A New Month Brings New…

A new month brought more new schools. Those were some tough days. Thankfully, I did have some fun plans for November, some with and some without Lawyerboy. November brings whitetail deer season in North Dakota. This was the first year I wasn’t going to be there for all 16 1/2 days of hunting. I didn’t get to hunt all 16 1/2 days when I lived in North Dakota, but the six Saturday and Sundays, and most evenings of those days, were dedicated to hunting! I knew I shouldn’t take very many days off from subbing, and I had promised Target I wouldn’t miss any Saturdays or Sundays until Christmas, but I had a few days planned to go home and hunt.

November was also going to bring us Thanksgiving! I was very much looking forward to it because schools and Target were closed that day so I knew I had a whole day off! Plus, we had friends from back home that were planning trips to the Twin Cities over Thanksgiving and we had plans to see them!

One of the new schools I tried didn’t start until 9:00. I had to be there by 8:00. This school was east of the airport and the Mall of America along I-494, so I had some idea of the area. I got stuck in very slow-moving traffic on 494! I don’t know how people do this daily! The teacher I was subbing for was on jury duty and she had an EEL (Early English Learner) or ELL (Early Language Learner) teacher who co-taught with her. She explained the daily routine and what I would teach. I then read over the classroom teacher’s plans. At 9:00, we walked outside and over to a church that had the cafeteria. We helped the students with their breakfast as they arrived. It was different seeing a whole cafeteria of elementary kids going here and there with their trays, and I didn’t even know my students names! It turned out to be a pretty good day. It is always nice to have someone else there to guide you through the routine! The students leave after 4:00 for home. I really had to hurry back! I worked at Target at 6:00! I was of course stuck in traffic! I was not a happy girl and Lawyerboy got to hear all about it! I got home, changed into red and khaki, inhaled a bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch, and punched in at 6:05! I hate being late to work! Plus, other target team members had told me you get “talked to” when you are late, and if you are late too many times, they let you go. I found out from a coworker that you aren’t late until 6:06 on the time clock. Phew!

I got to experience another new school the next day. I got called right at 6:00 in the morning. The school started at 7:15 and was in Minneapolis. I was going to be a para, but they said they would pay me my usual licensed-teacher pay. I got there pretty smoothly, but had no idea where to park. I finally found a place, but was sticking out a bit too far on the street. I worried all day that I was going to get a ticket!

This school’s students were primarily Somali. I worked in two different second grade classrooms. When I asked what I should do, they both said they don’t really know what she does. It was neat to get to watch other teachers teach, but the day dragged on and on. I asked if I could correct papers or listen to kids read. The one teacher had me correct math tests. School got out at 2:30. It was nice to get home with a little time to actually do some laundry, cleaning, and take my time watching “Live with Regis and Kelly” before going to Target! Oh! And I didn’t get a parking ticket!

The next morning I got called back to the same school to be a para for special education. I spent most of my day with a kindergartener girl. She was adorable, but you could not take your eyes off of her. This was a super hard day for me. She would be singing and touching my leg and hair and the next second screaming and taking things that weren’t hers and trying to run out of the room. I definitely knew I wasn’t meant to be a special education teacher. The classroom teacher kept saying I was so good with her. My mind was screaming inside and I reminded myself to be patient a million times! I don’t know if I can be a para anymore. The day goes too slow. I like to teach the lessons and be involved with all the students in the class.

I spent the next couple days back teaching first grade out by the Mall of America for the teacher who was on jury duty. It was nice to get into a routine with her class, but I was racing to get home and to Target on time. I of course worked at Target on Saturday and Sunday. The following week I was going home to hunt for a few days!

While I would be away hunting, Lawyerboy was going to be busy working on his Legal Writing memo. This was Lawyerboy’s first big writing assignment in law school. It was also the first time he would receive a grade, so he was very nervous. The memo assignment required him to read a number of cases on a particular legal subject and write a memo analyzing the law.

