Rider Check In

I can't really do a Pony update as I've barely seen my boys this week. It's pretty hard to keep me away from the barn, but a recent cold really kicked my butt.

It actually started at last weekend's clinic. During a pause in one of my lessons, I sheepishly admitted to Chemaine that I must be out of shape. I was huffing and puffing and feeling tired pretty early on in the lesson. That is not like me at all. My throat had been sore that morning, and I was congested the next morning, but it rarely goes beyond that.

I work in a germ factory though. Being surrounded by 10 year-olds creates a do or die response in your body. You either build a strong immune system or you're toast. This week's score? Kids 1, teacher 0. I got sick.

There are a lot of perks to my job - being able to leave by 2:45 each day, Christmas break, and having the summer off are just a few of them. Having to haul one's butt across town to write lesson plans when sick is not one of them. I know most folks think we simply turn to the next page in the book and assign # 1 - 20, but that's not how it's done these days. In fact, my kids only have a math book and a history book. The rest of the curriculum is written by me.

Not only do I write all of my own curriculum, most of my lessons are shared on the Google Drive; my kids all have laptops. So when I am gone, which is ... almost never, there is no page number to give a substitute. Instead, I drove thirty minutes across town each morning and opened all of the tabs on my laptop that the kids would need for their lessons - my computer is hooked up to a projector. Then, I shared all directions in the Google Classroom and hoped for the best.

I did manage to make it to work on Thursday. I spent the day cramming three days of missed lessons into one day. Then, I made more lesson plans for the following day because when it rains, it pours. I had to have oral surgery on Friday.

I am well acquainted with the oral surgeon as I've had several crowns, a root canal, and other unpleasant procedures done. This time, I needed a skin graft, and yes, it was as horrible as it sounds. Knowing that this procedure was going to be more scary than normal, I asked for anxiety drugs.

Let's just say that I slept really, really well on Thursday night. Best friend proved her worth yet again as she offered to chauffeur me to the dentist and later to the pharmacy to pick up even more drugs. The second batch wasn't nearly as pleasant as the first one though. Don't judge.

By Saturday morning, I felt like I had been somebody's punching bag. The cold/flu had passed, but I was left with a bruised and swollen mouth and directions to eat soft, bland food. The dentist didn't have to tell me to stay out of the saddle. There was no way I wanted those stitches to bust loose.

So there you have it: way more than you wanted to know about my non-barn life. I am ready to get back on schedule!