Monday, December 31, 2018

Back Where We Belong

Beside the simple pleasure of spending time with family at the holidays, the best thing I can say about being away from home for 11 days in December is that, when we finally got home, the cats seemed softer and the Christmas Tree smelled pinier, and it sure was nice to be here on this, the last night of the year.

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Wouldn't You Like to Fly?

We sat on the plane for 90 minutes in Atlanta before finally taking off for Buffalo. The first delay was a computer unit that needed replacing. It should only be 10 minutes, the captain told us, and his estimate was accurate. As we pushed back from the gate, the flight attendants prepared for departure, cross-checking and demonstrating the safety equipment.

We had barely made it to the end of the terminal when the captain’s voice interrupted those proceedings. Folks, I’m afraid we’ll have to return to the gate, he reported. We have a warning light that needs to be checked out. Once back at B31, the crew was required by FAA regulation to open the cabin doors, but they promised our gate time would be brief.

Sure enough, the doors were secured 10 minutes later, but opened again 5 minutes after that, because our original flight plan had us cruising at 29,000 feet and the air was too rough up there now. Lower altitude means more fuel, and so we sat waiting for them to onboard an additional 1500 pounds.

We were offered short pours of water from plastic liter bottles to slake our impatience, but it didn’t seem to appease the four-year-old behind us. He was a verbal processor who gave high and loud, minute-by-minute reports of his observations, both internal and external, including: the poop is out of my guts, we’re not moving, this trip is taking a long time, it’s still raining, my scarf is itchy, it’s still raining, now we’re going on the highway, that airplane is really big, it’s still raining, are we already there? In between he wailed like a siren and sang songs of gobbledygook and gibberish in a piercing soprano. His continuous sound track was punctuated frequently by the guttural whoops of a non-verbal young man a couple of rows ahead of us.

Slipping in my earbuds, I was amazed at how little noise they filtered, but I cranked a podcast anyway and closed my eyes. A little while later I was roused from a very light doze by the jolt of the plane leaving the jetway for what we dearly hoped was the last time. Shortly after that we slipped the bonds of gravity and flew up, up, up, through the drizzle and fog and burst through the clouds into a golden late December afternoon.

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Dress Code

Following Richard's Bar Mitzvah, we returned to our awesome loft above the hip Ponce City Market, a repurposed Sears distribution center built in 1926. Before heading up to the fourth floor, we threaded our way through the throngs of casually dressed folks enjoying dining, drinking, and shopping in the Food Hall to grab a coffee from Chef Hugh Acheson's Spiller Park.

I was sipping my handcrafted coffee soda (El Salvadoran coffee, burnt orange syrup, carbonated and kegged with a dash of cream) and my mom was waiting for her iced decaf Americano, when a well-dressed woman approached us. "I was at a funeral?" she said looking at my mother's tasteful black dress. "What's your excuse?"

"Bar Mitzvah," I answered.

"I feel better knowing," she laughed and joined the line to order her own exquisite coffee drink.

Friday, December 28, 2018

10 Things You Need your Left Hand For

Holding your phone while you text
Zipping your coat
Putting on your pajamas
Holding the toothbrush to put the toothpaste on it
Shampooing your hair
Blow drying your hair
Tying your shoes
Holding anything you want to open with your right hand
Unbuttoning your pants to go to the bathroom
Pulling your pants back up when you're done

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Safe and Sorry

“No she isn’t!” Annabelle scoffed when her mother told her I was in the emergency room because I had fallen off a scooter. Just the day before, she and I had sailed through Piedmont Park, exploring every trail as we talked and talked and talked.

To be honest, even as I sat watching HGTV, surrounded by people in their pajamas with barf bags and surgical masks, I couldn’t believe it either. Renting the scooter had been an impulse: it seemed to be waiting for me as we passed it on our way home from lunch. But even as I scooted merrily around the parking lot, zipping circles around my mom, Heidi, Bill, and Emily, I was feeling guilty about being somewhat antisocial. To compensate, I whizzed quickly ahead of them, and turned into a little utility lot at the high school to loop back around. Slowing down to make my u-turn, I hit the brake a bit too enthusiastically, and the scooter bucked, tossing me to the side. I sprawled to the asphalt, banging my ribs and shoulder on the shaft, landing on my hands. Jumping to my feet, I did an automatic check-- any witnesses? and self-check: knees? not even skinned. palms and elbows? scrape-free! --and jumped back on the scooter, confident that I was fine and no one had seen my tumble.

But the moment I rejoined my party, my secret was out. “I fell down!” I reported breathlessly. There was a bit of joking at my expense, which was certainly well deserved, and also some talk of past mishaps and the risks of riding these crazy-dangerous vehicles. With a laugh, I piloted my scooter away from the group and up the hill, parking it at the foot of the driveway. And it was as I waited that the adrenaline began to wear off, and the pain in my left hand? left wrist? announced itself more insistently.

Half an hour later, I confessed that a trip to the ER was definitely in my future. My instinct is always to wait and see, but it really, really hurt, and I ain’t no spring chicken. So, I paid the deductible and waited for the X-ray, the consult, and finally the treatment (an ace bandage and the advice to take 800 mg of an over the counter pain reliever.) Each step of the way, the health care professional helping me shared a tale of scooter mayhem, but always ended our interaction with, “I hope you feel better!”

As canned as their words were, I believed them every time, and I felt well cared for. At last it was time to go home. “Don’t let this stop you,” the PA told me as I signed the discharge papers. “Keep living your life!”

“I will!” I promised.

She smiled. “I hope you feel better!”

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

You Can Count on Me

"Do you know where you're going?" Heidi's dad asked me from the passenger seat as I backed out of the driveway, bound for our 7PM Christmas Eve dinner reservation. Our party of six was too large for one car, so Heidi, Gary, and I were in our station wagon.

"I think so," I said confidently. "It's the first exit after you get on the Thruway, right?"

On the way we chatted about what we were going to order for dinner, how we were going to get to the airport in the morning, and football team standings going into the last week of the regular season. The conversation was moving to spring and summer travel plans as I rolled through the EZ-Pass lane and headed east.

"That's your exit!" Gary told me, but it was too late. It had come up way before I expected it, and I didn't get over in time.

"I guess I'll have to get off at the next one and turn around," I sighed. But then it occurred to me that it was the Thruway... "Is it a long way?"

"Yep," he said.

The car fell silent. Heidi pulled out her phone and punched in the address. It was 15 miles to the next exit. "You better call your mother," Gary said to Heidi, "and put on some Edyie Gorme!"

Sleigh Ride, Sleigh Ride! Recorded laughter and jingle bells blared through the speakers. I hit the gas, and our station wagon rocketed down the highway and into the night.

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Stille Nacht

The night was silent and still when I took Lucy out to potty before the Uber picked us up for our 4:30 am ride to the airport. After just a few hours of sleep, the scene on the suburban street seemed more dreamlike than real to me. Tiny snowflakes fell noiselessly and my eye was drawn to the glow of Christmas lights shining through a few windows down the street. I breathed deeply of the cold night air, willing myself to wake, and just then, a trio of shadows detached from the neighbor's hedges and glided across the grass. Three full-grown whitetail deer paused under the street light and turned their eyes our way, alert to the oblivious dog by my side, but seemingly oblivious to the ornamental versions of themselves a few feet away. The deer blew soft, frozen clouds into the winter night, and then, glittering stars above, iron earth below, turned and bounded down the street and into the silent darkness.

Monday, December 24, 2018

Christmas Eve Tales

I.

Fat snowflakes of the kind that you could imagine sticking to your nose and eyelashes drifted from the morning sky. In a blink the flurries thickened into a blinding swirl and the grass was covered, giving us the hope of a white Christmas even against the prevailing forecast. The beauty of the scene was transfixing, and then, before my coffee cup was empty and I could open the backdoor to let Lucy play in the snow, it was gone.


II.

I settled in the easy chair at the nail salon and tucked my toes under the drying light. A little girl of perhaps six sat to my left, wiggling her fingers. They were painted in alternating sparkles of red and green. "You're nails are beautiful!" I said.

She pulled her feet out and showed me that her toes matched.

I gave her a thumbs up. "Does your family celebrate Christmas?" I asked.

Her eyes widened and she nodded vigorously. "We celebrate ALL the holidays!" she told me, seriously. "We're a fun family!"

III.

Late in the day, tiny snow flakes, so small you could barely see them, began falling. It took hours for a crisp layer to dust the grass, and then the clouds literally parted, revealing the sun for the first time in days. Long rays and shadows painted the snow gold and purple as the day ended and the eve began.

Sunday, December 23, 2018

That Road Before Us

No sleigh bells ring ting tingled, but the seat warmers were on high, so we were comfy cozy as we turned our station wagon toward Niagara Falls this morning. It had been another leaden dawn, but the falls were emerald against the gray sky, and a glittering layer of ice encased all the bushes and grass on the banks by the rapids. We leaned into the cold, following a path past the places we knew from summer visits and to the foot of the pedestrian entrance for the Rainbow Bridge. Had we had our passports it would have become an international adventure, but instead we promised ourselves we'd be back in warmer days when the chill breeze off the river would be welcome on our walk to Canada.

