Back to school at 44

          Last year I decided I wanted to pursue a dream I’ve had since I graduated from High School, and that dream was to get a degree.  I told my husband and the supportive man that he is told me to go for it.  I knew in the beginning that it would be hard; I mean school is never really easy, but it was something I was passionate about and I really wanted to try.

            My first step was to go the NETC and simply ask questions about what I had to do to get enrolled.  All of my questions were answered and I went home with a college catalog and student handbook so I could decide what my next move would be. 

             As I looked through the school catalog I realized that to earn a degree, there are certain classes that are required.  I got online and found out what the fall semester class schedules were, and when it was time to register I knew exactly what classes I could take and when I could take them.  This was very helpful to the instructor that was putting my class schedule information in the computer; he looked at me and said. “I wish everyone was as organized as you are, it saves me a lot of time and trouble.”   

           As my first day of school approached I have to admit, I was excited, but there was one thing though that concerned me more than anything else, my math class, called math 150 (or fundamentals of math).  

             You see math has never been my strong suit, even when I was in high school I did not do that well, especially in algebra.  I mean when was the last time you used algebra when you balanced your checkbook, I know I never have.  All that aside, I went into my pre-algebra class as a student with an open mind and ready to learn.    

            Everything was going well those first two weeks I was absorbing the information and I felt that I was learning, and then the instructor came in with a bombshell.  A new instructor would be taking the class the next week.  Not many of the students, if any, were happy about it and neither was the instructor, but he really did not have much of a choice and neither did his students.  

            When the new instructor took the class there was almost 40 students in the class, by the end of the semester more than half of the students had dropped the course. I spoke to one of the students that had dropped out and she told me that she dropped the class because she did not like the way the new instructor gave test.  She also told me she wanted an instructor that was easier to pass.  Now I will admit that the class was hard and I did not score very well on some of the test, but I will say this I learned a lot from the new instructor and I am not talking about just mathematics. The instructor explained at the beginning that the test she gave were designed to teach us to think analytically, creatively, and practically, and I must admit, as far as I am concerned that is exactly what her test did.  In the end I passed the class with two points to spare.

            I am now taking the next math class called Math 155 (or contemporary mathematics) and I must admit it is quite a bit easier than the first one. The first test I scored a 93 and the second one I scored 96 plus I answered bonus questions which has brought my average in the class up. If I continue to pass the test with a 90 or higher average I know I will end up passing the class by more than two points like I did the first math class.    

            Overall I am pleased with my life as a student as NETC.  I have met people and I feel like I have made friends in my classes. I have no idea what the future holds for me when I finish and get my degree but I know I am a better person for it, and isn’t that what it is all about. 

My 2014 Garden

My 2014 garden

 

            I know some of you may think it is a bit early, but this is the time when my family starts planning what we will grow in the garden for the year. The soil in our yard is what my husband refers to as a sand bed and he is accurate when he says that.  It is because of this that we have to do things a bit different when it comes to growing vegetables, we have to grow our vegetables in containers. 

            Last year we planted bell peppers in containers and some of them got up to seven inches long and just as big around.  They were the perfect stuffing size.  We even sold some of them at the local farmers market. 

            One year I bought a pack of seeds that was called carnival mix.  When the plants started growing I had no idea what color pepper I was going to end up with.  We ended up with yellow, red, purple, and of course green.  My husband tried every color we produced and he definitely had his favorite color as far as which one he preferred eating on a salad or a pizza. 

            Personally, I don’t like bell peppers, but I do love to watch them grow.  I’ll see that small little flower bud and the next thing you know there is a pepper.  The pepper starts to grow and then it starts to change color.   That is when I get excited, because I know it won’t be long before I can start packing them and see just how many I am going to end up with.

             The thing is, peppers are just about the easiest vegetable to put away in the freezer.  All you do is wash them take out the seeds, cut them to the size you want and them simply put them in the freezer, no blanching required.  You don’t have to wait until you have a bushel, you can pack one a day or wait until you have more, and it is simply up to you. 

            Last year I washed and cored about one dozen or more, of my larger peppers and left them whole when I put them in the freezer.  Several times during the winter months I cooked my family stuffed peppers and I can honestly say I think my husband was happy about that.  He loves to eat vegetables, especially home grown vegetables that he has grown in his own garden.

            This year we will have some bell peppers in containers and more than likely some tomato plants as well.  If the bell peppers do as good this year as they did last year I just might try my hand at selling them at the farmers market, alongside my in-laws.  Who knows I might even try and sell some of the purple basil I am planning to try my hand at growing this year, that and whatever else pops up in the garden.

            Dawn Simmons was born and reared in the South and had never ventured far from Chesterfield County, where she was born.  You can reach her at DawnMSimmons@ymail.com or check out her Facebook page Handmade and Homegrown or the Facebook page Simmons Racing and Hot Rods.

November flower

  This is the flower for the month of November.  Isn't it pretty?

Second Math test

     Well I have taken my second test at school and I think I did pretty well (I am quite sure I passed).  This time the instructor gave the students bonus questions so with that I might just do alright.

A puzzle with a view

 

 

     This is a puzzle I got at a yard sale the last time I was at the beach.  The thing that makes this puzzle so different is the fact that when I got it there was no picture to go with it; that made putting it together quite the challenge.  As you can see I was able to persevere and the puzzle is put together.  My husband said that he thought it was Charleston.  Rainbow Row I think he called it, this would make sense seeing as I bought the puzzle at the beach, and to be completely honest I think it is a pretty picture.

Snow in the South

     Well I live in the south and I can say one thing for sure, this much snow is not something that I am used to.  Over the last three weeks we have had enough snow to make up for the past twenty years of having next to no snow at all.  The tree in the picture barely missed the house.  We were also lucky because we did not loose power.   The same can't be said for many other people in the state.  I am thankful that my husband has a truck that is a 4-wheel drive, it has come in handy and not just for us.  He helped a neighbor that lived behind us. 

  

Something Special

     My Little girl is something special.  I tell her this every day because I know that she is.  She is the only child that I will ever have and if that isn't enough to make her special the fact that I am hopelessly in love with her father, who I am married to that should make her extra special.  She is the only grandchild that my husbands parents will ever have and so far she is the only granddaughter that my parents have.  That may change if my brother and his wife have children I guess we will just have to wait and see.

    In a nutshell I guess you could say I am what you could call a happy person.  I am happy with my family and I am hopeful that I always will be.