First Full Week - Done!

So we had our first full week of school. And I fell asleep cuddling with my kitties around 6:30 p.m. on Friday night and I stayed down for the rest of the night. I guess I was tired!

So the big thing on my mind: I want to get a dog. I know two cats is plenty of pets. And I'm sure many people know me as a cat lady (shudder & cringe) but actually, I grew up with dogs. I volunteered with a pit bull rescue group for several years in the Bay Area. I don't actually get cats....I'm really good with dogs. But I went walking with another teacher and her dog and a bunch of kids came out and walked with us. I really enjoyed that. I don't have anyone to walk with and when it's up to me, I'd rather not go. I think a dog would get me out more. I also live alone. Thankfully, I share the duplex with a male who has a dog and weapons. I'm not afraid for my safety, but I might be next year.

This would also be a great time to get a puppy. I would have to get a puppy so he/she can grow up with my cats. But my little complex area has a lot of dogs. More so than last year. This would be a great way to socialize my puppy. And I always planned on settling down, getting married, having a family, and then getting dog. I have to ask myself....what am I waiting for? I can afford a dog. I can train a dog. I have a good life going. If not now, when? True, vet care would be difficult but not impossible. I would just have to make an effort.

So what kind of dog do I want? Not a dog from Akiak. I want a dog who's already had his shots, and I want to know who the parents are. My good friends the Millers have lost both dogs they adopted from the village (one of them being the first puppy I rescued). One dog was too aggressive and was attacking children and the other just got sick and died the next day. I don't want that. I want to stack the deck in my favor as much as possible. So, there it is. More to follow I hope.

I wrote earlier about my Aerogarden and book clubs. Both are going well. I am actually growing plants (see the picture)....although, they aren't looking as healthy as I hoped. I caught Lola, my naughty kitty, smacking them down with her paw, so I think I know why they look kinda funny.....

I've been reading a lot. I am reading two books at a time. One for my book club and the other for me. I am seriously in love with the site Goodreads. It's fantastic. If you are a reader, seriously check it out. I like that I am reading books that I would not have thought to read. My book club tends to go for the Young Adult books out there, but we are from all over the world and I think they are getting away from that.

This week I went to two different community feeds. A community feed is just what it sounds. One family makes food for the whole village. Families do this to celebrate birthdays and when someone passes. I went to two birthday ones. My teacher friends had a community feed at their house just yesterday. Check out her blog at the right of my page. She goes into detail about how much food she had to cook. It's a lot of food. I tried caribou for the first time and tried 4 different kinds of agut'aq (eskimo ice cream).....agut'aq is made with berries, crisco, sugar, and sometimes mashed potatoes & white fish....I found it was the berries that I didn't care for....straight from the bush and very tart! I tried: high bush cranberries, blueberries, cabbage, and white fish agut'aq. The cabbage one tasted a bit like cole slaw. There were soups there too, but after I left the first one I found out it was beaver soup. I wish I had tried some beaver. The caribou meat was yummy. I went a whole year without trying new foods and there I go trying new stuff in one week.

School is going well. My two reading groups are going well. I find I do miss teaching math. Math was when I got to be a bit more silly in my teaching methods. But I am taking time to read aloud to my students (both groups) and I have fun acting out the books. I had taken classes in Benicia about using these icons to promote a higher level thinking (blooms taxonomy) for reading and I have been using them here in Akiak. And wouldn't you know it, just talking about Goldilocks & the 3 Bears brought on some great discussions!

So that's it for me. Life isn't too exciting right now, which means I'm due for a shake up pretty soon. I am really looking forward to winter coming. I bought a new parka since the zipper on my old one broke. My new one is purple. Yay! I'm tempted to buy some new boots too. I don't need them, but they are fabulous looking. I still love my gray ones from Sorel, but there's another pair.....so tempting!!