A week ago, it was cold and freezing rain and ice was bearing down us. This morning it was lightly snowing. In between, we’ve had a sixty-two degree day, rain, near zero temperatures, sub-zero wind chills, and our first significant snow – a paltry two and half inches. It is difficult to believe it is February in Chicago. Continue reading Sixty degrees in a week
It’s another Saturday morning and here I am. It was a good week and in the blink of an eye, it was gone. In last Saturday morning’s post, I posted a picture of the sunrise and a couple of folks, Ellie from Emerald Pie and Coleen from ColeenPatrick commented on the sunrise. Their comments truly made my day and reminded me of the power of the sun, sunlight, and the symbolism of light in our lives.
Here in northeastern Illinois, we don’t get much sunlight at this time of the year, Continue reading Here comes the sun…
It was early Saturday morning when I started writing this. When the alarm buzzed, rang, and disturbed my sleep this morning – I didn’t want to get up. But, I did. It’s a three day weekend and it will be over before I know it. It almost already is. Usually, we head north to snow country, but not this year, not enough snow and the kids have activities that keep us home – wrestling and softball. Then, of course, it is the football championship weekend and O and I will sit down and watch the games together, I hope.
The past week went by quickly. It was a blur. Continue reading Saturday morning, a little late
Hellfighters with John Wayne was one of the first movies I remember watching as a kid. I saw it at the Palms Theater in Sugar Land when I was in first grade when we were preparing to move to Venezuela. I saw many movies at the Palms; it was the kind of theater that every small town had with one screen, a concession stand, its walls were painted with a tropical theme lit just right before the movie began to give the feeling of being somewhere besides Sugar Land, Texas. I remember the children’s movies I saw there, but Hellfighters was for adults and there was something about watching movies with real action like oil well fires. It was hardly a great movie, but I remember it well. We even saw it at the theater in Venezuela, it was in Spanish with English subtitles, but they had cut the part at the end about Venezuelan rebels. I have seen it many times since and I even have a copy in iTunes my brother Warren gave me a few years ago.
I stopped going to the Palms when I got my driver’s license and I didn’t need mom or my bike to get me to the movies. Continue reading Movies and the Oscars, and thinking, too
Like most, no all, teachers, I eagerly waited for Winter Break. I knew how many days there were between Thanksgiving and break. I worked at making the learning count, while still counting the days until I could breathe. I dreamed. I made plans. Then, I got sick and ruined it all.
Since I have been married, I have spent Christmas in Ohio with my in-laws. I could not have chosen better in-laws, truly. There have been only a couple of times when I woke in my own bed on Christmas morning, and those were times when one of us was sick – me, B, or the kids, and travelling was just not a good idea. And, then we eventually made it to Ohio a day late. This year it was me. This year I had made it all the way to the last Friday Continue reading Winter Break
When I logged on this past Monday morning, the weather app thundered at me. It makes the thunder sound to alert me to a weather event; a watch, a warning, or worse. Often, it is an event in progress like a thunderstorm. This was warning me of the impending winter storm forecast to hit the region Thursday and Friday. Well, the storm came through last night. We got rain all Wednesday night and Thursday morning, then it got cold and started to snow. It was nice to watch, but it didn’t snow near enough, just enough to coat the grass and cover the ground with a thin white layer and not even enough to shovel off the driveway. But, it is a start and that means I can turn on the snow, on the blog that is.
Today is the day before Winter Break at school and the kids were wound up yesterday. Today is gonna be a letdown, because they were hoping for snow day. It didn’t happen, regardless, it is gonna be a great day! I know it, it’s the solstice and so much more. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one snowflake at a time.
What are you gonna do to make today a great one?
It’s Thanksgiving morning and the turkey is in the oven. There are yams cooking on the stove and it’s pretty quiet. Ivy’s been out a couple of times and she had a treat to start her day. I mixed chicken broth, warm chicken broth, with her dog food this morning and she enjoyed it. Actually, she’s in the doghouse with B, because Ivy woke us up just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. She had slept at the top of the stairs just outside our room and let out a yelp and short bark to let me know it was time to go out. I felt the warm spot on the carpet when I went downstairs to let her out and start the day. Unfortunately, B’s sleep was collateral damage and she followed me downstairs.
It’s my job to cook the turkey and it’s in the oven. The smells are just now wafting through the house and before long; the aroma of Thanksgiving Continue reading The turkey….
It’s great when I can sleep until the sun rises, usually I am on my way to school, and dropping W off on the way as the sun peaks over the horizon and new day begins. I would have missed it, but I set my alarm to get up early this morning, but I let it snooze and slept in. I needed it. I really needed to get a good night’s rest.
It was a treat to see the pinky-orange sky reveal a lightly frosted landscape this morning. It’ll burn off and I’ll get out, rake up the last few pockets of leaves, cover the lawn furniture, Continue reading Saturday morning sunrise
The sign says it all, ‘The quiet room.’ My kids tried to avoid it at all costs; I guess I would have, too, at their age. But, I’d sure like to go there for the next couple of days. Continue reading The quiet room
I am conflicted. It’s Monday morning and everyone is up. I got up early this morning, well early for a day off and instead of working, I read. It was good to read, but the opportunity cost is that I’m writing and it’s time to work to get things done, move, shake, rattle, and roll. But, I want to write. I also, need to grade and plan for the coming week. Before I know it, the day will be gone.
Instead of working, I read. I have been reading Continue reading Conflicted Monday