Category Archives: history

1969, an earthquake, and Amuay

Thursday, August 30, 2012, @ 5:18 amadventure, Family, history, jobs, pets, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Writing1969, Amuay, children, education, Family, great days, history, making the days count, reading, seventh grade, teaching, Venezuela, writingClay

1969_clay_pedro1 — Pedro and I – 1969 Venezuela

It has been two weeks since my last post am I feeling guilty that I haven’t written, but I have been busy with my school starting, the kid’s school starting, and the activities that come along with active kids and a family– sports practices, clubs, church, and family. I actually began writing a post earlier this week and stopped because I didn’t have time to finish and get to school, on time. At the same time, I have been trying to get the sleep and rest I need to lead a healthy and productive life. It has been a challenge keeping all of the roles in balance.

Continue reading 1969, an earthquake, and Amuay →

Summer Olympics

Monday, July 30, 2012, @ 7:38 amcountry, Family, history, Life in General, Reading, sports, teaching, Writingchildren, Dulles Jr. High Class of 1976, education, Family, Grayling, great days, making the days count, patriotism, reading, seventh grade, sports, Summer Olympics, teaching, writingClay

July 1976, it was the summer before high school. It was hot, as only southeastern Texas could get. It was the summer of a lot of things for me; growing up, figuring out who I was, figuring out what was ‘cool’ and what was not, who was cool and who my friends were, and getting ready for high school. It was also time for the Summer Olympics.

The Summer Olympics come around every four years, which is fortunate because if they came every summer, they might not mean the same thing, they might not be as special; because, the Olympic Games are something special. I have no memories of the Olympics before 1976. Continue reading Summer Olympics →

Friday morning, early

Friday, July 6, 2012, @ 7:12 amadventure, Family, history, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Writingbaseball, children, Cincinnati Reds, Family, Grayling, great days, history, Houston Astros, making the days count, sports, Summer Vacation, teaching, weather, writingClay

I skipped writing yesterday, too much goin’ on, in-laws arrived and I had a bunch to get done. Though momma might dispute that – I did take a nap yesterday afternoon before they arrived.

This morning, I came downstairs and grandma and grandpa were up. The morning culture at the cottage is sipping coffee in the front room and enjoying the lake view. It’s been that way as long as I we’ve been coming here. It is an amazing view. Continue reading Friday morning, early →

Independence Day – 236 years later

Wednesday, July 4, 2012, @ 7:30 amcountry, Family, history, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Writing4th of July, 4th of July fireworks, children, exercise, Family, freedoms, great days, history, Independence Day, making the days count, parades, patriotism, politics, reading, teaching, writingClay

‘We hold these truths to be self-evident…’

Originally, I planned to sleep in and skip today’s post. I figured most people would be busy at parades, barbecues, picnics, or fireworks; which just about describes what we’ll be doing here. Maybe even a bit of weed pulling and there are a lot to pull, or cleaning, organizing, and getting ready for grandma and grandpa to arrive Thursday.

But, I awoke at 5.15 and decided to get up and start the day; Continue reading Independence Day – 236 years later →

Setting sail, catching the wind

Friday, June 22, 2012, @ 9:07 amFamily, history, jobs, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, travel, Weather, Writingchildren, education, Family, great days, hard work, history, making the days count, reading, scouting, seventh grade, sports, Summer Vacation, teaching, weather, writingClay

It has been windy, lately, and my sails have finally caught the wind. The past couple of days have been hot, humid, and windy. The days have been full, productive, and truly ‘countable.’ Like many things this summer, I started and did not finish yesterday’s post.

