24 Hours to Departure

Ok.. 2 days of work under my belt with just one more til we leave. Today at Sequoia we had a lot of fixing to do due to the incredible wind storms we have been having. The wind did not die down til after lunch so that was when we were able to work on the bamboo structure that allows our snow peas to climb off the ground. We had to almost take the entire big one apart as we tightened all the twine that holds the bamboo stakes together and then we added some higher cross pieces so the plants can grow as tall as they need to.


Both the 4th and 5th grade classes worked very hard to make sure the snow peas will be able to do the climbing they need to. Also the 5th graders added more potatoes to our chicken wire planter and April and Michael put the hose holder together and got that hose out of the way!! The cooperation and fantastic problem solving that I saw made me so happy that I get to work with these marvelous students.

At lunch I came home to double check on how our trip arrangements are going. We have been concerned about getting out of town on Inauguration Day .... and my friend Beth found a marvelous solution today. There is a shuttle that will go to the airport all day on Inauguration Day and the price is pretty reasonable. So that major difficulty is out of the way.

Weather still seems like it is going to be very very cold...18°F when we arrive Thursday with Friday estimated to be closer to 15°F.. Very cold indeed. Surely taking my long, wool winter coat ... it seems like it may be cloudy, but there is no rain predicted at this point.

We have reservations on Thursday to visit the Lincoln Retreat, http://www.lincolncottage.org/about/index.htm a house within Washington
DC (District of Columbia) that President Lincoln stayed at during a lot of the Civil War* in an effort to get away from the White House (where the President lives). At the time he was there, no cars, no telephones, no television, no video games (obviously) he could walk from the White House at the end of a long work day and kind of take a break from it all.

Last year they finished a major renovation of the house and reopened it to visitors. I am excited to see where he stayed during those hard years when the United States of America was fighting with itself in large part over the question of slavery.

*(this was a war fought from 1861-1865 between the Northern states and the Southern states of the United States of America {they were not so united at that time}

Just an update... if you click on the 'follow the blog' link, I think ( but do not know yet) they will send you each post as I make it... I will surely have not time to resend to all the folks I have sent this to..

More later... gotta finish my lesson plans for Thursday and Friday....