Everything is in countdown mode now. In two weeks I will be aboard a direct flight from Chicago, USA to Auckland, NZ. And my last and final and biggest and bestest assignment for my certificate in teaching English as a Second Language is due on the 13th. So you see? I am hauling arse! If you will excuse the expression.
Speaking of arses. I pulled out my good summer jeans for packing and decided to try them on first. HORRORS! They no longer fit. How is it that I have put on so much weight this winter?
The weight is not the problem – I still look the same – but I HATE tight uncomfortable clothing and with the new retirement budget I am not spending money on a new set of clothes just because I have been careless with food. 
The body craves more calories in the winter!
But – there you are – I am back on the colorful diet wagon. I have two weeks to get comfortable again. Sigh.
We are still in the cycle of raining then freezing then raining then warming up. Today will be 50 again ( I am so glad I no longer have honey bees – this weather would wreak havoc with the poor wee things).
It was raining cats and dogs in the night. A curious expression though we all know exactly what it means. There is talk of this expression being linked to 16th century poetry. But the one Dad learned is the one I like the best. He studied Latin as a boy:
- “Cats and dogs” may come from the Greek expression cata doxa, which means “contrary to experience or belief.” If it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining unusually or unbelievably hard.
And so it was. Language is so subjective.
I drove the big truck around the corn field yesterday to feed Del’s mob over the fence into Pat’s Paddock. This was before last nights rain and the ground was very wet and spongy even then.
No more doing that until it freezes again.
After chores this morning I am going to try and finish the first copy of my last assignment. I need it to be done soon because there is mucking out to be done especially in the sleeping pen where the Six were locked in over the worst of the polar vortex storm, that desperately needs cleaning out while it is all thawed. So it will be four hours writing the four hours shoveling today.
Clean dry straw is like Christmas for animals.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
31 responses to “LAST PUSH”
Finding that favourite and formerly well-fitting clothes just don’t fit any more really is a drama. It’s not just inconvenient, it makes you look at yourself differently, especially if it’s not accompanied by a weight change. After chemotherapy I complained to my doctor that I couldn’t get back my original body shape. He told me that it had put me through menopause (no really? Like I hadn’t noticed!) and that a change of body shape was a natural part of this change. While many women don’t accept this, he said, I had to consider it as a reverse of the puberty process, which itself brought a change of body shape. I have tried all sorts of things, but I have never been able to recover my waist. No bum, no waist, and now, no ankles. Perhaps I’ll try coleslaw and fruit salad…. And I have absolute confidence in your ability to juggle mucking out, doing your assignment and flinging things into a suitcase whilst you munch your coleslaw.
Curious world. My old pants fit perfectly now, just under my belly. And they let my legs breathe, unlike the tight lower legs guy-style I see on TV. (Love the lounge visits!) As for teaching credentials, you already have them. We are learning a unique world of expressive language here, poetic too, if you ask me.
A non-stop flight sounds wonderful and goood luck with the snug fitting pants. Many of us can relate! We just do what we gotta do! I was so disappointed to read a week or so ago that Aunty Del had become a little grumpy. She is my fav.
Congratulations on getting your ESL certificate. I enjoyed teaching ESL decades ago. The challenge of teaching science and math to children who don’t share a common language proved to be a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I am continually amazed how much you do. Safe journey to NZ !
I loathe clothing that is tight … I’m heading off to Aussie and need to get my bag packed! How exciting for you to be coming home Celi. What a summer we have been having 🙂
I recently discovered that German has its own word for the extra pounds we often gain during the winter: “winterspeck” (it translates as “winter bacon”). Isn’t that fabulous?!
Congratulations on the ESL certificate! 🙂 Are you planning to teach it independently or in a school/college? Just asking as I’m always interested in people’s experiences of teaching ESL. It’s something I often think about doing!