Pam Webb

a writer's journey as a reader

Archive for the category “memories”

08 May 2025
8 Comments

Past Tense Teacher


Teacher Appreciation Day happened this week and I silently salute my former colleagues since I am now a teacher in the past tense.

A funny thing happened on the way to the classroom…

I started out my career with an AA in Early Childhood Education. The two year program held in a brand new interactive classroom was an amazing experience. I learned so incredibly much about little tykes and I also learned it would be difficult to make a sustainable living watching other people’s preschoolers since wages were barely above minimum wage. Hmm, that says something about how society values the care and feeding of our children. Let’s move on.

From there I enrolled in the university’s speech therapy program (having somehow been convinced by my dentist and mother to do so because he wanted to include a speech therapist in his practice and my mother probably liked the prestige of her daughter going into the medical field). I transferred out at the end of the year. Less said the better. Let’s move on.

Another university, another program. This time it’s Outdoor Education(officially dubbed Leisure Studies—I know. Outdoor Education is better for the resume). A BA later and an internship helped me understand this too was not a sustainable career since a camp director lives on site meaning time away from family and most camps are seasonal. Let’s move on.

I like to write. I like the outdoors. How about Environmental Writing? This university needed warm bodies for their new MA in the Teaching of Writing? Okay, I’ll switch. This one had possibilities providing I got hired on at a community college. One local CC with no openings. The library is hiring.

Twelve years later, a big move with a family now in tow I apply for the local high school library position. What? I need a teaching certificate to be a school librarian? More school. What? Budget cuts? The school district can afford a certified librarian? Options?

All those different paths helped me become an English teacher. An ECE degree definitely helped with classroom management (preschoolers and teenagers share distinct similarities), teaching outside the classroom when applicable thanks to Outdoor Education, and an MA in the Teaching of Writing absolutely came in handy. All that library time? What better place to apply literary knowledge than in AP English.

I didn’t intend on being a teacher because given my druthers I would have thoroughly relished being a long term librarian. I did appreciate my time in the classroom and do miss it (at times).

So happy Teacher Appreciation Day to those dedicated to educating our youth.

Posted in Americans, education, humor, Libraries, Literature, memories, Reflections, teaching and tagged , , , ,
04 Apr 2025
3 Comments

See (the) Gulls


As retired empty nesters the hubs and I are on the low key retirement plan. No RV or exotic journeys are on the agenda. Doing jigsaw puzzles, reading books, talking walks, backyard birding, and watching a good mystery series are adventurous enough for us. Going Costco and lunch is a big outing for us.

I will confess we will get really crazy now and then and binge three episodes of Dr. Blake pushing our bedtime past 10:30 pm.

Now this might either sound like an extremely boring way to spend what is considered our twilight years or it might be an ideal of retirement life. To each their own, eh?

Three years into retirement and we are in a groove and spontaneity is perhaps not so much on our minds anymore. Staying at home is quite pleasant actually. Why spend money and have to deal with other people? I know—this mindset does limit date ideas when we do decide to go out.

So on the third rainy day when cabin fever was setting in my no-let’s-stay home husband got a glimmer in his eye and suggested going for a drive.

Yes, it was still raining out. But getting out was needed, plus maybe spontaneity has its place. I assented and off we drove.

Truthfully, driving around town in the rain is not that fun although parking the car overlooking the marina proved rather pleasant.

As we sat there gazing at the rain languidly connecting with the bay I laughed as the windows began steaming up, wondering if cars passing by were wondering what we were up to. It’s nice to know that after 40 years of marriage we still can generate heat in a parked car. Admittedly it was all talk and no action.

It is nice that we still have the capacity of great conversation after four plus decades of marriage. The topic at hand was why were there year round seagulls residing at an inland lake. In our thirty or so years living in a town that boasts having an impressively large freshwater lake that has always been on my mind.

So we asked Siri, which I have named Jarvis, after selecting a British voice for my iPhone AI.

Well, they aren’t seagulls. In fact there is no such thing as a seagull. There are only gulls. And some live by the sea.

