The American flag flies on 9/11 in front of our home.
It is hard to believe, but I am seventeen days into the school year with 155 remaining. Mind you, I am not counting them, but rather working to make them count. In my last post, I referenced Mawi’s Unstoppable Blog: A blog for unstoppable educators & anyone who wants to be inspired. I had stumbled across his post and shared it with my students last Friday – over a week ago. Over the course of the week, I have reflected back to that moment in class when I challenged my seventh graders to be amazing and brilliant. At the same time, I challenged myself to do the same. Continue reading Week 4: Being Amazing and Brilliant – Part 2→
A very large combine greets fans outside the 'Corncrib' in Normal, IL
It seems odd to write “Day 60,” it does not seem like it has been sixty days, but it has. Yesterday’s post was day number fifty-nine and it was my fiftieth post. After re-reading it today, I realize it was not my best post. The past several days have been tiring and Tuesday would be no different. Continue reading Day 60: SLA and Cornbelter Baseball→
I have reached a milestone in my blog: fifty, five-O, 50 posts, or a half century. However, I look at it – it is a lot of writing. I never imagined I would have written so much. I have looked back at my writing, not all of it, and decided it needs polishing, revisiting, and it helps me remember what I have accomplished this summer. Some of the writing is reflective and some informative. It has been a pleasure to write. Continue reading Day 59: Driving to Normal, my 50th post.→
The colors pass the main viewing area in the Ausable River Festival parade.
The frenetic pace of leisure finally caught up with me and I had a very lazy morning. Friday’s events had worn everyone out and Beth and the kids slept late, or so I thought they would. Despite the excitement of Friday afternoon, Olivia was up ready to go at eight. William and Beth woke up later. It was cloudy and sprinkling, it did not look good for the afternoon’s parade or the evening’s canoe race. Continue reading Day 57: The Parade and the Race→
We began today with overcast skies and it slowly started to drizzle and then light rain. It stopped and then started again. The pattern repeated itself many times until midday when the big rains came. By the end of the day, we had over an inch of rain on the ground and excited Ivy who did not get our much today. If she was anything like us, she relished in the light day. It was nice and I did get a few things done.
Our friends, the Harrison’s, returned to Wheaton this morning leaving us to entertain ourselves. We all got up to wish them goodbye and then the rainy morning took over. It left us all sort of lethargic and sleepy. William went back to sleep and took a long nap. Beth crawled back in bed and read a book. Olivia and I had fun in the front room: she watched the CBS Sunday Morning and the Tour de France with me trying to change the channel when I was not paying attention in bed and I wrote and paid minimal attention to the television. Both are classic Sunday morning television shows for July at the cottage. Unfortunately, the CBS Sunday Morning episode was a repeat and I remember watching part of it last fall. The Tour was not a repeat and Lance Armstrong is not leading this year. Continue reading Day 51:Rain, rain, and more rain….→
Independence Day, July the Fourth means is an important day for Americans. Since moving to the Midwest in ’91 Beth and I have spent many Fourth of July’s at the cottage on Lake Margrethe. I have missed only a few.
The Fourth in Grayling is much like anywhere else in America. They have a parade at eleven and fireworks when it gets dark, usually around ten. This year the parade and fireworks were on July 3, a Saturday, probably because the Fourth fell on a Sunday. I do not know why and it is not important. I do know that Grayling was not alone as William and I travelled from camp to Michigan we saw at least two parades and detoured around them.
Sunday, the fourth was like any other day at the cottage, quiet and peaceful with coffee to share with Grandma Weaver as we looked out across the lake. There is no view better. I have seen that view many times summer, fall, winter, and spring. Each is different. Sometimes it is foggy and the hills are barely visible, sometimes it is clear and that water is like glass, regardless of the time, there is no view that is the same. Sometimes the coffee is strong but the conversation is always good no matter how strong or weak the coffee. Morning is a special time at the cottage sometimes William will come down the stairs and sit with Grandma, though he is getting too big to share the chair with her. Continue reading Day 37: Independence Day→
The last day of camp, or a vacation, is always somewhat sad and happy, all at the same time. We are sad because we are leaving and our time went quickly and we are glad to go home to see our families and friends who did not come with us and we have missed. Our time at Tesomas has been special and we all have enjoyed our time at camp and the time with each other.
