thinking putty: an experiment in focus

I slept late this morning, but I went to bed late last night. I was working on school work and in the throes of thinking, planning, and writing the time slipped away. By the time I was finished, it was well past my regular bed time. When I crawled into bed, I had to move Ivy who had gone to bed without me and was taking up more of the bed than she should. She was nestled up against my leg when I fell asleep and she was still there when I got up. She beat me downstairs waiting patiently at the door to go outside while I started my coffee.

Gold Rush thinking putty at rest

She and I have a morning routine. When she came back inside, she sat beside the couch looking at me with her ears pulled forward as if to ask, ‘can I?’ I looked back at her and nodded, she jumped onto the couch and I went downstairs to the basement and my office.

November is a busy month. When school is in session all the months are full, but November and February always seem especially full. Thanksgiving is this week and I have two days of school and then we are on break until the following Monday. O is out for break the entire week and she is heading to Disney World with the marching band. She is excited. It will be odd not having her for Thanksgiving, sort of an experiment for what it will be like someday in the future.

I’ve been experimenting lately. I’ve been writing a monthly classroom newsletter for two subject I teach – science and history. I published my latest science newsletter Saturday evening.

I’ve been watching my students and my daughter, O, play with Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty . I was wondering if there was something to it and I grabbed a couple of tins for myself, sort of a birthday gift from me to me. It actually is pretty soothing and relaxing to knead the putty stretching, pulling, and squeezing it in both hands. I have two tins Gold Rush and Northern Lights.

The Gold Rush is magnetic and it pulls itself into a ball when I set the magnet in the middle. It’s sparkly and hard to pull from the tin because of the magnet, but once out and separated from the magnet it’s pretty pliable. And relaxing. When I set it aside the putty pulls into a tight ball surrounding the magnet like a blanket.

The other ‘flavor’ is Northern Lights – it’s cosmic. It’s a white putty with blue metallic flecks that glow a faint blue hue when the special light illuminates the shiny white putty. The glow in the dark only lasts a brief moment, much like the real Aurora Borealis. You gotta be paying attention, or the glow is gone.

In my brief experience with the putty, it seems to relax me when I need it most. I squeeze with one hand and stretch with both hands kneading it between my fingers.

It’s late and the day has slipped away filled with the reality of life of Sunday. It’s been a great day, and I know tomorrow will be a million and six times better, so I had better wrap this up and publish. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, stretching, pulling, squeezing, and kneading.

What was your last experiment?

Today’s post is in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge: Experimental . This theme is as wide open as the prairie sky. How will you portray “Experimental”? Will it be the fresh lemon-cranberry scones you whipped up, tired of the usual blueberry muffins? Will it be a close-up of the piano where you just composed an original in a key new to you? Will it be capturing a subject using varying compositions or photographic techniques? Regardless of how you choose to show us “Experimental,” I’m looking forward to seeing the results.

3 thoughts on “thinking putty: an experiment in focus

    1. I am sorry for the delay in replying, I tell myself I get to it and I never seem to get to it. Your fortnight in Valencia is likely at a close and I hope you enjoyed your working Spanish holiday. Sometimes when we get away to learn and grow, there is a nit of relaxation that comes with it. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend! Peace.

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