#31, What She Finds

A fissure opens

carefully constructed

questions

unanswerable

reluctant

something sinister

Desperate searches

Delve,

deepest darkest

corner

of the past

what she finds

could destroy everything

even her own life

From the back blurb of "Close My Eyes" by Sophie McKenzie. A friend passed this on to us. I haven't read it yet.

# 30, My Aha Moment - and the Word Varmint

Thursday is my traveling library day - I am at my second school.  I have a 5/6 combo, a 6, a 2nd and a 3rd.  My students at this school are mainly upper middle class.  It is always amazing to me to see the similarities and differences between the two schools I teach at.

My Thursday classes have been doing some individual writing.  I decided to share the Pensee poem, Chipmunks, that I had posted on my blog.  As a class we read and discussed it.  I then showed the entire post - pictures were a hit.  At no time did I identify myself as the author.

Several of the kids referred to the author as "he".  Internally I shook my head but went on with the lesson.  I then handed out copies of the poem and had them glue it into their notebooks.  I asked them to circle words that were interesting, important or  words they didn't know.

The word varmint was mentioned several times.  I shared this definition with them.

The kids did not like the second definition "a troublesome and mischievous person, especially a child."  I laughed inside and then asked, "Which definition was the author referring to in the poem?"

I then challenged them to deconstruct the poem.  We did line 1 as a whole group.  One of the boys thought he was being funny and stated the first line had two syllables.  The look on his face was priceless when I told him that was a great observation. Then I let them partner up to deconstruct the other four lines.  I gave them about 10 minutes to annotate the poem.  Then we debriefed.  

I then handed out a slip of paper with the template for the Pensee Poem.  I asked them to re-look at the poem in their notebook and another poem I projected, "Did the author meet the Pensee rules for each poem?"  They quickly evaluated the poems discovering that one of the poems had more syllables then the Pensee instructions.   (I realized that I had not done a great job counting the night before oh well.)  It turned out fine.  It created an interesting discussion.

Then it was there turn.  I told them to write about an animal (wild, pet, or mythical) using the Pensee instructions.  They got right down to business.  I didn't get one comment about what did I want them to do.

My "aha moment".  Deconstructing the poem first really helped them to understand the form as well as gain meaning. 

As they finished I looked at their work.  I then asked them to write two additional poems.  One about food, the second was a topic of their choice (school appropriate).   At the end of the time they asked if they could share their poems.   They were so excited about getting up in front of the class and sharing! 

#29, Root Beer Memories

Have you ever drank homemade root beer?  Occasionally we would go to town and stop at the drive-inn and have a frosty mug of root beer or a root beer float.  I remember how creamy and smooth it was.  The ice cream, thick bubbles and laughter.  Eating my drink with a spoon.  Then finishing it up with the straw.  Root beer floats were awesome.  A very special treat.

We lived in the country when I was very little.  Mom and I would take daily walks along the paved road in front of our house.  We would pick up pop or beer bottles that had been tossed from passing cars.  If you turned them in at the store beer bottles were worth a penny and pop bottles were worth 2 cents. Later the pop bottles jumped to a nickel. These were put into the shed until there were enough to turn in.  That was our fair money.  Money to spend on rides and treats.

Usually once a year mom would make homemade root beer.  I remember her going to the store and getting a box of root beer extract.  We would sit at the table and she would carefully open the box.  Remove the folded recipe and instructions.  Opening the paper, she would read it over.  Then carefully lay out all her needed ingredients. There was a box of boughten bottle caps.  I would get the bottle capper stored in the back of the cupboard.   She would take some of the pop bottles, wash them real good and then put them in boiling water to sterilize them.

I can still see the big pot on the stove.   Bottles rolling, bubbles gurgling and steam hovering over the pot.  Then she would take the bottles out one by one.  Line them up  on the towels laying on the counter.  In another pot was the simmering syrup: extract, sugar, water, and yeast.  The brew even now I can see cooling just a bit.

The sterilized funnel went into the neck of each bottle.  Then she would ladle out the brew.   I watched as the dark liquid raced into the bottle crashing against itself as the line of dark brew raised to the top.  It was my job to notice when it was at the correct place on the neck.  Too much and it would pop early.  Too little and there would be no fizz.