Saturday morning we got up at six and started to break down camp. We wanted to get personal gear and troop gear packed before flags, breakfast, and the final video showing after breakfast. The scouts worked together packing their gear, cleaning, and rolling their tents. By the time we left for breakfast, all but one or two tents were down, packed, and staged to be loaded into the troop trailer. Breakfast was quieter than usual, perhaps because so many scouts felt like us – excited to go home but sad to leave. Traditionally, when breakfast ends we watch a video of the camp experience and it is fun to watch. The camp staff compiled pictures and video setting them to music to create the show; a few of our scouts made appearances and the scouts watched and cheered to show approval. Advancements in technology have made creating videos and slide shows much easier and I cannot imagine what would have been shown ten, twenty, or seventy-five years ago at the end of camp. Whatever it may have been, I am sure it left the scouts with a feeling of completion, a feeling of no regret; making the transition from camp life back to real life easier. Continue reading Day 36: No Regrets→
Daily life at camp has its rituals and routines. At the troop level, each day starts by rising, cleaning, dressing, and in general getting around. Sometimes we rise alone, other times we are greeted by others and we talk about the day before and the day ahead of us. Some mornings it is time to look out over the lake and enjoy the peacefulness of nature. Thursday morning was cool, but warmer than Wednesday morning, it had been a late night for our scouts. The Order of the Arrow ceremony and the fellowship afterwards had our scouts walking back into camp close to ten and lights out soon after. The activities of the week had tired our scouts and they were content to sleep. In camp, the next group to wake is usually the SPL or other scouts who get up and shower, clean up, or just get ready for the day. At seven the SPL begins to wake the scouts, there is a little grousing but, most scouts simply wake and are excited about a new day. The hoppers are the first to leave for the dining hall because they need to set up tables before breakfast. By 7:35 to 7:45, the rest of the troop begins to walk or cycle down to the dining hall and form up at the flagpole for the flag ceremony. Troops can sign up to lead the flag ceremony in the morning or evening, but we did not sign up this year. The camp staff assembles on the steps above the flagpole and the officer of the day calls attention and orders the color guard to advance and post the colors. The color guard marches the flag toward the flagpole attaches the flags to the halyard and awaits further instructions from the officer of the day. The OD orders the scouts to attention and to salute the flag or hold their hands over the hearts as the color guard raises the flag while the bugler plays reveille. Then the OD leads us in the Pledge of Allegiance:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all. Source: Section 4 US Flag Code.
The scouts release their salute and can stand at ease while the color guard retreats. Once the color guard retreats, the OD dismisses the color guard, staff, and scouts all walk over to the dining hall. This is how we start; it is routine, and a great way to begin each day. We will form up at the flagpole for evening flags later, but we have much to do in between and we will start all over the next morning. Continue reading Day 34: Flags→
Tall tales abound in the north woods of Wisconsin and camp lore.
Scouts and adults alike were greeted to a new day by the crisp clear air of a late June morning in the north woods of Wisconsin. Our day started and as usual, brushing our teeth and getting prepared for breakfast and the rest of the day. I ran into one of our adult leaders who told me he had lost his sunglasses Monday and realized he had probably left them at shooting sports – all the way across camp. He explained that when he woke up, he ran over to the area to find them. He was looking for them when he spotted a deer, a five pointer, wearing them. He told me, he asked the deer for his glasses back. The deer replied, no, they were his. So, the adult leader shot the deer and got his glasses back. He had me going there for a minute. After all, this is the land of tall tales and Paul Bunyan-like stories and the camp has a weather vane in front of the dining hall to prove it. We are all having fun at Tesomas. It truly is a great place.
I knew Monday was going to be a great day and the possibility that Tuesday would be a million and six times better as Bowling for Soup said in the chorus of their song, “Today is Gonna be a Great Day”:
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!
Patience is a virtue. Sometimes, I just need to be patient. The past couple of days have been days when I need to exercise patience with myself, my family, our puppy, but especially myself. Twenty-five days of summer vacation with fifty-seven remaining, they require patience.
There’s a hundred and four days of summer vacation,
‘Till school comes along just to end it,
So the annual problem for our generation,
Is finding a good way to spend it
Like maybe…
Bowling for Soup “Today is Gonna be a Great Day
The opening of the song says it all…really there are varying days in my family. For me, I will go back to school on Thursday, August 19 that gives me fifty-seven more days. My kids on the other hand start school on Tuesday, August 24, and so do my students, which gives them sixty-two more days of summer vacation so we have a problem how best to spend it….. Continue reading Day 25: Patience→
