We’re Not Happy
My two brothers and I have been emailing one another about family history this week, only natural under the circumstances. We have long blamed any quirkiness in personality on our legendary great-grandmother Campbell, and this is confirmed by older brother Jim’s unflattering explanation below:
…so we have a place to put blame for any unpleasant traits which any of us have - as the Campbells were the most successful clan in Scotland as far as expanding their holdings, because they were the meanest, most vicious of all e.g. the Glen Coe massacre, the mass hanging of everyone in another, small, clan south of them in Argyll.
I thought I had lost fifteen-year old kitty Savvy when I couldn’t find her until 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon, but then I found her sitting safe and sound by the back door. She hardly ever goes outside, so I didn’t think to look. Poor thing! She probably spent the whole night and morning out there! Somewhat new kitty MacKenzie was none too happy about Savvy’s return, having quickly moved into position as number one cat.
This is Sugar Cane Festival weekend in New Iberia, a big deal in our little town, but I am taking it easy, having had enough excitement for one month for sure. Even the school week was crazy. I only worked four days this week, and two of them were spent in all-day trainings. One on Wednesday was excellent, a presentation by Debra Pickering of Marzano & Associates, but the other on Friday was not so good. The topic was giving incompletes instead of zeros when kids don’t turn in work, in other words, eliminating deadlines, and tempers flared around the room as teachers asked hard questions of the presenters and were cut short in the process. On top of that, they kept making us dance, and I was reminded of what my niece Samantha told two scam artists who came to her door in Little Rock last week, saying their teacher said they had to talk to 200 happy people: “We’re not happy.”
September 27th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Hi Julia:
I’m so sorry about your sister’s passing. It’s nice she could be in the family plot.
The Fall here is gorgeous. I love it.
HUGS
September 27th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Hi Julia, That’s is nice that you have the Crabtree and Evelyn’s Summer Hill drawer liners form your sister Jane. I kept a bottle of L’air du Temps by Nina Ricci, to wear sometimes, it was my Mom’s favorite scent. Sounds like I wouldn’t want to get in the way of the Campbells, lol. I can understand the teacher’s frustrations in the second all-day-traing, I get cut short as well, it is like the presenters don’t like to get questioned, they expect us to swallow it all like a bunch of 4th graders, don’t they know that we weren’t born yesterday and maybe we just might know what we are talking about. Have a nice end of the weekend. *hugs*
September 27th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Dear Julia,
My sincerest condolenses on the passing of your dear sister, Jane. My heart goes out to you.
I celebrated my birthday on the 18th and sat and pondered upon my life and how miserable I am. I sat here for 18 years longing and hoping to get back to my family and roots. I don’t have family down here save Carrie and it can be so lonely. I rarely, if ever, leave this house and kept feeling the walls close in on me. We have no social contact here. This was so unlike us when we were living back home.
What I am trying to say is-My sister calls me every day. We talk like sisters do and for a few years now she has given me every opportunity to move back. I finally realized that material things mean nothing. I was so afraid that if I sold this house that I would end up in an apartment up there. I guess I would rather live in an apartment then keep being imprisioned in a house and have a social life for all of us. I could go on and on, but what I really want to say is-
Julia, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have my sister to talk to everyday. It is so important for me to physically be with and near here. The tears that are streaming down my face at this moment are tears at the loss of your sister and the empty feeling that goes along with your sorrow. I am so sorry.
Hugs
September 28th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Dear Julia, I’m sure that conversing with your brothers is proving to be good therapy at the moment. It sounds like you have an interesting heritage!
My heart sank when I read that the training you’ve had this week included getting up to dance! Ugh I loathe anything like that…….fine for the kids (we try to do a wake and shake every morning) but for grown ups?? No way!
I hope the coming week proves to be calmer
My new theme is a freebie from http://www.infocreek.com/ It’s the first one I’ve used ‘as is’ as I didn’t have much time for tampering with it. Both columns are widgetised, another first!
With love xx