Pepper Goes to School

A few weeks ago, Lisa had a student who had earned his very first Pepper Pass and was eligible to spend time with Pepper. 

Only he did not understand the procedure. 

During a time when everyone was reading quietly to themselves, he approached Lisa, Pepper Pass in hand.

"I'd like to use my Pepper Pass now," he solemnly told her, expecting that she would call me and that Pepper and I would come in then and there.

(Oh, my heart!)

Lisa explained to him that she would schedule a day for Pepper to come to school and that all who had earned a Pepper Pass, including him, would get to spend time with her then.

That day was yesterday. Even amidst the craziness that is Kalamazoo month, there is always time to bring Pepper to school and celebrate with kiddos who have met their reading goals.

Some, like these girls, had exceeded them and had earned two Pepper Passes which meant they got double the time to spend with her!

I was keeping a closer eye on Pepper than I usually do - she is getting older and is not as energetic as she used to be. And, I want to be careful about her stress levels. Pepper has Addison's Disease (she was born without any adrenal glands.) She retired from guiding because physically her body could not handle the stress. She went into an Addison's Crisis and almost died in harness. It was a very close call.

But Miss P was fine. When we arrived at school, she knew immediately what was going to happen, and she literally dragged me into the building - she could not wait to see the kids.

Twenty expended Pepper Passes later (along with several book recommendations), we finished up and headed home.

Rather than heading back upstairs to work, Pepper and I relaxed together on the couch. She took a snooze cuddled against me, and I read from my Kindle.

Pepper Passes are a good reminder to me, too, that I need to take time to read!

Note: If I can get it finished, I will post that promised blog entry about Breyer Classic Foals this morning. If it's not up by 10:00 AM, look for it tomorrow.