Monday Morning

It was all I'd hoped it would be...

Actually, I didn't have any particular hopes for this Monday morning, but it is nice and cool outside, the sun has come up, and I am feeling refreshed and ready for a new week. (Let's see how I'm feeling at lunch time, shall we?) One of my favorite things about being here in El Coyote Gordo (tentative name - what do you think?) is the smell of the air in the mornings. All of the plants that make it here in the summer seem to want to proclaim their superiority over the weaker, less desert-hearty vegetation first thing in the morning. There is an especially pungent bunch of sage somewhere around that makes me throw open the windows and invite the air inside. And when the temperature is just right, I can make my trip to The Big City with my window down, sampling the olfactory stylings of plants along the way.

Speaking of temperatures, our thermometer read 108 yesterday. Granted, we think it is a little overenthusiastic about its job ever since the day it sat in direct sunlight, but even so - that is HOT. Fortunately, it cools down so nicely in the evenings. I would guess it got down to 55 F last night. Quite the range, eh?

It's nearly time for me to get on my way. Last week, we focused on rules and expectations in class with some 4th grade review thrown in. This week, it is on to 5th grade material. (Not that one week is enough review, but if I don't get started on this stuff now, I won't get everything covered.) This is going to be the first "real" week. Usually I am dreading this week - the kids are always overwhelmed and I have to met out lots of consequences that I would rather just ignore, but this group is looking good. I think they might have actually been listening as I explained what to expect. Perhaps they won't be too shocked by the work load.

Yeah, right. Poor, little things. Think supportive, organizational thoughts for them. :)