Sea period. Gull period.

My goodness that stumped us. How do I possibly unlearn a lifetime of calling a bird by the wrong name?

The point of this post is that if we hadn’t veered from our comfortable lifestyle for a bit of spontaneous getaway time we would not have learned a most enlightening fact.

So—take a moment to do something a bit different than usual (a hearty recommendation is to stay safe and sane in your decision) because you just might have an opportunity to learn something worth knowing.

Yes, and the bonus of our outing is realizing that I am my husband’s best gull friend.

Posted in Family, humor, memories, Reflections, romance and tagged , , ,
03 Feb 2025
14 Comments

The Evolution of TV and Me


I’m a boomer, which means I grew up with television. I remember that freestanding television set that sat in the room off my parents’ bedroom. There was a couch and a coffee table which I guess would make it a den.

The early years

Shows were black and white, channels were three, and times were 6 am (farmer’s report) to 11 pm (news). Then nothing played except the sign off signal and this:

mystical—isn’t it?

Color TV was for the income bracket above ours. My uncle had one.

TV furniture

I remember being mesmerized seeing Lassie in color.

from this
to this

It didn’t take long for our family to get a color console. I think my mom and her brother had a friendly competition going about keeping up with the latest.

I grew up with shows like “Dobie Gillis,” my older brother’s liking. My faves were “The Mickey Mouse Club,”“Romper Room,” and “Soupy Sales.” And sometimes “Captain Kangaroo.”

this guy didn’t always come with a filter

Locally we had JP Patches. Yes, among my first celebrity crushes was a clown. This was before Stephen King changed our perspective about them.

great show

Of course there was “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” hosted by Uncle Walt. It was a highlight of the week.

Every Sunday night right before bedtime

Television sounds like a huge part of my childhood and yet I have more memories of being outside playing than being inside watching.

As I grew up so did television in depth and presentation. There were more channels, more programs, more dedication to certain shows. Instant access to world events, which wasn’t always a positive.

Setting up a college dorm room involved packing a portable TV. These were black and white, but hey, it beat having to go to the dorm lounge and have to watch the show of whoever got there first.

handy, so handy

Young married life had other priorities besides buying a TV, yet somehow we bought one.

sleek, not fake furniture

Without cable or a dish the access to stations remained limited to the basic three stations: ABC, NBC, and CBS. We mainly tuned in to PBS. My kids were “Reading Rainbow” fans. Since I worked at a library books were a bigger focus than TV shows and we watched our fair share of VHS movies.

Once we became an empty nester household there were more evening hours and more income. PBS and DVD movies were still the norm. Buy into cable or dish? Pay to watch TV?!?

Then our oldest son convinced us to buy his old flat screen. Very nice. Then with my government economic boost check I invested in my own smart TV with a soundbar and installed it in a vacated kids room (now my office or Mom Cave). The hubs was shocked. Considering how much I wasn’t into watching programmed television suddenly I had more stations than I could possibly imagine at the tips of my fingers.

not my cave, yet it’s got the gist

Choice and availability didn’t change my habits though. I still watch PBS, being annoyed with commercial TV,I still abstained from paying for TV. That is until T-Mobile came up with such a customer deal: free Netflix and Apple TV. Couldn’t resist.

At first I binged on all those shows I had heard about (sure beat having to check them out as DVDs from the library, if that had that series and if they weren’t too scratched to play). Then I realized I often spent a half hour or more trying to find something to watch.

With winter’s early evening darkness I tend to retreat into my Mom Cave around five or six and zone out until bedtime. Not my best use of time, I admit.

I read in the morning and afternoon, preferring natural light. And dislike working on my computer at night (too much of a throwback to those nights of grading papers and creating lesson plans). I even tried resurrecting my interest in playing the recorder (I didn’t want to disturb my husband’s restful reading time so have that up).

I’m open to suggestions of how to spend those long winter evenings without resorting to streaming (which induces that inner scream of “turn it off—you can do this—just set down the remote).

Maybe I should move somewhere that doesn’t get dark until 9 pm. Then again that would invite a different sort of problems.