Then it was my job to take one of the bottle caps and put it on the bottle.  Mom would set the bottle on the capper machine.  She would pull the handle down and it would crimp the cap.  After the bottles had been capped they would go in the wooden pop bottle crate.  From there they were moved to a dark closet.  I remember being told not to open the closet door because they needed the darkness to become root beer. She would also put a newspaper and towel on top of the bottles and under the crate.

As a small child I thought those bottles had to stay in there for months.  As I look online at old recipes it was actually probably only a week.

Occasionally you would hear a loud pop come from the closet.  That was a bottle that had not sealed properly and had exploded.  I'm guessing that was why the towel and newspapers were assembled.

I still feel the anticipation of finally being allowed to open the closet door and examine the remaining bottles.  The dark liquid beckoned.  I can still see that small person carrying a bottle to the fridge.  Until there were about six chilling.  Knowing that later mom would pop the caps and we would have the ultimate treat - cold root beer or maybe a homemade root beer float.

How Do You Use Trading Cards?

Do you collect trading cards?  Do you create them?  If you do how do you use them?

Sports trading cards have been a main attraction.  I remember boys collecting cards when I was a kid.  I don't think I paid much attention though.   As an adult I'm still not collecting but am more aware.

The Library of Congress (think primary sources) have  a great collection of the old sports trading cards.  You can download copies of them at http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=baseball%20cards%201900-1920&sg=true.

For many years our district created trading cards of high school students - these students were chosen because of their accomplishments in academics, sports, music, etc.  The cards were given to the elementary schools to be used as rewards for goals chosen by the schools.  The kids on the trading cards came around and talked to the younger kids.  The kids who collected the most at the end of the time period got to have lunch with the trading card kids.

Recently I learned that many of the National Parks have created a set of trading cards (these can be downloaded) or collected in person.  The theme is Civil War to Civil Rights.   You can find out more at this site http://www.nps.gov/fopu/learn/kidsyouth/trading-cards.htm .    You can download them from flickr here  https://www.flickr.com/photos/tradingcardsnpsyahoocom/collections/72157629789961004/

Here are some unusual ways cards have been used:

• Ancestor Cards -  http://catchthewindow.blogspot.com/2011/09/ancestor-cards-how-i-did-it.html .   
• Ginger created explorer cards for her students http://gingersnapstreatsforteachers.blogspot.com/2012/11/explorers-trading-cards.html .   
• You can find Galaxy Cards here http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/search .
• Solar System Trading Cards http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/trading/directions.html
• The Museum of Natural History has created digital cards (this is one of my favorite sites)  http://www.amnh.org/explore/ology .
• Ways to use in classroom  http://www.pafa.net/2008/08/testing/

Ways to create your own cards:

• Explains how to use the Read Write Think link - http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/11/create-trading-cards-for-historical-and.html#.VRXuUzvF_31
• Direct Link to Read Write Think Trading Card Creator http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/trading_cards_2/
• Big Huge Lab  http://bighugelabs.com/
• Free Trading Card Manual - Need to register at teachers pay teachers before you can download https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Trading-Card-Manual-1670833
• A tutorial http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/490643/making-cards-youll-never-use-your-old-method-again
• Templates http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/publishing/articles/122296.aspx
• Card Design Template http://www.lybrary.com/card_designer/ 
• Blank Card Games http://www.donnayoung.org/homeschooling/games/game-cards.htm

Bingo Card Maker - http://edubakery.com/Bingo-Cards/Make-a-Bingo-Cards-Game

#27, A Tanka Poem On the Beartooth Highway

Are my eyes deceived?
Top hat on the spiral road

Twisty, hairpin turns

Wind whistling, cycle roaring

The top hat continues on.

#26, Playing with Pensee Poem and Photos

Chipmunks

 

Small striped beggars

Bold, scampering quickly, gone

Top of Beartooth Highway, rest stop

Funny, charming varmint

#25, Breaking New Ground - Medicine Crow Middle School

President Obama awarding Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Photo Credit: Bacone College

http://www.historybyzim.com/2013/04/dr-joseph-medicine-crow/

Our district just broke ground for a new middle school.   It is being named after Joe Medicine Crow.  Joe is 101 and an amazing storyteller.  He is a Crow historian, a  decorated WWII veteran.  In 2009 President Obama bestowed the nation's highest civilian honor - Presidential Medal of Freedom on him.

