Bloody Pencils & A Sore Wrist

Sassy started 1st grade today.  My baby’s growing up.  Deep sigh.  I was sure that I’d have to do that thing when you have to squeegie the kid off your leg in order to leave her there, but I was both delighted and saddened because she was fine without me.  It turns out that a very good friend from her Kindergarten class is sitting right next to her.  I hope that works out.  If it had been me, it would have lasted all of 15 minutes into the first day before the teacher would have moved me.  I talked a lot.  Still do.  You may have noticed.  It just turns out I have a lot to say.  Most of it entertaining, I hope, much of it silly.

So I was gathering the mile long list of stuff that she was to bring to school – notebooks, crayons, 2 shoe boxes (???), water bottle, etc.  One item on the list was 36 sharpened wooden pencils.  No big deal.  I purchased them on sale at Target.  But as I was putting everything together for her the night before, I realized they weren’t sharpened.  Well, if there’s one thing I am, it’s a rule follower (no snickering!) so I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to accomplish this at 11:00 at night.  No one seems to know whatever happened to the electric pencil sharpener.  I considered whittling on the front porch.  After all, I do have a hound dog and whittling ought to come naturally to me, but no.  I assumed there would be a maiming and Sassy doesn’t need a nine fingered mother bringing bloody pencils to school.  I finally found two little twisty sharpeners.  You know the ones.  You stick one end in and twist and twist and twist until your arm falls off.  I want you to know that 36 pencils is one hell of a lot of pencils to sharpen.  I think I have tendinitis now.