Posted in Family, memories, Reflections, Relaxation, Television series, winter and tagged , , ,
28 Jan 2025
5 Comments

A Bit of a Puzzle


January 29th is going to be a puzzling day. Literally.

It’s National Puzzle Day. And we are finding puzzles have found their way into our lives.

I grew up with puzzles. My dad had a special table set up and would spend hours piece by piece putting together some scenic masterpiece. I wasn’t too interested in doing puzzles then and barely acknowledged them over the years.

When my hubs sprang his knee skiing it looked liked the long winters were going to get a more tedious since heading up to the slope would no longer be a viable option.

Of course I brought him books from the library. On a whim I brought home a puzzle because why not? There is a free puzzle exchange on the lobby.

As Hemingway said “One puzzle leads to another.” Well, he kind of said that.

We have now been puzzling for several years and we have come to realize there are some etiquette aspects:

Borders first. Creating the perimeter makes it easier to get the picture in perspective.

Sort pieces. A half dozen plastic picnic plates do nicely in separating out the many pieces into a manageable order.

Clean Hands. Yeah, learned that one day while eating my almond butter with honey toast.

No Pets. Cat hair. Dog hair. Not good companions with puzzle pieces.

Track Pieces. Drop a piece. Oh, oh. Better find it. Or at least mark “piece missing” on the box. Don’t forget to circle the place.

No hogging. Sharing is caring. Set a timer if needed. *Oh no, honey. That a general comment—no worries*.

Break down. Just like the last person to use the milk replaces the milk, the last person to finish the puzzle breaks it down and puts it in the box.

Those are the basics. Did I miss any?

Happy puzzling.

Hometown are faves. Liking all that detail.
Ugh. Sky. An unspoken rule—leaving the sky last is, well, ugh.

Posted in creativity, humor, memories, Reflections, Relaxation and tagged , , ,
20 Dec 2024
5 Comments

TV, Eat, Sleep, Repeat…


Hmm—sounds like a recipe for the winter humdrums because the weather outside is frightful, and while I often do find some inside diversions that are delightful (such as reading and more reading), the above title reflects the tedium of my 14 hours of air travel to Okinawa.

Last year, around this time, I traveled solo to Okinawa to meet my DIL (daughter-in-law) and my new granddaughter. This year I was invited to return to Okinawa to be my DIL’s doula for their expected son. An honor I couldn’t resist.

Having flown last year to Okinawa, I felt better prepared for the flight, airport layovers, and overall stamina needed. Last year the hours in the air weren’t so bad, perhaps since I had splurged on Comfort Plus and snagged an aisle seat. Delta serves great meals, BTW. I also bought one of those advertised wraparound-the -neck pillows. Definitely a recommended purchase as I could nap without my head flopping about.

However, preparedness aside, this year I noticed my body didn’t travel as well. Backside, knees, shoulders all began to complain after six hours of sitting. Even my mantra of “Watch some TV, get some sleep, wake up to eat, and then repeat” did little to alleviate my discomfort.

I can’t imagine what it’s like being squished into economy for 10 hours. I’m glad my family convinced me into buying extra leg room.

All that discomfort and tedium faded away once established in my son’s guest room. Playing with my granddaughter, hanging out with my son and DIL, and touristing are all pleasant aspects of the visit.

An extra bonus is that Okinawa weather is a tonic since with its blue skies, warm sun, and offshore breezes. I left behind in Idaho grey skies, snowy days, chilly temps, and a longing for sun. Today in Okinawa it was a balmy 66 degrees at 10 am and I slipped outside to soak up the rays.

Yes, I did pink up sitting in the sun for a few minutes. Who can resist an ocean view on a sunny balcony? I sure couldn’t!

Doula duty is coming up in a week or two. Until then it’s play, sleep, eat, and repeat with my amazing Okinawa fam.

