08.19.2003 | 9:05 pm

Second grade is certainly a sigh of relief in so many ways. The children can do so much more for themselves. They can read directions. They can reread directions and then get bust without crying. No crying is nice. I don�t mean to sound unsympathetic or hard-hearted, but I have done crying first graders for 10 years, and the switch is nice. Another pleasant surprise� all my really low readers tested into AR (Accelerated Reader) yesterday. This is truly a miracle! Two little guys, Ethan and Jordan, were especially beaming as they went to the library to check out their first AR books together. I was very happy for them. I have a new student, Alan, who came from Utah. I don�t know how they teach Spanish speaking students up north, but they did a lousy job with poor little Alan. He can�t write a lick, or read a single word�.this is after pre-K, Kinder and 1st in Utah! I think he needs to repeat 1st grade so he can at least receive some foundational skills. One of these days, I must track down the principal and talk to her about the poor little guy. He is always asking me if he can play with puzzles�Hmmm, that sounds to me like a 1st grader.

In orthopedic news�.I am sliding downhill fast toward the replacement of my right knee. When I was 37, I visited an orthopedist with knee pain. The x-rays revealed a completely worn out, bone on bone joint. He told me at that time that my knee could probably last till I was 45. Well, I am seven years past 45 and this last week I think I crossed over the �bridge of no return.� All of a sudden, the ol� knee is aching, stinging and burning ALL the time. It�s a very good thing my school is new and I have the use of an elevator. I might not have made it this far�which isn�t very far. I called brother, the Podiatrist, to get a recommendation for a surgeon last night. The guy who did my hip four years ago was a person with no idea of the pain and torture he put his patients through. Luckily, he is no longer a provider with the insurance I have, so I needed to find a new person anyway. I got the recommendation and called for an appointment this morning while the squirrels were at PE. I face the jury September 3. I think I already know what I want to do. I will take my fall break and go to Pennsylvania to visit the M�s. When I return, I will use my sick days and go ahead and have the surgery. I have two disability policies, so I will just use those benefits up through the Christmas break, and maybe a little beyond. I think I could possibly get back to school by the middle of January.

All of a sudden hubby is �mister want to help me do everything.� To late darling�the damage is done and I need a fix up job ASAP! I�m sure he is thinking of how we will make ends meet with the impending cut in salary. What it really means is that because he owns his own insurance office and can be his own boss, he has spent these past 10 years doing just as he pretty much pleased. He ran around town giving time to this and that civic organization to the detriment of his business. Oh well� time to get serious and make a living now. I really don�t mean to be cynical about hubby, because he is a good guy�in fact too good. He volunteers for everything and to anyone�s lost cause. I have felt often throughout our marriage that I was always well down toward the bottom on his list of priorities. I have always had the feeling that he viewed the kids and me as self-sufficient�with or without him. I guess this is one of those times when I will have to rattle his chain and remind him I need to be bumped to the top of is list.

Marie called tonight to see if we were surviving the gas crunch here in the Phoenix area. It is so hard to find a gas station that actually has fuel. There are long lines everywhere. Many stations are empty because there is no gas to sell. One of only two pipelines that feed into our state sprung a leak about 10 days ago. The company that owns the pipeline is just now getting around to fixing it�and of courts they claim it isn�t their fault we have a gas shortage. (the guy that is CEO of of this company is a former ENRON executive) We, our personal family, are OK. As I was talking to her, the baby came CRAWLING into the kitchen for the first time. I could hear him chirping and gurgling �all proud of himself. It was too cute. Why am I so far away? It must be the gas shortage!

catsnapples~ in 2nd grade and at life

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