I have been fortunate to hear Joe tell about when he and other committee members worked to have the museum built at the Chief Plenty Coup State Park.  He told us he and other Crow tribal members (English was their second language) worked with a Czechoslovakian architect (English was his second language) to build the museum.  Joe and the others stressed the importance of having the main door facing East.  Everyone agreed and went on their way.  When the committee came back together that fall they went out to the park to find workers in the final stages of the project.  Workers who only spoke English.   The important East facing door nowhere to be seen.

I remember him saying, "Now imagine some Crows trying to talk to that Czechoslovakian, who then had to explain it to the workers.  It was too late to put in a door, so we had them put in a circular window instead.  Someday if they ever build on maybe we will get the door."

When I first heard this story I marveled at the process of building such a structure.  The work, the translations, the frustrations and the celebrations.  I was joyful when I learned the new school would be named in his honor.  I was saddened by some of the comments that some people made.  We are still breaking ground in society.

His autobiography "Counting Coup" by Joseph Medicine Crow, is an amazing story.  (It only tells his early life through WWII.) It is a fast read and recounts how he returned home and recounted his military experience to the elders. As he recounted his experiences it was determined that he had met all four War Deeds and had earned the right to be a War Chief.

Joe is an amazing man, always with a twinkle in his eyes.  He once told me he wanted to live longer than his mother.  She lived to be 113.

It will not surprise me when he accomplishes it.

His 100th birthday celebration  http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/11/07/joseph-medicine-crow-last-plains-indian-war-chief-turns-100-152106

#24, Wall Dogs and Ghost Signs

Who or what is a Wall Dog?  Until yesterday I didn't know.  Clue - Norman Rockwell was once one. How does a Wall Dog connect to Ghost Signs.  Ghost Signs are those old fading advertisements that were painted on buildings.  In one of the communities there is one painted on an old grain elevator.  The elevator hasn't been in use for at least 50 years and the sign is crystal clear.

I was reading the recent copy of "Montana Magazine" and came upon the article "Ghost Sign Scrutiny" by Claudia Rapkoch https://montanamagazine.com/ghost-sign-scrutiny-butte-grapples-with-how-restore-outside-ads/ .  She says wall dogs were sign painters hired by companies to paint advertisements across the country.

I loved this quote from the story by Nancy Bennett- "Wall dogs is what the old-time painters were called that did the company signs like Bull Durham and Coca-Cola.  They earned the nickname because they worked like dogs on the wall all day," she said. "We honor and respect the history of these signs by developing a plan that accurately restores the original colors but doesn't make it look too new."

We have quite a few ghost signs in Billings.  I think it would be a cool citizen history project to photograph and document the signs that still exist in our communities.

The Wall Dogs are a group of sign painters and muralists that are trying to keep the old skills alive.  I found their website here http://www.thewalldogs.com/.

Further Exploration

Ghost Signs of Fort Collins  http://www.fcgov.com/historicpreservation/pdf/ghost-signs-doc.pdf

Ghost Sign Weekly  http://blog.jeannemelliott.com/

Meet the Ghost Sign Hunters  http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/nov/05/-sp-meet-ghost-sign-hunters-hand-painted-adverts

Ghostsigns The Ads  http://www.hatads.org.uk/ads/ghostsigns.aspx

Flickr:  Ghost Signs  https://www.flickr.com/groups/10285999@N00/

Ghost Sign Project  http://ghostsignproject.com/

Living Gluten Free: the Journey

My journey with living gluten free actually started a few years ago after reading a Slice of Life .  I started reading about "One Little Word".  I chose health for my one little word for 2013.  A positive word.

What followed was much different than I imagined.  I was starting with a new doctor and new tests.  He was concerned with my liver level enzymes.  More tests - I was not hearing back from the good doctor so decided to try my own research.

I started with Mayo clinic website.  As I looked at possibilities many I was able to eliminate out of hand.  Towards the bottom was "gluten sensitivity" could be the culprit.   My mind thought ah this will be an easy check.  I have a new test in two weeks I will eliminate gluten and see if it makes a difference.  (For those who understand, yes I was NAIVE with capital letters.)

I went gluten free, I was clueless.   About two weeks in we met friends for dinner.  I ordered the broasted chicken and peeled off the skin thinking problem solved.  Before we left my stomach was queazy.  We got home - I spent the next three hours in the bathroom, vomiting and coping with problems on the other end.

