Category Archives: Sign of the Week

Sign of the Week: purpose

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the original photo, taken Thursday, 6/25 at 12:04 PM. It was a beautiful sunny day.
an updated photo taken Sunday, June 18 at 4:54 PM. It was raining.

Yesterday on the way home from Loaves and Fishes, I was listening to the Astros baseball game. They were behind 6-5 in the top of the eighth inning.

The Detroit Tigers made a pitching change which didn’t work out for them. The Astros clawed their way back into the game with a couple of hits and a little misfortune on the Tigers part. While I was listening, my mind wondered and it found its way to a book I read a more than a dozen years ago, Imperfect, an Improbable Life.

The book was about a baseball player, Jim Abbott, who was born with a partially formed right arm who taught himself to play baseball. It’s an inspiring story and I wrote about in this blogpost – Saturday Morning – late April – published April 28, 2012. And I went back to read it. As I have discovered with many older posts, my writing has changed and the links I added, no longer worked. So, I did a little revising to the links.

This morning, I was reading a blogpost from one of my favorite bloggers – Beth from I didn’t have my glasses on…. A trip through life with fingers crossed and eternal optimism. She posts almost everyday, it’s quite impressive. Beth’s posts are inspirational, funny, and thought provoking.

This morning’s post was about book lending and it took me back to the book I had read about Jim Abbott and his journey from Flint, Michigan to Yankee Stadium and beyond.

I lent that book, Imperfect: An Improbable Life, a few times before I lent it a final time. I haven’t seen that book since, or that person for that matter.

It doesn’t matter, I could (and probably should) lend more of my books and never get them back.

Beth’s post sent me on a rabbit chase of sorts where I discovered a video about Jim Abbott that was produced by ESPN last summer. I missed it, I was busy with other things. The trailer below is about how he learned t play baseball one handed.

Jim Abbott overcame an incredible amount of hardship in his life. Much of it through his own hard work and determination. But baseball, like life, is a team sport.

Nine players on the diamond to play a game.

Every player has to be all in for it to work.

before editing
after editing

Today is going to be a great day, especially when I go down a rabbit hole in time. Like every day, I have a lot to do and today is no different. I am watching the grandies in a little over an hour and as usual I am behind on the things I thought I’d get to this morning.

Rabbit holes.

So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, even when I am diving into rabbit holes.

When was the last time you dove into a rabbit hole?

NOTE: I posted this unedited versions of the sign on Sunday and only noticed the mispelling after a commenter noticed it. I went back Sunday afternoon and the error had been corrected. As always, I was reminded that some times my most effective proofreading comes AFTER I press publish.

 

Sign of the Week – Memory

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It’s been a week.

While I was writing Wednesday’s W^2 post, I was sipping coffee at a Starbuck’s because a thunderstorm had knocked our power out. I figured I could charge my devices, create an overdue post, and maybe collect my thoughts from an already busy week.

I finished my post and my coffee, then stopped to grab dinner and head home.

The power had not been restored; fortunately the storm brought relief from the heat and humidity, so sleeping without power came quickly.

the culprit, a large branch had snapped and taken out the electric lines when it crashed to the ground…

The power was still out when I awakened Thursday morning. I checked with the power company – the update stated that they planned to have power restored by Saturday at 3:00 PM! I knew that our outrage was relatively small – only a 100 customers. According to the power company, they had more than 200,000 customers without power, so I understood the three-day timeline.

No power meant no coffee. So, I left the house to grab a cup of coffee. I had a lot to think about.

Thursday’s forecast called for two more waves of severe storms, with the latter being the strongest.

Besides the power being out, I planned to be at Β lake the following day , but I couldn’t leave the house without power including a full refrigerator and freezer. I had a lot to think about and do.

My first thought was to get a generator, which I quickly realized made little sense. Then it shifted to empty both freezer and refrigerator, clean them, and restock later when the power was restored. Finally, it dawned on me I could donate the salvage the frozen food and donate them to the food pantry, while tossing the what couldn’t. To do the salvage and donate, I needed to borrow a cooler from my son, so I left the house to pick it up and passed the cause of the power outage where I discovered two power company repair trucks parked and waiting. So maybe, power might be restored after all. I got the cooler, anyway, and was back a half-hour later.

a large branch had been cut here….
the damage…
the street is is ready and the lineman haven’t started , yet..
and the cut, created an opportunity for animals to create the hollow that weakened the limb…

When I returned, the power company was starting to stage the repair by closing off the two lane road before beginning the repair.

