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veterinarian always has good signs and I captured the signs below when we were here in February and the images were ‘out of date’ by the time I had time to write.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 letβs 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?
IMPORTANT – A couple of notes on today’s post….. it’s long, it’s personal, and it’s a re-post from 2015. Enjoy.
My dad was a Taurus. Today would have been his 82nd birthday. He passed away after a brief illness on July 20, 2009. He was 76, too young. His passing took me by surprise, though if I had been paying attention I would have known, or at the least been more prepared, more ready.
My dad and his mom – one year old – May 1934
It seems like just the other day, but it was almost six years ago. It was at the end of the school year and I remember the entire event unfolding in slow motion in my memory, as if it were yesterday.
A year after my dad passed away, my brothers and I escorted his cremains to France and spread his ashes where he wanted to spend eternity in the countryside of northern France. Since that summer, Iβve been on a quest to recapture and gather my history, my story β who I am, where I have been, and where I am headed. In a way, MakingtheDaysCount.org has been my journal and my travelogue. Continue reading Taurus the Bull – 11 years later→
Itβs 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 itβs 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 studentβs 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 havenβt 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 itβs 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.
Itβs 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 itβs 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, Iβd 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.
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.
Scullenβs 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 studentβs 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 βSign of the Weekβ 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 Iβve 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 weβd 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 itβs been a stormy week from last Fridayβs thunderstorms to Tuesdayβs 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 βsnowβ on until April. The forecast calls for snow Monday morning and we are really never out of woods for the possibility of snow until Motherβs Day in May. Really.
November has been a beast, October started it. Maybe itβs the leaves falling, or first quarter ending and second quarter starting. Either way, I feel as though Iβve been chasing my tail all month long.
Last weekend, I took a quick trip to the lake house β 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 wouldnβt 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 Iβve 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 Oβs thermostat wasnβt 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 β 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 β 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 couldnβt 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 β 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.
Whatβs on your gratitude list?
The video above was created in October during our visit over the Columbus Day\Indigenous People’s break
Saturday, I took the longest hike in a long time β just under three miles with two dogs in tow. Or rather being towed by one dog and staying out of the way of the other.
In the past couple of years, Iβve gone on shorter hikes but I havenβt been getting out for longer hikes for more than a while. Itβs a new year for the Take a Hike Challenge from the forest preserve and I skipped β23 and β24βs challenges but I am back this year.
outward bound Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL September 6, 2025 3:53 EDT
Saturday Fern, Nova, and I walked through Herrick Lake Forest Preserve. Itβs a favorite of mine, itβs close and a good length with forest and prairie landscapes with just enough up and down to get the heart moving while the feet are following each other round moving me from start to finish.
on the way back to the trailhead. Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL September 6, 2025 4:22 EDT
When I got home, I had enough energy to refresh the bird feeders and a few other chores before calling it a day. Fern and Nova were completely spent, too.
It is Wednesday and today is going to be a wonderful Wednesday. Itβs the middle of the week and school has a late start with a faculty gathering first thing at 7:30 AM. The bells will ring before I know it, so Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one foot after another is way to tackle life.
Is there something you’ve recently re-started that youβve been avoiding?
Last week I came up blank, this week I have plenty of material. I can always count on churches, especially the churches up north near the lake.
NOTE: I didn’t see that I had left the ‘G’ out of the word sign so the e-mail notification read “sin of the week.” But it is still in the url….. oops.
I found this sign in Gaylord, Michigan after dropping off one of the boats for service and winterization. Gaylord is a forty-minute drive north from the lake and on the edge of the snowline in the lower peninsula. Last season the area received over a hundred inches of snowfall and was devastated by an early spring ice storm. Our place got less than a hundred and was spared the worst of the ice storm.
no caption required. Gaylord, Michigan September 1, 2025 10:20 AM EDT
The churchβs message is a good reminder to be better every day. We all need help and in turn we can help one another, but together we can help a community. This church has been around a while as evidenced by the historical marker. Theyβve been lifting people up for more than a hundred and fifty years.
Itβs been a great week, and I finished Friday checking in the science safety agreements I handed out Tuesday. The turn in rate was pretty good at just over 70%, so Iβll be tracking down the remainder next week. For the coming week Iβll be helping my kiddos practice a few more science skills including the difference between an observation and an inference and encouraging curiosity.
