dustcollector

I am media specialist in an elementary school in Palm Bay, Florida. Originally from St. Louis, I moved to Florida in 1987 and have lived here ever since. I am the eldest of eight siblings including one sister and six brothers. My son and his wife just added a new grandson to my family. My daughter and her husband live nearby with my 2 little granddaughters--a 1 1/2 year-old and a 3 1/2 year-old. I love children and animals. Currently I share my home with three cats and two dogs as well as a quite large "little" brother. I teach students in grades Pre-K through 6.

I love most kinds of music, but I am not a musician. I only play the radio, and I only sing for small children who are very forgiving. If I must chose a favorite type, it would probably be folk music from around the world.

In my opinion, Charlotte's Web is right up at the top of the best books in whole world. I read lots of books intended for children and young adults. The illustrations in picturebooks make them particularly tempting. The Inkheart series is a recent favorite.

My schedule doesn't allow much time for movies or TV, but one of my favorite films is A New Leaf with Walter Mathau and Elaine May. Other favorites are What's Up, Doc? with Barbara Streisand and Madeline Kahn and Man's Favorite Sport with Rock Hudson and Paula Prentis. I know they are oldies, but so much fun. March of the Penguins made me cry.

I have a weakness for HGTV, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and figure skating. I also listen to some PBS programming while I am doing other things. I am a fan of NPR.

I like arts and crafts, but I don't have much wiggle room in my work schedule. Matchboxes are fun, and I discovered them through Swap-bot! I am trying my hand at making postcards now. I have done some sewing and embroidery, but not counted cross-stich. I enjoy making something out of nothing. My mother was and is very resourceful that way. I fiddle with some plants, but couldn't call it gardening. Only the hardy survive--but I love roses and fragrant flowers.

I plan to use my post cards from swaps for a geography research project with students in grades 4-6 at school. I appreciate interesting stamps almost as much as the postcards or matchboxes. I learned about Postcrossing from another Swap-bot member's profile, and I have been doing that, too. Mail is so much more interesting these days!

I like to wear interesting pins and long necklaces made of natural materials such as wood, shells, leather, etc. I like decorative items that represent different kinds of leaves or plants, birds, and butterflies. I like the fragrance of flowers, patchouli, and sandalwood, but I am not fond of fruity smells. My favorite colors are blue-greens and any sunny colors. I dislike grey and muddy browns--anything drab. Pastels are ok. I love things representative of other countries and cultures. Lemon, peach, and strawberry are yummy flavors. With our warm weather most of the year sending chocolate can be risky. I don't drink coffee, but I like coffee or mocha flavored things.

If for some reason, you do not receive a rating from me, please contact me after a reasonable amount of time has passed. I try to rate the day something arrives. Once in a while, postcards have been trapped in catalogs or magazines.