Saying no to pot bellied pigs

Saying no to pot bellied pigs

One of the local schools has a sign on the gate that says “NO PETS ALLOWED ON SCHOOL GROUNDS.” The sign goes on to specify that the pets not allowed on school grounds are cats, dogs, and pot bellied pigs. Does that mean ferrets are allowed?

no pot bellied pigs

I always wonder about signs like this, with something oddly specific included in the rules. I wonder if there was at one time a pot bellied pig problem. I’d love to hear that story.

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Tell me about your week and show me some pictures.

Respect the School Zone

Respect the School Zone

I’ll admit to being annoyed by the 20-mile per hour speed limit in school zones… in the past.  Funny how things change now that I have a 5-year-old walking to school every day. And now, every day, I give those fast drivers a mama bear glare.

school zone

The neighborhood in which we now live has well marked school zone signs, but there are a few school zones around Seattle that I suspect have become quite the source of income for city hall. School zone signs that are hidden behind trees or tucked in around a corner, placed where a driver wouldn’t notice if they were watching the road – those are a problem. Those not only put the driver at risk of being ticketed, they put our children at risk, too.

Last year, I contacted the city about one hidden sign, and since the sign is now much more easily seen, I suspect the overgrown bushes and trees were trimmed back.

If you see signs that are poorly placed, or where shrubbery has obscured the sign, please contact your city and ask to have it fixed.

And please, respect the reduced speed limit in school zones. A child’s life is worth so much more than the couple extra seconds it takes to get through that part of the road.

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First Day of Kindergarten

First Day of Kindergarten

Twas the night before Kindergarten, and all through the house, everyone was so nervous and excited (or nervicited as Pinky Pie would say) they couldn’t sleep.

Hair was washed and braided so it would be easy to brush in the morning.

The outfit was selected and laid out.

Backpack was packed, again.

Extra stories before bed.

Lots of talking about what school would be like.

Toes tickled, forehead kissed, little girl all tucked in…

but she just couldn’t sleep.  “I’m starting to think morning isn’t ever going to come,” she said after getting up the fourth time to see if it was time to get ready for school yet.

I was in a slightly different state of mind. My plans to print out the cutest little sign for her first day of Kindergarten photo were foiled when my printer quit on me. So I spent those hours between tucking her in and tucking her in again using her back-to-school markers to make a sign for her by hand.

Gem's first day of Kindergarten | CoffeeJitters

Our little family of three walked to school together that first morning. Another family joined us with their new kindergartener. With each new turn and cross street more people joined our walking caravan to the school. As we approached the last corner before the school, we saw families flooding together from all directions, and we could hear the chatter of what must be thousands of voices. I was not prepared for the roar of sound when we walked on to the blacktop and over to the designated line-up spot for her class. So many children. So many parents. Especially for the kindergarteners, in many cases there were two parents for each child.

The bell rang.

The kids lined up, and followed their teachers into the classroom.

The parents stood there and stared at the building. Especially the kindergarten parents. How long was it ok to stand here and stare at the building like a crazy person before it gets creepy?

The principal came out and invited parents in to the cafeteria for coffee and a hard-sell on volunteering, before we all wondered off in different directions, a little overwhelmed at this new feature of our lives.

At the end of the first day of school, she was predictably exhausted

end of first day of kindergarten

The end of the second day was as well.

end of second day of kindergarten

But every morning, she bounces back, ready to take on another day of school.

This is part of our routine now: the walk to school, wondering which families our timing will sync up with for the next 4 blocks, parents starting to recognize each other – and each other’s kids, kids recognizing each other and excitedly getting caught up on everything that happened since 3:40 yesterday, friendships forming – for the adults and the kids.

It’s a beautiful life. <3


Her backpack is packed

Her backpack is packed

I kept yelling through the wall that it was bedtime and that she needed to settle down, but she was no where near ready for that.

She burst out of her room, breathless with questions: Could she bring crayons to kindergarten? Will there be show and tell? Is it ok to put the crayons in her backpack?

There were more questions, but I can’t remember them all. I tried to answer them as I could while steering her back to her room.

