Tag Archives: writing

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 →

Summer Doldrums

Tuesday, June 19, 2012, @ 7:30 amadventure, Family, jobs, Reading, Scouting, teaching, Writingchildren, education, exercise, Family, fitness, Guys Read, hard work, making the days count, reading, scouting, Summer Vacation, teaching, weather, writingClay

The doldrums, it is the time after school has let loose and the time for camp and action. I started writing a post Saturday morning, but didn’t finish, Father’s day came and went, then Monday, too. It seems as if I am busier now than when school was in session. Trying to keep my focus has been a challenge. I find myself drifting when I should be sailing strong. Continue reading Summer Doldrums →

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 →

Alice’s Dairy Bar

Friday, June 8, 2012, @ 7:21 amadventure, Family, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Writingchildren, eating, Family, great days, making the days count, Poultry Days, reading, Summer Vacation, teaching, writingClay

It has been a week of summer so far, six days; some short, some long, but six days nonetheless. The kid’s summer started Wednesday afternoon and Thursday we headed off to visit grandma and grandpa in Ohio. Continue reading Alice’s Dairy Bar →

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? →

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 →