Life doesn't stop for the orthopedically challenged.

I've been busy making daily updates to the Just Between Friends PTA membership software, because I'm the Membership Chair for our PTA.  I'm currently having a membership drive and staying on top of all of the information is a very good thing.

I was busy organizing the Garden Fair this week, because I'm the Garden Fair Chair.  That's tomorrow.  I've had to send forms out to all of the staff and students, get ribbons handled and as much filled out on the backs of all beforehand as possible, made and copied a certificate for participants, told the janitor how beautiful he is today so that he gives us less flak for needing tables for the plants tomorrow, arranged for transportation for a carless board member to come to GF judging, had Hubs pack our two shepherd's hooks into my truck so that the two girls who grew tomatoes in Topsy-turvies will be able to have their plants judged hanging in a pot and not sprawled all over the ground and got Mr. B- to smile.

That alone has been a work in progress.  You see, Mr. B- has been stressing.  Today is the absolute first day in probably 4 months that I've seen him smile in an unforced way.  He was laughing. 

The swing space has required all of our elementary students to be bussed regardless of distance to the school.  The transportation has been such a nightmare that Mr. B- was telling us today that he has been going to bus stops to hang out with the kids in the morning to try to get the challenges handled.  Add to that the 94 degrees that we've dealt with this week in a school that is not air conditioned and not well ventilated.  The children and staff looked like they had walked through a shower when I was there last Friday.  Day to day administrative gunk goes on and Mr. B- is on every single thing.  He walks the halls, knows every single child by name and takes his principal job more to heart than anyone I've ever seen.  It is good to see that his stress is starting to lift and that once again, he is able to be the smiling principal that we know and love.  Whew.

I've been busy getting back and forth with the tutors in charge of 100 Book Challenge.  I'm unable to set our update board for the kids (you have to stand on a bench) and the other tutor is doing it.  It is making me twitch, because she isn't doing the classrooms in order, and she hung a class up in opposite alphabetical order.  She's good with it, but I'm going to have to switch it.  The principal isn't thrilled that she's putting the rooms up out of order and the lack of alphabetical order is going to tip him over the edge.  I fear that I'll be resetting the board when my foot is better.  I won't do it unless Mr. B- requests it.

Speaking of, I'll be meeting with Mr. B- over the coming weeks to plan our fall fundraiser.  I'll be organizing a fundraiser for 505 students, 60 staff members, PTA board members and parents who would like to attend.  To incorporate healthy living, Mr. B- decided that a walkathon would be good, and it was quite a success last year.  I can't hike the walkathon route right now, but perhaps I'll be out of this boot come Sept 29.  (My next doctor's appointment.)  If not, I'll be booting along in the walkathon.  To quote Mr. B-, "This boot is made for walkin'."  I know not to overdo.  I'm following the doctor's instructions and am only heel walking if needed.  I haven't actually walked on my full foot yet.  I don't plan on that until Saturday, Sept 17th, when the two week point has passed.  Even then, I'll be very gentle. 

The PTA peeps and I tackled the PTA room today.  Kay and I had worked on it last Friday, but we finally got everything squared away today.  Our room used to be the teacher's lounge when the school was the middle school.  We had to wash the walls down from as high up as we could reach to the floor.  There was coffee splattered everywhere.  I understand that they were moving into a new building and that their dregs were being passed off to us as a swing space while our building is built, but have some pride, people!  Geeze o' Pete was that place disgusting.  Is that typical of teacher's lounges?  Gross.  I spent 15-20 minutes alone just cleaning the phone.  I don't know that it had ever been cleaned and I think that people drew in the handset cradle with pen as they talked.  Nastiness. 

Tonight is the first night that I've prepared dinner in over a week.  It has been catch as catch can in these parts.  Between the break, the walking on a "raw" break for two days before casting, the casting, the uncasting, the booting and the starting back to work has really put a crink in my general weekly routine.  Laundry can be washed, but I can't get it upstairs without help.  K- has been good about bringing it up to me.  I've folded but I'm behind on putting it away.  That has nothing to do with the foot, but the general pace of life I'm living lately.  I'm taking my one trip down (one trip only, Rachael) to drop some laundry into the wash.  I'll take a one trip down tomorrow to flip things.  I did about 4 round trips yesterday and felt a bit of the too-much-done burn on the foot.  Nothing serious and a good propping and some Advil settled it.  I'll give myself one round trip and if that doesn't do it, I won't.

It's funny.  I didn't want to waste my one round trip on skittering down to the basement to retrieve my raincoat.  It was pouring when K- was due to get off the bus, so I drove the lot and a half down to the corner and sat.  Between the lack of raincoat, the umbrellas stowed in the under belly of the truck and running crutches over wet and partially crushed acorns, I decided that if anyone wanted to make fun of me, I was good with it.  I don't think anyone blamed me!  I do feel bad that the neighbor, with an umbrella big enough to cover the entire bus stop, was talking to me, I flicked on the windshield wipers and everytime they went back and forth, he was getting flipped in the face with water.  Eeek!  I apologized!  All he could do was laugh.

So, there you go.  Not stationary, though I should be a bit more.  I sit on the floor a lot and crawl on my knees a bit.  The PTA peeps finally stopped looking at me with a sideways stare.  I think that they figured that if I needed to quit, I would.

And yes, if I need to, I promise that I will.  I'm trying to be good and "listening to my body" as we've taught K-.  I'm doing my one round trip and I'm out for the night. 

'Night!

Smiles in my day:
-  Dinner together at the table.  Turkey kielbasa, mac & cheese and peas.  Nothing high end or fancy, but it served the purpose.
-  Going through the yard with K-, helping her to select her lovelies for the mixed vegetable basket that she'll be submitting tomorrow. 
-  Many things accomplished.

Have a great weekend!