Guess Who I Saw?

Driving to school this morning, half-asleep, I see an orange figure in front of my car. OH MY! I slam on my brakes and all I can see is a bright flash of deep orange and white stripes darting into my neighbor, Mark's yard. How many emotions can you have in a split second's time? I went from complete fear and panic because I was so afraid I was going to accidentally kill the poor kitty, to complete excitement due to it being (no doubt) the tabby teenager!

Believe it or not, I got a better look at the kitty with this encounter. Yes, he (or she) was on my porch sneaking food last week, but this time I really saw how defined its stripes were in its coat. I actually thought for a brief moment that the cat was some other creature, perhaps a raccoon because of its thick deep orange and white striped tail. It was quite the tail. It seemed like its tail was twice as long as its adolescent body. A feral creature yet looking quite lovable.

Perhaps I'll be able to catch another glimpse of the tabby teenager. Sooner rather than later.

Tabby Teenager

A welcomed guest arrived last weekend. She was able to enjoy our porch for a short while, soaking in the sun and getting some sustenance from outside feeder bowls of cat chow and water. I'm not sure how long the yellow tabby teenager was at peace on our porch, but it certainly came to a sudden halt when I opened the door to let out Papa Puss and for me to enjoy some reading time outside.

A low-pitched, menacing "Grrrooowwwl" comes from Papa as soon as he turns the corner. At first, I'm not sure what the problem is until I see a yellow tail peeking out from under the table. I should have known it must have been another creature invading his kitty space.  Papa chased the enemy away, but for me...I have wanted a feral feline to happen upon my home in a bad way.

My husband and I have cared for and loved three kitties over the last 16 years. Two of them are now buried on the property. I have gone through several cycles of desperately wanting to adopt a kitten, but then I think after Papa leaves this earth, perhaps we should take a break and not have a pet. My hubby definitely is in that mindset. "No more cats. I need a break," he voices to me. "I just want to leave for a weekend, week or two, and NOT have to be concerned about a cat that we've left at home."

I get it, but on the other hand, I CANNOT imagine living in THIS home without a furry friend that I can come home to. As I type this Slice of Life, Papa Puss is faithfully by my side, purring softly. He's an old gent, many years have gone by, but we've always had cats (three, two, then one). What a quiet joy they have brought to our home. To not have their presence and energy around, I'm not sure if I would feel the same about living here.

I'm hoping the tabby teenager will return and not be a guest, but a permanent resident of the Sakemiller household.

Okay, now that I'm in official "kitty mode" check out these videos that make me smile:

Zen cat with frog                  Kitty meets bearded dragon           

 Zen Kitties

A Host of Hurricanes

I have been overwhelmed with disbelief and sadness over the hurricane damage I've seen on the news lately. With an extremely active hurricane season upon us, how does recovery even begin? 
I've been in awe of the survivors AND the volunteers willing to risk their lives to help during the aftermath of these hurricanes. 
I wish I could say that I would be as brave and courageous, but I'm not so sure. The overall level of patience, resilience and determination can only be explained by what...love? One can also hope that life will offer new beginnings and renewed purposes in life. 
Love and Hope - where would we be without them? 

A Hogan Hello

Yes, a casual conversation can turn into something rather unusual or unique. I'm not one to carry on too much of a political banter with someone, but on this particular day, my casual, political conversation was actually enjoyable. 

Chris, my sister-in-law's husband, is an elected official in my home state of Maryland. On many occasions, we agree to disagree on many political topics, but on this day, I made a point to say to Chris that I both liked and respected our current governor, Larry Hogan. 

So, where is my story leading? Believe it or not, it's heading to the Redskins stadium and Governor Hogan's press box (is this what it's called?!). When visiting me (and my husband) on Saturday, Chris mentioned he was invited to join the governor at Sunday's football game, Redskins vs. Eagles. I didn't think much of it except that when watching the game on TV the next day, I remembered that Chris was there and I was home, working. 

Well, while I'm working, an unknown number interrupts my teacher planning. I normally don't answer those calls, but interestingly enough this time I did. First it was Chris from Redskins Stadium. Next it was Governor Larry Hogan on the line, talking to ME! To make a long story short, Chris had mentioned to the governor I was an educator in MD and I was complimentary of the work he had done for our state.