I realized that peeling the skin off did not solve my problem.  The meat was pressure cooked forcing the gluten into the meat.  I also realized that I did have a sensitivity.

The next round of tests took me to a new doctor.  I asked about testing for gluten sensitivity.  She said that in order to get a good reading I would need to be eating gluten when they tested me.  Once the results were back the only thing they would tell me was not to eat it.  I decided to skip the tests, I already knew that answer.

Sadly it was not the answer to the liver problem.  They decided they had no answer and would continue to monitor.  I have now been living gluten free since January 2013.

Fortunately I have many more choices than people had even five years ago.  Then there is the internet, lots of support.  I have friends and family who look for new foods to share.  And I have a husband who reads labels.  I am truly blessed.

#22, The Egg and I

Full disclosure the egg and I have a love hate relationship.  I am not crazy about eggs.  I do however order omelets with lots of cheese, meat, etc.  Scrambled eggs, and bacon is fine.  I used to love quiche.   I hate trying to clean after cooking eggs.   Since eating gluten free for the past 2-1/2 years I don't order quiche when I eat out.

Now my husband loves eggs. Fried, poached, fried, did I mention fried.  Now when I eat eggs I want them hard.  I detest runny eggs - to me they look like they are still raw.  You guessed it he likes his soft.

When we were first married and I was trying to please him in all things I would cook eggs.  However, instead of enjoying my effort.  He felt it was a teaching moment - I should be instructed in exactly the way he wanted them prepared.  He would let me know what was wrong with how the eggs were prepared.  Needless to say I was not very thrilled.  First I was trying to please him and second I didn't like eggs to start with. I especially didn't like cooking them.

Eventually I got to thinking.  "Self how is this working?  Are you pleasing him? - No!  Are you pleasing yourself? - No!"

I decided to let him know that if he continued to complain about how the eggs were prepared I would stop cooking them and he could cook his own eggs.  Hm - he did not believe me.  I warned him a number of times.  Then the next time he told me he wanted eggs I sweetly explained where the kitchen was, where the pans and spatula were as he would need to cook them himself.

He still asks me to cook eggs - and I remind him that I gave him many warnings about what would happen if he continued to complain.  His answer is always, "But how would you know how to do it if you didn't know it was wrong?"

I smile at him and say, "How did that work for you?"

He answers, "I will probably starve."

"That is a possibility.  Or you might decide to prepare them yourself."

When he is desperate he prepares them himself.  Then he mutters, "You used to cook them for me when you still loved me."

"Honey, I still love you.  I used to cook them when I was still trying to please you.  When I realized that I couldn't,  I decided to please myself.  Now you can make the eggs how you want them."

Yes the egg and I have a love hate relationship.  Once or twice a year I will choose to cook him eggs.  He is always verbally appreciative.  He also tells me I usually get it right.

"Now will you cook them for me on a regular basis?"

I smile and shake my head, "Honey, that option is no longer on the table.  I really don't like eggs, I especially don't like cooking them."

Dan and I have been together about 14 years, in July we will celebrate 9 years of marriage.  Back to my story - the egg and I have a love/hate relationship.   Dan loves them, and I hate to cook them. 

#21, Yellowstone Then and Now

The US Mint Lessons about our National Parks, make me think of the beauty and history

of the parks in my own back yard.  Every place has it's own beauty and grandeur.  Living here in Montana I am blessed.  I think often of our history.  Many write about Montana, yet most of our history remains to be written.

As I look at the old stereoscopic photo of the stagecoach, I wonder, will pictures with cars be amazing 100 years from now.  The WPA poster and the regional guides were created to showcase the natural wonders,and  cultural heritage of the United States.  Many of the old WPA guides are still being reprinted.  "The WPA Guide to 1930's Montana" is available on Kindle.

During the great depression 1935-1943 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided almost 8 million jobs.  The WPA workers built our roads, bridges (infrastructure), preserved our cultural heritage, they collected stories, music.  Posters of National Parks were created.  Federal Writers Project 1935-1942, was one of the New Deal Programs under the WPA.   http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/newdeal/fwp.html

WPA Poster Library of Congress	1905 - Virginia Falls (Yellowstone National Park)
Near East Entrance of Yellowstone Ruth Ferris, photographer	Near East Entrance of Yellowstone Ruth Ferris, photographer

#20, Quick the Year was 1872 - Who Designated Yellowstone as the Country's First National Park?

