What a Mess!

So we get out of school when it is sunny and in the single digits. But we don't cancel school when there is a winter weather advisory and snow showing up on the radar. We started dismissing at 11:00. Mr. C's school called and said the buses would not be running because the weather was too treacherous, so parents were to come pick them up ASAP. Luckily he got a ride home with someone with a four wheel drive.

My school insisted buses were coming. By 2:45 one bus had shown up, but most students had been picked up by parents. There were only 40-50 students left in the school. The principal said teachers could leave. While still on my way home, at 4:35, I got a robocall from my school saying the buses could not get through and parents needed to try to get to school to pick up their children. I don't know how that finally turned out. I only had two children from my class there when I left. But I feel bad that I left and they may still be there.

There were so many accidents on the way home. I changed directions several times and went miles out of my way to get home. M, you will recognize the above location of the duPont exit onto Amnicola. I got up past the barrier and then crossed the median to head back up duPont to Access Rd (accident in the roundabout) and onto 153 to cross the dam. Whew!

The main road to our house was backed up past the interstate (about 8 miles from home) so I got on the interstate, traveled down to the first exit in Georgia and tried to get home on the backroads, though the Georgian countryside. Accidents blocked the roads I knew, so I called Hubby at work and he navigated me over the phone. I was close to tears at one point, but pulled myself together.

I made it all the way to our subdivision and parked at the entrance with about 20 other residents. You can see what happened to the people who tried to drive all the way home. I had about a quarter mile hike, uphill from this point.

The news is reporting over 300 accidents in Chattanooga alone. No school tomorrow. Although after more than 2 hours on the road to get home tonight, I had already planned on not going anyway.

***Update: I heard through facebook that the last 4 students at my school were picked up by a bus at 6:15pm. Yay!

A Night Out

Hubby, Mr. C, and I were able to get out to see Dr. Michio Kaku speak at Chattanooga State. It was a free event so we got there early and  waited in line. Good thing too, as several people were turned away when the gym was filled.

I am so impressed with Dr. Kaku, as he is brilliant but is also personable. So many smart people are very boring to listen to. He was promoting his latest book, "The Future of the Mind: The scientific quest to understand, enhance, and empower the mind.” It was very interesting and different than what I'm used to hearing him talk about, the universe and black holes and such.

If you're unfamiliar with Dr. Kaku, you can check out his website here. He is one of Mr. C's idols/heroes/role models (I can't think of which word is best. Obviously my mind doesn't have a very bright future!)

***I'm posting several updates at one time, to make up for such a long time away from this blog!

Busy Little Brains

I can't help but brag about what a great class I have this year.

They worked with partners to learn about missing addends.

They worked in small groups to learn about magnets.

The super cold weather came at a very opportune time. We were learning about solids, liquids, and gases in science. We have a little pond right outside the backdoor of our classroom, so the students took turns feeling the ice. Afterwards they came in and wrote 5-8 sentences about ice and water. They are supposed to be able to write 12 sentences on a single topic by the end of the year. I think I can! I think I can! So much to do!

Housework

Our latest project is installing hardwood flooring in the formal dining room, foyer, breakfast room, and maybe the kitchen. This was all brought about by Lizzie using the dining room for a litter box. After two years of trying everything we have had enough. We tried putting her outside (who knew this winter would be so cold) and we have finally settled on just keeping her confined to the laundry room at night. It seems to be working.

The carpet had to come out of the dining room so we had to decide between a cheap temporary fix or a permanent flooring. We found a great deal on hardwood floor at a local salvage place and decided to go for the permanent fix.

Replacing the floor is so much more than just the flooring. There are baseboards that have to be reinstalled afterwards, light switches and outlets that need to be swapped out while we're updating, and then you might as well get rid of the intercoms too. Whew!

I can't wait until our house is put back together and not a construction zone.

Just Can't Catch a Break

It seems like every time I turn around, Socks is getting into some kind of trouble. Right after Christmas he had a run-in with another cat. Or so we think. We didn't see anything happen. Socks was out for a bit, during the day, and came home bleeding from the leg. He had to wear this bandage for 2 weeks and limped around. Pathetic. But now the bandage is off and he just looks like a poodle cat, with a shaved leg. He'll survive until the next crisis.

There They Go

The kids are starting to head back to their lives. I posted another photo similar to this on facebook, but realize not everyone is on there. I'm thinking of not using it anymore. The kids have all but abandoned it for other social media and that's the only reason I signed up for facebook.