Saturday thoughts, plans, and stuff

Well, I left the house early this morning.  I wanted to go to the other 'big' grocery store in the mall near school to see if they had any flower pots.  They did, but they only had plastic ones and they were quite pricey for plain terra cotta colored plastic pots.   So, I didn't buy any. When I got to school, I found a big mess.  They had cleaned the windows during spring break and everything was stacked 'everywhere' ... it took a long time to sort the books and other teaching materials and put them back on the window ledges in the right locations.   Our window ledges are wide enough that you can use it as a bookshelf/storage area.  I don't have a filing cabinet (wish I did) in my classroom- so, I use every surface that I can to organize things. I was there for 4 hours.   I typed up the homework/newsletter for the week and several other things. After 4 hours, I was ready to go.  It was sunny outside and the car temperature gauge said that it was 57*F.  I have to admit that I actually turned the AC on.   What's this?  From heater in the Jeep to AC?   I was glad that I had found my sunglasses and they were much appreciated while driving during today's sunny skies. I did not finish all that I need to do.  I will go back to work tomorrow. Today, is just one of those... blah days.   I know that I have a lot of things that I need to do at home (that dreaded paperwork that still hasn't been done), work for my on-line classes, and I even need to write a couple of real letters to two friends who still 'only' write real letters.   I know that I need to do those things and more... but, what I want to do is make some lemonade, get a book and sit outside at my new patio table/chair set with the umbrella opened up providing a welcome shade.   Simply a break.  This upcoming week is going to be busy. We had some good news by email.   It's official... we are not going to have to be 'furloughed' before the end of school on June 14.   (overseas school teachers who work on the USA military bases and are considered government employees-- even though we only work for 10 months).   We don't know if we are going to have to still do this for the new school  year that starts in August?   That was a welcome email that I had in my work email on Friday when I went to school to sign some *paperwork.  (*See, I did at least SOME paperwork!  ha ha) To make you feel better about anything 'stupid' that you might have recently done.  I will share 2 recent (as in:  this week) situations that I did.  No one to blame here.  It was all my mistake. First of all... see this package?  It has fresh soft mozzarella cheese in it.   Tiny little balls of cheesy goodness.  I bought them at the Italian grocery store to go on a salad.  I even had some fresh basil and some fresh sweet cherry tomatoes to make my favorite summer salad.  Caprice Salad.  (I didn't have any nice big tomatoes to slice or I would have planned to use them.)   I bought these the last day of school on a Friday (before spring break started)  I had been working several nights late that week at school- and I didn't finish with report cards until 5:30pm.   I had stopped at the grocery store on the way home. Since, this is a cheese product stored in a brine like water bath so that the cheese doesn't dry out... it does need to be refrigerated.   WHERE DID I FIND IT?  The next morning, in my shopping bag.  Yes, I had emptied all the perishables out the night before.  I had not noticed the cheese.   Yes, I had a quick thought of... 'well, maybe they would be still safe to eat?'   Then, 'reason' took over and the truth is... this cheese had been setting out for about 19 hours before they were discovered.   Way past my 'window' of food eating and it not making you sick comfort level.  So, I went to another grocery store.  I found this cheese to replace the other package of cheese.  (the container has the little fresh cheese balls inside too).   This is even better.  This is fresh mozzarella cheese from the Naples region.  WHERE the best is made with milk from the water buffaloes.   Oh my is this cheese so good!   One of the Italian words that I learned to pronounce when I first moved to Italy (to another location) in 1997.     This is the real deal... the cheese from that region:  Campana    My blogger is eating my postings somehow when they get edited.   This is the second time that this has happened.   I think that what it is doing is an 'automatic save' and then when I delete the barely started post... the real post that has already been published 'disappears?'    If that's not what is happening (and hasn't happened until this week) - I don't have any clues. THIS post was much longer... just a few minutes ago and now some of it is missing.  Strange.   Did anyone see any 'flashing lights in the sky?'   Eerie music?  Any voices saying:  "ET phone home?"  I'll try to update and add more to this later on???