Drum roll please.  I heard you, I bet many guessed Teddy Roosevelt.  The answer is President Ulysses Grant.  Today the National Park Service manages land in all 50 states.  Currently it takes care of 84 million acres.

Is there a 4th grader in your life?  If so they and their family are eligible for a one year free pass to the National Parks.  "Every Kid in a Park" is part of the National Park Service's 100 year birthday celebration.  http://www.nationalparks.org/ook/every-kid-in-a-park   

Info on the initiative can be read at the White House Blog  https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/02/19/let-s-get-every-kid-park

NPS Web Portal for teachers
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2013/09/national-park-service-offers-teachers-web-portal-educational-materials-parks23920

Who Do You Think Should Be On the $20 Bill?

I think our money has become citizen art and helps tell our history.  I sporadically look closely at the money I spend.  During the state quarters it seemed there was lots of publicity and excitement.  The other day someone drew my attention to a quarter, on the back it said "Homestead".  I wondered about it as I fed it to the pop machine.

On the news tonight I heard about the Women on twenty's campaign  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/03/03/this-group-wants-to-banish-andrew-jackson-from-the-20-and-replace-him-with-a-woman/ .    A secondary reason for removing President Jackson from the twenty dollar bill is for his role in the Trail of Tears.

The first person I saw was a picture of Alice Paul.  She took an active role in working for women gaining suffrage. She organized a huge parade of women on March 3, 1913 the day before President Wilson's inauguration.    She organized the "Silent Sentinels" (this was the first time that anyone picketed the White House).  Women maintained a silent vigil at all the White House entrances.     Women maintained the vigil 6 days a week from January 1917 through June of 1919.

There are 15 candidates and everyone is being invited to vote for three.  All fifteen women are amazing women.  These women made huge contributions to American society.  You can vote for your choice at http://www.womenon20s.org/

I think it is time to put women on the money.

#18, What was the Dog Chasing?

I was walking past the office when I heard someone say the dog chased _________.  I didn't hear the last word.  Chasing who or what, my mind tried to make sense of the sentence.  Was it a stray chasing __________?   People didn't seem alarmed.  So not a stray chasing kids.  My mind still tried to sort out the meaning.  Finally I asked, what dog?

Jane said, "the dog across the street".

Not as much information as I wanted.   He's a sweet Spaniel and not barky.   "What was he chasing?"

"The deer. They're gone now."

I stepped into the principal's office to get a better look through her window.  Then I saw them going through someone else's yard, several more houses down the street.

I rarely see them.  One of the neighbors sees them going through the alley as she leaves for work about 6:00 am.  Tom said he thinks they sometimes bed down under the lilacs outside our fence.  When I was talking to Ida about them she told me they often come to her daughters yard to drink from the fish pond.

It hard for me to wrap my head around a herd of deer living in the middle of our city.  Up in the heights there are antelope that stay around some of the schools.  I've been to Helena, our state capitol and you can go to some of the old historic homes and see deer laying in people's yards.  I guess the deer really enjoy the city gardens.  I'm not sure the gardners are thrilled with the deer, but I enjoyed seeing them.

#17, It's Going Fast.

This past 2 years have been very busy, and they are speeding up.  This afternoon I decided I needed to do some major planning so I didn't miss any deadlines.  I looked at the calendar and counting this week we have 12 weeks left in school.  Where did the time go.

The other day my sister-in-law, her daughter, and grand-daughter were visiting.  Kayla mentioned graduation.  I looked at her and made a very stupid remark, "You're graduating?  When did this happen?"

She looked a little crushed, "Why is everyone surprised I'm graduating?"

"No.   We are wondering how you grew up so quick."  She smiled and I was forgiven my stupid remark.

Our grand-niece is graduating high school.  Our granddaughter is a 5th grader.  It was only yesterday when she was a baby.

Recently I caught a headline that said - Tom Selleck was turning 70?  It doesn't seem possible.  I look at myself and wonder where did the time go?

As a kid I thought being in school for 12 years was FOREVER!  I am now teaching some of my previous students children.  I'm on the 2nd generation of students.   Time keeps flying.

