I am now in Moulton at the farm and very happy. House is really dirty but I'm making headway on the cleaning. I've emailed John Lamont, the super, alex Russin, the asst and Larry Ledoux the commissioner of ed for AK and now it's in their hands as to whether I go back this year. I will be devastated if I can't. I've also expressed interest in jobs in Seguin and shiner. We'll see, I suppose. In the meantime. Peyton is down here visiting and we've been planning the trip. we leave next Monday so we've got very little time to get stuff done. Leia and Keri have been so good to me this summer. I think I've maybe been a pain in their butt but I'm entitled!!! My knee is always achy but it is even getting better. I thought the ache would be gone by now but alas, no. I have done nothing concrete this summer but Ive had fun anyway. Haven't visited anyone I planned to visit but I'll try to get that done. Tomorrow I'm going to call all three above to ask the status. Then I'll know for sure what will happen. Carla wrote but I've not written back yet. Brandon is having a great summer camp experience. Peter went to see the basic graduaation this weekend and saif B looked good.

It's been one month out since the surgery. I feel good and the leg is a bit uncomfortable. I am still at L and k's house but will go home for 4 days tomorrow after rehab. I am getting all the letters written that I need to send to see if I can get another cert so I can go back to the vilage. Allis well here.

Sitting on my daughter's couch and finally getting around to putting in the blog. I was in Mountain a week and hen came through Chicago to get to Austin. At Leia's. Angie, the new renter and Beth came up last Sunday and we ran around some and hung out. They came up on Saturday ad I wish they would hav come over then. Cray gooses. Anyway, on Monday Keri and I took Leia to the surgery unit and she had her hand operated on. she was so hugry after the surgery that she wanted to go out to eat!!!!!!!! Yep, she is not sane either. Next morning we all got up and Keri drove us to the hospital where I checked in to have my surgery. Got into a room, all my tests, all the paperwork, all the signatures and finally off to the surgery. Woke p later in recovery, stayed for a short time and thenwent to my room. Just came home to Leia's today. Idon't like being there in the room because of the unreality of it all. I like tht e idea of an in/out lke Leia's. Well, I had expected mucho, mucho pain and ended up with nothing. Rather that thanthe first idea. Really here was very little pain. My knee hurts but not any more than it did when I was grinding away the ole bone against bone. So, The firsst day was OK. I had this poey thing tht would give me shots of drugs. Really didn't have to use it very mucha t all. Nurses kept coming inasking if Iwa hurting. No way, wth really truly drugs on board. So next dzy I suggested that the real poky drug thingy be taken out and I could have some of the 'notsogood stuff'. They gave me two pills. I don't wnt toknow what they were, but in 5 minutes I was floating around the roo unable to speakin a coherent sentence. I guess my life dream of being druggie will never be fulfilled because I can't tolerate 1/ glass of wine or drugs either one. That afternoon they gave me only 1 of the pills. Stillwent to loopy-land. They talked to the dr and he gave me amild form of drug. Works fine but I rarely need it. Another womanwho had just hd her scond surgery4 monthsago on the second knee, showed up and asked about the pain. I told her on a 1-10 scale ,ine was 0. She said her's was painless too!!! Who knew?? We both agreed tht it must be partly because the pain we felt for yers from the bones just was more than we ever thought we were tolerating. Hence, almost pinless. I wish now that Ihad done bothof them together. Well, Icanwait knowing that it's not gonna be as bad as Ithought. Very nice nurses in the hospital. They now all work. I mean that they do everything the CNA's do and vice cersa. Intresting changes from several years ago. Nice stay. Did EXXTREMELY WELL. The doc said that the flexion from front to bscak was off 8 degres nd the flexion from side to side was off 16%. I was walking so stoop shouldered, I hd no idea. Anyway,now I canstand talland walk almost normally. Got flowers fromBeth and from P ndMel. Paul and Mel have now determined that I should be called the "Bionic Senior" or BS fr short and should wear a cape. You think?/??? Happy to be home and ready to go to the gym. Gott get a scaale.

Well I'm sitting in my office doing nothing. Gossipping and playing pranks. Allie just crawled into a box and then we called Mel down and allie jumped out. Scared Mel. it was so fun. But then Allie was so smushed into the box she had to be tipped over to get out. Crazy people. Waiting for lunch and then i want to go home. So bored. Then I've got to wash clothes and pack for next week. Get the girls stuff together. Then Monday I go to Mtn. this morning was the first morning that Nudles wanted to go outside. it was still 30 degrees but out she went . Did her thing and came back in shivering. She is so ready to go to texas and sit in the sun on the porch. Sad to leave the village.