I took a walk to inspect, and be nosey. I took a few photos, too. On the way back I ran onto a few neighbors and I shared what I had learned.

So, I waited. I took a short nap.

The first wave of thunderstorms rolled through, then power came back on. We had been without power for twenty-three hours.

We still had one more wave of weather to roll through and it would be the most severe of the week, possibly the season. But I was relieved and I could start thinking, again.

The last line of storms passed through with the worst of the storms passing south of our home. And the electricity stayed on.

Friday morning, I drove to the lake, stopping along the way to visit my brother and his wife at their campsite in Holland, Michigan. Yesterday, they joined us at the lake for a visit and dinner. Today, we hope to take a ride on the lake and finish the day with dinner.

Until then, I need to get moving and jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Today is going to be a great day. Making the Days COUNT, one day at a time, slowing down to restart thinking.

Have you ever had a moment like the sign read?

 

 

 

Sign of the Week: Back to Back

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It’s Saturday and eighth day of summer break and I am feeling very relaxed and rested.

I was able to remember a few more of the promises I made about summer and acted upon a few before we left town for the lake. We arrived at the lake house very late Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. The dogs barked, but our daughter (who was already here) did not wake. We brought in the essentials before collapsing into our beds.

We fully unloaded Wednesday when we awoke to an amazing day.

We’ve been busy since. Thursday I ran to town for errands and got the fixings for dinner and thought I’d capture a few signs for this week’s post and I discovered one of the signs hadn’t changed since late April!

I laughed at this one which can be seen as you drive north along M93.
and I swallowed when I read this one… on the flip side of the first.

Friday was a lazy day. Truly, it was overcast and it rained.

yes, those are my feet…

This morning it was cloudy and wet from the overnight rain, but it has since cleared and the sunshines brightly. Which means my moments of writing are few and fleeting.

The local veterinarian always has good signs and I captured the signs below when we were here in February and the images were ‘out of date’ by the time I had time to write.

cats can be viewed driving west along M72
and dogs can be seen driving into town on the flip side…

There was snow on the ground and it was much colder than it is today. There is a breeze on the lake and it promises to warm to the mid-70s (about 24-26C). Hopefully, it will trigger more memories of other promises I made about getting a few chores done.

It’s Saturday and it is going to be a full day and as I think back to my first post at MtDC I am reminded,

This could possibility be the best day ever!
(This could possibility be the best day ever,)
And the forecast says that tomorrow will likely be a million and six times better.
So make every minute count, jump up, jump in, and seize the day,
And let’s make sure that in every single possible way,
Today is gonna be a great day!

So I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, because that’s how they come.

Do you have any promises you’ve made which are coming due?

Sign of the Week – School’s Out

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I have been driving past this sign for years. It’s next to the elementary school where my kids went and down the street from their high school. The church sponsored my son’s Cub Scout pack and the sign has been dispensing encouragement and reminders for years.

School’s out for summer and today is Day 1.

It’s a beautiful spring afternoon and I am trying to remember all the things I promised I’d do when summer came – but there are too many to remember. So, I’ll start with the lawn, then the mulch, and maybe my memory will return. Until then, I am going to have fun and stay safe. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, especially when getting started is the hardest thing to do.

What’s is a hard thing for you to get started with?

Sign of the Week – blessings

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It’s the third Sunday in May and I am winding down on another year of teaching. There are eight days remaining in our school year with the kiddos, then it’s summer break and another opportunity to rehearse for retirement.

Sunday May 3rd, on the way how from somewhere…. blessings > problems

I was reminded by the sign below that I have a great deal for which to be thankful. I found it a couple of weeks ago, and I found the time this morning to write about it.

A week ago, I had a flashback to my first year of blogging and I reached out to a parent of a former student from the 2010-11 school year. It was my first year of blogging and she introduced me to another blogger whom she had met the summer before. I was, and still am, thankful. My message was brief and it took several attempts to find the correct email address before the message went through without a mailer-daemon reply.

Good morning,

I am not sure if this going to work… but I’ll give it a try.

Thought of you and your son this morning as I started my day – it is the day the first Coca-Cola is served in Atlanta!

I remember your family came back from a trip to the UK with a copy of a CD by One Night Only as it wasn’t available in the US.

