Tag Archives: history

Thursday’s camp update

Friday, June 29, 2012, @ 12:46 pmadventure, country, Family, Life in General, Reading, Scouting, teaching, travel, Weather, Writingchildren, education, Family, great days, hard work, history, making the days count, reading, scouting, Summer Vacation, weather, writingClay

Troop 35 begins Thursday with the Flag Ceremony

I have been blogging all week from Troop 35’s spot on the web – Wheaton Troop 35 dot org, chronicling the troop’s adventures for the folks back home. I have been writing and I’ve had help with the photos from the other assistant scoutmasters. It is great to be part of such a wonderful team, I know the scouts can feel it, too. Below is today’s post to save you time. Today is truly gonna be a great day. Making the Days Count from Scout Camp, one day at a time! Continue reading Thursday’s camp update →

Summer Camp 2012 update

Monday, June 25, 2012, @ 11:50 pmadventure, country, Family, Reading, Scouting, teaching, Weather, Writingchildren, great days, hard work, history, making the days count, patriotism, reading, scouting, seventh grade, sports, Summer Vacation, teaching, weather, writingClay

leaves_of_three — Leaves of three, leave it be – poison ivy!

I am at summer camp with the Boy Scouts this week. We are at camp Tesomas in northern Wisconsin, not far from the UP (Upper Peninsula) and it is truly the north woods. It is good to get away; no, it is wonderful to be a boy all over again. This place takes me back in time, when I could play, and run, and swim, and fish, and just be outside.

I missed my Monday post, and Sunday post, too. I am blogging, but at a different location – I posted a short MtDC (Making the Days Count) with pictures this morning at the troop site – it is Wheaton Troop 35, please follow the link. The past two years I blogged and shared MtDC with the parents, this year I am blogging at the troop site. I had hoped to be able to do both the troop site and blog here, too – but I am realizing that it is difficult to keep up, so I’ll do what I can and keep you updated, via short posts with a link to see the troop post. Continue reading Summer Camp 2012 update →

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 →

Last Day, summer begins

Friday, June 1, 2012, @ 5:29 amFamily, history, Reading, teaching, Weather, Writingchildren, education, Family, great days, hard work, history, making the days count, reading, seventh grade, Summer Vacation, teaching, weather, writingClay

Summer is finally here! It is the day that most kids look forward to on the first day is here, the last day. It has felt like summer, off and on, since March, but today it is 50⁰F, overcast, and drizzling. It feels more like early fall than summer. However, it is here. Continue reading Last Day, summer begins →

Down to two

Wednesday, May 30, 2012, @ 5:20 amFamily, history, Life in General, pets, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Writingchildren, education, Family, great days, Guys Read, hard work, history, making the days count, pets, reading, seventh grade, Summer Vacation, teaching, writingClay

I can always count on opening my laptop to slow my productivity to a crawl. With three days left in the school year, there is the frenzy of finishing all the end of the year stuff, cleaning my room, and trying to channel my student’s energy in the right direction. I awoke early this morning, very early, because a) I set my alarm and it was ringing, and b) Ivy was barking about something. I let her out, started the coffee, and went outside to wait for her to finish the yard inspection and the coffee to brew. She came back to the deck satisfied the yard was safe, at least until daylight and we both went inside. I grabbed a cup of coffee and together we went to the basement; I went to wrap up grading a final set of papers and focus on Wednesday and Thursday and Ivy lay down beneath the desk and went to sleep. I think she got the better part of the deal. Continue reading Down to two →

Blogoversary, really

Saturday, May 26, 2012, @ 10:26 amadventure, Family, history, Life in General, racing, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Writingchildren, education, Family, geography, history, Indy 500, making the days count, patriotism, reading, seventh grade, sports, Summer Vacation, teaching, writingClay

Two years ago, actually 104 weeks ago to be precise, I sat down and started writing Making the Days Count. It started as a dot com but, it has morphed into a dot org, however you can get there either way. You can even get there with dot info and dot net too, but it doesn’t matter how you got here, it is that you are here and reading, following along, thank you. It started because the previous school year had been crappy, from the beginning until the very bitter end in 2010. New curriculum, new schedule, crappy teaching (yes, I was crappy, very crappy), and some students who fought me every inch of the way made it even crappier. There were some excellent students that year, but they got lost in a year when I always behind, always unprepared, and contemplating whether I was cut out to be a teacher, or not. Continue reading Blogoversary, really →

Under ten

Sunday, May 20, 2012, @ 6:18 amFamily, history, jobs, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Writingchurch, education, Family, great days, hard work, history, making the days count, Mostar, politics, seventh grade, Stari Most Bridge, teaching, writingClay

Coat_of_arms_of_Mostar — Mostar’s Coat of Arms

It’s Sunday morning and it’s quiet, very quiet. I have an hour, that’s all I have this morning before I need to spring into action and be a part of the family for church and then activities. The weekend has been booked, booked solid with conformation, sports, scouts, and home tasks screaming to be completed. And, to top it all off – I am ‘under ten.’ Continue reading Under ten →

Late morning, Saturday…

Saturday, May 12, 2012, @ 11:26 amadventure, Family, history, Life in General, Reading, Scouting, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Writingchildren, eating, Family, great days, hard work, history, making the days count, Paris, reading, scouting, seventh grade, teaching, writingClay

It had been a long week, made even longer by the antics of a handful of students and I was looking forward to getting home Friday afternoon, but it was evening when I got home Friday night. William was mowing the grass, Beth was working in the yard weeding, and I felt guilty for not wanting to jump in and help. But, not guilty enough to jump in and help. Besides, I figured I’d get busy on Saturday and do some chores, like the gutters – which are full of maple, elm, and other tree seeds. Continue reading Late morning, Saturday… →

Winding Down

Thursday, May 10, 2012, @ 5:31 amFamily, jobs, Reading, Scouting, teaching, Writingchildren, education, exercise, fishing, fitness, great days, hard work, history, making the days count, pets, reading, scouting, seventh grade, Summer Vacation, teaching, weather, writingClay

: Courtesy of FineArtAmerica.com

It is Teacher Appreciation Week and I am feeling appreciated. More importantly, I am grateful for the teachers I had who shaped me through their lessons, stories, patience, and passion. Thank you to, and in no particular order, Atlee, Guinn, Wright, Giesberg, Clark, Shand, and Gilbert. I know there were more, but it’s early and I am thinking and writing. I am also grateful to the teachers who have shaped my kid’s lives and made a difference for them. THANK YOU and THANK YOU for being a teacher. Continue reading Winding Down →

Saturday morning, late April

Saturday, April 28, 2012, @ 7:27 amcountry, Family, history, Life in General, Reading, sports, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Weather, Writingbaseball, children, education, hard work, history, Imperfect: An Improbable Life, Jim Abbott, Major League Baseball, making the days count, MLB, reading, sports, teaching, weather, writingClay

It’s been a loonnnnnggg time. This morning, I woke up on the couch. It’s where I fell asleep in the middle of the night when Ivy began to bark, yowl, and whine. She wanted out, so I crawled out of bed and went downstairs only to fall asleep on the couch after I let her in. I decided it was easier to stay downstairs than go back up and covered up with Ivy snuggling in a ball at my feet. Hours later, as night slid into early morning, the pitter-patter of rain woke me and I heard a rumble of thunder. It was time to get up and get going, and Ivy wanted out. Continue reading Saturday morning, late April →