P.M.S.

My husband says that I am suffering from PMS... Post Manilow Syndrome. I agree. This always happens after one of Barry's shows... every day following THE DAY is just another day.  I am following Manilow's path along this latest concert tour. He is in Florida now, near the area where the last school shooting occurred... how sad is that... and Barry is donating all of the concert money to the families of the victims of that shooting. And that is exactly why we love Manilow.

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but it continues on with my Book Club group of students. I gave out special treats last week for Valentine's Day, and then when I went to the grocery store this week, they had all of the Valentine candy boxes on sale, the ones in heart-shapes. I bought one for each of the Book Club students. I'm sure they won't mind celebrating Valentine's Day for one more week.

Last week's Book Club got focused on "The Diary of Anne Frank."  I had just one copy of that book and one of the girls asked me if it was a real diary or a made-up diary. I told her that it was very real indeed, and gave the students a bit of history about Anne and her diary. I asked for a show of hands as to how many would be interested in reading that book, and a dozen girls raised their hands.  I went to the local bookstore this week and ordered a box of copies of Anne's diary. The bookstore owner was nice enough to offer a teacher's discount being that the books are going to the students.  I bought the four copies that the bookstore had on the shelves, and I will give those out on Thursday, with the rest of the students getting their copies next week.

The students in the Book Club continue to surprise me. They are interested in the books, the club, and even the 'standards' that I insist upon during the after-school program, and hopefully, beyond that. I expect the Book Club students to be kind to one another, to respect the books and keep them in very good condition, to be aware of how they speak to and act towards each other, and to always remember that they are not the center of this universe and should always think about how their actions may cause ripples in the atmosphere surrounding them. One of the 4th grade girls summed all of that up in just a few words:  "Be po-lite. That's it, just be po-lite."

My husband's After-School Fantasy Baseball League, based on the board game Strat-O-Matic, begins next week at the elementary school. Ten 6th-graders have signed up already, and I know that the number will double before next week is up. The Strat-O-Matic game is still wildly popular, and I have to wonder how many of the 6th graders here had heard of the game before that sign-up sheet was posted in the school.

Our weather has been the pits lately, but at least the cold snaps have disappeared. What we are left with are gray skies filled with clouds and rain and dampness and fog. All of that, all on the same days. The sun has been an infrequent visitor, and it's getting everyone cranky, including and especially, me.  Oh well, this too shall pass. Spring will be here and the wildflowers will be popping up and hopefully after all of this rain, it will be a splendid season for the bluebonnets.

I saw a hand-painted wood sign on Pinterest yesterday.... "The meek shall inherit the earth... the strong will get Texas."