I cannot believe. It's almost over and another year has passed. I cannot decide whether to do both knees or just one. it was 20 degrees this morning with a light snow. And in texas it is 100 degrees. that is stupid. Texas would be great if we just didn't have the hell heat!!!!! And Warren is in n Calif looking at trees. One is called the Gen sherman. Always pissed me off. Ought to cut that sucker down some night. sherman was the one that marched through 'hour southrn lan' and burned stuff. Bastard. Cut that tree down or rename it the President Jefferson. Or name it the 'great dianne' tree. I like the sound of that one. i have only 1 1/2 weeks til the girls and I are home. Woah. What the hell am I gonna do all summer. Swim and walk, that's what. My kids think I'm gonna sit on my porch, well I'll do that too, but I am gonna swim and work out. I'm gonna get these knees workin agin and be able to x-country ski. Yippee. And I'm gonna ride my cycle!!!!!!!!!! Maybe get some tats and a leather sleeveless jacket and some cool glasses. They'll call me the 'termiknittr'. can't hold this ole lady down. Looking for a hot tub and some beer. I am really going nuts up here.

Close to the end of another school year. This morning coming to school down the still snowy path i nearly fell and in trying to get up I could hear my knee grinding together. Interesting sound!!!! My precious one called today to suggest that I stay in Austin so she could babysit me and make sure I went to rehab. I don't think my little darlings understand that I MUST rehab in order to come back here next year. I don't think they understand just how annoying it is not to be able to manipulate this old body around drifts and stairs and . . . . Believe me, I will swim every day so I can really get into good shape. I just don't know yet whether I'll do both or one. Trying to get renters and the lawyer keeps giving me advice so I'll not get stuck. I think, if I were a nasty little person, that I'd be willing to burn down the Dupler's just so they would stay. (Not really. I'm looking forward to going over in the mornings and getting coffee and sitting gossiping in their new house. They've just been such incredibly good people that I'll miss them down the road. I plan to go to Rachel's graduation at the end of May. Wouldn't miss it!!!! Beth and I both will go. Got the crate so I can send the girls home under the plane. Only two more weeks.

Hello there world!!!!!! And you too Warren!!! I look at the weather where W and K are and have to laugh. It's raining! Either they hunker down or they get wet. One or the other. So sad too bad! I just bought some more stocks. Ain't gonna get rich but I hope I get something!!! Roomie is at home ill. Principal is at home ill. Lots of ill around here today. I'm printing the yearbook and hoping that we get the ring binders so I can get it put together. Schedule is on hold, AGAIN. Oh well. Nothing else going on except watching the snow melt. SSSSLLOOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLLYYYYY! It was in the 20's again this morning. And it's 96 at the farm. Damn!!!! Now, duh, where would you think I'd want to be??????? 1 1/2 weeks to mt. The girls are even going outside now. Hot dog. bout time. Graduation dinner this Thursday and Grad on Friday. Then 8th grade grad and that's it. I have seniors in the office writing speeches. Nearly over and I'm really surprised at how fast the year has gone. Next year will be even funner!!!!!! We get a 2K bonus at the end of June and then a 1 1/2 % raise next year. Good. that'll be Ok with me. I need money. (Well my kids do really). l is hunting a scooter today. would be good to use around the farm. I gotta get a license first. Will do that this summer.

Well with all the stuff going on up here, if i told you about it I'd have to kill me. Suffice it to say there is a lot of secrecy and behind the scenes going on. don't know what will eventually happen. I do have a new respect for some of the members of this community. I've made my air rides and have only one to change. The date I'll be coming back will be the 8th instead of the 10th. I am ready to roll though. It has been very stressful the last two weeks and I need some down time. Maybe the time in Mt will be good. All I will have to do is write a new counselor manual. One that will be for the counselors and will hopefully help the new ones and will answer some of the questions that always come up. Can't wait. Gary and I have some really good ideas on how we're going to go about this. I've started cleaning the house with closing it up for the summer in mind. Not much to do. Next year I want to separate things better than this year. If we don't buy separate food and stuff then I think putting all our receipts in one jar and dividing up at the end of the month might be good. Bills too. I've paid the dish for two years now. May even get netflics next year. There are so many movies I want to see this summer. Can't wait to get home. I think I'll do the dr appointment and then straight to the farm until the day before the surgery. I want to see home. Well, this gig is at the half way point. Just two more years and I'll retire. That should give me some playing money for the future. I am buying stocks like crazy. Don't know what will happen to that but . . . . . .
I am not at all comfortable with Pollie having to go cargo on the way home but they won't let two in the cabin. Beth is even sending her crate. At least I won't have to stay overnight in Anch. It will be an all day thing. Through Chicago. In August AA is starting a straight flight to Austin via Seattle. That will be easier on all of us. Had lost bread for breakfast this morning. Haven't had that for a while. (frenchtoast) I want todo so much this summer. I hope I am able to rehab quickly. The snow up here was so deep this year that melt is taking along time. I get a ride to school each morning by either Paul or Allie (bless them). I even went to the T's house the other afternoon and because the snow was so rotten Paul put me in a sled and pulled me. It was a riot. Him grunting and me laughing and nearly falling over. Too funny!!!!!! I walked home though with Paul's good arm. It is beginning to feel like I'm handicapped. At least the mental is there sometime. . . . . . Mel says it's aphasia and then she laughs like crazy. I've got to cut my nails today. They are too long to type well. And then I've got to work on the schedule.

