Back to School For the Last Time

First Post of the Day

(Photos used with permission.)

For years, Lisa has had a reading incentive in her classroom - make your reading goal and you have earned yourself a Pepper Pass.

Which meant that Pepper and I would come to school one day and spend time with those children.

Every quarter since the pandemic restrictions were lifted, Pepper and I have gone to Lisa's school and spent part of the day with 4th graders.

Despite the wording on that Pepper Pass, not much reading gets done. We spend time talking about the books they've read (I am given a lot of "You need to read this book!" recommendations), 

and they share about their own pets, their families, and (in this case) their summer plans.

They groom Pepper, they play with her,

and each one gets to give her a tiny treat to enjoy. (Pepper's favorite part of the visits.)

I teach them about service dogs focusing on Seeing Eye dogs. Sometimes I share a little about Zeus, too, the black Lab that we had who had been a police/Narcotics dog. (Just as Pepper is "my" dog, Zeus was Craig's.)

This time, Pepper was joined by another service dog. 

Leslie and Rick brought in Eddie who had recently passed his therapy dog tests. (For hospitals, nursing homes, and school visits.)

He was a big (both figuratively and in reality) hit with the kids. He's in that mass of kiddos somewhere.

It was Eddie's very first school visit, but he did very well.

And, each child got a sticker of him! Lisa said she kept hearing whispers the rest of the day along the lines of, "Where did you put your Eddie sticker?" "On my notebook. Where did you put yours?"

I hung around for a while after Eddie went home and let the kids enjoy Pepper Pepper enjoy the kids. And I, too, wanted to linger. It was the last time that this retired teacher and her retired Seeing Eye partner would be visiting Lisa's class.

Not only is it the last week of school,

but it's Lisa's last year in the classroom. She is moving on to a new career. 

This is a HUGE loss to Education. In the email announcement that she was leaving, her principal called Lisa "irreplaceable." He's right. 

I'm glad that she has a new opportunity, but the mom in me, the teacher in me, knows what an impact such an outstanding teacher makes with the children who come through her door year after year. And Lisa is certainly that.

Best of luck as you move on, Lis. I could not be prouder of you for all you have accomplished. You truly made a difference in hundreds of lives. xo

Stay 'tooned for a throwback post about a highlight from Lisa's teaching career.

Doggie Doin's/Mish Mosh

Just look at this face. (Er, Tammo's, not Craig's.)

This is a happy boi who is getting to go on a sleepover at Nashie's house! Yeeha!

What a smile! (I love how his lips actually do curve up when he smiles.)

Lisa invites Tammo over occasionally because he and Nash like to rough and tumble for hours. It's too much for Mama who rarely plays with anyone, canine or human. As for Pepper, Tammo easily wears her out at home, so these two big boys are perfect play buddies. They play and play and PLAY!

Then they crash at the end of the day and sleep well. In Lisa's bed. Leaving her no room in her own bed. Good thing her couch is comfy!

The girls are older (ten and eight) and much more sedate.

Mama's arthritis can make it so that she sometimes has a hard time getting comfortable.

"Just checking to be sure that you are still sitting in your chair and reading. Where you go, I go, you know."

I think sometimes the firmness of the floor supports her body better than a doggy bed, although clearly she likes having a pillow. 

Almost settled and ready to head into a deep snooze.

And finally she's off to dreamland.

Pepper may not go on sleepovers, but she does go on school visits and plays with students. Twenty (TWENTY!!) of Lisa's students made their reading goals this quarter and earned a Pepper Pass, so Pepper was very busy doing her part to promote reading and education.

"Good job hitting your reading goals, ladies! You may rub my tummy to celebrate."

Two of the kiddos who had made their goals were absent so Lisa asked me to take a couple of pictures of her with Pep and this sign.

What a great idea! She'd asked me if either Pepper or I would  mind coming back when those two girls were healthy and back at school - no problem!

Although it will have to be after I've had a chance to recover from Kalamazoo.

