Settled into Routine

I don't feel we often have days when our route could be considered "normal." It seems something noteworthy is always happening.  Today was as normal as they get.  If feel We've finally settled into the new year and our bus routine.  We had all regular AM children ride to their normal stops and all PM children ready and waiting without any hangups. 

Observations of interest: 
There was no PreK last Friday and Monday was Labor Day. 

I found an XL black hooded T-shirt on the bus when I got on.  Balie says she found it this morning,  damp like it had been on here all weekend. 

Today is Everleigh's last day at Sharron's. Tomorrow and until further notice we will be dropping her off at Krystal Jordan's.

Exum's mom is sleep training baby. Grandma is there right now so mom can get some needed rest.  Grandma is just as pleasant and happy as Exum's mom is. I always enjoy our stop out there. 

Stops went so smoothly today we actually ended up ahead of schedule, just enough that we drove past the north end of the lake on our way from Kallie's to Omari's, then we circled the lake again on our way to the grade school after picking up Aylise.

Sterling Lake is the lowest its been since we've moved here. You can see dry land all around the base of the island and almost under the bridge. The last time I remember it being like that was the first or second summer we were here when we had the Brownlee children over during the days while Larry and Amy were on a couples trip. It's crazy that our water table was completely full just this Spring. Those few weeks of 104° degree weather were really brutal on the land.

No-Labor Labor Day


 Labor Day- The day when we don't have to work. It's a little ironic and a blessing. Josh gave me the day off as a mom today so I could work on my Home Video Project. Labor Day also means a 4-day weekend for me with no PreK on Friday, and only a 4-day work week this week.

No PreK Today

 

 Preschool takes off two Fridays each month. No PreK Fridays always feel like a special treat because I can really get into a project without interruption. Today that looked like:  A little time at the piano, sorting papers and getting them into scrapbooks, and a general pick up of the house before the weekend.

Blocking Betsy

Bus #27 has been loosing .2 miles on the odometer between drives. We're not sure why, but it's let to me watching the mileage closely. Today I just thought this mileage was fun. Too bad it didn't loose another .1 mi to be 68888.8.

Vivian and her friends were in the middle of an attempt at a cheer-leading stunt when we drove by. No waves for us today.

Ryker's mom wasn't out and waiting like she usually is. In face, she took long enough to come to the door, Ryker had knocked several times and I had my phone out to call her. 

 As we pulled up to Lil' Cubs I was remembering all the times last year that Betsy Dutson got stopped by the bus and had to wait for us. She was usually facing us on her way back to the high school. Today, Kaci had to walk the girls all the way upstairs and when I looked up there was a small, red hatchback waiting behind me. I was just feeling sorry for them, when they gave up and turned around. Kaci returned and I was headed down the street and out of town to Exum's when I suddenly remember I had Everleigh. I stopped just past the alley behind the Med Center and looked over to turn, only to find the entrance was blocked by that same red hatchback driven by none other than Betsy Dutson!  I had to back up so she could pull out, so I could turn and pull in. Poor lady. I hope we're not in her away again all year.


It sounds like things with Everleigh are kind of up in the air. We drop her off at Ms. Sharron's on Tuesday then who knows after that. I sneaked a picture of our stop just in case it's one of our last.

 

Maxwell's have a little pasture on the way up to their house that has a couple of cattle and some three buffalo. I enjoy looking for them as we drive by each day. 

Ayven is at her mom's and doesn't need to be picked up.

No Kallie either. 
 
Kaci and I parked by the HS for a few minutes before picking up Omari.
 
Omari's little sister has the cutest wave. Today she also blew me a kiss. 
 
Jeremiah's glasses situation has been resolved. There were three pair of sunglasses sitting in the classroom. 

We picked up Aylise as usual, except Dad was outside with her. Mom came out just as were were pulling away. Then at the school, Dad pulled up behind me and picked Aylise up. They left in his truck.I thought it was weird, so I messaged Kaci in case she knew why. Kaci came out of the school and pulled her car around by the bus. She was just getting out to talk to me when Mr. Tommer pulled back up and dropped Aylise off for school. Hmmmm? No idea.


Balie found a library card for Ava Schmidt on the bus. Neither of us even know who that it! We have no idea how it got on the bus, especially since the kids tell us they aren't supposed to take their cards out of the Library. I'll send this to school with one of my girls tomorrow.

Morning Sunflowers

 


Dressed up Lil' Cubs, Missing Glasses, The Goose 'stache

From 77° to 90°during the course of the route. This day went from lovely to hot in a hurry. My nick is bothering me a bit today. I'm glad I'll be seeing Kiley tomorrow to have it adjusted. I think the bumpy bus makes it worse. 


The Lil' Cubs kids upstairs were all decked out in Police and Fire Fighter gear and lined up sitting in the window seal. It was a cute little picture, (though we were fast enough to catch them all sitting.)

Everleigh will be riding to Ms. Sharron's until Sep 6th, at which point nobody really know what will happen with her. 


The sunflowers are out and so are the road graders. Both are taking advantage of all that nice moisture while we still have it.

Back at Lil' Cubs in the afternoon, Leanna Hooks asked us to pass along the message that Jeremiah's sun glasses have all disappeared. He's not supposed to be outside without them. She's not sure if they are getting left at school or not coming back from home, but either way, they're all gone.

In other news, up near the college there's some new curb and gutter going in. We've been dodging the construction all week, but it looks like it will be all finished in a few more days.

Ayven's Dad was out on the sidewalk with Shelby to see Ayven off to school. He's sporting the new Goose crew cut & mustache look that is all the rage with the 20-30 somethings right now. It comes from the new Top Gun movie that was released this summer. You've think everyone would be wanting to look like Tom Cruise, but it's Goose that's setting the fashion trends this time.

XC Practice

 

I'm hanging out with Pamela Simpson, Abby Giles and their cross country team this afternoon. They've got a full crew this year with quite a few more runners than they had last year. Pamela likes to take her team out to different locations each Tuesday for a little bit of "hill" practice that her runners can't get around town. This afternoon we are down by Jessica Schmidt's house on 17th Road and Ave Y. There's an access road down there that leads to Brian and Nancy (Pamela's sister) Inwood's property down by the river. 

I got a chuckle out of Pamela's instructions to her runners. "We'll be running down a path through the corn fields. It's not my corn. Don't touch it. Schecter's have cows out in the pasture right now. There's an electric wire fence around them. It's HOT! Don't touch it. I know most of you are smarter than that but I don't want to see anyone daring some city freshman to do touch the live wire." Good times.

In past years I've driven for all of the XC practices, but with Alexis in HS volleyball this year this is the only practice I'm available for. Alexis is actually playing in Sedgwick today, and I was hoping I might be able to catch a stream of her games while the team was out on their run. I spent the entire time unsuccessfully trying to find a live stream that worked. I think I may have even subscribed to some bogus even links that were set up to look like streams of actual high school sporting events. The links required a $1 subscription to "verify location." I tried three times before suspecting it was a scam. I can't believe the effort that hackers put into this. I convincing links to legitimate high school sporting events posted on YouTube every hour the day or so leading up to the event. The name associate with each was different but many of them look middle-eastern. So weird! I'll be canceling my credit card and asking for a new one to be issued in the very new future.

 

I'll be canceling my credit card in the very near future. 

New Magnet

Balie must have had trouble with the papers falling on her while driving too. Fancy new types schedule held up by a much stronge...