Saturday, December 22, 2018

That Holiday Feeling

The neon lights of the Aurora Theatre marquis glowed brightly against the late December gloom, and across the street the red and white striped awning of Vidlers 5&10 cheerfully capped the busy sidewalk. The windows of McDuffies Bakery and Beulah's General Store were decked in ribbon and evergreen, their holiday treasures visible within. Tiny pellets of snow rattled against the last of the dry leaves in the trees, and a frigid wind tingled my cheeks as I dashed down Main Street, shopping bags swinging along by my side, anxious for the warmth of my waiting car, but in no hurry to leave this jolly village behind.

Friday, December 21, 2018

Dark and Stormy Night

We finally turned the car toward Buffalo a little after 3 yesterday afternoon. A steady rain was falling, the sky was heavy and so was the traffic. It took us 90 minutes to go 30 miles, but I kept a white-knuckled grip on both the steering wheel and my holiday cheer.

The storm was tracking from the south, and steady rain and scattered fog was with us all the way. Fortunately it stayed a couple degrees above freezing, even in the Pennsylvania mountains, and traffic then was understandably very sparse. For miles at a time, our hi-beams were the only illumination on the dark, wet road.

Except for the Christmas lights! From Virginia to New York, up mountains, across valleys, in towns, on country roads, and off the side of  the interstate, they shined through the storm on the second longest night of the year.

And we arrived safely a little after midnight.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Not Quite There

Our plan was to leave by noon and run a couple of errands on the way. That way we would reach Buffalo in time for a late dinner.

Um...

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Auld Lang Syne

With a small sigh, I turned the key in my top desk drawer, stepped out into my classroom, and gave it a critical look. 28 chairs were neatly pushed under 7 tables. The bookcase was a bit of a mess, but I preferred to think that was because kids were looking for something to read. The 20 cans my homeroom donated for the food drive were neatly stacked on the computer cart, with its full complement of laptops charging. My desk itself was clear of everything but the shiny sub plan folder we had been issued to organize all the necessary resources a substitute teacher might need. I knew that it held rosters, student pictures, seating charts, and detailed plans for the next two days, but still I paused. At last I crossed to the door, turned off the lights, and locked the room.

School year 2018 was out of my hands, and I was on vacation.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Corny Like a Fox

"My soul is just a shinin"! It's shining through!" said a student this morning when I asked him to get his reading book from the shelf.

"Great!" I answered. "How about shining over to get your book?"

"It's a shinin!" he replied without moving. "Shining bright!"

I could see that the conversation was going nowhere, so I tried a different approach. "I see that!" I told him. "Keep on shining! Brighten our day!"

"Now that's just corny," he scoffed, heading over to pick up his book.

"Sorry!" I shrugged, and hit play on the audiobook.

Monday, December 17, 2018

You Can't Handle the Truth

I looked over a few minutes before lunch to see a student wailing despondently, head on the table. "Hey, now," I said, "what happened?"

Full disclosure? This student is known for extreme emotional outbursts, which certainly doesn't mean such behavior should be dismissed, but I did approach the situation with some prior experience.

She pointed to another student, also no stranger to classroom disruptions. I raised my eyebrows at him. He shrugged and shook his head. We waited for her to speak.

"I asked him why he hates me so much," she managed to choke out between sobs.

"And...?" I asked.

"...and," she gasped, "he told me!"

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Status Report

The weekend has passed in a holiday blur, but I am pleased to report that the tree is fully decorated, and the cookies are baked, and the gifts that are here are wrapped, and those that are not here are on their way. There is also a fire burning, a little soft Christmas music playing, and I am wearing red and green, feeling pretty darn good.


Saturday, December 15, 2018

No Tech Friday

The wifi was down for most of the day at school yesterday, posing quite a dilemma for teachers who have been encouraged to integrate technology into every lesson. To be honest, it took me a minute, but I finally came up with an activity that would allow my students to apply what we have been learning to their self-selected reading. It also incorporated movement, collaboration, and competition.

Here's how I started: I'm going to give you a 3 x 5 card and a popsicle stick...


Friday, December 14, 2018

No Experience Necessary

"Do you have any children?" a student asked yesterday as she worked on some missing assignments after school.

"No," I answered.

She looked shocked. "So you don't have any experience with kids?" she said.

"Not unless you count the 25 years of teaching," I told her dryly.

"Oh, yeah! I didn't think of that!" she replied, and continued working.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Emotional

The movie we showed the students for the early release day yesterday was Coco. We had some curriculum connection activities for them to do as they watched, which my group did dutifully and well. When they were finished, they could make themselves comfortable and simply enjoy the show, and so the last 15 minutes of the film found a group of three 11-year-old boys lying on the floor in front of the interactive whiteboard, riveted to the climax and resolution of the story.

As the credits rolled, they sat up and began punching each other on the shoulders.

"Who's cutting onions in here?" one of them asked.

"Dude, are you crying?" his friend replied, wiping his own eyes.

"I'm not crying, you're crying!" said the third.

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

E Pluribus Unum

Today was an early release for students so that teachers might spend the afternoon in professional learning sessions. This year, our system has changed the structure of our PD by centrally offering dozens of opportunities so that educators can select topics that meet our needs at the moment.

In the morning, we took our students to the music assembly, where the band, orchestra, and chorus performed abbreviated versions of their winter concerts. Later, Heidi and I attended a showing of the first episode of the documentary series America to Me, which follows several students of color for a year at Oak Park River Forest High School, one of the Chicago suburbs most progressive schools. The demographics of OPRF are notably similar to our own system, and so the experience of these kids was pretty close to home.

Following the film, the group split into small discussion groups. The first question was What is the difference between desegregation and integration? Our group agreed that desegregation is simply removing a separation between two factions, but integration should entail creating a new whole.

The follow-up question was Where is OPRF and where are we in that pursuit? and we all agreed there is still a lot of work to be done in both places before people of all races share collective ownership of our country and all its opportunities.

I know we have a long way to go, but this morning, at the concert, I sat with a lump in my throat marveling at the miracle of 100 kids from 6 continents raising their voices as one in incredibly moving renditions of A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman and One Day from MLK

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Guessing Game

Yet another iPad lost and found story:

Student: Hey Ms. S! I found my iPad!

Me: I'm so glad! 

Student: You know where it was?

Me: Tell me!

Student: What's that thing? It's tall and white. [He put his palms about 4 inches apart and moved them up and down from his shoulders to his waist.] They have them in every house. Sometimes it's hot, sometimes it's cold?

Me: Uhhhh...  the radiator?

Student: Yeah! That's it! It was under there. Thank goodness it didn't get too hot.

Do I know the sixth grade mind, or what?

Monday, December 10, 2018

Wisdom of the Dove

I did my best.

We all did, in the parent-student-teacher conference we held this afternoon. We started off positive: You're not in trouble. We just want you to be more successful. How can we help you? But the child shrugged us off. Mm Hmm. Sure. Whatever.

The parent in this case was a great aunt, someone who clearly cared for him, but was not his mom. She's been away somewhere that he asked the counselor not to share with the team. And he is not only oppositional, but also defiant and ever-so detached. He is really good at being hateful and unlikable, but that's how he controls the uncontrollable terrain of authority and relationships.

We tried, listing his strengths, asking about his goals, offering all manner of assistance, keeping even and even positive for 40 minutes, but his final words were "I won't promise anything."

When the last person left my room, I did something I rarely do: I reached for the chocolate. Someone had recently added a big bag of Doves to the common candy can we keep in my room since I am not usually tempted. I unwrapped a square of milk chocolate truffle and let it melt in my mouth as I flipped over the foil wrapper to see my fortune. Be the rainbow in someone else's storm cloud, it read.

I'll keep trying.

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Making the Season Bright

Tiny snowflakes fell in lazy swirls while giant logs and pine boughs crackled in the fire pit at our first stop on the Christmas errands run today. Shopping for garland and wreaths our noses filled with the sharp smells of fresh pine and smoke, and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect holiday experience, until we went inside the warm little hut to pay for our holiday trimming and found fresh popped corn, butter cookies, and cocoa.

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Correction

I ran into Jill, the cat rescue lady, the day after I posted about Tibby and Milo playing with the ball on the track. She actually lives right around the corner, and we sometimes marvel that we had no idea how close our kittens were before we adopted them. I'm sure I walked right by there several times, and I wonder if they were in the window waiting for me to look over.

At any rate, on this particular morning, I hailed Jill heartily as she walked her dog toward me and Lucy. "I was just thinking of you!" I told her. "Tibby and Milo were playing with that toy you told us they love, the one you said they were the only cats to ever play with."

She looked pensive, and then her face lightened. "The ball and the track?" she remembered. "Oh, my cats still play with that all the time and they are 7 and 8. They love it!" she concluded amiably.

My face fell. I could have sworn she told us that our cats were the only cats she ever saw play with that toy. But, then I shrugged and smiled back at her. "Well that must be who who our kittens learned from!" I recovered.

Friday, December 7, 2018

Drawn

I have a student who draws the most dynamic stick figures I've ever seen; most of his assignments and notebooks are populated by a tiny army, each member of whom seems poised to crawl, run, jump, swim, or fly right off the page. Truth be told, he is very involved in his self-drawn world, and often are the times when he must be reminded to set it aside.

Heidi happens to teach him too, and the other day she gave her class an assignment to draw faces on cartoon figures who were witnesses to a student behaving unexpectedly and throwing a chair. There were only three characters on the assignment sheet, but this particular kid added several more to his pape.

"What's up with this person?" Heidi asked pointing to an extra figure who was smiling. "Is he happy that the other student is getting in trouble?"

"No!" answered our guy. "That's me!"