Speaking of education, this former teacher got a terrific surprise the other day. I went to pick up my new glasses,

and my technician was a familiar face! (Well, actually, it wasn't at first - she was so grown up and is now taller than me!) 

Cayde, one of my former students! What a wonderful reunion! We took a little time to catch up while she checked the fit of my glasses and sunglasses. ("Your sunglasses are the same frame as my glasses! Good choice!" she said.)

Always, always happy to run into a former kiddo. And between that and taking Pepper to school, I am feeling more than a bit nostalgic. I loved teaching so very much and sometimes I miss it terribly.

Today is the last day I have to prepare for Kalamazoo as the event is this weekend.

I will finish up the hand stitching on these two Frances Rumps and then run some errands and pack my suitcase. Leslie and Rick (and my things) are already in Kalamazoo and today they work with the Expo crew in setting up the building. 

It's a huge place with 59,000 square feet. Can you imagine setting that all up with tables, chairs, booths, electricity for those who require it, and more? I was surprised when Leslie told me that this event has four times the number of vendors than The Feast of the Hunters' Moon has and there certainly is room in the Expo Center for that.

In the past, I've been in Expo North (in purple) where the red arrow is pointing and I am hoping to be there again this year. Leslie puts her business, Chien Noir, next to mine where we can help each other and chat.

Off to go stitch those rumps! (Something I never thought I'd say... LOL)

Tick! Tick! Tick!

You've Earned a Pepper Pass!

Every semester Teacher Daughter Lisa meets with each of her students and they set a reading goal together. If the child meets their goal, there is a very desirable prize that is awarded.

A Pepper Pass!

A Pepper Pass enables the winner to spend time with Pepper (translate that as, get out of class, LOL) and "read" to her.

The reading-to-Pepper aspect was dropped long ago. (Pepper won this battle and actually dragged those boys across the floor. She may be petite, but she is strong.)

I bring some toys and treats and we talk about service animals, Seeing Eye Dogs in particular.

The kids come in at intervals and Pepper plays, gets treats, and I share about service dogs again and again until all the Pepper Pass winners have had their turn with her.

Some of the kids have dogs and some the kids don't. Once in a while a student comes in who has never even touched a dog and is afraid of Pepper.

She's a really good girl for all the students, but she especially shines with those who have never touched one or are afraid of her.

Pepper and I both enjoy those Pepper Pass days. She gets loads of attention, treats, and love, and I get to exercise my teacher chops a bit and see my daughter in her classroom. 

It's an all around win for everyone.

 

Molly Update & Pepper Pass Day

Thanks to everyone who expressed concerns, prayers, and good thoughts for Molly. That means a lot. 

The pack waiting while we eat dinner, hoping we will share.

She's an elderly girl and last August she started having skin issues on her chin, muzzle, and eyes, a thick black scabby something. We checked for allergies, did bloodwork, tried diet changes, creams, prescription meds, and more, and nothing worked. 

Although occasionally it seemed itchy, it didn't really bother her very much but it worsened despite all the treatments we tried.  We get the biopsy results later this week and then we will go from there. And, she has an appointment with a dermatologist in June and we hope that that will help clear this up.

In the meantime, she continues to be a happy girl who loves her family and her food, although not necessarily in that order.

Molly is not the only dog who is happy with life. Pepper got to go to school and be with kids!

She may be a retired Seeing Eye Guide Dog, but she still has her guide dog chops and ignored all those tempting tennis balls looming above her!

Teacher Daughter Lisa lets her students earn "Pepper Passes" if they meet their reading goals, and this time 18 kiddos had done so!

Normally the kids come in by twos for ten minutes, but an hour and a half would've been too much for Pepper (and me), so Lisa sent them to me in groups. The girl second from the right is terrified of dogs but Pepper won her over. (I wish I could show you the smile on that girl's face as she stroked Pepper's fur. She is just beaming in this picture!)

And this boy's face, too. He was absolutely thrilled when Pepper laid her paw over his arm as he scratched her chest.

