Penryn Mud Sale

Saturday, March 21, 2009, I went to the Penryn Fire Company Mud Sale in Penryn, Pennsylvania. They had an amazing variety of things for sale. Jessica's friend Diane bought these beautiful flowers and a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. Jessica bought a shed and George bought a power washer. I bought a rusty metal fairy(!) and some birdhouses, a bench, hot pads, a step stool, a wall hanging, a quillow, a small basket, and a table runner.

They had swing sets...

with sliding boards...

and little houses and storage sheds and outdoor furniture.

Brenda, Mary Alice and Henry were there, but not buying much. Brenda bought a lot of delicious looking strawberries. (at the very bottom of the picture)

This was taken early in the day but Jessica, Diane and I were there to the very end.

There was only one calf for sale.


Chanda bought the only mud I saw for sale--3 tubs of it--with trees and a shrub in them. They really had a lot of nursery plants as well as the flowers inside the building.

Of course they sold some horses and ponies.

Some of the Amish boys must have spent the whole day at the corral.

And what good is a horse without a buggy?

They also sold quilts, and lots of farm equipment and tools and other stuff, like loads of hay. There were about 5 or 6 auctioneers selling stuff from wagons out in the field and in tents and indoors the entire day. The last stuff to be auctioned off was the left-over food. But right before that they were selling the last of the crafts and that is where Jess, Diane and I got some bargains!

The web site with pictures from last year's mud sale:
http://www.penrynfire.com/2008MUDSALEPHOTOS.htm

Spring has come to Oklahoma!

Boring, boring life...

I haven't had a lot to tell you. I have been teaching everyday at Emerson Alternative High School. Things are a lot better as times go on but I am getting worn out. The students are very difficult. Although many of them seem to have accepted me as their "real" teacher and they are getting into a routine, there are still problems with individuals every day. I have spent a lot of time after school--most days staying at least 2 hours after the students leave--doing lesson plans, grading papers and recording them on the computer gradebook. And sometimes that gradebook program won't cooperate. And for all this work I am still only getting substitute pay, what I would get if I taught the class from a teacher's lesson plans and walked out that afternoon leaving the papers for the teacher to grade, record, and average.

I have actually taught in this position now for over 20 days so I will be signing a contract and getting regular teacher daily pay from here on out. They have asked me if I would come back after spring break which begins at the end of next week. If I say yes I will continue to receive the higher pay. If I say no I will go back to sub pay but then will have my freedom again in the evenings and will not have to work every day. I could probably make it for a few more weeks but that would not be fair to the students or another sub because the beginning of the last 9 weeks is also a new semester at this school and new schedules for the students. They should have the continuity they didn't have this past semester. And I don't think I am the one to teach this class.

I know next week will be a rough week for me. I will be telling them their grades, as I have been doing all along but now they are down to the wire and some may finally realize that they won't be passing or getting a credit.