12 weeks of school -  Its going fast.

#16, Banana Bread to Go

Dan is feeling better.  He is starting to try and torment me.   The stories of my getting lost are legion.  At times when I leave for the store or to run and errand he will ask, "Now do you know how to get there?"  and he will proceed to tell me where it is.

I decided to go get us both a fancy coffee at the nearby CityBrew.  I don't go there very often.  Today when I pull up the young man at the window greets me by name.  Smiling.

I mentally review if he is one of my previous students.  I do not recognize him either as a previous elementary student nor as one of my college students.  Perplexed I wait.

He comes back, grins.  "Your husband called and would like a slice of banana bread."

Laughter, "He said, you would be driving a white Prius."  He continues, "We laughed over the call."  He waits for me to approve the addition.  "Now your name is firmly in my mind."

I laugh and look at his name tag - Ty.  His name is now firmly in my mind as well.

Arriving home I put the banana bread in my purse and carry in the two drinks.  I talk about the drinks and my husband tries to see if I have his requested treat.  I pretend to not know what is going on.

Finally he says, "Did you get the banana bread?"

I let him off the hook and take out the bag and hand it to him.

And we laugh.

#15, It's Toe tapping Time

What do I write about.  My mind seems to hover outside myself.  Not upset, not worried. Just not interested.  My usual pleasures don't speak to this mind.  Even reading doesn't hold long.

I am outside looking in.  Interested, not excited. hovering, watching, waiting.

I hear the dogs barking in the distance.  Tank must have found one of the squirrels.   Wait - it was a dog strolling by.

Watching, waiting, tired, no energy.   I feel weary.

I have been here before.  Watching, waiting, weary.

Eventually, time passes and I will resurface, I will re-connect to friends and family.   My body and mind will again try and find a working partnership.  

Years ago a mentor told me this is toe tapping time.

I asked, "What's toe tapping time?"

She, "It's when your soul knows you are waiting for what's next.  It's not here yet.  You have to wait.  It's toe tapping time."

This time, in my here and now, I wonder, I wait, I watch.  Yes it's toe tapping time.

#14 - The Wind Whispers

Today was my technology day.  A group of teachers from around the area meet.  We have teacher facilitators sharing ideas, knowledge and skills.  I always look forward to attending Cadre.  Today is the last for this year.  Today is PI day - fun to celebrate.  So why do I feel empty, tired distant?

I just came in.  Its warm outside.  I see green plants peeking out of the ground and even a few early bloomers.  The breeze is stirring a few tenacious leaves still attached to tree limbs dance and flutter. I can hear the bell like tones as the chimes keep the rhythm of the whistling wind.  All this framed by a gray sky.

Warm outside

Green plants peeking

Flowers blooming early

Tenacious leaves still clinging to branches

Dance and flutter

Chimes ring and call

As the wind whispers

To the gray sky.

Alphabet Lists

I like Alphabet Lists especially to brainstorm topics.  My kids seem to enjoy them, too.  I always say if you can't think of a word skip it come back later.  If you have time try a dictionary or encyclopedia for ideas.

I like to write about the funny things in life.  Most of the time I have lots to draw on the last few days I struggled with topics.


So I decided to create a gratitude list

A - Angels

B- Books

C- Cell Phones, CT Scans

D - Doctors

E - Emergency Rooms

F - Friends

G - Gratitude

H - Husband

I - Inquiry

J -

K - Kidneys functioning ok

L - Laughter and the Little People

M - Miracles

N -

O

P - Prayer, perspective

Q - Quiet

R - Reflection

S - Supportive Friends

T - telephone conversations

U -

V - Volunteers

W - Warm days

X-Rays

Y -

Z - Z's



Ida one of my library volunteers told me she heard one of the little kids talking, "She's not here because Mr. Librarian got hurt."

I love my kids! They make me laugh. And now he has a new alias.

Spring Is Nearby

The other day on the way home I observed a couple of cottontails chasing each other.  This morning I passed a local park and noticed the wild ducks had already paired off.  I am thinking with our warm
weather the plants and animals think spring is here.  Yet it is only early March.  We often have snow through April.

I am ready for spring!  I long for the sunlight, the color.  I am ready to celebrate a new season.

Guardian Angel Working Overtime

March 10th was a day of miracles for my family.