These two girls actually brought in a book to read to Pepper. 

The girl on the right had earned two Pepper Passes so she could spend more time with her. Isn't that sweet?

That book was hilarious! And while it is a picture book intended for younger students than Lisa's, the author had visited Lisa's school and given her a copy. I liked it so much, I may buy myself a copy to read to the Pony Pals and Cowpokes! 

Good job, Pepper! Not only did you succeed in encouraging students to make their reading goals, but you lessened a girl's fear of dogs. And, you ignored all 100 (yes, I counted) tennis balls at the same time!

Time for a pup cup, don't you think?

Pepper Passes, Pleats, & Plenty More!

Pepper may no longer be guiding her former partner, Sarah, but she still does service in another way.

She goes into schools so that kids can read to her. Depending on the school and the teacher we are visiting, she may be hearing a child's first written piece ever (dog poetry, in one case), or helping a child practice reading aloud with a non threatening "listener" who won't know if they've read the words correctly or not and will simply enjoy the companionship of the child.

Lisa lets her students earn "Pepper Passes" as they meet their reading goals, and once or twice a semester, Pepper and I join her for a morning of celebrating those who achieved their goals. This past week we spent a morning with her.

Theoretically, her students are supposed to bring a book to read to Pepper,

but mostly they pet her, play ball with her, and learn about guide dogs and the work they do. This visit we even learned about alliterations during our time together:

"Pepper is nicknamed Princess Pepper and loves to be Petted. She may take treats from your hand like a Piranha so Please hold your hand flat like you would feed a Pony because she sometimes eats like a Pig. Her sister is named Paige and Pepper was the fifth Puppy born in her litter. Perhaps she would like to Play with all the People she will see today." And so on.

(The alliteration fun actually came about as we talked about litters of guide dog puppies all having names that begin with the same first letter.)

After spending time with the kids who earned Pepper Passes, Pepper and I go back into Lisa's classroom where she lets every student meet and say hello to Pepper. That can be a real incentive to those who haven't yet earned a Pepper Pass.

I was back at the sewing machine as soon as we returned home. Naturally Pepper slept on the bed behind me while I worked. Tammo joined us, too.

Pepper "just happened" to grab his favorite toy and laid on it so he could not get it back. (He patiently waited her out and grabbed it when she moved to a different spot.)

Not only am I working on Lisa's robe a l'Anglais, but I was asked to make some red and blue Stablemate sized haversacks for an upcoming live show. 

Finding a horsey print to fit the scale of a haversack that small was challenging. I found several possibilities and the show holder selected this one. 

They asked for five in each color

but I made six so they'd have an extra if needed. 

I'm also working on something else for this show but it's to be a surprise so I can't talk about it or post pictures yet. I will when I can.

It is scary to begin a major sewing project. (Especially when it is for someone else.) One wrong cut could be a disaster. But I was at the point where all the preliminaries were done - the muslin had been made and fitted, the pattern pieces had been redrawn to reflect the changes needed for a good fit, and the petticoat was finished.

Now it was time to cut the fabric, trusting that my math was correct when I made the alterations and that each pattern piece that needed to be changed had been altered correctly. Seriously, my heart beats faster when it is finally time to start cutting the pattern pieces out.

This is the piece that will fall from the neckline down past the waist and to Lisa's ankles. It is 55 inches long, a significant amount of the fabric on hand for the gown. If I make this wrong, I will not have enough to complete the gown. Gulp!

The instructions call for me to measure and mark a 15 1/4 inch seam that cants at an angle, growing wider from 1/2 inch at the neckline to 1 1/2 inches wide where it ends at the waist. 

You'd better believe that I triple checked those measurements before I finally drew the chalk line that I would sew.

The result is a box pleat, the one that will be centered at the back of the neck. On either side will be two knife pleats, making a total of five pleats down the back of the gown. Making those four knife pleats are today's project, and they are complicated by the fact that they, too, are angled and they curve just a bit.

Wish me luck.