"Do you like it when people throw chairs?" Heidi continued.

"No!" he told her. "I'm smiling because I have all A's!"

"Look at the picture," Heidi told him. "Does what you're saying go with it?"

He did a quick doubletake and then grabbed his pencil and drew a tiny paper in the fist of the smiling stick boy. Then he write A+ on it. "There!" he smiled.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Jill Was Right

"They are the only two cats I have ever seen play with that toy!" the rescue foster lady, Jill, said when she introduced us to our kittens last year. "They love it!"

I looked at the plastic disk about 12 inches in diameter that she was pointing to. The center had a circle of corrugated cardboard for scratching, and a  ping pong-sized ball rolled around it on an outside track. Tibby and Milo were too nervous to play then, but we made sure to buy one just like it on our first kitty shopping spree.

It was impossible to know if they liked it, though, because Lucy stole the ball every time. Over the next year or so, they did use the scratching part of the device, and recently I ordered a replacement cardboard piece. The box was waiting on the stoop this afternoon when we returned home from work, and I wasted no time fitting the new scratcher in place. Heidi was out with Lucy, and so on a whim, I also dropped a hard catnip ball into the outer groove and gave it a little push.

Oh my! In seconds Tibby and Mila were batting the ball back and forth, pouncing and rolling and diving to get a better angle. It was impossible not to giggle as they played so energetically and so together, and I was reminded of what a warm feeling it is to please your pets. 

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Stay on Message

I said all of these things more than twice today:

We want you to be successful.

How does that behavior help you learn?

When we give you a direction, it's because we want to help you get back on track.

What would have been a better choice?

We are here to support you!

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Jeepers

One of our students has been missing his school-issued iPad so long that he actually got a replacement. But, for the first time, this year along with a new device, families also get a bill along the lines of the deductible on an insurance policy, somewhere around 300 bucks. Not long after the invoice was received, miraculously, the first iPad was found!

So, after some confusion this morning-- It says my iPad is locked because it's lost, but it isn't lost because I found it-- the new device was returned in favor of the original.

"Where was it, anyway?" I asked with mild curiosity.

"Inside the bench in our Jeep!" he reported with astonishment. "And guess what?" He paused for dramatic effect. "It had my binder, too!"

"That sneaky Jeep!" I laughed, but he was grave and wide-eyed.

"I know," he said.

Monday, December 3, 2018

Heavy Metal

The Monongahela River ran nickel and slow beneath a steel sky when we woke up in Pittsburgh this morning, and we followed an iron  ribbon of highway through silver mountains as we headed home. Despite the zincy skies, not a single raindrop fell until the clouds opened and lead subsided to cobalt and gold as both sunlight and rain poured earthward.

Sunday, December 2, 2018

Ode to PGH

Oh, Pittsburgh!

You continue to delight me. You are so unassuming, and so pleasant. When the department store anchoring your nascent waterfront destination shopping district closes, you open a maker's market full of cool, local, handmade stuff. Parking for your downtown Christmas Market is cheap and so convenient to the stalls loaded with authentic, traditional items imported from Europe.

One merry block over the skating and holiday decorations of the PPG Plaza twinkle day and night. And just inside the towering glass castle of No. 1 PPG Place, the Wintergarden Atrium has been transformed to a gingerbread neighborhood of over 400 houses, churches, schools, and stadiums made by real people, and children play carols on the grand piano for the assembled crowd.

And your bridges! Soaring, beautiful, and functional! They span your rivers and and link your ridges with pride. No longer are you an isolated, frontier boom town built on coal, steel, and grit, or an anonymous blue collar city on the threshold of middle America.

Today your history and culture are open to all who are willing to go west on the turnpike, and oh! How much you have to offer to any who make the trip!


Saturday, December 1, 2018

The Journey

Over Rivers and bridges and through rain and tunnels and under mountains and...

Christmas Lights!

Let the holiday shopping begin!

Friday, November 30, 2018

Peanuts

It started out as an easy set of lessons to coast into the Thanksgiving Holiday. My classes were working on literary essays about character, and The Peanuts Movie seemed like an engaging and accessible common text, loaded with familiar characters that would give some students a little scaffolding. With a running time of just over 90 minutes, showing the film episodically would easily fill the last three days before the break.

I owned the movie, and I had used the first 15 minutes for an activity I did last year, but I had never seen the whole thing. Even so, I was not concerned about inappropriate content, and I was confident that I could make it work with the assignment. And so there I was, watching most of it for the first time right along with my first period class.

For those who are not familiar, the plot revolves around Charlie Brown and his crush on the little red-haired girl who moves in across the street. Many of the well-known features of both the comic strip and classic animated shorts are present. The movie opens on a snow day where all the characters ice skate around an unsuccessful attempt at flying a kite by Charlie Brown. Sally is his adorably self-involved younger sister, Linus, his sincere and intellectual best friend, Lucy, the brutally honest kid who runs the neighborhood, and Snoopy, his wildly eccentric pet beagle. Woodstock, Peppermint Patty, Marcy, Schroeder, Patty, Violet, Pigpen, Shermy, and Franklin are all in the movie, too.

Although the story starts out formulaically, the tone is a little bit warmer than that of past Peanuts shows. When the kids return to school and meet their new neighbor, a smitten Charlie Brown vows to capture her attention. What follows is a refreshing string of near successes. He puts together a terrific magic act for the talent show, but then sacrifices it to save Sally. When he notices that the little red-haired girl likes to dance, Snoopy teaches him to dance and he practices well enough to actually win a contest, only to accidentally set off the sprinkler system before he gets to dance with her.

The streak continues when he gets a perfect score on the standardized test, and at last everyone recognizes him as intelligent and knowledgeable. Sally guides tours through their home, and kids pay to watch him sit in his chair and read. When book reports are assigned, he gets the little girl as his partner, and because she is out of town, he reads War and Peace in its entirety and writes a book report which Linus calls insightful and “beyond reproach”.

Oh, his luck doesn’t last long, but as I watched I realized how anxious Charlie Brown has made me all my life. Those kids scrape and scrabble through their lives without adult supervision or support. Their words and actions reveal the tension between civilized society and brutish self-interest, and Charlie Brown is the perpetual goat. Witnessing him win for a change was amazingly cathartic, and healed something in me that I didn’t even know was broken. At the very end, when the little red-haired girl acknowledges all he has accomplished throughout the movie (in perfect claim-evidence form) there was a huge lump in my throat, and I would have wept openly had I been watching it alone.

I think kids love Peanuts because it represents a world they know well, harsh but true. I love The Peanuts Movie, though, because it represents a kinder world; one I hope is also true.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

As I Do

The final class of students had left for the day and my co-teaching team breathed a sigh. We took a few minutes to debrief and finalize planning for the next day. The task is for students to use a protocol of question stems to explore passages from a short story we read together. As we talked, I brought up some of the details that I had noticed and shared some of the thinking and writing I did using the thought prompts we gave the students. We spent the next 15 minutes dissecting the text and the motivation of the main character.

“Wow!” said one of the other teachers. “That was deep!”

I pointed to the learning target on the board: I can think, talk, and write to explore the details of the text.

“Bullseye!” I cheered. “Now let’s see if we can get the students there, too!”

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

On My Shoulders

I love the light this time of year.

The angle of the sun is so long that it casts warm, gorgeous gold on even the coldest afternoons which subsides to fiery orange, smoldering red, and then cool silhouettes of purple and black. Even on cloudy days, the light finds a way-- igniting billowing stacks of cumuli in a last blaze before darkness, or casting dark pink rays up and under the somber gray dawn.

It was just such a light I saw this morning, painting the buff underwings of a pair of hawks rose and coral as they circled on the warming air.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

And a New Building on the Side

They've been building an elementary school about 20 yards from my classroom window for the last year or so. The building is scheduled to open next September, but right now it's a fascinating tangle of steel beams and back hoes, which are way more captivating than the ginormous hole in the ground that was the site last school year. The work also invites a daily parade of colorful construction crew members and their unusual tools and tasks right by my window the entire time I'm teaching.

My co-teacher pulled the blinds on the show this afternoon, and I understand why he did that, but I'm also of the mind that if children are never distracted, they will never learn to focus. Plus we have plenty of distraction in the classroom, too: we can't block it all out for them.

Even so, the adults that gathered in my room for our semi-monthly leadership team meeting were drawn to the spectacle, too. When the last two teachers left after the meeting, one turned to me with a mock bow. "Thank you for letting us meet in your room," she started. "You are always the host with the most..." She paused, looking for the perfect compliment. Just then the room shook from some epic construction task.

"The most activity outside my window?" I supplied for her.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Nothing New

I was walking in to school behind a bunch of kids this morning when I noticed one of my students dipping a candy pacifier into some weird blue powder and eating it. "It tastes like chemicals!" he cried, "but I like it!"

"Candy in the morning?" I shook my head as I passed them by.

"Twenty-first century breakfast!" he answered.

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Small Dog in a Big City

The afternoon was beautiful, 60 degrees and sunny, but still with a bit of November in it, and so we decided to take Lucy and Beckett, the little dog we were sitting, down to the Tidal Basin for a nice walk. There were lots of folks with the same idea as ours, but we found parking without any trouble and started our stroll. Well, Lucy, Heidi, and I walked, but Beckett is a mini Australian Shepherd with limited leash experience, and he kind of danced along on the end of his tether.