Iβll be on the lookout for more signs, but I have a few more churches saved in case I come up blank again.
Today is going to be a great day. It will be busy helping people at the food pantry, then a few errands, and more to-dos than I have time, but Iβll make it count. So, Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, helping kids learn and helping people get what they need.
The week’s Sign of the Week is a throwback to last week.
I passed by Wiesbrook Elementary’s sign Thursday evening and found a gem and then went back in time to find some old photos.
Time flies…. when I was posting to Instagram, I added the song, Don’t Blink by Kenny Chesney,
Don’t blink, you just might miss Your babies growing like mine did Turning into moms and dads
Dads yes, have twin grandsons who are then months old tomorrow. Moms NO, unless you count the dogs, because she is a dog mom to two. But she’s grown and starting to test her wings.
This week flew past and when I blinked, it was Friday morning, the Saturday.
School’s back in session and I really made this last week count. It’s Saturday morning and I am off to Loaves and Fishes to serve others, but I’ll be home to make the afternoon count with the ’21 grad and dinner and maybe a walk with the dogs at one of my favorite forest preserves.
This could possibly 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
Making the Days Count, one day at a time, looking back to see where I’ve been, but keeping my feet firmly planted in the present.
W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Monday afternoon was hot, humid, and still.
Then the atmosphere exploded, and the temperature dropped 15 degrees (9C), the wind picked up, lightning and thunder flashed and crashed, and the rain fell.
And it didnβt stop.
I was volunteering at Loaves and Fishes, and we decided due to lightning to close early. I think our clients new it was better to go home and try another day.
The storms came in two waves and by the time it was over, we had gotten 3.5 inches of rain at my house and some places around the area got up to 7 inches. One of our neighboring schools had to close Tuesday because their a few of their schools had been flooded.
Tuesday morning was our first day of school with kids this year and even though the skies were cloudy, it was a bright sunny day inside.
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 letβs make sure that in every single possible way, Today is gonna be a great day!
Itβs Wednesday morning and weβre headed back for day 2 and building routines, remembering names, and spreading kindness. Itβs going to be a great year, and the sun is going to shine today!
my first day photo for my 27th year as a teacher, Wheaton, IL August 19, 2025 6:57 AM CDT
Today is going to be AMAZING. I know it and I can feel it, so Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, making new friends, learning new names, and spreading kindness.
The signs are everywhere β stores, roads, churches, and schools. Yes, even on the faces of parents and kids; Itβs time to go back to school.
My neighborhoodβs schools open yesterday and other schools around me opened Thursday, and few like mine, open next week. There isnβt a set day to go back or let out. The only days many of our school districts have in common are the holidays and spring break in my county.
the sign on Wednesday – two days before school… it was hosting an open house and meet and greet – the streets were filled
I passed the elementary school where our kids went from August 2003 until May 2014 and where we spent Halloweens, parent conferences, daddy-daughter dances, carnivals, and much more. Our kids had only one year when both were attending together; one was in fifth grade and the other a kindergartner.
I asked them for their memories of their time as Tremendous Tigers and this is what they responded:
β0ne time I got a splinter playing capture the flagβ
Β βThe memories of spectacular field days filled with fresh watermelon, with class filled participation and always looking forward to explore more days at the end of each yearβ
Both were nominated at some point as βTremendous Tigers.β
My kids are not going to back to school this August, their days are done for the moment. One is raising twin boys, and the other is figuring out next steps.
I am headed back for my twenty-seventh year as a teacher, but I am still learning.
Iβve been back for two days β mostly meetings to go over new initiatives and procedures, celebrate accomplishments and career milestones, and for an hour on Thursday β meeting a few of the kiddos and parents Iβll have in my classroom. It was the best hour of the two days. Β
Itβs Saturday and the last weekend before the kiddos arrive on Tuesday. I have Monday to work in my classroom and prepare for the first few days. Iβll be looking for signs and taking the first steps to welcome kiddos to their first year in middle school.
The Sign of the Week has been published on Fridays, but I ran out of time this week. Iβll be looking for new signs and maybe a few old ones this coming week. And who knows, I might even publish on Friday next week.
Today is going to be like the all of the Saturdays since school ended β AMAZING. I know it and I can feel it, so Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, getting ready for a new year of teaching and learning, always paying attention to the signs.