My son – who’s your son’s age and grade, is now a firefighter paramedic, married, and has twin boys (18 months old). How is your son? And how are you doing?

I hope all is well, peace. BTW, I am still blogging at https://makingthedayscount.org

Semper sharkus,

I received a reply and I have yet to reply, but I will before the day is done. It was great to hear of my former student’s successes since he left my class, I knew he was destined for greatness as he showed curiosity, resilience, and great sense of humor as a seventh-grade boy.

Friday afternoon, I attended a retirement celebration for three of my fellow educators who are finishing their careers and retiring this year. One of them has been at our school since it opened in 2001 and many former teachers and administrators showed up for the party. It was wonderful to see so many people I haven’t seen for several years and catch up.

One of them was a band teacher who left about the time I had Edward, or maybe it was before. But it’s been a while. As we talked, he shared how he remembered the MtDC posts I would share via Facebook. I stopped sharing my blog posts on the platform when FB labeled them spam and contrary to the rules of the platform. I never understood how it happened, but it was probably a word or phrase that got flagged, so I stopped. The entire thing had me in knots, before I let it go.

Friday evening, it was hazy and humid early in the evening. May 15, 2026, 7:36 PM CDT.

It’s true I have far more blessings than I have problems as the sign says. Sometimes I just need the reminder.

In a few weeks, my sixteenth year of blogging will roll over to seventeenth. It is hard to believe it’s been that long, but it has. I have learned a lot along the path, and I know I am a better person for my years blogging.

Today is going to be a great day, if I can only trust it. It could possibly be a million and six times better than yesterday. So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time making time to be present and patient.

What’s on your plate for the day?

Sign of the Week – Mother’s Day

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I have a few signs of the week that haven’t made it to the blog, yet. I am not sure if any of them are relevant anymore as time ran out before I could write the post.

This week’s sign is too good to allow to wither away on the vine. I found it by accident. I drove past this week’s sign Saturday morning. I was in the left lane and didn’t see it until I was almost past it.

This morning, I went back to capture the sign I missed yesterday. I’ve have added the sign to my ‘must curate’ list, and I will be driving past it more often!

Mother’s Day in our house means celebrating my wife by weeding, spring yard cleaning, and spreading mulch, and getting the yard and garden, and anything outside looking great for spring.

It’s a labor of love.

At the end of a day’s work, we sit down and have dinner together on the deck, if it’s warm enough.

Mom, me and younger brother Warren. My youngest brother hasn’t arrived yet. late 1963, or early 1964.

Every year on this day I think of my mom, and my stepmom.

Those two moms shaped me onto the person I have become. Like the craftsman that shapes a block of wood; my mother sculpted me by knocking off corners first, then craving, and sculpting me before sanding to finish me. My stepmother aided in the process. I would not be the person I am without those two.

photos of my stepmother – upper left clockwise – dad and her, as a baby, probably her mum, and Juliana was a young woman – long before my father met her.

And the rough spots that remain, are the dominion of my wife (and daughter) who continue the work of removing any blemish or growth that remains.

It’s a labor of love.

I am work in progress and I am trying to be a better every day.

I am already behind my self-imposed schedule so; I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Today is going the be an amazing day. Making the days Count since 1961, one day at a time with the help of some very special women.

What are you going to do to celebrate the day?

Sign of the Week: Spring Vibes

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It is Friday after school and it has been a week of weather. Storms, wind, sunshine, hail, tornados, flurries, and shirt-sleeve weather for an afternoon.

Scullen’s sign – we need spring vibes, please!

I took the photo above last Friday after finishing my morning bus duty shepherding parents as they dropped their children off for school. It is fun duty and I have struck up a friendship with a former student’s dog who always is along for the morning ride. At first, the dog parked at me, but now she (or he) just looks at me and makes eye contact with me as they drive past into the circle drive.

I figured I would have time last weekend to put together a β€œSign of the Week” post, but somehow the time slipped through my fingers and here I am a week later writing that post.

We all go through storms and somehow we end up on the other side of the storm in a better place and maybe a little stronger for the experience.

The past few months I’ve been chasing my tail and trying to keep up. I never seem to catch up, but here I am.

