PS

I forgot to tell you all about our two encounters with "wildlife":  Monday morning a ladybug rode all the way to Dixon on the windshield.  It crawled behind the windshield wiper for the freeway drive.  I guess it didn't want a second ride--It was gone when we went home.  Then when I was cutting some fresh apricots, there was a worm inside who seemed to be eating the pit.  Shae corrected me when I said it was eating the seed.  When she looked she  said, "You mean the pit."  My bad.

Tuesday

We left home very early (6AM) to have coffee with my friend Adrienne. Shae, a real trooper, dressed, brushed teeth and hair and buckled into her car seat without protest. Perhaps she was just dazed at the early hour.

At Marketplace she pointed out "the three little pigs" dancing in front of Noah's bagels and Peet's coffee. I asked what kind of bagel she liked. "What are my options?" she asked. She chose sesame seed--not toasted, no cream cheese. From the juice options she chose Mango Tango over Monster C and orange.

Adrienne arrived, we ate, drank Mango Tango and lattes and talked. Shae asked to see Adrienne's bicycle after she found out she had ridden it. She told Adrienne I had bought her a camera and added "It's not digital." (It's single use)

In the computer lab she continued to click away on the English Rosetta Stone program. After our break and snack she stayed with Maria Paz (babysitter) and the Spanish speaking kids. It helped there was a girl in class who spoke English.

We visited the district office to pick up the student certificates. She explored Telly's desk while Telly answered questions about everything. She had half-and-hour nap on the drive home.

After lunch she rode her bicycle (She rides, I walk, jog and run) to the polling place so I could vote. The poll workers, all grandparent age, talked to Shae. One man asked if her bicycle was registered and did she have a license. She said, "No" with a very worried look on her face. I told him she was from Nevada. He said. "That explains it. You're OK" She gave him half a smile. Biking back to the apartment, we change to swim suits and have time for a half-hour swim.

We dry off, dress and have a snack. Then watch Cinderella (I admit I dozed from the losing of the glass slipper to the end of the wedding.)

Auntie P showed up just after Shae started asking "When will Auntie P be here?" Continuing our busy day, we stopped at Michael's to buy soap for Paulette's class to make father's day gifts. Then Paulette went into Home Depot to find out about the first Saturday craft hours. We ate Swedish meatballs, mac and cheese and frozen yogurt at IKEA for dinner. Shae went home with Paulette. I watched two episodes of Ballykissangel (I get this BBC comedy from Netflix.)

Wednesday she will come home with me after my Argentine Tango lesson.

Our first full day together

Tonight Shae is too tired to type her own entry.  Since we read Animals live in Trees she has not asked for anything, no water, no I forgot to tell you something.  I peeked in and she is sound asleep.  WOW.

We went to work this morning.  She followed me around as I opened the classrooms and got ready for class.  I took her to the babysitter, Maria Paz.  (Maria takes care of our students' children.)  After about 45 minutes Maria came to get me.  Shae was afraid and didn't want to stay because all of the kids were speaking Spanish.  So she joined me with my students in the computer lab.  I gave her the English Rosetta Stone disc and showed her how to listen and click and for the next 45 minutes she clicked away.  "I really like that disc." she said as we made our way to break time.  In the classroom she was a hit with the five ladies who were in class.  (You can tell it is the end of school--attendance is very low.  Until the party.)  The ladies practiced their English by asking her questions.  

After class we went to COSTCO.  "Are we in Reno?"  She asked as we walked toward the doors.  "No this is Woodland."  It struck me that children are growing up without being able to tell they have crossed a state line.  And they are seldom more than twenty from a favorite, or at least familiar, fast food store.  We had COSTCO Pizza for lunch.

After a twenty minute rest for both of us we hit the swimming pool for an hour.  Washed the pool water out of our hair and set off for Longs Drugs.  I walked and Shae rode her bicycle.  For me. alone, it is a ten minute walk each way; including our ten minutes inside we were gone about  an hour.

After dinner we started watching ANNIE--too many things to explain so we watched Shrek one.  She is not old enough for ANNIE.  I found I didn't like it very much anyhow.

Shae's visit

Here's Shae with Daddy and Skyler at 5pm on Sunday when Daddy and Skyler left to go back to Reno.

