Just-So

Have you been spring cleaning?

The urge to straighten up, rearrange, sort, clean, and rethink my spaces has been a fleeting motivator this week. Clean up the house, check. Then I'm off to read or crochet. Excavate my desk, check. Report cards are then finished. Click through the blogroll pruning dead links, tossing out the old to make way for the new, check...then you can find me outside enjoying some nice bulb-sprouting weather. Put away all of the heavy winter clothes and coats, check...now I want to go downstairs and craft to my heart's content.

Seems this new system is what works for me. It's not like my old system however- I'd start a big task such as "spring cleaning" and not stop until the entire home was finished, spotless, top to bottom. Unpacking after a move? Living out of boxes for weeks like some families is not an option for me us. I'd get every box distributed to the correct room, and then unpack *everything*, putting each item away in its new spot. I like things "just so." I like them "just so" SOONER rather than LATER. Apparently now I'm willing to allow some "just so-ness" to take place in stages, over time.

Some.

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Back to the blogroll: I've checked most of the sites and made sure the links to friends are working properly now. I've added some foodie blogs under the header "Snacktime/Lunch", friends can be found under "Recess with the Girls," and I'll check through my "Nationwide PLC" this afternoon.

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Personal and professional tidbits:

~ I have my truck back. She's running fine but still smells of cigarette smoke. I've drafted a letter to the police departments involved in her recovery outlining the details they missed in their investigation of the theft. No, it won't help prosecute the truck-nabber, but perhaps some constructive criticism and feedback will clue detectives in to the fact that paying attention, seeking relevance, and asking pertinent questions are all appropriate investigative techniques, ALL OF THE TIME. Or not. They should be glad I'm not in charge of writing their performance reviews or professional improvement plans.

~ The second of my bi-annual teacher evaluations is over. I'll be a teacher on "probationary" status for three years if I remain at this location. Odd being "probationary" in the last three districts I've worked. I haven't been in one long enough to achieve tenure. This nation-hopping is getting a bit old, considering I'd like to retire *sometime* in my life.

~ Spring break can't come quickly enough. Dear Daughter's ends today, so come April, I'll have the house all to myself for a week. No teen angst, no boundless pre-school energy, just a sleepy cat occasionally underfoot. Time to try new recipes for dinner (Dear Husband will be glad he won't have to cook), spring clean in earnest and prepare for our first yard sale of the year, and drive to explore antique stores in peace. I'm such a rebel.

~ Found a quote this week that gives me direction: "Gratitude is riches, complaint is poverty." I'm working on it.

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Hooray for Spring!