so April is here and the snow is alternately melting and falling. From time to time in my office i hear the most god-awful roar and I nearly duck and cover but then I realize that it is just the ice melting and sliding down off the roof. Very disconcerting. Both of my knees, especially the right one as been hurting like crazy. walking is really hard and the pain is bad. i have been popping Naproxen left and right. No help really. since the weather has turned warm and the melt is continuing the walk to and from school is really deadly. If you take a step sometimes the snow is hard and sometimes you unexpectedly fall to your knee through the snow. i have taken to walking very slowly and using our shovel to keep from falling. this morning i went through up to my knee and sat down. I laughed and used the shovel to dig my right foot out of the depth and used it to get up. No harm done. swine flu in Texas. it is now warm enough at night to put away the feather bed and just use the blanket. soon it will be the light blanket and I can put away the heavy one. The snow is crunchy under foot. also, the sun shines almost all the time and you've got to have sunglasses or you will really go snowblind. Not from the eyes but from the whiteness. You have no idea. Ok so I've gotta go to work for a time today. But . . . . tomorrow is Saturday. i may not get out of bed all weekend

4/15/2009Today we flew to Chevak. It is a small village south from auk. The ride was smooth but because the plane was a caravan we flew about 5000 feet rather than the little planes that fly about 1000 feet. As a result I did not see any moose. Not only that but there was really very little in the way of shrubs and bushes. It was mostly white with no vegetation. Everywhere we go the snowfall this year has been record setting. Here in chevak they are also worried about breakup and the possible resulting flooding. I wonder when breakup will happen because I am going to fly out late, on May 22. I think I can still make it out because I will be in Mountain that last week and it is higher above the village than auk. We did buy a con and it sits on the ground in front of our duplex. We plan to build a platform inside and put the snow machines on the platform so that if there is a flood at least our machines will hopefully be high and dry. The con cost me 750$ and I can sell it when I leave here. Allison chose not to buy in so it belongs to the Tancrede’s and I. Well, tonight I am sleeping in a classroom with my 4 girls and some girls and the female teacher from mountain. I know Doni the counselor and she and her fiancé are the chaperones from Mt. The kids today flew in and went to our room and settled in and yep, the first thing they asked was could they go to the store. I guess it sort of is like when we go to a different city we want to go to the mall. No malls here but there are village stores. There are also some crafts in the office that I want to look at tomorrow to maybe purchase. Native crafts done by locals so I can always know where they were made and that they were not made by machines. I am getting some money back from the IRS so I think I’m gonna put it into savings until I find out how much I get in my last check. It should be quite a lot since I think I should be getting two full months of pay. Then I get the extra week. I want to have enough money to have some fun this summer and still be able to pay my monthly bills. Today Linda emailed me and we went back and forth a couple times. She had gone last night to Brandon’s HS Orientation meeting and I think got shell shock when she found out what HS was going to be like for B. I hope this summer camp changes things around for him o he will have a better perspective on things, as he gets older. Peyton will still try to be in gymnastics. Peter has been accepted into San Jac’s RN program and so he will be set. L and K are doing the floors in their house in the bedrooms. They do good work if they just slow down. I am really proud of them doing so much to their house. They are having Eskimo dancing tonight here in Chevak and since they are from the Cu’pik Eskimo group their languages slightly different and their dancing is different. Haven’t talked to Carole in a while or to Warren since they were in El Paso. I would have gotten in touch with them tonight since I’m just sitting here but I can’t access the internet. Why? I have no clue. I’ve pressed all the buttons. Bought some books at the book fair here and will read them to while away the time.
4/16/2009
Today has been at the natural helpers meeting in Chevak. The town is very different from auk in that there are no trees or bushes. The town is sort of on the side of a hill next to a river. The people are Cu’pik and the dialect is different and their overall facial features are somewhat ‘softer’ than in auk. They feed us here but even though I eat I am not enamored of their food. I like the cooks in our school much better. We heard this morning from Miss Indian USA. She spoke well and the students listened. This afternoon we had sessions and mine was a 2-hour skin sewing class. We got to pick some skin scraps and the kids all made or started to make gloves. I sewed several pieces together to continue with my tapestry of skins. I am covered with rabbit hair because I used a piece of rabbit. Easy to sew but hell to work with because it is so light and it just blows all over the place. Many of the kids from Chevak that were in the class did not even get skin or try to sew. Hard to believe that the elders believe that these kids will keep this culture alive. In 50 years or less most won’t know how to speak the language and will have forgotten all the traditional ways. Sad to see, but with few exceptions this culture is lost to the future.
Sitting in the evening meal, which was hamburgers without any veggies, the cooks (al men), were playing the radio and between two modern songs I heard Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. I choked on a fry. Interesting that the kids in the cafeteria all started singing it. All three verses. Weird!!!!! Most of my 5 kids are doing ok but some don’t want to do the activities and that tics me off. Tonight at 7 the village is going to have Yuraq (dancing) in the gym. Can’t wait because they dance so differently from the Yupik in AUK.