Posted in Family, Japan, memories, Reflections, winter and tagged , ,
21 Oct 2024
9 Comments

Yup, it finally happened: the BC, DC, AC


I once worked in a Petri dish. Working in a school there is always the possibility getting infected with something–simple stuff, like a cold to gross stuff like pink eye. In twenty years teaching I managed to avoid the worst of it: Covid.

BC: Before Covid there was the usual dealing with colds, flu, even walking pneumonia, yet knowing recovery would be around the corner helped get through those times. Sick days taken, taking time to get healthy–all a given.

Then–2019. Masks, disinfectant, isolation, on-line education, tests kits, and other aspects became de rigueur.

Going back into the classroom amidst a pandemic compounded the usual stress that comes with working in education. Early retirement sounded better and better.

Wait a minute, two years into retirement, essentially living like a hermit, picking and choosing which places and opportunities to go and participate in, living a careful preventative life (get a booster, wear a mask if feeling sniffly) just how did Covid arrive on my doorstep, especially having avoided it all that time surrounded by it when teaching?

Well, it began with that little back of the throat tickle, the one that says “Hey, a cold might be coming–take care.” Not being sick for two years (funny how getting away from that Petri dish almost guarantees better health), I thought, “I guess I can handle a cold. Three days tops.”

It wasn’t a cold.

DC: There was that niggling suspicion something was amiss. The next day I woke feeling miserable. The yuck truck slammed into me with a fever, aches, and the need for a constant supply of tissues. Deciding to finally make use of that little government kit that’s been up on the shelf gave me that dreaded indicator: Covid.

The shock hits because of all the horrible stories come to the surface: losing smell and taste, getting hospitalized, even dying. It’s almost akin to getting snakebit. I absolutely did not seeing it coming.

Sparing details. I did cancel appointments (even one that took four months to get and now it’s pushed back to February) and isolated. Awkward and inconvenient in a small house. I immediately put a request into our church prayer chain and hunkered down. Three weeks later the symptoms are abated although stamina is not quite 100%, I am feeling better each day. No fever for over two weeks and so I hustled over to my pharmacy and got both my Covid booster and my flu shot. I’ve lost five pounds (no complaints) and my appetite is severely reduced. That could be a positive.

AC: After Covid? I’m cautious about being caught in close crowds. While I did not wear my mask as much once getting my initial booster I do now, learning that getting a booster helps reinfection is possible.

Exactly how I felt

What’s really strange is my son called to check on me, unbelieving I had never had Covid considering I was teaching during the height of the pandemic. He had already gone one round with it (living in a large city has its disadvantages) and the next day he texted to let me know he had woke with a fever and tested positive. Can Covid be transmitted by phone call? Yikes.

So–stay well and do what you need to do to stay healthy. That yuck truck is a reckless driver.

Posted in America, humor, memories, opinion, Reflections, school and tagged , ,
02 Sep 2024
2 Comments

That Tuesday Feeling


The day after Labor Day is traditionally when school starts. It signifies for most the end of summer and the beginning of nine long months of spending daylight hours in the classroom occasionally, and mostly wistfully, glancing out the window, anticipating being released from the four walls of education.

I imagine students feel the same way.

Is it June yet?

Before I retired from teaching I did look forward to the first day of school—kind of. Truth be told the first day of teaching, at least at the high school level, can be awkward for both students and teachers. Getting names right, going over expectations, trying to establish a rapport, returning to a scheduled routine of bells dictating the day week after week.

Wait—

Sounds a bit despondent, doesn’t it? Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed being a teacher. I just enjoy being a retired teacher so much more. I’m in good company.

Recently I gathered with around 25 other retired teachers from our local high school for our annual get together. It’s always scheduled on the day teachers have to report to school for in-service meetings. I think that’s it meant to be a wink and a nod that we don’t have to be there anymore. We all agreed being retired is better than being tired again and again, something that occurred when teaching.

This will be the third year I will not be returning to school. People have been asking me if I miss teaching and are often surprised when I quickly say, “Nope.” Teaching is hard work. And teaching became harder because of Covid. In fact, talking to friends who still teach, Covid is still impacting teaching. It’s probably not going to get any easier.