A little while later, though, he was trembling as he pattered nervously along, clearly terrified of something. We paused at the Jefferson Memorial, and as my eyes swept over the scene, I tried to see it from Beckett's point of view. In addition to the traffic roaring over the bridge behind us, there were bikes and scooters and strollers coming at us, and lots of legs and feet in his face, not to mention at least 50 Canada geese larger than he was and honking proprietarily right along the water.

It seemed like it might be too much for a puppy from the suburbs, but he took advantage of the break to check in with Lucy, who was genuinely enjoying the outing. Some message must have passed between their noses, because he visibly relaxed and we continued on our way.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Over Under

On the final day of our family Thanksgiving Holiday we did one of our favorite things: we played a game. This was a trivia estimation challenge,  and we learned quite a few nuggets of knowledge that may [never] come in handy someday.

For example, How fast does a bumble bee fly? That would be 7 mph, or just about the same speed that a rain drop falls, but much faster than a centipede crawls and a lot slower than a porcupine can dash 50 yards.

But the most important statistic of the day was that we will all be together again in 31 days.

Friday, November 23, 2018

Contrary

Something there is in me that wants to greet Black Friday with raised fist and resistance. It has long been my goal to not spend even a single cent on this, the most materialistic day of all. But dinner with friends and family has almost just as long blockaded me-- there was always fresh bread and salad greens to be purchased.

This year was promising-- a kind invitation to brunch and a bit of early holiday fatigue put leftovers on the menu tonight, but then I opened my email, and damn! There was a deal I couldn't? didn't? pass up.

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Thanksgiving

I was the first one up this morning, and the neighborhood was still when I took Lucy for her first out. Later there would be parades and pies, wine and gravy and dear family, but now the sun filtered through the tall trees to the east turning the frosty air golden. High above my head a messy vee of geese honked through the clear blue, and even as my day began, the breath caught in my throat and gratitude filled my heart. 

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Never Have I Ever

A couple of weeks ago, when I was on vacation, feeling relaxed, and everything seemed possible, I read an article that recommended brining my thanksgiving turkey. The technique has been popular with certain foodies for decades, but I had never given it a try. “I’m going to brine the turkey this year!” I announced to all within earshot, and so a plan was hatched.

Flash forward a weekend and an article in the NYTimes which made the case that brining was useless and dead. My resolve crumbled a bit at the edges, but I understand that intelligent cooks can disagree, and brining was still on the agenda.

“Are you doing anything fancy with the turkey?” My brother asked last night, and we launched into another conversation about the pros and cons and logistics of brining.

“Despite the recent turn about, people who have been doing it for years are committed,” I cited the article.

“Of course,” my brother agreed. “It’s their tradition, now.”

And that pretty much settled it for me. Perhaps Thanksgiving is not really the time to try something new.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Useless Knowledge

Back in the late 90s and early aughts I made a concerted effort to reacquaint myself with early adolescent culture. I had been teaching sixth grade for a few years, and I realized how out of touch I was, so I learned all the Spice Girls (Sporty, Baby, Scary, Ginger, and Posh) and the chorus of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. I also taught myself to recognize all the members of The Backstreet Boys by name, face, and voice.

Over the years, all of these skills and knowledge have become less useful; not much evolves more quickly than middle school popularity. Imagine my delight this morning, then, when at our Pre-Thanksgiving Hot Chocolate Dance Party, my homeroom students requested not only the new Backstreet Boys single, but also the golden oldie, "Ain't Nothin but a Heartache".

You can bet I busted out my mad BSB skillz. "That's Nick!" I declared as the opening notes of the song floated from the speaker, "That's Kevin, then Brian, Howie, and AJ." I should have left it at that, because when we watched the video on YouTube, the students were much less impressed.

"They're so old!" one girl said.
"And ugly!" her friend added.
I must have looked a little crestfallen.
She patted my shoulder. "It's still a good song, though, Ms. S," she said kindly.

Monday, November 19, 2018

But the Kitchen Sink

The agenda item in our team meeting was student concerns. After at least 15 minutes of heavy conversation about strategies that were and (mostly) were not working to support some of our tougher students, we switched gears to more typical sixth grade problems.

I mentioned that a new student came to me three times a day all week last week. "Do I have your class now?" she asked every time.

"She was coming from elementary school," one of the other teachers pointed out. "She just thought you were her everything."

"Yeah," I winked, "I get that a lot!"

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Close Shave

For the most part, I'm not much of a talker, especially with folks I don't know, and so things like getting my teeth cleaned, or having my toenails done, or getting my hair cut can sometimes be a little awkward. Where I am perfectly happy to sit in companionable silence, the person who is performing the service frequently has other ideas.

In the case of the dentist, it is literally impossible for me to reply, so that's not usually a problem. At the nail salon, you are free to move your head as you please, and so a magazine or electronic device can provide a distraction, but when you are in the barber's chair, not only is there nowhere else to turn your attention, there are also mirrors, so that the person behind you can make eye contact. that's where I found myself this morning.

"So are you ready for the holiday?" my stylist asked.

I smiled and shrugged. "Sort of," I told her. And then I used the trick that my six-year-old goddaughter taught me so long ago. "How about you?"

And I never had to say another word.

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Deer Neighbors

Our housing complex is tucked into a pretty densely populated area: more than 20,000 souls reside in the two square miles surrounding us. Still, we are buffered with an illusion of nature provided by a thin strip of woods just across the way that separates us from the county utility lot and an elementary school right up the hill.

It was in this sparse little forest that I took a neighbor's dog to take care of her business this morning, and where the two of us had to hop over several big piles of fresh deer scat.

A little later in the day, another neighbor told us of her experience just last night. Taking her own dog out for the last time, the two of them strolled up the stairs by our unit, and making the turn past our door and into the courtyard, were confronted by a six-point buck. As they slowly backed up, retracing their steps, he continued confidently forward.

And then bounded off toward the woods-- obviously to poop!

Friday, November 16, 2018

Election Results

In this fraught election season full of disputes and recounts, some evidence that our national polarization is trickling down:

Four of our team students ran for student council. Two had most of the votes, one with a marginal plurality, but neither with a majority, and so we held a run-off. The results were 50.5% to 49.5%, or in this case, victory by a single vote.

On the same ballot, the students voted for the t-shirt design. Of four choices, there was a 3-way tie for second, and a winner by 3 votes.

It seems like there might be a lot of unhappy sixth graders out there.

On the bright side, we had 90% participation.

Hopefully, this is not where voter disillusionment starts.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Bad Call

Will they or won't they? was the question on everyone's mind this morning. The first measurable snow of the season was predicted to begin between 6 and 7 am, but the forecast was iffy. Our larger neighbors to the west and north preemptively called a delayed opening, and districts a little farther out were closed.

When we got up at 5:30, there was just a little sleet and no news about any change in the school's operation. We shrugged it off, and continued with our morning routine. By the time Lucy and I stepped out for our morning walk, fat snowflakes were falling fast, and a little while later we actually had to brush off the car in order to go to school.

The snow was beautiful, steady and strong as we drove, and the grass was more than coated on campus when we arrived. And so it continued throughout the morning and into the afternoon, causing all kinds of havoc.

In the end, central office issued an apology and canceled all after school events. It was hard to be upset, safe and snug as I was in my classroom, plus I knew that they owed us at least one, and I expect them to err on the side of the caution for the rest of the winter.

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Stay a While

The day began with defiance. One of my homeroom students refused to put his winter coat in his locker, even though we had discussed it yesterday. "I'm just going to say 'No' to that," he told me.

"Then you're just going to have go to the office and talk to the assistant principal about it," I answered.

"I'm going to stay here with my coat on," he said firmly.

We were at an impasse, and so I called the AP. When she arrived, she had a similar conversation, except that hers ended when the bell rang. "I'm just going to go to my next class with my coat on," the student said as he walked out the door.

Tensions were high, but the situation was above my pay grade and out of my hands, and I had another class to teach. I looked up to see that a few kids had entered the room and had been watching the drama unfold, including one kid who had given me a lot of pushback about his coat the day before.

He caught my eye as he headed for the door. "I'm just going to put my coat in my locker," he assured me.

"Good decision!" I said.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Paid Vacation

 After ten days away, I returned to work today rested, recharged, and ready for anything. Or so I thought.

The discipline I had spent the whole first quarter building into my students seemed considerably lacking. The room was in disarray and my rocking chair was broken. Several were wearing coats and hoods, despite our school's dress code. Many others were without books, pencils, and/or iPads. It was a challenge to get the group to focus on even the most routine of tasks.

Still, I greeted each group with a hearty smile. "I missed you guys!" I told them, which was entirely true. "I'm so glad to be back!" I continued, which was not.

Monday, November 12, 2018

Dog Tired

After eight days on vacation, it seemed like Lucy was feeling a little down today. Maybe she missed having a houseful of pups and people to play with, or maybe she missed starting and ending each day with a sprint down the beach and a romp by the sea.

Or maybe she was just exhausted!

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Hibernation Temptation

It was dark and cold at 6 PM this evening when I made a quick grocery run, and I was grateful for my fleecy flannel shirt. On the way, every light seemed twinkly and welcoming, and at the store all the hearty holiday provisions were tempting, but the promise of a warm home and woodfire at the hearth sustained me as I shopped.

It might be a long winter.

