I spent a nice afternoon hanging out with my sister at Barnes and Noble, but I didn't like either of the pictures that I took there. I decided to use this one. I took it yesterday in the fish market at The Waterfront in West Des Moines, when I was there for lunch. Is that really an octopus in there? I don't think I'll be buying any.
Today was a day of friendship, and enjoying the company of some of my very dearest and closest friends. I met Nancy at the Waterfront for lunch. I really miss her now that she has moved out of town. We had a delicious lunch with nonstop conversation. We did a lot of catching up, but finally had to leave after taking up a table for two hours. After that, I spent the afternoon hanging out with Chris while she was holding an open house at her massage business.
Both used to work with me. Nancy is still a counselor, but has moved to a new school district, and Chris has retired from teaching, and begun a whole new career. I really miss seeing them both every day. I have gone months without seeing either or them, because I have been so busy. Today was a reminder of what is really important in life: the people in our lives. The beautiful basket that you see here, was made by Chris. She carved it from a gourd. I love the textures and vivid colors. I am awed by her talent.
It's Friday and I'm home, but I sure brought a lot of school with me. There are so many things I didn't even bother to bring home, because I knew I wouldn't do them. So often, I cart things home, and then cart them back to school, without ever taking them out of the bag. That may be true for this weekend, because I am really exhausted.
I have written before about how much my students love science. Today was one of the most exciting days of the school year, because it was the day we dissect owl pellets. Kids come into 4th grade knowing that at some point during the year, they get to participate in this lesson. There is a tremendous amount of excitement, anticipation and curiosity as they open the pellet to reveal the miniature parts of the skeleton within. When they first unwrap the pellet there is lots of giggling and some squeamishness, but soon their curiosity takes over. The room is loud and chaotic, and overflowing with the joy of learning.
This is a sculpture in the Pappajohn Sculpture Garden in downtown Des Moines. This is just one of an entire collection of sculptures that were donated by the Pappajohn family, and they were just installed this past summer. The sculptures take up an entire city block, and they use to be in the Pappajohn's yard. I'm glad I don't have to mow that yard! I didn't actually take the picture today. I took it on my birthday, and I've been saving it for the right day. I don't know the real name of this sculpture, but it reminds me of how I feel on days like today. Overwhelmed! Overwhelmed by too much data, too much information, too much stuff, and too many demands. I am on information overload!
Earlier this month we had a few days of outside recess, but after an ice storm last week, and blizzard conditions yesterday, we are back to inside recess. Over the years, I have accumulated quite a few playthings for the recess cabinet, so it's kind of interesting to see what the kids choose. A few people play games, but for the most part, the boys like to build, either with legos, K-nex or dominoes. The girls seem to like to draw. Some choose paper, but the little white boards we use for math, are by far the most popular.
Today was our fifth snow day of the school year. To be more precise, this is really an ice day. I was awakened around 3 a.m. by the freezing rain hitting against the windows. Now the entire house is encased in 1/4 inch sheet of ice. Every tree branch, every twig is encased in ice. It was beautiful! Then as the hours passed, the weight of the ice and the wind, caused branches to break and crash to the ground. Now my front yard is littered with the broken limbs. They will stay there for awhile. I have not set foot out of the house today, nor have I gotten dressed, and it's going to stay that way. In my 23 years of teaching, I do not remember a year where we have missed this many days of school because of weather. While I love staying home, each day must be made up. Our school year has now been extended to June 14th.
On the drive to school this morning, I was noticing the hoarfrost on all the trees. That is a vocabulary word that was introduced to us by our principal just a week ago. So my initial plan was to capture the lacy look of the frost encrusted trees. I was going to park behind the building and photograph the arboretum, until I saw the warm glow of the light from the school windows. I like the way the building wakes up as teachers arrive and one by one light their classrooms. This is a great school!
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The kids had the day off. For the teachers it was a work day in the morning and professional development in the afternoon. There are two highlights of our days without kids. 1) We are able to wear jeans, because we are not allowed to when the kids are here. 2) We get to go out to lunch. Today we didn't have a lot of time, so we headed to one of my favorite places to eat, Jimmy John's. Notice the smiling faces. We had more than 30 minutes to eat, no cafeteria food, and no recess duty. It was a great day! I finished my report cards in the morning, and was able to have everything ready for the week.
