We are having late frosts here in Missouri. I had just put all of our plants out last weekend and then had to rush them into the basement during the week. Our landlady and her mother, just back from Mexico, have covered their low roses with woven Mexican blankets and their tall roses with sheets. Our backyard resembles a gathering of Scooby Doo ghosts in a crossover conclave with their Speedy Gonzales corollaries.

We had the landlady, Kathy, and her mother over for dinner the other night and I made Loui sandwiches for them.

These open-faced sandwiches were a staple at one of the restaurants I used to work at:

Top an English muffin with a slice of ripe tomato

Cover the tomato with a dollop of tuna or seafood salad

(As I am now allergic to shrimp I have to used just tuna, onions, celery, and mayo – but the original recipe also calls for baby shrimp)

Cover the salad with two large slices of Loraine Swiss

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is golden and crisp on top

They are great fresh from the oven and even better cold the next day –like day old pizza can be better. I ate several of them yesterday morning and the batch of twelve sandwiches was gone by last night.

My panel interview on Friday went well. The principal called me Friday evening to congratulate me and invite me back Monday for a final interview. I have an early morning slot, which probably means that I was one of the first ones called. I don’t think it usually goes this way, but my first interview was with the principal, so at least I know what to expect of the interpersonals in that last meeting. He seems to be affable, someone I could happily work for. If they want me (not to put the cart before the horse), they want me for a dual enrollment AP position. I would be teaching seniors, and I’d get a small salary bump for each student who took the dual enrollment option.

Earlier this year I had a third interview at a neighboring district that didn’t go so well. I think what happened there is that I somehow conveyed that I didn’t really want the job, which was true. While the pay between that district and the one I am interviewing at tomorrow is comparable, the work load is purportedly higher at the district that passed me over. Also, that other district has a strict policy of working one’s way up to the advanced classes; such that, all new instructors teach freshman for several years. I don’t mind taking a few sections of freshman, I do that now, but it’s a waste of my abilities and certifications to keep me strictly in that position indefinitely.

So, wish me luck. I have one more hurdle to clear and my commute will disappear.