Well Read

It is really rather unfair.  I get a week of summer vacation under my belt and they go and drag me back for training.  And it was the mandatory kind, designed to ensure that I will leave No Child Behind.  There is no getting out of that sort of mandate from the federal government.  

I went to bed at a reasonable hour even though I am long since past the habit of such things.  I set the alarm.  I made sure that matching shoes were at the ready because I have a tendency to not think of that and then run around for twenty minutes in the morning accusing the invisible elves of stealing all my footwear.  That, as you can well imagine, is a real time suck.  Entertaining for the neighbors...but not so good for the timely arrival at trainings.

With all that forethought, I was able to exit the manse without too much in the way of Sheepish Nonsense and made it to The Integrated Reading Process Workshop with tens of minutes to spare.  I would, however, suggest that you not try and quiz me on the material.  I don't claim to have been fully awake.  But, fear not!  The brain was absorbing all sorts of knowledge and I swear on my mother's name that there will be no leaving of children in the behind-place.  

Plus I got a keen binder.  I can just go back and check that.

And the best news?  It seems that when I wrote down the training dates, I didn't really read the fine print.  It is possible that I was feeling really virtuous at the time and overwhelmed with a willingness to be trained until it hurt.  But I don't think that was the case...  At any rate, I don't have to go tomorrow.  That one is just for the Language Arts teachers.  I don't exactly fit that category so I get to take a pass!  

Can I get a WHOOO HOOOOO?

Meanwhile, the kitties and I had to endure a full day of separation.  Sure, I had to bring the laptop with me to training and could share slide shows of the new baby to anyone willing to watch.  (Or not willing to watch but unable to find a good escape route.)  But it wasn't like really being here.  For nine hours, we were unable to enjoy one another's company.  We all coped in our own ways.

Some were just overwhelmed with a sense of loss and melancholy

Others, having experienced these sorts of separations before, simply sat at the window and waited patiently.

Me?  Well, I coped in the only way a knitter knows...

Sheepie make sock.

When I returned home, all full of the knowledge and so very well-trained, there was much in the way of rejoicing.  Certain new babies who are absurdly gi-normous and quite handsome got a little carried away and there was a small amount of damage done to various household knick-knacks as he capered about merrily.  That's  OK.  I was just happy to see that the two little ones had survived the day without any major sibling rivalry issues.

There were Greenies and sort-of-homemade-brownies all around!  Tomorrow we make up for lost "together" time!

SA