So while I don’t miss teaching, I do miss being a teacher. Then again while I might not be currently teaching I will always be a teacher. You know the saying: You can take the teacher out of the classroom but she will kindly decline offers to return once retired.

Oh, there’s a different saying?

Happy Tuesday-after-Labor Day to students and staff. Hope your year is pleasant and enriching.

Excuse me while I plunk myself in my hammock and read another book in my retirement.

Reading, retirement, relaxing—my three new “Rs”
Posted in Americans, celebrations, education, memories, Reflections, Relaxation, school and tagged , , ,
24 Nov 2023
3 Comments

Okinawa! Part Two


After visiting the botanical gardens my son decided I needed to see American Village. Not being fond of overt tourist attractions, I politely deferred, and said if we were short on time we could skip it and head to the beach instead. Turns out lunch and getting to the ocean involved American Village.

It’s difficult to describe American Village. It’s as as if someone took a child’s colorful toy village set and hobbled it together with bright posters, stairways, and sensational features, like a gigantic plastic fuchsia shark.

Yes, that is a bit of a smirk, as in “Really? Another tourist shot?”

Lunch was upstairs in a restaurant called The Pancake House. Apparently it is very popular with tourists and locals. The menus, three are presented, all have photos in order to guide selections. Prices are in yen, but Google is very helpful in converting and a Visa solves transactions. With my offer of paying for lunch my son ordered freely from the menu. His main entree being a plate that combines fries, pancakes, and chicken. I attempted what I thought was a simple chicken curry with rice. It was more of a gravy with chicken nuggets. It was okay, but not going to be a recommendation. The total meal came to about $30, a deal considering we ordered two entrees, a side, a drink, and a dessert.

Not found in American pancake houses that I know

A stop at an ice cream shop followed lunch and it’s difficult to mess up mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone. The ice cream is made on premises and it wasn’t as sweet as its American counterpart. Walking around American Village I was amazed at all the shops tucked in here and there around all the catwalks that connected the buildings. Considering it was a Tuesday it was busy enough with mainly Japanese tourists and few Americans. Christmas decorations were everywhere. Giant snowmen, elves, Santas and the usual convivial trappings of the season were ever present among the giant box presents. Again, I deferred visiting trinket shops, hoping for something unique. So my son took me to the Cat Cafe.

No food service,just lots of kitties

Cats are revered in Japan and the Cat Cafe concept involves buying kibble to feed the assortment of cats roaming around in the airy wooden-floored room. The cat varieties vary from hairless to stubby-pawed chubbs, to fluffy tabbies with personalities ranging from noisy complainers meandering about to contented dozers curled up in cozy kitty lofts. Some cats turned their nose up at the kibble, but most appreciated the free handout. They all looked healthy and were not overweight even though it was obvious this is a popular place to visit. Both locals and tourists filled the room, all were enjoying their interactions with either petting or feeding the cats. I noticed couples coming into the cafe as a date destination. In fact this was a favorite place for my son and daughter-in-law when they were dating since animals are not allowed in the barracks. When they married and moved off base they immediately got two lovely cats from the rescue shelter. Yes, it did seem silly to me that we were paying to pet and feed cats when two were waiting for us at home.

Ma-bo, one of my grandcats. He gladly accepts kibbles and pets at no charge

Last stop was the sea wall. The ocean has always been part of my life having grown up on the west coast. Living inland the last 30 years I miss the ocean and it was a treat to renew my appreciation for it. Oddly, there were no seagulls cruising around and no whiff of salty air as experienced when visiting my former hometown, Seattle’s waterfront. Still, the ocean is a tonic for me and I could have easily stayed the afternoon walking along the immense promenade gazing out on the diamond-dappled waters.

Seeing the sea is a highlight for me

Our last stop was Foster Marine base: a haircut for my son and a stop at the base library because I didn’t pack enough books for the trip. What a library! Clean, well-organized, a bounty of selection. My son is now working at another base library and my daughter-in-law is studying for her librarian degree. Two more librarians in the family!

