stuff and stuff!

First of all--a couple of weeks ago I was terribly remiss--and it made a good story, so I really should have told it!

I put a couple of skeins of sock yarn into the mail for Galad, and then e-mailed her to tell her it was coming. She replied, and we both had to laugh, because it seems that she had the same idea! The digital camera is MIA, but it was dyed in her home state of Arizona, and it's the colors of the saguaro sunset--it's gorgeous, and it was so thoughtful, and really, I have to wonder if our packages waved to each other in passing! (For some reason this picture isn't loading--bummer!)

And now I'm REALLY mad the camera is elsewhere, because Donna Lee's package FINALLY got here--and it was a doozy! A couple of weeks ago I won a contest on Donna Lee's blog, and the package got misrouted, and then it got routed and dudes! On top of Galad's random kind of yarn-ness, this was too much! It was two skeins of summer weight sock yarn (one Sockotta in beach tones and one On-Line, in a sun-washed rainbow) and... and EVERYTHING. There were pretty pretty stitch markers (did you make those, Donna, or one of your beautiful daughters?) and a ladybug tape measure that I have to hide from Ladybug because she's SURE it's hers and that is just too darn adorable for words, and then... then...there was the COUPE DE GRACE! Seriously--Donna's husband, Peter Kevin, made Donna some sock-blockers a few months back and everybody was SOOOO impressed--they were pretty and functional and thoughtful...and DUDES! I GOT A PAIR!!! And now I'm REALLY ticked that the camera isn't working because I would wave them around and dance a jig! Oh...wait... folks...I'm getting a plan! We'll see if it works out! (It did--voila! Pictures!) But there was also a lovely card--which enchanted the children and tastee cakes and sheep themed chocolate!! All in all--it was fun. It was fun and useful when I both needed both, and I can't thank Donna Lee enough!!!

*whew* I'm tired just with all of that--but I've got something funny to tell you and then I'm done.

It's that time of the year when I'm bitching at the kids to just hang in there for just a few more days and begging them to do their work and ordering them to just for the love of crap shut up and listen and dammit, this is my room and they don't get to "WHAT? me when I say "For the love of crap, this is the sixth time, I'm done being nice, SHUT UP OR GET OUT!" And you start wondering if you're a good person anymore, much less a good teacher, and it hurts.

So, in the depths of that moment in time, I was on my way to McDonalds for the kids' chocolate milk and my diet coke (our afternoon ritual) and I'm sitting at a stop light--knitting a sock, like you do, right?

Next to me, this carload of kids is going full out, drunken-ape banana-shit. I look to my left and roll down my window and two of them are my students and they are losing their 1/2 grown nuts, and they're CRACKING UP! "Omigod, Ms. Lane, we were like, is that woman KNITTING, oh wait, that's just like Ms. Lane and then we were like that IS Ms. Lane, and you knit at stoplights just like you said and is that the Cave Troll? And Ladybug? And hey (this to the driver) that's Amy Lane--you know...yeah the one your sister told you about (and the driver said) omigod, I love her books, my sister's just apeshit over her books, omigod Ms. Lane I'll tell her you said hi!" Remember, this was four kids, all talking to me, all talking at once.

And they were happy to see me, and dammit, I was happy to see them, and you know what? I'll be sad to see them go.

So it's been an awesome day--and I'm glad to share.