Three things for a rainy Saturday morning

It’s been a long since I sat at my desk and wrote a blogpost on a Saturday morning. Saturday morning was once my ‘go to’ day to write. But things change and as I believe all have learned, and experienced, this past year is that if there is one constant in our lives it is change.

As I do from time to time, I looked back at the blog. Over the past year or so, most of my posts have been on Wednesday – those Wordless Wednesdays with a few words or more, so the posts aren’t truly wordless, but wordless at least for me. The second most frequent day I have posted has been Sunday.

I remembered every post and picture; I suppose that it’s your experience when you look back at your own blog.

Oddly, the last time I wrote a Saturday morning post it was a ‘three things’ post and it was raining. So for this week here are my ‘three things’ – hope, spring, and change.

HOPE
The past week was a long week, with emphasis on LONG. It began with a planning day for teachers and a day off for students. I had the option to work from home and so I did. I had planned to go into my classroom but couldn’t because I couldn’t self-certify as I had cough and nasal congestion which I believed was related to allergies. As it turned out the state department of health changed their guidance and removed nasal congestion from the list of symptoms for COVID due to seasonal allergies. However, this was after I had I had submitted to a COVID test. Tuesday was the first day of the fourth quarter and it was a remote learning day for everyone – teachers and students. I had the option to teach from school but had to stay home as I awaited the results from Monday’s test. My test came back NEGATIVE and I was clear to return to school!

Wednesday was the first day of in person school for four days a week and I had 15 masked students in my first hour class. It was largest gathering of students in my room in over a year. It was a great day. Thursday and Friday came and all 15 were back in my first hour. Across the day I had almost 60% of my students in class with the other 40% following along at home.  It was wonderful to have students back in class. In May we transition to in person school five days a week and I am hopeful that we can begin next year without teaching from behind a screen.

SPRING
It’s been spring for several weeks and this week the weather was unseasonably warm. The temperature outside reached the 70s almost everyday this past week. It’s early April and we still have the possibility of cold weather and maybe a morning frost. The trees are beginning to leaf, and the daffodils are in full bloom. My wife has been busy gathering daffodils from the garden and bringing them inside. Our Easter table was magnificent with her floral arrangement. She has several vases on the kitchen windowsill, and I captured three for this post.

Thursday afternoon, I cleaned my hummingbird feeders and put them out. I cleaned the other two bird feeders and added seed to them both and now I patiently wait. I can see both hummingbird feeders from where I sit and though I haven’t seen a hummingbird yet, I know they’ll be back. I looked out a moment ago and watched several sparrows, a wren, and a pappa cardinal at the feeder enjoying the spring morning. The grass is a bright green and growing as only spring grass can. Spring is here.

CHANGE
When I began writing at MakingtheDaysCOUNT dot org, my daughter was young. In a few months she’ll be off to college. College.

This morning she and her mom, my wife, took off for a college visit. She’s decided where she wants to go and what she wants to study. A couple of years ago she asked about me about engineering but, has decided to follow her original love of animals and study animal science with the goal of going to vet school and becoming a veterinarian. In early January, all three of us sat down to watch Masterpiece Theater and All Creatures Great and Small. It was lovely to follow the story of James Herriot in the Yorkshire Dales. I found an old copy of the book and gave it to her.

College. I am excited for her and a little sad for me, but I know change is good and constant. For if there IS anything that in life that IS constant, it is change.

So there are three things for this Saturday morning: hope, spring, and change. For the moment, it is still Saturday morning, so I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Today is going to be an amazing day. Making the days COUNT, one day at a time with three things – hope, spring, and change.

Do you ever think in threes?

O’s book… I remember reading this when I was younger than she is now.. remember the story of the calving… funny how the mind works…

8 thoughts on “Three things for a rainy Saturday morning

  1. What a great, joyful and inspiring post – and like so many others, wp is not informing me of new posts…. no reason, just because they are terribly unorganised. Today’s post arrived as it should and I am working my way backwards.
    There would be much to say but I have a rendez-vous and must ‘love and leave you.
    Spring greetings

    1. I am so sorry for the delay in my response, I’ve taken on more than I can handle lately, but the school year is winding to a close and my daughter’s high school graduation are all closer than they appear. I follow of thirds, but didn’t figure it out until i had taken lots of bad pictures. Not saying all of pictures are good, but the more I take, the more they portray what I see, Stay well. Peace.

  2. Rites of passage, eh? Yes, it’s quite something when the final child finally goes to college. That’s one of the Big Ones. I hope, despite the pandemic, your daughter has a great experience, and that you too enjoy your time of Hope. And no … I don’t think in threes!

    1. Margaret – I rememeber the excitement and anxiety of finishing high school and heading off to college. I think in threes, maybe it’s training or a boss that always gave me three things to work on and grow. Not one, not two or four, three. Some things stick. Stay well. Peace.

    1. They were in Lansing yesterday taking a guided tour. We stopped on our way home from the lake house in February and tried the self-guided tour. They were both excited when they got home last night. I remember my first year of college. It was fun and I learned a lot. We had a blast in Florida for spring break and I am looking forward to the rest of her senior year. She’s a great kid and I love her. Take care, stay well, and peace.

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