Soon I will leave Okinawa and return home. Not being much of a traveler this has been an eye opening experience and Part Three explores my observations. Stay tuned!

Posted in Family, food, Japan, memories, Reflections, travel and tagged , , , ,
30 Dec 2022
4 Comments

Year in Books: Good Reads and Then Some


A reader’s best friend

I’m ever so glad I found Goodreads. Not only does it help in discovering books to read, it more importantly keeps track of the books I have read. Lately I am reading books I have read previously. Goodreads confirms this. I’m contemplating the implications of this reading overlap.

Never mind deep contemplations on my reading habits. Here are the brass facts: according to Goodreads I read 155 books by December 30th. I don’t log books that are DNF (did not finish), which are more than I want to acknowledge this year. Apparently I am becoming more discerning in my book selections.

Instead of the usual how many pages, most popular, least popular factums I thought I would give 746 books activity a try. Using this year’s book list I answered posed suppositions:

  • In high school I was Here and Now and Then (Mike Chen)
  • People might be surprised by The Ethan I Was Before (Ali Standish)
  • I will never be Maisie Dobbs (Jacqueline Winspear)
  • My life post-lockdown was Little Broken Things (Nicole Baart)
  • My fantasy job is The Finder of Forgotten Things (Sarah Loudin Thomas)
  • At the end of a long day I need The Maid (Nita Prose)
  • I hate being The Accused (John Grisham)
  • Wish I had The Cat Who Saved Books (Sosuke Natsukawa)
  • My family reunions are To Disguise the Truth (Jen Turano)
  • At a party you’d find me with Birds of a Feather (Jacqueline Winspear)
  • I’ve never been to The Last Bookshop in London (Madeline Martin)
  • A happy day includes The Ingredients of Love (Nicolas Barresu)
  • Motto I live by: The Art of Holding On and Letting Go (Kristin Lenz)
  • On my bucket list is The Island (Gary Paulsen)
  • Next year I want to have What the Fireflies Knew (Kai Harris)

That was fun and enlightening. Maybe my book choices reveal more about myself than I am aware of. Hope your year of books was enjoyable and here is to next year!

Posted in Book Boosters, celebrations, humor, memories, popular books, Reflections and tagged , , ,
24 Aug 2022
14 Comments

Today is Waffle Day!


Waffles are wonderful

I follow the National Day Calendar and while I don’t relate to all the celebrated days (National Leathercraft Day did not do a thing for me, not even a summer camp memory of failed wristbands and key fobs), there are some like August 24th being National Waffle Day.

There are two breakfast camps: pancakes vs waffles. I could extol the wonders of waffles, how their warm and crunchy square golden perfection makes any dull morning sparkle, but then I might offend those who are satisfied with the blobs of dough identified as pancakes resting on their plates getting soggier by the nanosecond.

Clearly, waffles are winners in the breakfast arena of menu offerings.

My earliest memories of becoming a waffle connoisseur start when I am still in the finicky years of childhood, say sixish. My babysitter, a gem of an older woman known as Nettie, had such amazing patience. She had a waffle maker that was oblong, not the usual round variety, and it would produce four square delights of crispy dents that I would slather with butter and maple syrup. They had to be crispy, browned, not dark. Oh, I was demanding then.

Growing up I remember waffles more than pancakes, although there was a crepe phase for awhile. It takes many a crepe to make a decent filled effect. Pretty, yet not terribly satisfying. Waffles provide a square meal. Indeed they do.

Marriage and subsequent family days included a waffle maker. I can make a decent, even an exemplary pancake, but waffles are still the choice. When my sons had sleepovers their friends clamored for “Pamcakes” in the morning.

These days, in our empty nest era, waffles and pancakes are rare treats for we acknowledge the calories attached. By now, after 40 years of marriage, it would be ideal if my husband would acquire a taste for waffles, but he remains a pancake man through and through.

They do say opposites attract.

But we both agree that a waffle cone is the cone of choice for ice cream. Compromise will see us through to another 40 years.

Posted in America, Debatables, Family, food, humor, memories, Reflections and tagged , ,

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