Yes, you can put crayons in your backpack, I told her. And we will need to get you a new backpack for school.

Her face darkened a bit: “But, my backpack is already packed.”

Kindergarten starts in 78 days.

ready for kindergartenv- backpack

I examined her backpack with her, and together, we removed the items, piece by piece, so she could tell me about each one.

There were, of course, the crayons. And a piece of paper so she can color on it. She explained to me that she folded the paper so it will fit in the back pack.

inside backpack

She also packed a football because at kindergarten she might learn to “do sports.”

And a red block because red is her favorite color.

And a hairclip in case her hair gets in her face. To me, this last item was most remarkable because she resists all my attempts at keeping her hair out of her face, especially hair clips.

I explained again that we will buy her a brand new big kid backpack for school, because she’d had her old toddler backpack since she was two. So she put it on to demonstrate that it still fits.

backpack on back

I finally got the backpack away from her, and convinced her that backpacks are not safe to sleep in. And she finally settled down and fell asleep – no doubt dreaming about playgrounds, coloring, show and tell, and “doing sports.”

On the other hand, I am still wide awake, marveling at her love of learning, her exuberance, and relishing the fact that we have 78 days left until the start of kindergarten. Also, I’m panicking a little, because there are only 78 days left until the start of kindergarten.

My 20 Year High School Reunion

My 20 Year High School Reunion

My 20 Year High School reunion is taking place in Palmer, Alaska this weekend, but I won’t be there. I was planning to go, in fact I was looking forward to this reunion.  I wanted to show off my daughter, and introduce my husband to the people who were such an important part of my past.

Palmer High School | Judy Schwartz Haley

It didn’t work out. Why doesn’t matter, although money was no small part of the consideration.

I find it interesting how my feelings in anticipation of this event changed over the past few years. Several years ago, when looking forward to the reunion it was all about comparison. I was anxious about seeing my classmates. I was lucky in love, but the tides had turned financially and I was no longer bringing in the big bucks. How would I stack up against my classmates and their achievements? I didn’t have a beautiful house, or a cabin on the lake, or money – or time – for vacations. How would I fare in the competition of “Who’s got the best life?”

Then MySpace happened, which was quickly followed by the even better Facebook. My classmates joined up one after another, hunting down other classmates and cajoling them to sign on as well. A circle of friends grew. We were interacting with each other in a way we never had before. Looks didn’t matter.  Those extra 40 pounds were irrelevant. As we shared baby pictures and survey results, built farms together and challenged each other to scrabble games and mafia wars, friendships reconnected and new ones grew irrespective of the cliques that existed during our high school days.

At our ten year reunion we showed up, showed off, exchanged email addresses, and promptly got back to our lives once the reunion was over. Few of us stayed in touch. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time and I’m glad I went. But I suspect this reunion will be different.

Palmer High School | Judy Schwartz Haley

This time we reconnected before the reunion. Over the past couple of years we’ve shared each other’s trials and triumphs. We’ve cared about each other in specific ways: hoping a job interview goes well, a healthy baby (or grandbaby), a big cross country move, and a cancer diagnosis. We stopped being a generalized and generic collective and, by interacting with each other through Facebook, became a collection of individuals. Competition matters less (unless you’re playing Scrabble against Liz), those 40 extra pounds matter less, the paycheck matters less, the living arrangements matter less.

What really matters is who you are when you sit down and start typing. Are you real? Do you give a shit? And, remember when…

So I’ll be thinking of you this weekend Palmer High School Class of ’89. And when you get back home, I’ll still be on Facebook, awaiting your updates, and photos, and maybe a cherry tree for my farm.

Cheers!

On a side note: What do you do with a 20+ year old woolen letter jacket? I know the streets are crowded with people who will desperately need a coat this winter, but this coat is so tied up in my identity (not to mention that my name is embroidered all over it), it doesn’t feel right to hand it over to just anyone. It still fits. Maybe I’ll wear it this winter and see if it makes me feel younger.

letter jacket | Judy Schwartz Haley

One year ago: The Hammock