First Quarter Report Card

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013 – First Quarter Report Card

Where does the time go?  Here it is, the end of October, and the first quarter of the school year ends this week.  And here’s some very distressing news:  It appears that I’m flunking retirement.  Yes, my first quarter report card will probably show an “F” for retirement.  Why would I be failing?  Not enough effort, I suppose.  Instead of going out to play, I’ve been going to work instead.  Just this one month, I’ve subbed twelve days at AHS.

I’m really quite upset.  I haven’t gotten a failing grade on my report card since my 7^th grade music class with Mr. Favale.  How I detested that horrid man, but the “F” I received was all it took to convince my parents to buy a piano so I could take lessons and learn something about music.  This time, Elliott is stepping into the role of conscientious parent/guardian.  He’s putting pressure on me to give my retirement the attention it deserves.  I’ve promised him I’ll do all I can to improve my grade.  I didn’t tell him, however, that I already have seven sub days on my calendar for November.  What can I say?  My only excuse is pretty weak:  bad habits are hard to break.  It sounds like I’ll have to do some homework.  I’ll have to practice saying “no” when teachers ask me to sub for them. 

In the meantime, I will try to enjoy my “free” day tomorrow, which will be devoted to two medical appointments (one for me and one for Elliott), visiting my mother, taking my MOB (mother of the bride) dress to the tailor for hemming, and various other fun activities.  At least I’ll have more time to spend with Elliott.  He’s had a rough couple of weeks – more pain in his back despite his medication.  We went to an orchestra concert on Sunday afternoon and he was very uncomfortable after the first hour.  In addition, he’s been experiencing more problems with his vision.  It has gotten to the point where he struggles to read the newspaper, even with his magnifying glass.  It’s frustrating to realize that’s there no real cure for old age.  Somehow, this remarkable man manages to retain his joie-de-vivre.  If only we could all be so fortunate. 

A Lunch Date in Paris

Saturday, October 19, 2013 – A Lunch Date in Paris

I don’t have the excuse of subbing for the delay in writing this time.  The only reason I can come up with is the change in seasons.  I seem to fight an annual battle against the shortening of daylight hours at this time of year.  Rather than adjust gracefully, I find myself sinking into a morass of desperation, dread and despair.  This is only October, so I know it’s going to get worse – much, much worse, in fact – before it gets better.  When I can, I try to sleep a little later.  But even getting up at 7 a.m., I have to confront the darkness.  On a recent morning, standing in the kitchen, I was struggling to suppress a vague sense of anxiety while waiting for the sun to rise.  And then, once the sunlight started dripping onto the treetops, the anxiety dissolved and I was fine.  Most days, I’m fine until late in the afternoon when the darkness starts its stealthy approach.  At that point, the uneasiness returns and I have a primal urge to burrow into a hole where I’ll feel safe. 

I’ve tried to develop some coping strategies for the arrival of the season of darkness.  First of all, I try to keep busy in the kitchen.  This is the time of year when I experiment with lots of new recipes.  In the last week or so, I’ve cooked up the following:  homemade applesauce using the apples Elliott and I picked; healthy granola made with oats, almonds and coconut flakes; a multigrain pilaf (kamut, spelt, hulled barley and brown rice with sautéed mushrooms and onions); and a guilt-free chocolate pudding.  The pudding recipe comes from a book by Dr. Neal Barnard called Power Foods for Your Brain.  It uses unsweetened cocoa powder, agave or maple syrup, almond milk, a little vanilla and the secret ingredient – a can of black beans!  You put it all in the food processor and blend.  Incredibly easy, right? 

Another way I try to adjust to the increased hours of darkness is by focusing on evening projects that calm my nerves.  I found that doing jigsaw puzzles can actually reduce my stress level because this activity requires my complete concentration.  I just bought half a dozen jigsaw puzzles, 500 or 1000 pieces each.  Last night, I started a puzzle of the New York City subway system.  Not only will it provide a buffer to the seasonal anxiety, but it will also provide me with practical information that I can put to good use in the near future. 

Writing also helps me deal with the adjustment to less daylight.  When I don’t get to the computer, I leave scraps of paper with pencil scribbles all over the house.  Some thoughts simply refuse to remain trapped in my brain.  Along similar lines, I’m actually looking forward to a full five days of subbing next week.  Since I’ll be in the same ESOL classroom the entire time, I’ll have a chance to settle in, get acquainted with the students, and develop ideas for classroom activities that I can implement.  I’ve been reviewing the literature I’ll be using in the different classes.  It ranges from a young adult novel about an Afghan refuge family to a short suspenseful play called The Hitchhiker to the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. 

Finally, I’m trying to fill up our calendar with interesting excursions that involve Elliott.  After all, one of my main jobs is cheerleader, i.e. helping keep his spirits up.  The past couple of weeks have been a little challenging as he readjusted his medication schedule.  I was a little concerned that he might not be ready for a trip to Paris, but he felt optimistic this morning.  That’s right – we set out this morning for Paris.  If you drive west on Route 50 for about 40 miles, you reach the town of Paris, Virginia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Paris is so tiny that it’s more of a townlet, or maybe a smudge on the map.  In any case, it’s the home of The Ashby Inn and its renowned restaurant, whose changing menu is based on locally sourced products.  

 in the restaurant

Of course I’m going to tell you what we ate.  Elliott started with an excellent pate de campagne that he proclaimed the best he’s had since we lived in France.  The accompanying bread, cornichons, mustard and fleur de sel were perfect.  I was equally pleased with a creative tomato trio:  intensely flavorful tomato confit (did I detect some thyme?) on a pool of delicately flavored tomato-sambuca cream alongside a tomato-tarragon with fresh pea shoots.   