Dan, my husband, and Fred, a friend were taking the 4 wheelers to ride up on Pryor Mountain. I called about 3 and they had stopped for a break and were sitting still.  The day had been warm.  He sounded good.

I was still at school when the phone rang at 4:25.  Dan said they were loading up and heading home would I have the mobility-scooter in the driveway?  He told me had a wreck on the 4-wheeler and was hurting really bad.  I packed up and headed home.  I moved the scooter to the drive way knowing he was still at least an hour away.  I was hoping that Fred was driving.

I called his cell at 4:46 hoping to get more information.  The call dropped. I called back.  Dan told me that he had been catapulted over a 15-20 foot embankment.  He was hurting and he was the one driving.  I told him I would talk to him when he got here.

5:48 called him again.  He was within a couple of blocks to the house.  Fred unloaded the 4-wheelers and unhooked the trailer.  Dan argued with me about going to the hospital.  Finally he agreed to go to same day clinic.  I left and didn't think about taking either a book or my ipad.

Fred's phone met water recently.  So Terri had called me.  I told her Dan had got hurt and were heading for the hospital.  She asked if he was ok.  I said he was going to live from the accident.  I was worried and scared and said I would wait till he got better to "kill him".

Fred drove us to the hospital.

Dan's son calls and Dan tells him what happened.  He gets checked in.  A series of medical personnel talk to him.  Each time a new medical person came in they asked him what happened.  Finally, they took him to the Emergency Room.   We met him there. They admitted him.  Fred waited in the waiting room.

They found a room for him - did vitals and then moved him to another room. 6:48 I text Dan's daughter. 7:25 I start calling subs. 7:41 I text my principal.  Eventually they take him to X-ray and for a CT scan.   I go tell Fred what's going on.

The tests come out positive - No broken bones, not internal injuries, no head injuries.   Fred drives us home it is now after 11:00.  We are home talking.  I am on the computer working on what still needs to be done.

Dan, "When I talked to you about the wreck, you didn't ask if the 4-Wheeler was ok."

"Honey, it wasn't even on my radar.  I was worried about you."

Yesterday Dan's Guardian Angels worked overtime.  We were truly blessed.

SOLC #10, Technology That's Good, No That's Bad

We are on cable.  Recently the remote had not been working.  I had replaced the batteries still nothing.  When I called my husband before heading home he mentioned that he had been to Charter and had gotten a new remote.  (That's good)

I asked, "How did it work?"

Silence, "I wish I had left the TV on before I left.  The girl said that it was preprogramed and to get the codes was easy.  I couldn't get anything to come on." (No, that's bad.)

My inner-voice says that is never a good sign when a tech person says its easy.  "I'll look at it when I get home."  I did.  there were instructions in English. (That's good.)  I didn't understand them. (No, that's bad.)

I played with the buttons.  The screen stayed black.  Dan says, "The girl said we could call and they would walk you through it."  (That's good.)

"Yah I know.  We have a DVD hooked to it.  I don't know enough to understand the wiring to be able to answer their questions."  (No, that's bad.)

"Dan, why don't you call Pat and see if he has time to come over?" (Dan's nephew-in-law) (That's good.)

He won't be home until later. (No, that's bad.)

Later he comes by.  Reads the instructions.   Gets a picture.  (That's good.)  Picture goes away. (No, that's bad.)  Continues to work.  Occasionally assisted by Tank our Dane/Lab mix.  (That's Good?)

Finally he is satisfied.  The picture stays on.  You can change channels.  (That's good.)  I asked what did you do?"

"I don't know."  (No, that's bad.)

I take the remote to make sure I can successfully change channels and turn the machine off and then turn it back on.  I try.  Some of the things I'm doing works.  Some not so much.  Finally I think I have the sequence down.

Yes, I can successfully run this remote. (That's good)  And there was a time in my youth that you could get up turn a knob and change the channel (all two) or turn it off.  The power of technology.

SOLC #9 - How to Play Marbles - Found Poem

Kids playing marbles,
Drawing a ring 
Throwing marbles in the ring.

The first player knuckles down.

Shoots his marble.  Hits both -
Marble and target,
Out of the ring!

Keep the marble and shoot again.

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ncl2004001138/PP/ 

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1997005704/PP/

Found Poem from – How to Play Marbles

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