Barbara Clements:
CLASS OF 1971
Charlotte High SchoolClass of 1971
Rochester, NY
Barbara's Story
Life
Hello to all!
I have lived in Apple Valley, CA, since 1992. I teach English and English as a Second Language at the high school level and have three years left until graduation, oops,I mean retirement.
I've been single all these years, :( but I haven't let that stop me from enjoying life and traveling, camping, playing sports, etc. When I lived in L.A.(11/77-8/92), I played softball and beach volleyball, and worked for L.A. Unified Schools. I couldn't afford a house in L.A., so I moved to the High Desert area (about 3000 ft. altitude) after the L.A. riots. I have a nice house with a built-in pool (I always wanted one, and I can use it about 5 months of the year) on 3/4 acre of land. I share my home with two big dogs, 95 lbs. and 80 lbs.(my bodyguards when I can't find anyone to go camping with and go anyway). After I moved here, I continued to play slow-pitch coed softball until two foot surgeries in 2005. Who knows, maybe now that I'm slowing down, I'll meet a nice guy !
I go back to Rochester every summer to see my family. Depending on who you are/were back then, you may remember my mom, who worked in the dean's office, attendance office, and cafeteria. She's now 87 years old, is a two-time breast cancer survivor, and has Alzheimer's. In spite of it all, she's as feisty as ever. She just entered the Rochester Presbyterian Home on Oct.1st; it's a phenomonal place, with a great philosophy. You may not know that my parents split up in 1975; my dad died from a heart attack in 1990 . My older brother Jim (class of '68) and my younger brother Dick (class of '75) still live in the Rochester area.
I've attended every class reunion so far and am looking forward to seeing you all there at the next one in 2011.
If you're ever out this way, give me a holler!
Barbara
Yikes! It's now March 2011 and my profile is three years old. Time to update:
I retired in June 2009 after 31 years of teaching and I've got to say, retirement is wonderful! No more getting up at 4:45, no more papers to correct, no more mouthy teenagers lol. (My mom used to say it was payback for all the times I backtalked at th...Expand for more
at age.) And the bonus: Because of reduced stress, I've lost 15 lbs.!
So what am I doing now that I have the luxury of time? Some days a lot, some days nothing. I volunteer at the Apple Valley library, reading, singing, and making crafts with pre-schoolers one morning a week, and during the summer, I work with 5-12 year-olds. I am also a tutor in the library's adult literacy program . One day a month, I volunteer for the PAL Humane Society, delivering dog and cat food to low-income senior citizens in a nearby town.
Last year I wrote 52 items for a CA state test and I'm currently in the middle of an 8-week part-time job tutoring elementary school students- our "No Child Left Behind" tax dollars at work. (And also my travel money to come to the reunion-yay!) I had to get clearance from the FBI, Dept. of Justice, and Homeland Security, for crying out loud! (Thank God those nice officers at the US-Canadian border didn't put anything in writing way back in 1974...)
I'm not always busy, though. I still love to read and swim (OK, mostly float), and I've discovered some great new camping areas in the mountains and elsewhere. During the winter I take a day-trip (< 2 hour drive) to Desert Hot Springs, near Palm Springs, to soak in the hot mineral pools/jacuzzis about twice a month. Even the swimming pool is heated mineral water! Since it's the low desert, it's warmer there than where I am.
My mother is now 90 and is deep into Alzheimer's. You couldn't find a better care facility, though; thank God for those cheerful, hard-working people. Sadly, my two dogs have passed on. (If a parrot can live to be 80, why can't man's best friend live longer? I hate the freakin' circle of life sometimes!) I have had my "new" dog Sammy since July 2009 and just got my "new new" dog Suzy on March 6, 2011. They were both rescue dogs.
I'm looking forward to seeing y'all at the reunion in July. I apologize to those of you who have signed my
guestbook, etc.- I've hardly logged on to the site over the last three years. I hope to see you in person soon.
Barbara
P.S. Did I mention how much I love retirement?
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