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Prickly Paradise

Blue Skies
Offshore Thunder Storms
Fog
Warm and Humid
Cool and Breezy
Rain
Mist
Blazing Sunset
All the Stars in the Sky
Beach Combing
Pelicans
Crabs
Striped Burr Fish
Half a Sea Turtle
Lighthouse
Hunting Mansion
Enchanted Forest
Boardwalks
Lost Colony
Rocking Chairs
Crackling Fire
Hot Tubbing
Pool
Corn Hole
Tennis
Basketball
Ink Blots
Quiplash
Biscuits
Apple Sauce
French Toast
Shrimp Every Day
Homemade Pizza
Poundcake
Amazing Friends
Wonderful Family
Five Dogs
Wow!

Friday, November 9, 2018

Go Dog Go!

It's been a productive week:

Monday I facilitated an online discussion, graded essays, entered assignments to prepare for report cards, went out to lunch, and watched river otters frolicking as the sun set over Currituck Sound.

Tuesday I graded essays, checked the Monday work my students did, entered report card comments, got a pedicure, played corn hole, and walked five miles on the beach.

Wednesday I finished grading essays, answered several emails, posted my grades, hiked through an enchanted forest in search of wild ponies,

Thursday I checked the Wednesday work my students did, answered emails, shot some pool, visited the Lost Colony, and welcomed six guests and 2 more dogs to our beach house.

Today I exchanged emails with the teacher subbing for my class, planned for next week and the week after, reminded my team about the weekly newsletter, wrote my own newsletter information, sent the newsletter, baked biscuits, picked a dozen crabs and made crab soup, and visited a wild life museum.

If only I could always do my job from the beach!

Thursday, November 8, 2018

How I Spent My Vacation

The day dawned blustery but not too cold, and so Lucy and Rosie and I took out customary early morning walk on the beach. Atlantic Flyway took on a new meaning as flock after flock of birds vee-ed their way south over our heads, sometimes pausing to just float in the offshore wind.

After that, it was a classic rainy vacation day: we cooked, and read magazines, and watched TV, and then headed south ourselves to Manteo for an afternoon at the Roanoke Island Museum.

Nature, relaxation, and education-- now that's a plan I can get behind!

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Foraging

The vegetation here at the beach is wild and scrubby. Live oak and laurel cling to sandy hills; browning sea grass and burrs blanket the dunes. Prickly Pears are also abundant, most with plump purple pears on top.

Which brings me to our project for today: prickly pear lemon squares. The pear juice offers a refreshing melony cucumber-like note and a lovely a magenta color. The dish is a success! Now the grilled nopales, or cactus leaf? That’s a different story.


Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Growth Mindset

It was misty on the beach at 6:45 this morning, but that didn't stop me and Lucy. "Even a foggy day at the beach is a good one!" I told her and off we headed. Not five minutes later, the sun rose above the marine layer, a squadron of pelicans skimmed over the bronze waves, a nice little piece of sea glass lay right at my feet, and a fine day turned even better.

Monday, November 5, 2018

The Simple Things

Yesterday was one of those vacation days to dreams about, the kind I know I'll remember years from now.

The day was perfect: warm but crisp, blue skies, and that impossible golden light that autumn so generously provides. The company was also exceptionally pleasant: Heidi and Lucy and I were joined by our friend Mary for a long weekend at the beach, and we did some really fun stuff: walking the beach, shopping, a delicious lunch, and a visit to a really great historical site.

It was actually there that I got the biggest thrill of the day. When we checked in at the tiny gift shop for our tour of Whalehead, there was a sign displaying the prices. Kids under 5? Were free. Everyone else was seven dollars, EXCEPT active duty military and...

anyone over 55! We fine folks only had to pay five bucks for the tour!

Mary and I did a little happy dance. "That's my first senior discount!" I told her.

"Mine, too!" she replied.

"Not mine," said the cashier. "I'm 72. That'll be 17 dollars."

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Back Around

The last time I was down here in the Outer Banks was spring break of 1985. Some friends from graduate school and I rented an enormous house in Duck. At the time the location was extremely remote-- the closest grocery store was 30 minutes away-- but we didn't care; we had plenty of beer and the beach to ourselves. It was a fun week, and one of the things we did was explore the newly opened road up to Corolla. Before that year, the only way to reach that stretch of shoreline had been to 4x4 on the beach.

We headed the few miles north hoping to see some wild ponies, but instead we found a 100 year old brick lighthouse and a huge abandoned building with an amazing blue copper roof. As decayed as it was, it had clearly been something, the seven gables and five chimneys made that very clear, but in those days before the internet, the place was a complete mystery. Later, one of the locals told us it was a hunting club built in the 20s for rich folks who wanted to shoot waterfowl.

The specter of that ruined mansion has stayed with me all these years, and with a gorgeous first day at the beach stretching before us, I proposed a visit to the lighthouse and hunting club. Turns out a lot has happened in the last 33 years! The site is now a park dedicated to the history of the area, and the mansion is completely restored and open for tours. We learned the backstory of the place as we walked the signed trail that runs the perimeter of the little island, then climbed the lighthouse, and finally headed over for a tour of the house.

The tour was self-guided with audio stations located throughout the mansion, so we were able to explore the house on our own. We discovered that Whalehead was built as a private home in the early 1920s by a wealthy couple from Philadelphia to indulge their passion for waterfowl hunting. After they died in 1936, the house went through several owners and incarnations, until it was abandoned in 1962. When restoration began seven years after I first saw the place, the copper roof had leaked badly, there was extensive water damage, and the basement was infested with... snakes!

Even so, the mansion is beautiful and impressive, even by today's standards. The organization that owns it is dedicated to tracking down as many of the original furnishings as possible, and most of the original Art Nouveau fixtures and woodwork remain. The tour also goes into the servants' quarters and work areas, giving visitors a look into a real upstairs-downstairs situation.

At the end, I crossed the threshold back out into the perfect autumn day, all my questions from long ago answered.

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Upgrade

The beach house we rented for Heidi's birthday week is rather a step up from our usual digs. In fact our whole condo would fit in the upper level-- a spacious open area with kitchen, great room, master suite, and of course a deck and ocean view. It's more than enough for us, but there are two more levels with four more bathrooms for the guests who will join us throughout the week to celebrate.

I could get used to this! 

Friday, November 2, 2018

Good Times

The concept was simple-- we were going to celebrate the students' writing by having each one pick a favorite passage to display.

The execution was so much more elaborate than I ever could have imagined. I provided the printed copies, but then the kids used scissors, construction paper, markers, colored pencils, glue, and tape to fashion incredibly creative displays of their excerpts. I did not predict their enthusiasm, and it delighted me.

The room was cheerfully boisterous as the artists set about their work, and when all were done, 130 pieces of writing were hung with pride, turning a simple hallway into a multimedia gallery.

A celebration indeed!


Thursday, November 1, 2018

Deep Discount

At the self checkout I methodically emptied my hand basket and scanned first my shoppers card, then my fresh tuna steaks, my green beans, potatoes, arugula, and lemons, and a couple of six packs of beer. I was thinking ahead to the quick salad Nicoise I was making for dinner when it came time to insert my card for payment. The total? Was a little over five bucks! A $45.00 store coupon had been applied to my order via my shoppers card, for no reason I could fathom. But you can certainly imagine the spring in my step as I scooped up my bags and headed home to my salad!

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

One Word Too Many

This afternoon we had our first parent-teacher meeting with a new member of our teaching team, and about halfway through I made a suggestion to the parent.

"That's a good idea," the new guy interrupted, and if he'd only stopped there, I wouldn't be writing this now.

"actually," he added in mild surprise.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

King of his World

The sun was shining in my eyes as I drove home from school this evening around 5:45, but I'm pretty sure that was one of my students riding his bike furiously through the neighborhood. He paused breathlessly on a street corner just as I passed, and I glimpse him: hands on hips, cherry cheeked and chin up, bare chested and helmetless.

I do believe he may have been roaring.

Monday, October 29, 2018

Era error

"Are they going to give us Pilgrim hats here?" asked a student as our field trip bus pulled up to the front gates of George Washington's Mount Vernon.

It's a good thing they take American studies in sixth grade, I thought.

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Graphic Graphics

We spent a pleasant afternoon browsing the Crafty Bastards art show down at the Navy Yard. They had 4 big tents full of cool stuff created by interesting artists, but I have to say that what pleased me most was the liberal use of the word *fuck* in many of the graphic artworks.

Still kinda wish I had gone ahead and purchased that Merry Fucking Christmas ornament-- it captures the current zeitgeist so neatly for me-- and I would have hung it on my tree with the best intentions of the season.

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Football Minutes

I promised a student that I would try to make it to one of his football games this season, and today's game seemed like a good bet. Unlike other weeks when the games were at 6:30 PM and 30-60 minutes away, this morning the team was kicking off at 10:30 at the high school within walking distance of home.

Unfortunately, the nor'easter that was blowing when I got up was not enough to cancel the game. Since it was also the last game of the season, we found ourselves shivering under an umbrella on the sideline as 22 boys mixed it up on the gridiron. There was no scoreboard, and the referees were not mic'ed, so at times it was anyone's guess what the hell was happening. I did clearly hear the 2 minute warning, though.

"What are they doing?" asked the daughter of another teacher on my team who joined us in the second half. "I thought they said there were only 2 minutes left! It's been like 10 minutes!"

"Oh, football minutes are like dog years," I said, "at least 7 for 1." And sure enough, 4 minutes or so later the final whistle blew. 

Friday, October 26, 2018

Meeting with Success

Another year, another set of student-led conferences. At our school, students are well prepared, scripted and practiced, and to watch them try on the mantle of personal responsibility for their education for the first time is always validating to the educator in me.