I was certainly surprised and honored that Gov. Hogan took the time to call AND to thank me for my teaching efforts and he was appreciative of all I was doing as a teacher in Middletown, Maryland. Quite honestly, I was giddy!

The phone call was only a minute or two, but it will be a moment in time I will remember for years to come. Thanks Gov. Hogan...and Chris!

Slice of Life SUNDAY!

I guess I should start with the fact that I did not commit to writing my Slice of Life last Tuesday. I don't like the feeling I get when I think about it. I seem to come up with many reasons why my Tuesday habit of writing did not come to fruition. Could it be that my priorities were elsewhere? Yes! I am a teacher prepping for a new school year. I want the best for my students, plain and simple. I want to be at my best, too. Now I'm wondering why I did not follow through with writing on Tuesday. My blog is to be a model for my students. I was true to the commitment. I felt ready and furthermore, I liked the discipline. I NEED TO WRITE! I want to write. Expressing myself through the written word feels true to me. The first day of school is this Tuesday, September 5th. I plan on sharing my Slice of Life blog with my fifth graders and I hope that many of them will join me on this journey.

Closing Summer, Opening School

School starts after Labor Day weekend for the first time in many, many years. Not just in our county, but all across the state of Maryland. Our summer was longer than usual and it was much appreciated by all.

So now it's August 22nd and I am officially back in school mode. Being an elementary school teacher, there is much to be done in preparing for a new school year. I tend to always ride on a mixture of emotions at this point in the year. I can be as excited as a kiddo in a candy store (but wanting the best and most tempting new classroom supplies/ideas), to being downright stupefied in all the decision making and planning that goes on before school even starts!

Here me out, I cannot imagine myself in any other place at this time in my life. I am completely challenged by my career, I love learning to the point of exhaustion and there is nothing better than making a child feel good about themselves, their ideas and individuality while in my care.

Cheers to all the elementary teachers of the world!

Simple Gratitude

I feel compelled to add a bit of gratefulness to the slice. Here goes...

My husband and I live on three acres of land, two of them are lawn mower cut. In an extremely frustrating moment last week (initially for hubby), our $4,000 zero-turn mower stopped working. Yes, I still cringe at the cost. It was not near our house where we keep it stored and out of the elements. No, it was all the way down (our property has hills) the biggest hill near our creek area. I was cleaning up the kitchen, heard the mower stop, looked out the window and there is my husband, Tim, cursing and staring at the mower.

Initially, it seemed to be a belt problem. It was detached from the mower. But the next (and bigger) problem was that of how in the heck we were going to get the mower back up the hill to service and shelter it. I will just say that was one of the most back-breaking exercises I have done in a very long time. With complete agitation, desperation, and willpower we were able (over a two hour time span) to push and pull the mower back to its landing pad. Quite a feat, but we knew we didn't have a choice.

Bear with me, I'm not at the grateful part yet. I will spare you the burden of the cursing, frustration and sweat of Tim having to try a new belt and it not work. Calling family members wasn't helpful because as I was talking to one, Tim motions me over and asks me to take a look at the right wheel. "It's crooked?!" I pronounce with defeat and question. Yes, the wheel frame was bent. Unbelievable. A fairly new expensive mower and the frame is bent. "Must have been the groundhog hole I hit the last time mowing," Tim declared.

At a loss, we stared blankly at the mower. I was thinking we just had several inches of rain and the word "thick" doesn't describe the grass in its current state. We knew without voicing it that this would be a major repair, if at all, and we still had many weeks of the cutting season upon us.

So, there's my backstory. My husband and I are now a few days after the initial crisis. As I sit here typing, there are two very helpful guys cutting our two acre yard. I am impressed with how they have cared for it today. I must give credit to a dear co-worker, a custodian at my school who hooked us up with one of his friends to get the job done. I am in complete gratitude mode for not only having someone like Jamaal help us out in a pinch, but for his friend Mike to take such pride in their work. I am grateful today!