Saturday, January 15, 2022

Work week recap

A winter storm is headed this way, bringing with it the chance of ice late tonight and early tomorrow morning. As much as I long for a good snow, ice is a different matter altogether. Ice is beautiful, but so dangerous. Thank goodness it's a holiday weekend (Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday) and I have no real need to leave the house before Tuesday. Following on the heels of this storm is another weather system that the long-range forecast says might bring us some snow next weekend. Fingers crossed for that! I'm anxious to see the "new" house and neighborhood with a blanket of white.

I've continued to feel a bit under the weather for the last couple of days. Although I got a negative result on my rapid Covid test, I remain unconvinced that I don't have a (very, very) mild case. Yesterday my throat felt kind of weird and sore, and I've been a bit short of breath for a few days now, off and on. That sounds bad, but it's not that unusual for me. I have mild asthma that can be triggered by allergies, a cold, or even just a drastic change in temperature.  A puff or two on an inhaler and I'm totally fine. So who knows?

I'd go to one of the DHEC testing sites for a more accurate PCR test, but they've all been so overwhelmed that it's taking up to a week to get results back (and that's when we're not having a state holiday and a winter storm) so I don't think I'll bother. I feel almost 100% back to normal today, anyway. If it is Covid, thank goodness for vaccines and boosters! I was careful at work yesterday to keep my N-95 mask on and to avoid other people as much as possible, just in case. 

Speaking of work, I meant to tell you about something nice that happened to me at the beginning of the week. My little buddy Clarence (the boy who kept coming to my desk for Christmas candy in exchange for not getting in trouble last month) stopped by my desk to see me on Monday. (Since I was already feeling a little weird, I gave him a fist bump instead of a hug). He said, "Mrs. Barlow, I'm going to bring you a present tomorrow!  I told my mama I wanted to get my favorite teacher a present!" I told him that that was a sweet thing to say, but that his good behavior and good attitude was all the present I needed. Of course, I forgot about it immediately. Well. The next day he showed up at my desk and presented me with this:



"Viva Las Vegas Night" perfume! :)  

Clarence was so proud of himself when he gave it to me. He said, "It smells REAL good!" (It smells about like you expect). What a sweet, kind thing for that little boy to do! I wrote  him a nice thank you note on some of my personalized office stationery. I showed the gift to the basketball coach, who happens to be one of the behavior interventionists, and he quipped, "I hope that's not missing off his mama's dresser!" Haha! We both got a good laugh at that. All joking aside, though, this little bottle of dollar store perfume made me cry a little bit. 

I'll sign off today with a few pictures of the aquariums at work, taken by some of our Art students who are studying photography at the moment. Aquariums are notoriously hard to photograph, but the teacher sent me four of what she judged to be the best ones. The first two are from the goldfish tank in the lobby, and the last are from the planted community tank in the library.






34 comments:

  1. Your reaction to his gift probably meant the world to him. We are still at the stage where everyone in the school is masked (staff and students) except for kindergarten students. Classes return to in-person this Monday, they were online for two weeks after Christmas. Have a good weekend, hope you're feeling better! -Jenn

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    1. I hope staying online for a couple of extra weeks will help contain the spread for you! It's been awful in my area, and lots and lots of people still not wearing masks.

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  2. Glad you are feeling better. There are a lot of colds going around.
    You make such a difference in the lives of the students at your school. It is nice that Clarence appreciates your kindness to him. "Favorite teacher" - what an honor! You deserve it!
    Are those the aquariums that your husband takes care of? Those are great photos!

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    1. Yes they are! Gregg does a really good job with those tanks. They always look glossy and clear and beautiful. I'm proud to tell people that my husband is the caretaker!

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  3. Clarence's gift warmed my heart. He'll remember your enthusiastic response to it for the rest of his life I suspect. It's these positive moments in Clarence's school day that are going to help him be successful. You are working in the right place.
    I love the aquarium photos. My aquarium is sitting empty in the basement. Your photos almost made me want to get it going again...almost!

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    1. Well, if I had to maintain the tanks they wouldn't be there! Luckily my husband does the work and I just get to enjoy them. :)

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  4. This makes me so happy. What a difference you make!

