School days, cool days...

Happy Tuesday everyone - Happy September - and Happy Back to School for many of you!  Labor Day has come and gone and we are unofficially over summertime, although, thankfully, here in the low country the weather is still summer-like and I'm going to keep on wearing my shorts and flip-flops for as long as I can!

Our leader Joyce has some good questions about "back to school" so read on, and remember those days - the good, the bad, and the ugly - as children wake and head out the door, parents push them to make the bus, and teachers make classrooms a place to learn once again.

1.  What's something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to actually doing? 

We had planned to take our boat down the Intracoastal Waterway to Beaufort, SC and had put it on the calendar back in May!  But then, something came up (it was so long ago I can't remember what it was) and we had to "postpone" the trip.  Then other summertime activities kept us busy and we didn't ever make it happen!!   In fact, we were just talking about boating down there the other day when we were out on it - but the boat died in the Georgetown Harbor and we were towed back to our marina.  A 2 and a half hour tow!!  Oh my!!   So, now - we have to put the trip on hold again until we find out what is wrong with the boat and get it repaired.  

2.  Share a favorite memory of your back-to-school days as a child. 

I mentioned this last week but the memory I always think about was getting a new outfit and new shoes for the first day of school.  Back then we didn't carry backpacks - or didn't have a supply list of materials needed to start off the year.  So, my mother would take me shopping for a new dress, or skirt & top (no jeans to school then either) and a new pair of penny loafers.

3.  What's one chore or daily task you prefer doing 'old-school'? 

Toughie question.  In general I'm all for new, easier, quicker ways to clean.  Aren't those disposable toilet wands just the best?   lol      So, I guess my answer is yard work. I'm old-school when it comes to pulling weeds (down on my knees and getting at the roots) and I still love the hand-held, non-powered , clippers for the shrubs.  It's a good workout for my arms!

4.  Share something you've learned in life through the 'school of hard knocks.'

As I think of my life so far, I have really been blessed to not have that many hard-knocks…certainly not to the extent that some have had to experience.   But I suppose I have had my share of times when I wish I could have done better at something…be it in school, or at a job, or as a wife, or in motherhood.  So, I think I have learned that I'm never going to be the best at anything, or be unique when it comes to my actions.  But, that's okay.  I do the best I can and am happy that God and most people can forgive.

5.  As a child, did you mostly bring or buy your lunch for school?  What was your favorite thing to find in your lunch box? 

In elementary school I think I walked home sometimes for lunch.  We must have had an hour & a half break in the middle of the day - which is impossible to think of now!   Once I got to junior high I ate at school…and I think I ate the cafeteria food most of the time.  I was given "lunch money."   Now high school!  That was different.  I remember getting to leave campus and going with friends to the nearby burger fast food place (called Clancy's) occasionally. I went there in middle school too because it was in walking distance from that school.   My "go to" food in high school most days was pretty sad… it was a soda and a package of ho-ho's from the snack bar.  I never wanted to wait in the cafeteria line and I wanted to sit with my friends and socialize.  So, I grabbed my "usual" from the snack bar and survived until school was out for the day.

By the way, I don't think I ever had a lunch box.  On the rare occasions when I did bring something in, or we had to pack lunch for a field trip, it was in a brown lunch bag.

6.  Football season is upon us which has me wondering…how big of a sports fan are you (not just football)?  On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being 'I scream at the players through my television screen' and 1 being 'is knitting a sport?' - Where do you fall in fandom? 

I have got to say I am 7 or 8 when it comes to all sports.  Although there are some sports I can't get into much…   like auto racing, and world cup soccer.  I am a 10 for football, college and pro.  Yes, I talk to the players as I watch on TV - and I have been known to jump and cheer when something good happens!     For those who find they are not sports fans, here is my advice:  learn to understand a sport and then pick a "favorite team" for some reason - perhaps they are the local one, or you went to school there, or your child did, or you like the uniform colors, something!!  It's much easier to get into a sport when you have a particular team to root for.    And, also do it because you will be in the loop for much conversation - especially with the men in your life!  

As with anything, there is good and bad to sports…and I dislike much of the behind the scenes behavior, and the big money associated with many players.  But, the game itself can be a thing of beauty.  And, don't be a "fair weather" fan.  You got to support a team when they are down to enjoy when they win!  So….therefore, I still say "Go Gamecocks!" even after their poor performance last Saturday.  I'll be rooting them on again this coming Saturday!!

7.  Share a favorite quote you think might inspire students of all ages at the start of the new school year. 

Oh my. I opened up a journal/quote book I kept during my school days to see if I could find something fitting.  Interestingly, almost all of the quotes and poems I wrote down had to do with love and relationships, not with education or learning.  But, still they are pertinent…so here are a couple.

I will consider them my "random thoughts" too.

"I am not immortal.
Whatever I put off for later
may never be.
Whoever doesn't know now
that I love them
may never know."
                          -Leonard Nimoy

"When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
and the world makes you king for a day.
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,
and see what that man has to say.
For it isn't your father or mother or wife
whose judgement upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back in the glass."
                          - Dave Eagle

"Lessons learned are like
bridges burned.
You only need to cross them but once.
Is the knowledge gained
worth the price of the pain?
Are the spoils worth the cost of the hunt?
                        - Dan Fogelberg

and finally…

"The greater the summer, the harder the fall…."
                              - anonymous

Have a great week everyone!