This year there were no tears and very little drama. Because I had so many conferences, the day flew by, and at the end I walked out of the building considering how delightful it is to participate in the novelty of most kids' first professional meeting, and how wonderful that most parents feel the same way. 

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Connotation

"This is one motley school!" a student proclaimed as she stood before my desk waiting to ask a question.

"Excuse me?" I said. "Why would you say that?"

She pointed to my word-a-day desk calendar. "Motley," she read, "composed of diverse elements." She looked at me. "We're diverse!"

"Oh!" I laughed. "But 'motley' isn't usually considered to be good diversity. This is a good example of why you need to know more than the definition."

"It's not a compliment?" she clarified.

I shook my head. "Not usually."

"Well then, our school is definitely not 'motley'!"

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

I Buy That

Because I allow my students to listen to music while they write, ear buds are in constant demand. Because some kids destroyed the pairs I purchased as loaners, I needed an alternative solution. I ended up buying 100 packages of ear buds for a little less than 70 bucks. Now I'm selling them to the students for a dollar, with all the profits going to our team activity scholarship fund.

So far? It's going pretty well-- 10 pairs purchased. Sure, there are 60 to go before we see the return on our investment, but the peace of mind in not having to worry about who's wrecking my ear buds is worth every penny.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Try Again?

In an attempt to "take something off our plates" our administration today proposed eliminating one of the two interdisciplinary team meetings we have each week. Mind you, none of the responsibilities or duties have changed, just the amount of time we may elect to spend on them. To put it another way, now we *get* to support 145 children and coordinate conferences, intervention placement, field trips and other activities in 42 minutes instead of 84. If we so choose.

Gee, thanks!

Monday, October 22, 2018

WIld View

The phone in my classroom rang about 4 o'clock. It was Heidi calling me from a colleague's room on the lower level of the building. Like my classroom, it faces the construction of the new elementary school, but it also looks out on a sheltered well of a space, what used to be a makeshift amphitheater for kids to play in. These days, with the construction, the area is abandoned and fortified with hay bales to assist the drainage that comes from adjoining a construction site.

"There's a fox right outside Starr's window!" Heidi reported.

"Is it okay? Should you call animal control?" I asked in some alarm.

"It seems fine," Heidi told me, "it's just hanging out in the sun and scratching its ears."

"I'll be down in a minute," I said, hanging up the phone.

And when I got down there, it was just as Heidi had said. A young fox with a dusty ginger coat and black stockings was curled up in a sunny patch of soft dirt and long grass growing from the cracked concrete. It was mesmerizing to be so close to such a wild thing, and we watched it for at least 15 minutes, speculating about its diet and habits.

I could have stayed all afternoon, but I had work to do in my own room. I do confess, though, that I went immediately to the window and craned my neck in futility for one last glimpse of the fox.

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Grounded

I spent the afternoon in my garden, pretty much putting it to bed for the season. The air was brisk, but the sun was shining, and it was still warm enough for me to work in my t-shirt. I always feel a little sad to pull living plants from the ground and throw them on the compost heap, but it was time. And, in consolation, I left with 15 pounds of sweet potatoes, lots of peppers, some tomatillos, a quart of green tomatoes, and half a pound of tiny little heirloom shell beans, sun-dried in their pods.

For so many reasons, both told and untold, this was not the best season of our nine so far, but I am not unsatisfied.

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Colorless

The heat and humidity finally broke earlier this week, and there was a crispness to the air and a golden angle to the sunlight that made it feel like fall. Something hasn't been quite right, though, and it wasn't until I opened the paper this morning that I realized what it was. An article in the Metro section told me what was missing: in our region, none of the leaves have changed.

As far north as Connecticut and as far west as Ohio, there is barely a hint of yellow in any of the green. Less daylight and dropping temperatures are what trigger the seasonal change in foliage, but one without the other throws the timetable off.

Such a late change in color is unprecedented, and no one is sure what it means for leaf peepers. Experts advise that is too soon to give up on this year's spectacle, but also wonder what a year like this might foretell in our era of climate change.

At least we still have pumpkins and apple cider. For now.

Friday, October 19, 2018

Communication Barrier

A few years ago the school system added American Sign Language as a language option. Since that time, it has become rather popular in our school, especially with active, kinesthetic learners.

This year, we have a new, full-time ASL teacher. Her classroom is a couple doors down; she has a homeroom on our team, and she is deaf.

As team leader and a nearby person with a lot of experience in the building, I am a prime resource and support for her. She is the type of person who doesn't hesitate to ask for help, and I like that, because it is much easier for me to answer questions than to anticipate them. The school provides an interpreter for her which makes most of our communication very easy, but there are times when we are alone, and getting a message through is more of a struggle then. Fortunately, she is gracious and patient, even writing little jokes I am too clueless to catch on the whiteboard. We make it work.

Even so, I am acutely aware that she is unable to speak my language, but I have just never taken the time to learn hers.

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Don't Dis Functional

It was sixth period.

One third of the students were off in a nearby room working on their personal narrative drafts with a resource teacher, while eighteen students worked silently in the classroom on the same task. My co-teacher, Matt, and I circulated quietly among them, taking a few minutes at this table and that to check in on their progress.

About 30 minutes in, Matt made eye-contact with me and then swept his gaze over the diligently writing group and smiled. "On October 18, 2018..." he whispered.

"Stop!" I whispered back. "You'll jinx it!"

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

There's Always Room for Jello

I am not the only one struggling to find equilibrium with this huge new class of sixth graders. After listening to a litany of concerns from my colleagues, many of which I shared, I finally resorted to simile.

"Guys!" I said to my team, "maybe it's just like Jello!"

They looked at me quizzically.

"The more there is, the longer it takes to set," I explained. "We're still wobbling, but--"

"It's gonna gel!" finished another teacher.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Greetings

A couple of years ago I read an article that said hundreds of kids pass through their middle and high schools every day without ever hearing their name. It was meant to point out a travesty, and I took it to heart. Since then, I stand outside my classroom door every morning and greet every student who passes by, most of them by name, since as a sixth grade teacher I know roughly a third of the school.

To be honest, it's a good brain exercise for me, especially this year, when I needed to learn 145 names as quickly as possible. Fortunately, with so many kids, I have some help. This year a few students have elected to join me. They stand right beside me, and together we greet everyone who walks down the hall with a great big "good morning!" If I don't know someone and they do, they introduce us, and the reverse is true as well.

Hopefully? There are a lot fewer kids at our school who pass a day without someone saying their name.


Monday, October 15, 2018

Dependent Learner

"What's dialogue?" asked one of the 28 kids in my class after 3 mini-lessons on dialogue.

"What's dialogue?" I asked him as I sat down in the next chair.

"People talking!" his writing partner whispered.

"People talking?" he answered.

"Right!" I told him. "Now where can you add dialogue to your personal narrative?"

"What's a personal narrative?" he responded.

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Finally Fall

pumpkins
date nut muffins
apple sauce
flannel
fleece
boots
kettle corn
corn maze
and
soup for dinner

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Unicorn Tears

On a Target run for essentials, we found that we could not resist the Halloween displays. So much candy! So many home and yard decorations! So many costumes!

They even had a couple of giant heads like those that mascots and theme park characters wear, one of a cow, and one of a unicorn. True confession: I've always wanted to wear one of those; in fact, I harbor secret hopes of one day being our school yellow jacket mascot at a basketball game.

In that spirit, I immediately put on the unicorn head. "Heidi! Take my picture!" I commanded.

"What? I can't hear you in there!" she answered.

"MY PICTURE!" I repeated, and she willingly obliged.

Behind me, a mom rolled her toddler our way. "Turn around!" Heidi urged me.

I did, and the poor child immediately burst into tears. His mother, Heidi, and I laughed in surprise.

"I'll take it off!" I said, and as I did, his eyes grew even wider, and he screamed in terror. His wailing grew fainter as his mom pushed him quickly around the corner and away to another section of the store. I put the unicorn head back on the shelf.

A little while later, we ran into them again in the cleaning supplies. My own eyes widened a bit, and I laughed nervously. "Oh! He's fine now!" his mom assured us, but he gave me the stink eye as they rolled past.

Friday, October 12, 2018

Why Thank You

"Awesome, Tracey, you're the greatest!" said the cable help operator.

Such praise I did not expect, especially since all I did was agree to stay on the line while he pinged my cable card so that I could receive my premium channels on the refurbished TIVO box that arrived yesterday to replace our faulty DVR.

But I kind of liked it, anyway.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

That Was Easy

V looked grumpy when he walked in this morning. He announced that he did not have his notebook, and then dragged his feet on his way over to pick up his copy of the book we're reading together, then he lay his head on the table and tried to read along sideways. A little while later, he was playing a game on his iPad under the table. After I instructed him to put the device on my desk, he sighed and tossed his book across the table and onto the floor. After class, I asked him to come back at lunch so we could talk.

My classroom was a little hectic at the beginning of lunch: kids were shooting baskets at the "Lollipop Line", others were borrowing books, plugging in iPads, dropping off binders. V sat moodily waiting for the room to clear. "How long do I have to stay here?" he asked.

"That depends," I shrugged. "Why did I ask you to come?"

He sat up straight. "I was unprepared, off-task, and disrespectful," he answered, nailing it.

"Right!" I replied with a little laugh. "How come?"

