, and was happy.  I was happy, but reserved.  In her second year there, a need for an immediate long term substitute came about, and I  filled in.  What a treasure to be a part of Sophie's education in that way.  The excitement and ease Sophie felt in this school was clear, and the compassion and love of her teachers shone through every day. It felt like we had come full circle.

I still teach at ODNS when needed, and I love it.

Someone once told me "All the best preschools begin in church basements."  I have to agree.

http://www.olddeerfieldnurseryschool.org/
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/

Busy, Busy

Thanks to God for such a beautiful day today.  The sun was shining, the snow was melting, spring is coming. 

Today was a busy day, which was a blessing because I did not have time to stew on the annoyances that came up, I had to let them go and move on.  I am not normally someone to hold a grudge, but I am a "fixer" and a perfectionist, and when you are busy with 4 of  your 5 jobs, you just have to do the best you can and move on.

Normally in my Mommy job, I would want the girls to wear clothing that somewhat goes together to school.  Today I was happy that everyone got dressed in clothes appropriate for the weather, brushed their hair and teeth and had shoes on before we left for school.  The outfits were colorful and crazy, but the kids were happy.

Also, I usually do not teach preschool on the days that I have a full schedule at the dance studio so that I can get the housework done...today a quick pick up and vacuum had to do, and everyone survived.  Someone (my fabulous husband) even did the laundry since I didn't get to it.  I might "not get to it" more often.

As I head to job number 4 (only a few mouse clicks away) which is a volunteer position, I realize that I have been working since 730 this morning.  What a blessing to have work that I love.  As tired as I am right now, I would only change two things about today.  I dislike missing dinner with my family, and wish I had the common sense to just explain the back walkover instead of demonstrating it...I am too old for that!

My children are always asking to go to the after school program at the school. I explain time and time again that they have a parent who is home and there is no need.  That we are lucky that my jobs allow me to be with my children when they are not in school.  They do not see themselves as lucky, and have asked me to stay at work so they can go.  Today when I kissed Maddy good-bye after her dance class, and I still had 2 hours left to teach, having not seen her since I dropped her at school this morning, she whispered " You'll be home after school tomorrow, right?" 

Nothing like a busy day to remind us of what is important. 

3.14159 or pie...it all comes back to bacon.

Pie...or Pi?  Sadly, I have no use for either today.  Giving up sugar for Lent,  pie is not an option, and I can not tell you the last time I used 3.14 for any other reason than homework.

Today, March 14th is Pi day.

I was trying to think of a pie to make for dinner.  We often have sweet potato pie with dinner as it is easy and I have a recipe that is yummy, but healthy.  Shepherd's pie I make every once in a while, but I like to make it the real way, rendering bacon to sautee the lamb in (yes, real shepherd's pie is lamb...if it were supposed to be beef, it would be called cowboy pie) and that is time consuming and unhealthy. The lamb is healthy-ish enough as far a red meat goes, but the bacon...mmmmmm.  Delicious and decadent.  Everyone is happier when the house smells like bacon. Alas, bacon is terrible for you.

 I have made shepherd's pie with beef or ground turkey, and it is OK,  but if I am going to use beef or turkey, I would much rather make pasty.

Pasty is pie crust filled with ground beef, onion, chopped potatoes and sometimes peas.  Another crust on top to seal in the goodness, and a pile of cole slaw on the side....yum.  Just like Mom used to make.  They used to be made into little pockets for laborers or children to take for lunch, but for dinner it is a steaming mounded pie plate filled with the meat and potatoes that my Irish/English ancesters existed on.  The cole slaw adds a nice creamy, crunchy aspect to this yummy comfort food.

Cole slaw makes me think of broccoli slaw.  I love broccoli slaw more than traditional cole slaw (which in our house is cabbage, carrots, mayo and balsamic vinegar), because of the different textures and tastes.  Broccoli slaw is chopped raw broccoli, shredded carrots, mayo, sometimes chopped raisins, but always finely chopped bacon.

And we're back to the bacon.

There is no bacon in the fridge or freezer, so I will have to plan another dinner option.  My rule to only shop on Thursday is helping to quell this bacon urge.  If I ran to the store whenever I wanted something, I would end up spending the mortgage at the grocery store! We'll see what the circular says this Thursday.  If bacon is on sale, I might buy it.   Of course by then bacon will be replaced with thoughts of chocolate.

...hmmmm, chocolate pie anyone?





Recipe for sweet potato dinner pie:  Peel, chop and boil 3-4 sweet potatoes.  Drain most of the liquid.  Add 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/2 cup milk and 2 eggs to food processor. Pulse to combine.  Add potato chunks one at a time while processing, adding pan liquid as necessary to make smooth.  When smooth pour into pie crust and cook @350 until center is firm.  If you don't have pie crust, pour into small baking dishes to cook.

Day of Rest?

So the plan of starting Daylight Savings early worked in that the girls did not question the time on Saturday and went to bed early (630 real time, but they thought it was the normal bed time of 730).  Sunday, however, no one wanted to get out of bed.  For the first time in a long time the girls had to be woken up at 8am, and Sophie was none too pleased to have to get dressed and eat her toast in the car on the way to church. http://www.stjohnsnorthampton.org/

Speaking of a day of rest...what has happened to that idea?  First we have SING! (a Christian music sing-a-long) to get us ready, then church school, we rejoin the congregation for the last half of the service, then home for lunch, chores and homework, dinner and bed.  I am not complaining.  I am truly blessed to have these options and opportunities, but each week I wonder about a "Day of Rest".  Am I doing something wrong?  Where is this "rest"? Floors, laundry, dishes, sewing...

I have no one to blame but myself.  God does not care if I washed my floors today, if the laundry is done, God does not care if the girls are not dressed up for church, or if there is peanut butter in the corner of Sophie's mouth.  Perhaps the "rest" for me is the peace in my soul as I see the girls bound toward the church never wanting to miss SING! even though it requires us to leave home 1/2 an hour earlier each Sunday.  Maybe "rest" is the elation I feel when all the children gasp with the "Ah-ha" moment during a lesson (today it was the use of a shamrock to explain the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the tradition of St. Patrick).  Or maybe "rest" is having 5 minutes to type on the computer, with a hot cup of coffee, watching the girls ride their bikes and saying a brief, but deep prayer of thanks to God for health, happiness and faith.  Life is good.

Now on to the dishes.