There And Back Again

And here I am, back again. I apologize to my faithful readers, and sincerely hope you haven't given up me. In the past couple of weeks things have been topsy-turvey here, and though I've started numerous blogs, none have made it to the "publish post" button. I guess I've had blogger's block, which does strike periodically. Hopefully, though, I'm out of the funk.

Part of the reason for the "funk" is some news we've received lately. The Army has formally requested the honor of our presence in Little Rock, and not just for a visit, but on the semi-permanent basis I *thought* this location would be. Yes, we're going to have to leave The Homestead in a matter of months. Gah.

I've been running the gamut of emotions with this news. Devestated, sad, a little excited, dissappointed, hopeful, pessimistic, optimistic - you name it. But, when it comes down to it, you take it as it comes and try to look at the bright sides. We've already started looking for new homesteads, and the good news is - there are some GREAT deals on homes out there. In the areas we're looking, the cookie-cutter suburban abodes are a dime-a-dozen. If only that weren't my own personal version of hell. I can't stand the thought of living within arm's reach of neighbors, in a land where nobody speaks to each other, front porches are not used, and residents seem to isolate themselves in postage-stamp (yet perfectly landscaped) back yards, all while being oppressed by the outlandish demands of homeowner's associations and neighborhood covenants. I'm not sure how I would react to a nasty letter regarding my un-weedeated yard or not perfectly trimmed shrubs. (We have some friends who deal with this on a regular basis, and their house is very cute and well-kept...wait til the neighbors get a load of the corn patch he's planning in retaliation).


I think we're going to aim for something in or slightly outside various smaller towns who don't mind residents having a few chickens, dogs, and cats, or dictate what color we paint our house, how many shrubs are planted in the front yard, or what kind of fence we might want to put in.

Then, of course, there's the big worry of selling our current place. Hopefully, the fact that this is officially a resort/retirement area will help.

Luckily there are plenty of things to do to keep my mind from constantly stewing about what might or might not happen. Recently I've been subbing quite a bit. The more I substitute teach in the public school system, the more I'm convinced that if hubby and I ever make the leap into parenthood, homeschooling is going to be the way to go. The other day, while subbing high school Math, I heard this exact exchange between students working in groups after I'd given them their assignment:

"Dude...do you know how to do these problems?"

"Uh...not really. But ya ain't gotta worry 'bout it none. He just grades on participation. I got a B in here an I ain't done crap."

"Cool. Guess I'm done for the day then."

Only one conversation of many I've heard while standing in for a teacher. I'm no expert on the ins and outs of our school system, but I see teacher after teacher who really care about educating kids, but the system has their hands tied, they are grossly underpaid, kids don't seem to care, and as a general rule parents seem to care even less. This understandably seems to breed apathy with some fed-up teachers. Teachers who still care just get the life sucked out of them. So much emphasis is put on standardized testing - so much that vital subjects are kind of skimmed over in order to spend more time on areas that will be on the tests. While I normally bash on liberals in the political spectrum (and boy there's PLENTY of fodder now), Bush's "No Child Left Behind"...not really a good idea, to say the least.

Well, that's my two-cent rambling for the day...hopefully the funk has lifted.