Last Friday afternoon, I stayed late to grade papers and sort through the study guides I had collected and review the data from the summative assessment (teacher word for final exam) I had given in science classes. My students did well and I was impressed, I had been worried that the February slump we’d all fallen into had taken a toll on their learning, but their scores showed they had recovered. My persistence, stubbornness, and belief they had learned the content was rewarded. And so were they.

It had been a stormy Friday. When I walked out, the storms had passed and the setting sun was making an appearance as the storm clouds moved out the area. It was the perfect moment and a rainbow was visible.

Friday evening after the storm passed through Scullen Middle School, Naperville, IL March 6, 2026 5:41 PM CST

It was stunning.

Really it’s been a stormy week from last Friday’s thunderstorms to Tuesday’s violent thunderstorms with a reported F3 tornado a little south of us to the windstorm that plowed through last night, it has been a week of weather.

In some ways that is life, we roll with it make the best of what comes at us. We make the best of what we get, because what we get sometimes is not within our control. We Make the Days Count, one day at a time, sometimes fighting a wind, or sometimes catching the wind.

How are you handling the weather this year?

NOTE: I am leaving the β€˜snow’ on until April. The forecast calls for snow Monday morning and we are really never out of woods for the possibility of snow until Mother’s Day in May. Really.

Sign of the Week – Love, Hope, and Joy

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This weekend has been a cold one. Yesterday the high was in the tens, low tens.

This morning, it was -4F or -20C. At the moment, it is 3F (-16C), but the sun is shining brightly.

I discovered this week’s sign on the way home from serving others at Loaves and Fishes. It was a cold afternoon and fewer folks than normal were out getting what they need. We stayed warm and I shared my favorite cold weather hack. After several years of working out of doors for a few hours each Saturday, I have learned that the best way to keep hands warm (and dry, too) is to wear vinyl food service gloves underneath my regular gloves. Works every time.

I parked the car and walked back to get the photo above.

It’s been a few months since this church’s sign has been featured here. The past few months it’s been sharing messages promoting church events and I’ve been patient waiting for this week’s message of love, hope, and joy. There are signs all over – Christmas lights on houses, wreaths for sale, and sadly there are too many signs urging me to make a purchase in stores all over.

As the sign suggests, I am going to use love, hope, and joy take me far. There are eleven days until. Christmas and I have five ahead of me in the classroom.

Sunday is always a busy day but there is room for love, hope, and joy. There is always is and I hope it takes me far. Today is started and it going to be a million and six times better than yesterday. I am going to stay warm by Making the Day Count or doing my best at it.

What signs are you seeing?Β 

Sign of the Week – Humor

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This week’s sign of the week was supposed to have been taken before Thanksgiving Break, but I never took the photo and left for a nine day break away from school.

It was needed.

Last Saturday the snow began to fall and it didn’t stop until Sunday morning; It was the largest single day snowfall we’ve had in more than a decade.

before break, I noticed the sign had changed and chuckled. It is fun to play along with the students and their language development. My generation had cool, groovy, and a few others that are cringeworthy to say out loud today!

Every Thursday and Friday I have bus duty at the corner for the carline. I’ve been doing carline duty for several years and I enjoy seeing the kids walking to school and the parents dropping tier kiddos off for a day of learning, I have even befriended (well maybe) a dog or two. The past few years I’ve had a partner at the corner, but she’s been out this year and I am looking forward to seeing her back next year – true, bruh.

I take my wireless speaker out with me and I play tunes as the kids cross the street and I wave the cars in for the drop off. I share a few high fives and a bunch smiles. When I finish, I am able to encourage the hallway stragglers to make it to call before the 8 o’clock bell. But this week the carline has been brutal and the carline has persisted past the first period bell.

Office Hedge is our school resource officer and he’ll will join me when he’s at our school. Thursday we took care of the line and had it clear by 8:02, with time enough to take the photo below. It was cold and it took my fingers twenty minutes to warm up when I went inside. Friday I was back at it again, but without Hedge.

We’ve got snow forecast for tonight into tomorrow morning with a couple more inches to add to the snow pack.

We have two more weeks before winter break and I am sure the kiddos have visions of sun plum fairies dancing in their heads. I know the teachers do, too.

It’s Saturday and today is always a busy day for me. I am off to Loaves and Fishes to serve others and get love in return. The rest of the afternoon are afternoon chores and maybe, just maybe I’ll get to enjoy a college football game by the hearth. Today’s going to be an amazing day so I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, having a little fun and sharing joy with others.