After church in Reno, Daddy and Skyler and Shae drove for three hours to Sacramento.  

We all went swimming and Auntie P came to Grandma's and swam with us.  We had a lot of fun in the water.  Shae's life jacket works very well and she is learning too move herself around in the water.  Skyler brought his water rockets to throw in the pool and dive to get them.

Grandma cooked chicken and rice and made a salad and we had dinner.  We had vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Shae will type her own message:

to mom dad  skyler sterling    I   love   you and   miss you. shae

kykh0jkjkikk8ku9uui,mihnmnmn   vv ,,,kjllfkykn,kty;[]o7oypy-6-6-=--pokpllopk[[;[']'g]'\\

Shae tried her touch typing here and we don't know what it say.

May

Here's what's been taking up my time since the great weekend at Bodega Bay.

I take lessons and dance at Spotlight Dance Studio.  Twice a year the studio puts on a showcase and the students and teachers dance choreographed pieces.  One is in December and low key-- some people say it is a practice for the one in May.  Last fall, Paulette asked me if I wanted to dance with The Girlfriends; a group of eight women from thirties to sixties.  I said OK.  One of the teachers choreographed a routine and we set out to learn it and get the moves in our muscle memory.  We danced in two shows in December.

After the December shows, I thought but, didn't say aloud, "I'm not going to do that again."  I felt clumsy.  Then in March someone said, "We have to start practicing for the May Showcase."  I didn't say anything, I showed up for practice.  Our music was "Get on Your Feet" by Gloria Estafan and it was a FAST cha cha.  Paulette agreed to some extra coaching and practice time with me.  Inspired by the lyrics,  "Get on your feet...Get up and make it happen, and ...deep in your heart is the answer that will pull you through"  I did get up and make it happen.

  The entire week May 4-9 was taken up with tech and dress rehearsals and the performances.  It was a great week.  We performed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and a Saturday matinee. A group of my friends came to see the shows.  I am so glad I did it.

NOW the WNBA season has started.  We, the Sacramento Monarchs, won both the pre-season and opening games.  And last night the Seattle Storm blew us away.  We will get them next time.

Bodega Bay Weekend

We walked on the beach and some got into the cold, cold water up to their waists.  Not me!

There was kite flying and it is hard to get the kite and the flier in a little digital camera.  Then we went to the tide pools in search of sea anemones and starfish.  Few sea anemones but starfish seem to be out of season. 

We had a great time and the weather was great.  Our new rental was fantastic.  There is a lot more room than the little cottage we had rented the previous two years.  This one had a dishwasher, a working coffee pot, with a complimentary bag of beans form the management company.  We didn't bring too much food and had great meals thanks to Robin's cooking.

That's us on the spiral staircase.

WARNING do not read the next lines if your weather is still bad.

When we returned to the valley it was 92 degrees.  

I'm not going to say it was cold Monday and this morning if it is still winter in Nebraska.  It is just perfect this afternoon and I can hear the birds singing outside my window.

This and that.

To Shirley:  Yes, we do want to be healthy and able to get around on our own.  Probably a good thing I didn't come to visit.  Doesn't sound like you guys would have been much fun.   Also, the airlines are not very dependable these days.  Shoddy maintenance, cancelled flights, bankruptcy and so on.  Not a good time for me to travel.  Thanks for the cranes with moon picture on you blog.  

Shae came and stayed with me for three days.  We had fun.  She is full of questions.  And knows a lot of answers.  She states them with a lot of authority.

I just had a health scare.  They called me back for an additional mammogram.  The good news is they had to take about 8 pictures with a different machine to even find what had shown up on the original.   And then didn't find anything.  The doctor wants to check again in six months.  The bad news is I had to be squeezed eight times.  And it hurt.  Finally I relaxed enough not to hurt so much.

BIG NEWS.  Paulette and I are booked on an Alaskan Cruise starting in Seattle August 1.  It is seven days with stops in Ketchikan, Juno, Sitka and Victoria Island, Canada and back to Seattle.

I'm excited.

Paulette  can see without glasses or contacts and even looks different.  She is still very excited about her surgery and it is, apparently, a total success.