"I'd rather not say," he demurred. "Sometimes I just get like that. But, I'll do my best to not take it out on you."

"Thanks!" I said, "And if you ever feel like talking to someone, or you need a break, just ask."

"I will," he promised as he headed out the door to lunch.

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Thoughts on a Short Day

We had early release today, which meant 24 minute classes, lunch at 10 AM, and clearing the halls of kids by 11:54. Amazingly, the day went quite well, the kids were attentive and focused, and I found that I got a lot of instruction into a little bit of time.

Maybe it has to do with screen time and the fast pace of children's entertainment, but whatever the cause, kids today definitely seem to have much shorter attention spans than ever before, so who knows? They may actually thrive on a condensed day.

"I wish every day was like this!" one of my students said as he packed up his things and rushed to his next class. "I would learn a lot more-- there's no time for me to get bored!"

The trend in education is longer class periods with fewer transitions, but maybe we're thinking about it backwards. 

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Just as I Intended

As I learned in my mindfulness class yesterday, I approached the day with intention. I am open to new solutions and opportunities, I told myself as I walked the dog this morning.

The day kind of went to hell from there-- the dog wouldn't poop, we were late for school, the students were crazy after three days away. By the end of my last class, my intention was totally gone from my mind, erased by the five ring circus I had just survived. Not only that, but the worst kid was worse than ever, and I asked him to stay and talk with his team of teachers.

"This better be quick," he said, "I don't want to be late."

Fortunately, the conversation improved from there, until at last he told us that his teachers last year used to give him 2 minutes at the beginning of class to walk around with a friend and "get out the sillies."

I was skeptical. "What exactly did you do to get out the sillies?" I asked.

"We just waked and talked," he answered.

I found that I was willing to give it a try, so we put some rules in place, along with some clear expectations for his behavior once those sillies are gone, and he's going to try it tomorrow. In addition? I felt much better.

I'd say those were pretty good results for my first day!

Monday, October 8, 2018

Mindful

I understand the objections to Columbus Day, but the second Monday in October has always been the perfect time for a three-day weekend and the break from school it offers. The beginning of the year is hectic and hard, full of requirement and angst. By the time we reach the fifth week, an extra day off is good for everyone, and traditionally we come back refreshed and ready for the second half of the quarter.

Not this year. Students had the day, but teachers were required to participate in professional learning. Oh, the powers that be did it right-- they offered lots of options and a mix of online and face to face opportunities. We chose a session on mindfulness for educators, both because it sounded good, and it was at the elementary school at the top of the hill. Walking to work and not having to there until 8:30 almost seemed like a holiday in itself.

The session was good-- focused on self-care and reconnecting with the passion that brought us all to teaching-- but it was conducted by two former teachers, people who had left the classroom because their journey took them elsewhere. I certainly appreciated the time to breathe, meditate on gratitude, and mindfully savor a single raisin, but I didn't leave recharged.

Maybe Veteran's Day?

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Trans-species Grievances

Tracey says:

Sometimes Lucy gets so obsessive about sniffing the ground that I have to physically poke her to get her to snap out of it. One good finger jab to the shoulder is often not even enough to return her to the present reality and get her to pay attention to me. Dogs!

Lucy says:

Sometimes Tracey gets so obsessive about looking at the computer that I have to physically poke her to snap her out of it. One good nose punch to her leg is often not even enough to return her to present reality and get her to pay attention to me. People!

Saturday, October 6, 2018

A Blessing or a Curse?

It seemed like such a good idea.

My pepper guy forgot to put the half-bushel I ordered on the truck to bring with the last CSA delivery of the season. How can I make it right? he asked. He vends at a market about 30 minutes away, and so we agreed to pick up our peppers there. In consolation? We would get a free box.

That's right. I have a whole bushel of peachy peppers.

Stay tuned!

Friday, October 5, 2018

Positive Feedback

It was the puppy that made us stop.

On the way out of school yesterday afternoon I passed a young woman wrangling an adorable white and black puppy spinning in circles at the end of the leash. She made exasperated eye contact as the puppy pulled her toward us.

As I leaned over to pat the unruly pup, the owner gasped.

I looked up in alarm.

"How are you?" she asked.

It was then I looked more closely at her. "Shireen, right?" I said.

"Oh my God! I can't believe you remember me! You have so many students. " she answered, tears literally shining in her eyes, and stepping forward to give me a hug.

After 14 years, I was glad I recognized her, but I also remembered her well. She was a good kid, serious and hard-working. We spent a few minutes catching up. Besides a new puppy, she is applying to law school and waiting on her clearance for a Justice Department job, and she is happy.

I congratulated her and continued on my way, pleased that I had played a small part in her success.

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Vicious Cycle

We have a colleague who complains all the time. Nothing suits her; nothing anyone else asks or does is valuable or useful. In the space of 45 minutes yesterday she explained why 2 suggestions and one routine would not be of any help to her or her team. She informed us that what we were working on was not a good use of her time and also outlined all her grievances against a co-teaching situation with a teacher who wasn't present.

And when she left what did we do?

We complained about her.

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Lettuce Consider that Question

"Why do always smell like salad?" a student asked me today.

"Uh--." I replied, "I'm not sure. What kind of salad do I smell like?"

He shrugged. "Just salad. All the time."

"Is it a good smell or a bad smell?" I asked.

"it's ok," he answered. "if you like salad."

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Unforeseen Complications

I have never been an early bird, and yet:

The older I grow, the earlier I rise, and this year, getting out of bed at 5:30 doesn't even seem a hardship. I am easily able to shower and dress and pack lunches and take the trash by 6:40. Then it's time for the chore that founded this very blog: walking the dog.

Unfortunately, although I am ready for the day, the day is not ready for us.

It's still really dark!

Monday, October 1, 2018

End of a Long Day

It was 6:45 when I finally left school today. As I pushed through the plate glass doors a soft breeze warmed my refrigerated skin. The pale blue sky was awash with apricot clouds and every single playing field was filled. Soccer players, basketballers, tennis aces, skateboarders, and jungle gymmers laughed and called to each other in at least five different languages. For them, work was over and play time was on. I took a deep breath and felt the tension leave my body, and realized that the same was true for me.

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Dark Skies

Soul crushing is how a friend described the month-long rain storm that was September, and I had to agree. In general, the weather doesn't bother me, but 26 days and 9 inches of rain were an exception to that rule.

The politics of the moment do nothing to lift my mood. I'm from the DC area; I went to private school and college in the 70s and 80s; I know how the parties were and what the yearbook codes meant. In addition, the nasty polarization and high stakes of every situation, and this one in particular, takes it toll.

I believe the pervasive national climate of hatred and distrust are beginning to show up in my students, although my evidence is purely anecdotal. It feels like there is much less courtesy toward peers and respect for authority in the group of sixth graders I have now, along with more anger and more needs. Even in our wealthy district, our students can simply not escape the dark clouds immigration concerns, police violence, economic uncertainty, and the opioid crisis, and so of course there will be storms in school.

The sun was out this weekend, and I spent time outside with my dog. I played with my kittens, cooked some good food,  and this morning I laughed out loud at a silly skit from Saturday Night Live that had nothing to do with politics.

I guess the best way to cope with the storm is to put up your umbrella, keep going, and keep a lookout for blue skies ahead.

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Serial Advice

Serial, the granddaddy of all podcasts for me, is finally back for a third season. I must confess that I was a little disappointed with the premise at first: rather than examine a questionable murder conviction, or even a high-profile military desertion, this season is focused on the criminal court system in...

Cleveland.

I needn't have worry, though, in less than 5 minutes of the first episode, I was totally on board, and after episode 2? I am hooked. 

To begin with, I had almost forgotten what a fantastic writer and amazing reporter Sarah Koenig is, but more importantly, using Cleveland Criminal Court (mostly because they allow recording) as a microcosm for the American court system turns out to be genius. Race, age, class, and gender all collide in a provocative and sometimes disturbing portrait.

On a personal note, the second episode reminded me that scolding is usually no more than a catharsis for the scolder; such lectures seldom benefit the scoldee. As a 6th grade teacher, that is a lesson I learned many years ago, but seems extremely timely this school year, when scolding a few kids for some of the more egregious antics has seemed pretty tempting in the moment. But venting frustration and building constructive relationships are not usually compatible, and anyone in authority should know that it's the second that is necessary for lasting change.

Friday, September 28, 2018

Breaking Bird

I knew it was out there.

On my way into the building yesterday a couple of sixth graders careened down the sidewalk toward me on a... scooter!

"Boys!" I said sharply, stepping in front of them with my hand raised, the very image of the fun scooter police.

To their credit? They stopped immediately.

"First," I said, "you should be wearing helmets. Secondly? Riding double is not allowed. And finally-- you have to be 18 with a driver's license to get one of these! Where did this come from?"

"My brother got it for me," answered one.

"Well, all I'm saying is that if the resource officer caught you guys riding this, you could get in some trouble," I told them.

"Thank you for the warning," the same student answered, and they walked the scooter slowly away.

Later that afternoon, I told my friend Mary the story.

"I still haven't ridden one of those!" she said.

I pulled out my phone and launched the app. "Now's your chance! It's still outside! And out we went.

A few fat drops of rain were splashing on the pavement as we pushed our way through the heavy glass doors. It took us a minute to find the scooter, because the boys had evidently tossed it to the ground after our conversation. Fortunately the app has a locator chirp, and although it was drizzling, we picked it up, and Mary took a quick spin. "Wheeeeeeeee," she called as she zoomed past, and I knew that she got it. A few minutes later, we locked the Bird, and propped it against the school.