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    1. I sincerely hope so, Mitchell. So many of the "troublesome" kids really, really need an adult to show a little interest in them and treat them like they're capable of better things (most of them are).

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  5. That storm you're talking about is coming our way as well, though we're just supposed to get snow, maybe a dumping, maybe a few inches. I and the dogs are looking forward to it.

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    1. Oooh! Have fun! You're probably going to wake up to a winter wonderland tomorrow!

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  6. Oh gosh. That is just the sweetest story and half of the sweetest comes from your response to Clarence's gift. Little things like that can mean so very much to a child.
    I hear you on the whole Covid thing- I, too, wonder if my test wasn't misleading somehow but probably not.
    Those fish tank photos are really cool.

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    1. I don't know about him, but it meant a lot to ME. :) You would love Clarence. He's a little Black boy with darling little dreads and the brightest smile you ever saw, with a dimple in one cheek. An adorable little fellow!

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  7. How sweet of Clarence to call you his favourite teacher! Although you are not officially his teacher, you did teach him that good behaviour makes life much nicer and easier all around.
    Covid tests can be wrong, but there are still the usual bugs around as well, so it might have been just a common cold. Anyway, good to know you are much better.
    Of the fish pictures, the last one with the snail is my favourite.

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    1. Clarence was just a little immature at the beginning of the year. This is the first time we've had 6th graders, which is what he is, and he's a tiny little 11 year old. A little extra attention makes him light up, and his teachers tell me he's smart. I expect good things from him!

      I love the photo of the snail, too!

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  8. I so much prefer the thought of snow over ice for tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for it ... even though ice or snow I'm not leaving the house!

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    1. Me too, Bob. Ice sucks. Our long range forecast calls for snow NEXT weekend, but ice tonight. We shall see!

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    1. Haha! I really don't think so! He just loves and soaks up the extra attention. He got to meet my husband last week (Gregg was there cleaning the aquariums) and he stood up so tall and proud when I introduced them and Gregg shook his hand. :)

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  10. Clarence sounds like a good little boy who just needed a bit of reminding. That is very sweet.

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    1. As I told someone else, this is the first year we've had 6th graders at our school. He was just especially young to be starting middle school, I think.

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  11. I hate ice; it's so terrifying. Glad you are feeling better. The perfume is such a thoughtful gift!

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    1. Ice really is scary. I just made my only trip out for supplies and from here on out I'll be staying in and staying safe until I go back to work on Tuesday.

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  12. Oh Dear Lord that gift made me tear up - that is the sweetest gift ever in the whole universe, What a precious little soul !

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    1. He's a good kid! I always have a couple of favorites every school year, and Clarence is the one for this year. :)

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  13. That little lad is a keeper.
    Catching fish in motion of difficult. Two of those photos are pretty good.

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  14. What a lovely little boy....he should go far! I hope that you will be wearing the scent when you next see him... However awful it is! Glad you are feeling better. Enjoy your day off.

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  15. Clarence is such a joy to read about. I can only imagine what a joy he is to you in real life.

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  16. OMG that Bottle of Perfume Gift made me Tear Up too... how Sweet and Thoughtful... and... you're his FAVORITE! The name of it Amused me, trust a little Boy to think that would be Da Bomb in Perfume... I had an Elvis Moment... ha ha ha. Those Child Photographers of Fish/Aquarium Life are really GOOD, I've tried to Photograph our Tropical Fish for Blog Fodder and couldn't get pixs that professional looking.

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  17. Love the story of the gift from Clarence!
    I've tried taking aquarium photos, and they're all terrible. These you've shown are quite impressive.

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  18. If you are feeling a little frisky, just spray on "Viva Las Vegas Night" and Gregg will go wild like Elvis himself.

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  19. It's nice to see the aquariums up close! I'm laughing at that perfume and Clarence's good intentions. (I hope it's NOT missing from his mom's dresser!) Hope your health is back to normal by now. We're having crazy amounts of Covid over here.

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  20. I hate to say this to you Ratana but to be frank, nobody likes you.

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  21. The fish photos are wonderful. Talented students.
    Hope your feeling better.
    cheers

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