another weekend in gringolandia

I woke up this morning not in my usual tranquil state of Saturday morning bliss. Maybe it was because it was not hot enough to sufficiently enjoy the gentle breeze of the fan blowing detering the heat from my slumber. I rolled out of bed, regardless, wrapping my sarong around my shoulders to later wrap around my legs as a means of bug protection during a hammock reading session. I'm reading a book called Shutterbabe--a book about a female photojounalist and her world travels starting in Afganistan covering the war. I'm only about 30 pages in, but her writing style has captured me. It is intriguing to read about how she has chosen to live her life--in many ways that I would choose not to live mine. It makes me think. Before heading out to the hammock I heard two of my housemates--Bridget and Emily--having a conversation about all things fall. I couldn't even listen. I heard bits and pieces of "hot....cider....yellow..." and flew through the common living space to the hammock. I love fall. I love the weather. the colors of the leaves. apple cider. sweatshirts. everything that comes between the beginning of school and the first Michigan snow. I haven't been able to bring myself to look at the Calvin webcam that would show me the envious vista that the current Calvin kiddos get to see each day.

One more week until my kidlets get their first "exams." I'm pretty sure they'll pass shapes, symmetry, fractions, plant parts, and sentence subjects. Thursday was a mess (more about that later) but Friday ended with smiles all around. When they all had lined up at the door ready to be dismissed for the weekend, I made up an impromtu dance and Friday chant. They loved it and we danced down the hall waving our arms. The sight of them copying my ridiculous dance and chant made me laugh so much. That sounds kind of power hungry--but you know I'm not that way :)

Before I head off into the weekend--finish my fresh squeezed orange juice and start scrounging some food--I want to tell you about a funny moment that will escape me forever if I don't write it down. Anna and I were walking home from school one day when we almost ran into a large rope covering the road. Weird, we thought. Where is this rope coming from? The rope continued to the right and the left of the road, with children stepping on the rope holding it to the ground. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't trip over the rope as Anna and I puzzled, but ready to be home and sitting down somewhere continued on our walk home. As we turned the corner we could see the rope going into tall grass and attached to....A GIANT COW! Of course, we laughed. A giant cow. Right!

ok. food. maybe shower.