It was on the sidewalk again when I left yesterday evening in the pouring rain, and still there when I walked in this morning. At 1 pm, after a long day of teaching, and before a long afternoon of planning and paperwork and meeting, it occurred to me that it was probably still there.

Brain break! I thought.

20 minutes and 2 miles later, I re-entered the building with a smile on my face, good to go for another 4 hours.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Office Hours

A few years ago our school did away with team-based study halls. There are a lot of pros and cons to that decision, but one benefit was more unencumbered teacher time after school. In order to encourage students to seek help voluntarily, the teachers on my team instituted "office hours", scheduling a 30 minute time once a week when we would be in our room for drop ins.

That information goes home in our weekly newsletter, but to be honest, not many kids take advantage of the opportunity. Earlier this week, I received an email from a parent who wondered if office hours were only for students, or if she might stop by, too. I had never considered such an option, but I couldn't really think of any reason why not, and so I said sure.

It was an interesting half hour: I answered several questions about some of the technology and my objectives for certain activities and assignments. She was very nice, just genuinely curious and confused by some things. At the end of the meeting, she thanked me for my time, and I was happy to help, because I understood we had a common objective.

The beginning of the year is crazy, and it is tempting to push things like that back. But honestly? I am busy from September to June, and any time spent filling in the gaps for any stakeholders-- students, parents, colleagues, community-- who are interested, is well-spent indeed.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

A Story to Show What They're Like

We were doing an activity to help the students find possible topics for their personal narratives. Randomly generated questions appeared on the screen, and the kids were supposed to answer them in their small groups. What stories show what my family and I are like? popped up. I looked at the three boys at my table.

"My family likes guns!" said one of them right away, misreading the question. "We love hunting!"

The other boys were wide-eyed.

"What's a story from a time you and your family were hunting?" I asked, trying to refocus him.

"Wait!" one of the other boys said. "Have you really shot a gun?"

"Yes!" the first guy said. "It is really awesome!"

"What about a story, though?" I pressed. "Like a memorable time you were shooting or hunting?"

"My family hates guns!" said the second kid. "We like playing charades, though. Except we always pick the same thing and then it's no fun."

"My family doesn't like guns either," said the third boy. "My parents talk really loud on the phone, though!"

The next question popped up, What was a time you were embarrassed? and off they went on another tangent.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Usy-Bay and Ired-Tay

I was busy all day at school yesterday, from 7:20 to 5:30 with only a 15 minute break for lunch. I dreamed all night last night about the classes and meetings I had just lived through, as well as the classes and meetings I would have today. I woke this morning weary and feeling unready for the day.

BUT, the work I did yesterday paid off a little today, and although I was still busy all day, when 4:15 rolled around and Heidi was ready to go home, I was surprised to find that I was ready, too.

(Then I ran errands and went to the garden and picked a bunch of soggy produce and gotten eaten by mosquitoes. That's a different blog post, though, and now I won't dream about those things tonight.)

Monday, September 24, 2018

That Could've Gone Better

"So before we go on," I said to my homeroom this morning, "why don't you tell me something you already know about IB?"

Crickets.

Finally one boy's hand flailed into the air, so I called on him.

"I was just stretching," he told me.

"Well, what do you know about IB?" I asked again.

"It has an 'I' and a 'B' in it," he answered.

"What does the I and B stand for?" I probed.

"No one knows," he responded crossly.

"Some people know," I said.

"Correction:" he replied, "no one cares."

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Chronometry

We had a lovely dinner last night at my brother's house. "Can you believe we've lived here almost thirty years?" he asked at one point in the conversation.

This morning we all gathered at a favorite brunch spot. "Can you believe we've been coming here almost 30 years?" it was me who asked this time.

Later in the afternoon, I drove my mom out to my aunt's house, where she's lived for the last 58 years. There was no need to ask the question.

Such permanence in our lives anchors us. It allows us to rock gently off to sleep while all around us every drop of water is rushing past on its way to somewhere else. The ocean changes and stays the same.

Can you believe that?


Saturday, September 22, 2018

Six Word Movie Reviews

Over the years we’ve enjoyed several installments of the six word memoir post. Today I’ve come up with a similar challenge that combines the six word limitation with my love of the movies.

Here’s my first six word review:

At least no bunnies got boiled.

Think you know the film? Have a six word review of your own? Go ahead and reply!

Friday, September 21, 2018

Friday at Last

The morning after Back-to-school Night everyone’s dragging. A colleague stopped by my room before the bell to ask a question, pausing as he entered. “Wow! You look as tired as everyone feels!” he said.

I raised my eyebrows and let it go. It wasn’t the most sensitive remark, but I knew that he was tired, too.

Hopefully we’ll all get some rest this weekend. 

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Just Hit Play

Because of the parking shortage at our school while they build another school in the, where else?, parking lot, last year and this year our administration asked us to make videos for the parents who might not be able to make it. What could we do, but comply?

And once they were all done, almost everyone had the same question: What do you need me for?

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Required Course

One of my students left his iPad behind today after 6th period. I knew he was in Heidi's Social Skills class next, so I walked down there to return it. The class had already started, so I knocked on the door and waited politely until Mr. T, the assistant opened it. When my student saw me, his eyes grew wide and he gasped; my presence was unexpected. I made eye contact and held up the iPad, and he knew that it was his. Rising from his seat he came over to the door. "Give it to me!" he said as he reached for the device.

"Oh no!" Heidi said, "Give it to me!" and I did.

He scoffed and stomped back to his seat.

"Is that how you should treat a teacher who brings you something?" Heidi asked him.

"Fine!" he said and looked at me. "Please?"

"I don't have your iPad anymore," I told him, "but I did walk down here to bring it to you after you forgot it. What could you say to me?"

"Thank you for my iPad," he said.

Heidi smiled and held it out.

"You're welcome," I said. "I thought you would probably really want to have it this afternoon."

He took the iPad from Heidi. "Not really," he said.

I laughed and turned toward the door.

"We are working on it," Heidi said.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Moisture

Many folks dream of retiring to a tropical island, but not me.

Even as I get older, I am still predisposed to cooler weather. And although the heat doesn't bother me? The proverb holds true: after 10 straight days of gray skies and rain, a little monsoon season of our own, with warped boards, perma-slick pavement, giant mud puddles, flooded yards, and air that hits you like a warm wash rag every time you step out the door,

I can definitely confirm that, yes, it is the humidity.

Monday, September 17, 2018

The Gift of Necessity

Years ago I worked in the flight kitchen for United Airline. The main job of our brigade of cooks and chefs was to prepare the meals for first class, business, and transatlantic coach, but as in any food service place, someone had to cook for the staff. In restaurants they often call it family meal, but we just called it lunch, no matter what shift you were on.

It was a privilege to have lunch on your job list-- everyone else was cooking prescribed recipes for thousands of anonymous travelers, but those 2 cooks had the freedom to put their own stamp on food that their friends and colleagues would be eating. Because of my seniority, I did not get to cook lunch very often, but when I did I like to think I stepped up.

I remember one day when the chef told us they had over-ordered frozen beans. "Make them for lunch," he told our lead, Jimmy, as I listened.

"I know just what to do," I said, and a few pounds of bacon, onions, garlic, and tomatoes later, we had a steam kettle full of southern-style green beans.

That day at lunch, I basked in the compliments of my co-workers. "Those beans!" one ramp guy told me. "Mm Mm! Salty, smoky, tomatoey? You really put the flavor to it!" That was one of the best compliments I ever received as a professional cook.

I thought of that guy today when Heidi said, "Tracey?" as she was unpacking her lunch bag. "I only want to eat frittata for lunch from now on."

"Oh you liked that, did you?" I laughed.

The frittata was really only the result of too many eggs. I love the farm fresh eggs we can get in our CSA-- I honestly believe I can taste the difference-- but a dozen a week can be too many for a couple of middle-aged ladies. Fortunately they are very fresh and the keep exceptionally well, but over the weekend I decided to make a mushroom and spinach frittata that we could warm up for breakfast or lunch.

And that's what my wife was raving about. With no leftovers from last night's dinner, she had frittata for lunch.

"It was mushroomy, vegetably, salty, and proteiny, right?" I boasted. "I guess I really put the flavor to it!"

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Cativersary

The kittens that we adopted one year ago today have grown into cats, but they are no less cute and loveable, which, considering that they are gangly young adults, is rather a compliment!

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Peter Piper, Inc

"Wow! You're kitchen is a lot bigger than you'd think" one of our neighbors said yesterday at the open house. She looked around. "And really full of produce."

She was right. There was a half bushel of tomatoes, 3 eggplant, and a big container of banana peppers that I had picked to rescue from the rain, along with the usual onions, garlic, potatoes, avocados, lemons, and limes. "I know!" I agreed, "but I have plans for all of it."

Part one of my plan was having my banana pepper pesto on the table, and the offer of as many peppers as our guests would like to take home with them as parting gifts.

"You gotta try the pesto," I told everyone. "It tastes like a hoagie!"

"What's gahogi?" someone asked in confusion.

I laughed. "I said like. a, hoa. gie," I repeated slowly. "Y'know what they call subs in Philly?"

"Oooooh," she laughed, too. "I thought it was like the sixth taste-- the one after Umami."

"It should be!" I answered. "How many peppers would you like?"