Lawyerboy took me to work at Target on Tuesday November 11, so he could take me to the Amtrak station later. I had asked Target if I could sneak out a few minutes before 11:00 to be sure I didn’t miss the train! The train was scheduled to leave at 11:14 p.m. and was located about five minutes from work. Lawyerboy was outside waiting for me after work. He had my bag and all the things I needed there for me. The train was loaded and I was the last one there. The guy that took my ticket smiled and said I was cutting it close! I smiled back and I thought about how I wished I had more time in a day and could arrive earlier!

I was nervous to ride the train by myself. I had taken the train many times with my mom, sister, and/or Lawyerboy. I was hoping to get a seat to myself, which I did! We didn’t quite leave on time. Lawyerboy kept texting me to see if I was okay and if we had left. Once we got moving, I put in my headphones and tried to get some sleep. I got as much as one can on the train. I woke up when we were in Devil’s Lake. I called my dad to tell him it looked like we would be on time for him to pick me up. It was so great to see him! He told me about his new job driving truck for the oil boom in North Dakota and about the whitetail deer he had seen.

We got home and I got all my orange hunting gear ready. Then, I packed our lunch that of course consisted of some of my mom’s cookies! We spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday hunting. We hunted our usual go-to hot spots. We walked what we call Rudy’s multiple times in a day! My dad kept saying, “One of these times he’s gotta be in here!” It was just me and my dad this year. Since it was during the week, my brother, Andrew, was teaching and my sister, Micky, was living in Colorado. (My sister Kathryn and my mom do not hunt. Nor does Lawyerboy. He has on occasion come out and beat the bush with us. The other two… not so much!) Dad and I reminisced about our past hunts, and of course made time for lunch and a snack. There were still a lot of hunters everywhere, even though it was during the week. There was a lot of corn up, so we walked a lot of corn rows. I wasn’t having much luck this year. On the last day, dad saw a 15-inch buck lying in the corn. The little buck had no idea we were there! We snuck up on him and I took some pictures with my camera phone. I decided not to shoot in hopes we’d see something bigger. That never happened. I was skunked my 2008 deer season.

I had to get back on the train that Friday night so I could work at Target on Saturday and Sunday. It was hard to leave. It was so quick. I got to spend a lot of time enjoying one of my favorite outdoor activities with my dad and a little time with my mom in the evenings. It was a bummer to come all the way home and see no one else, but once again, no time!

Lawyerboy picked me up after 7:00 in the morning on Saturday. I requested to work the afternoon shift that day in case the train was late. While I was back home at my parent’s, I got to eat a some of my mom’s cooking and goodies. Plus, I looked through her cookbooks, one of my favorite things to do! One recipe I came across was one of my brother’s favorites that I haven’t thought about or made in years. They are called Scotch Treats. Back in the day when we all still lived at home, my mom or I usually made these in the hot summer months. They are quick to make. We keep them in the refrigerator, so they were a cool treat in the summer! I of course wasn’t getting to bake during this time in my life, but I recommend that you stop what you are doing and make these! 🙂

Scotch Treats

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Makes: 15 to 20 bars

2 cups butterscotch chips

1 cup peanut butter

8 cups Rice Krispies

2 cups semi-chocolate chips

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons water

Melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter together in a large saucepan over the stove. Once melted and mixed, add the Rice Krispies. Stir gently until all the cereal is coated. Put half of the Rice Krispie mixture on the bottom of a lightly greased 13 x 9 pan.

In a small or medium saucepan, put in the chocolate chips, powdered sugar, butter, and water. Heat over medium heat and mix until blended and melted. Put the chocolate mixture on top of the bottom layer of Rice Krispies. Spread evenly with an off-set spatula.

Add the rest of the Rice Krispie mixture on top of the chocolate so it can be the top layer of the bars. You now have made Scotch Treats. They need to set before cutting into them. I put mine in the refrigerator. I think they taste best when they are cold!