The weather this summer, so far, has been warm to hot and dry. Tuesday and Wednesday were very windy, juts the right amount of wind to pick up my sails and move me out of the doldrums. I still have a ways to go before I am at full speed, but there is nothing like a sailboat on a summer afternoon. Continue reading Setting sail, catching the wind →

Flawless upgrades

Friday, June 15, 2012, @ 11:25 amadventure, Family, history, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Weather, Writingchildren, education, Family, great days, hard work, making the days count, reading, Summer Vacation, teaching, writingClay

the trumpet flower vine surrounds the deck

So far, summer has been everything I have asked for, but I have yet to tackle the most pressing things on my agenda. Yesterday, I upgraded the web in my home. It went flawlessly, because I read the directions and followed them to a ‘T’ and the outcome was what I wanted – expanded wireless service at home and being able to be on the net on the deck. Continue reading Flawless upgrades →

Ten days in

Tuesday, June 12, 2012, @ 10:27 amCooking, Family, food, history, jobs, Life in General, Reading, sports, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Weather, WritingBrown's Sweet Shop, children, eating, education, exercise, great days, Guys Read, high school football, making the days count, Ohio, reading, Summer Vacation, teaching, Versailles, weather, writingClay

: warm and dry – courtesy of The Chicago Tribune

Today is the tenth day of summer and it feels like the tenth day of summer. The weather yesterday was warm and dry. We need rain, the forecast yesterday called for rain however, the rain went either north or south but it completely avoided us.

There are things I would like to avoid, like interruptions, distractions, and lack of focus. However, that is what and who I am. I can distract myself like no one else. I can also be very productive or incredibly unproductive, like I was yesterday. I got nothing done and except for the annual physical – required for scout camp and because I am of a certain age. I did not learn anything I didn’t already know or suspect; I need to lose weight, I need to exercise, and I need to start now. Every summer, I get started and I lose a little bit of weight and exercise more than during the school year, but once school starts, I fall back to my old ways of doing things and eating. From what I heard yesterday, I need to start and make it happen AND stick with it. Continue reading Ten days in →

Next stop, High School

Wednesday, June 6, 2012, @ 11:37 amadventure, Family, history, Life in General, Reading, Scouting, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Writingchildren, Dulles Jr. High Class of 1976, Family, great days, hard work, making the days count, reading, scouting, seventh grade, Sugar land Junior High Class of 1976, Summer Vacation, writingClay

I remember it like it was yesterday. I can close my eyes and see my classmates around me crossing the stage as we waited in the lunchroom for the ceremony to be over so we could bust out the door and summer could start. That was thirty-six years ago and last night I sat in the gym watching the same event from my parent’s eyes, except I wasn’t crossing the stage, William was. Continue reading Next stop, High School →

Summer Reading

Monday, June 4, 2012, @ 10:12 amadventure, Family, food, history, jobs, Reading, teaching, Writingchildren, education, Family, Good Reads, Guys Read, hard work, making the days count, reading, scouting, seventh grade, Summer Vacation, writingClay

Books can really slow me down. I have been on a tear to read adolescent literature since moving to Language Arts a few years ago. Before then I read books about social studies – books for big people, such as The History of the World in Six Glasses or Salt: A World History and it would take me all summer or a semester to read them. Now, I read, on average, a book every two weeks, not bad. However, I have a more ambitious summer goal – to read twenty books. That is a book every four days, and that means I am going to be reading a lot! I know I am going to make somebody unhappy! Continue reading Summer Reading →

What now?

Saturday, June 2, 2012, @ 9:58 amadventure, Cooking, Family, food, history, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Writingchildren, eating, education, Family, great days, hard work, humor, making the days count, Paris, reading, restaurants, seventh grade, Summer Vacation, teaching, VdF, VdF Woodfield Mall, Vie de France, writingClay

Several years ago, I left a job after over twelve years. I remember that first day after I resigned, I decided to take a week off and wait for my new job to begin. I was uncomfortable, bitter, and out of sorts – feeling as though I had lost something, but not knowing exactly what it was. I had a similar feeling yesterday at the end of the day. Friday was a short day, but it counted as a workday and an attendance day for the students. I was finished with all of my duties as a teacher, cleaned my room, filed my grades and I was on my way home. I was exhausted and spent. The previous weeks had been frenetic at work and I had put off things at home to finish things at school, and vice versa. I was mess. Continue reading What now? →