Tomato Variations

Pate de Campagne

 I had no trouble choosing my main course, tagliatelle pasta with roasted pumpkin purée, brussels sprouts, and sherry vinegar.  It was divinely delicious.  Elliott was quite satisfied with a more mundane choice, a steak sandwich topped with melted onions with a lightly fried egg.   

So delicious, I started eating this before I remembered to take a photo.

 The kitchen certainly displays its creativity with the dessert selections.  Elliott raved about the warm apple tart with cheddar cheese ice cream.  My dessert of late stone fruits, poached pear, gingerbread crisp and pluot sorbet was intriguingly tasty.  

Overall, we enjoyed a delightful meal with impeccable service in a lovely setting.  And it was much less expensive than a trip to the other Paris for lunch at La Tour d’Argent.  

On Vacation from Retirement

Saturday, October 11, 2013 – On Vacation from Retirement

I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been on vacation – on vacation from retirement, that is.  Four days of subbing at Annandale High School this past week, and I’m still recovering.  At the end of each day, every cell in my body was exhausted, and my brain was on the verge of numbness.  Each morning, bolting upright to the alarm at 5 a.m., walking into the kitchen before I was fully conscious – it felt just like the good old days.  When Elliott’s gravelly voice cut through my mental fog to wish me a good morning, I wanted to growl at him.  Like an automaton, I went through my morning routine.  Most importantly, I packed up all the containers I’d stuffed the previous evening with nutritious edibles to carry me through the seven hours of the school day.  (I managed to avoid buying lunch in the school cafeteria for twenty years, and I wasn’t planning to start now.)  Of course, there were some compensations – being able to see a dazzling array of stars in the pre-dawn sky, listening to Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac on WAMU as I drove into work, and seeing so many friends and former colleagues at AHS. 

This past week was also the week of my group presentation in the art history class at George Mason University.  Our subject was Gerald Murphy, one of the many American artists and writers who became a transatlantic during the 1920s.  Through a study of his paintings and relationships with other avant-garde figures, we gained a better understanding of social trends and cultural modernism in the years following World War I, prior to the Great Depression.  Rather than stand up and simply lecture with a slide show for our presentation, I borrowed a classroom strategy I’ve employed in the past as an ESOL teacher and wrote a Readers’ Theater piece with Gerald Murphy, his wife Sara Murphy, Gertrude Stein, and Fernand Léger as the main characters.  The research and writing were time-consuming, but I enjoyed it tremendously. 

The academic world, whether high school or college, is clearly where I feel most comfortable.  I’ve already started looking at the courses being offered at GMU during the spring semester.  And I’ve lined up several more sub jobs for later in the month.  But in the meantime, I’m looking forward to a long weekend at home with Elliott.  No special plans, just working on some wedding-related activities, doing some cooking (more experimenting with grains, perhaps), visiting my mother, and getting over to the gym if the rain keeps me from walking out of doors.

Rappahannock Ramblin'

October 2, 2013 - Rappahannock Ramblin’

With a cloudless blue sky and a forecast for temperatures in the low 70s, we set off last Sunday morning for Rappahannock County, a bucolic destination just an hour or so from home.  As soon as we drove past the town of Warrenton, veering off Route 29 (Lee Highway) onto Route 211 (also known as Lee Highway), wide vistas opened before us – green dappled slopes, blue-tinged hills in the distance, horses peering over fences, even the occasional tree already sporting flame-colored leaves.  Although it was the weekend of the Rappahannock County Farm Festival, few other cars were on the road.  While I drove, Elliott, with the help of his magnifying glass, studied the map, which showed the location of participating farms, wineries, and orchards that were welcoming visitors.  We passed several farm stands selling corn, pumpkins, and cider, but didn’t stop until we reached Lee’s Orchards.  I’d somehow managed to live over six decades without ever picking apples, and this was my chance to remedy that deprivation.  

We drove off the road onto a long gravel driveway, parked outside a barn, and faced an unanticipated decision: which size basket?  A bushel, a half-bushel, a peck (which I learned is one quarter of a bushel), or a gallon?  We chose a peck.  The orchard itself was just down another short stretch of gravel road.  Two lazy cows barely lifted their heads in greeting as we pushed open the rusty gate to the orchard.  We were surrounded by row upon row of apple trees.  The ground was littered with fallen apples, easy to pick up, but choicer specimens were hanging from the branches of the trees.  Then we spotted a ladder leaning against a tree trunk.  Within a matter of minutes, we filled up our basket, and Elliott earned the title of World’s Oldest Apple Picker.  Back at the barn, we added a couple of containers of cider to our bountiful harvest. 

 

All this apple picking made me work up a mighty appetite, so we drove a short distance to the little town of Washington in search of lunch.  Washington, Virginia is the home of one of the country’s finest (and most expensive) restaurants, The Inn at Little Washington.  However, they only serve dinner, and I honestly don’t think that any meal is worth the exorbitant amount of money they charge.  We found a little café, Tula’s off Main, to be a perfectly acceptable substitute.  Judging from the number of locals enjoying their lunch, it was a good choice.  Elliott dug right into the chocolate chip pancakes, and I found several healthy veggie-based options.  With fully sated bellies and lungs filled with fresh country air, we headed back in the direction of Fairfax.