How are you sharing joy with others this season?

 

 

Sign of the Week – Gratitude

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November has been a beast, October started it. Maybe it’s the leaves falling, or first quarter ending and second quarter starting. Either way, I feel as though I’ve been chasing my tail all month long.

Last weekend, I took a quick trip to the lake house – up Saturday afternoon and back Monday afternoon. It was a trip to replace the Nest thermostat which Google stopped supporting in late October. I figured (correctly) it would still work, but we wouldn’t have a way to check or change the temperature settings. O offered her Nest thermostat from her college house, and I took off when my Saturday shift at Loaves finished. I packed the car leftovers from the fridge for dinner when I arrived and both dogs.

It was a good thing I drove up. When I arrived, the thermostat was set to OFF and the inside and outside temperatures were the almost identical! 44F (11C) yikes. It was cold. I turned on the heat and within a couple of hours the cottage was a comfortable 65F (18C).

I am thankful I had the flexibility to take off for a quick trip to the lake.

I remember the weekend when I installed it in 2013. It is funny how the mind works. I re-read the post and like almost every post I reread, I found a typo or two. I also discovered I’ve become a better writer, and I realize that WordPress has developed incredible storytelling tools, even when I still must edit after I press publish.

I am thankful I continue to learn and grow, and I am thankful for WordPress. It was a good choice fifteen and half years ago and it is still today.

Sunday morning, I had a list of chores and a hope. I decided to tackle the thermostat switch, but I discovered that O’s thermostat wasn’t a good match and I needed a replacement. I checked Home Depot and discovered I could get one on Wednesday, so I checked where I bought the original Nest – Lowes and they had three in stock.

So, the dogs and I took off for the Lowes in Gaylord and a new thermostat. Hopefully this thermostat will last another dozen (or more) years.

Two hours, total. Up, back, and then a quick install and now we can monitor the climate in our lake house remotely.

On our way back to the lake, I saw the above sign; boy, do I love the wisdom. Gratitude and thankfulness, indeed it is a lifestyle, yet like many of the values and ideals in America it has a day set aside for it – Thanksgiving.

This year my school district switched the timing of parent conferences to October, instead of November and set aside the ENTIRE week of Thanksgiving as a break for teachers and administrators. This year we had nine days instead of six.

I am thankful for the three extra days; it makes a difference in where I am on the ninth morning.

After the installing thermostat I had another errand and few chores before cooking dinner and settling down for the night.

It was a beautiful day to be working outside; and my canine companions enjoyed the time to play, and I enjoyed the sunset and moonset. Monday morning, while practicing gratitude with Five Minute Journal app, I caught the most beautiful morning sunrise. I was at the right place at the right time for all three photos.

Sunday evenings’s sunset, 5:08 PM EST
Sunday evening’s moonset, 6:57 PM EST
Monday morning’s sunrise paints the early morning sky, 7:41 AM EST

I am thankful I was able to see the sky and enjoy the beauty of nature.

It is the ninth and last day of Thanksgiving break, and yesterday we received a good amount of snow, had it fallen during the school week it might have been a snow day, but it fell Saturday. The yard is beautiful and I am thankful I was able to get the yard mowed, as many leaves as I could gather, and finish almost all our Christmas lights up Friday.

There was one thing I couldn’t squeeze into Friday, and it was refilling the bird feeders. Saturday morning as the first snowflakes fell, I filled the feeders. A couple of hours later, I saw a bird I have never seen at the feeder. I snapped a photo and asked Merlin to identify it, and it came back – Dark-eyed Junco.

There were several Dark-eyed Juncos enjoying the opportunity to take part in a Thanksgiving feast of their own. The bird feeders continue to spark my curiosity and learning. There is always something at the feeders to see and wonder.

I am thankful for the family of bloggers who encourage my curiosity and challenge me.

It has been an amazing break, and I have done the things I needed to recharge and finish 2025 strong. When I started writing t was Saturday and I was by a warm hearth, and it was snowing. It is still snowing and the fireplace has gone cold, for the moment. Today is going to be an amazing day, it could be a million and six times better than yesterday. But I will ever know unless I jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days COUNT, one day at a time, practicing Thanksgiving as a lifestyle, not a day.

What’s on your gratitude list?

The video above was created in October during our visit over the Columbus Day\Indigenous People’s break