Today was supposed to be my work day, since I spent most of yesterday celebrating my birthday. I did do some laundry, and worked on report cards very briefly, and then I went shopping. I suppose I could blame it on my dear sister, because she gave me a gift certificate to Kohl's for my birthday. I can always find something I like at Kohl's. I ended up with clothes, but not until after I enjoyed spending time in the housewares. I love the colorful dishes, towels, and linens. These bright cheery placemats, really caught my eye.
Today was my birthday, and I've had a great day. It was hard to decide what part of the day to represent in a photo. I enjoyed my morning here at home. I love leisurely mornings, sipping my tea or cappuccino. After a busy week, being able to turn off the alarm and get up when I want, is a gift in itself. It was a bright sunshiny day in the thirties, so in the afternoon I went downtown to explore the new Pappajohn Sculpture Park. I have driven past it many times, since its installation last summer, but this was my first time to walk around and explore. The Pappajohns have given a fantastic gift of all of the citizens of Des Moines. After that I spent some time hanging out at Starbucks. The highlight of my day, was being taken out to dinner by my sister. Jacci picked me up at 6 and took me to The Waterfront in Ankeny. Along with the restaurant, there is a fish market, and sushi bar. We had a delicious salmon dinner. I am so lucky to have such a great sister, and it has been a fantastic birthday!
We are still working on science, and as you can see the kids are very into it. This picture cracks me up. The boys are examining mineral samples. Today we were trying to determine which rock samples contain calcite. Did you know that calcite reacts to acid by foaming and bubbling? The acid we are using is vinegar, so our classroom reeks of vinegar right now. That would be my least favorite part of the lesson. I hate the smell of vinegar! Some of the kids were with me on that one.
These are the lockers in our third floor hall after the kids have left for the day. Everything has been put back in place. I've been thinking about photographing them all week. I like the vertical pattern of locker doors and handles, and the lines of perspective as your view moves down the hall. More than that, I like the order and calm. It is in stark contrast to the way they look during the day, stuffed with coats and backpacks to the point that scarves and corners of jackets bulge out the edges of the doors. Sometimes these old lockers fight back, and refuse to give up their contents, Then our custodian has to attack the latch with a screwdriver in order to liberate a child's belongings.
This is why I like to stay late after school. After the excitement, after the chaos, after the cocophony of voices, the lockers and I savor the silence. We reorganize and prepare for another day.
The picture I was planning to use for today is on my computer at school, so I decided to use this one instead. I took it on my trip to the Des Moines Botanical Center on Sunday. I love the colors in the leaves. Looking at the dark green foliage is calming after a difficult after school meeting.
My kids just love science! I wish I enjoyed teaching it more than I do. I love that they are so enthusiastic and interested. I just wish I had more space to store all the materials, and more time to set up for a lesson. Whatever we are doing, be it Earth Materials, the Human Body, or Electricity and Magnetism, they are absolutely thrilled with every lesson. They love handling the materials, using the magnifiers to get a close up look, and conducting their experiments. They are truly scientists in the making.
We have had 35 inches of snow over the past few weeks, followed by frigid temperatures, so very little of the snow has had a chance to melt. This huge mountain of snow is piled in the parking lot at the grocery store near my house. With each subsequent snowfall the mountain has grown into a mountain range, because there is no other place to put all the snow. Signs are posted to keep off. I know when I was a kid, I would not have been able to resist the temptation to climb to the top and slide back down.
I woke up this morning thinking about where I could go to take today's photo. I decided it was a good day to visit the Des Moines Botanical Center. After the frigid temperatures and 35 inches of snow that we have experienced here in Iowa, the idea of going somewhere that is warm and humid was very appealing. The Botanical Center is like an oasis in a frozen tundra. From the morning news, I learned that today was the first of a series of concerts, "Blues at the Botanical Center", so the deal was sealed, because I am a big fan of Blues. It turned out to be a very pleasant afternoon.
I had a difficult time choosing my picture for today. It was not because I didn't have one, but rather because I had to decide between several. I spent time in three of my favorite places today: the library, Gong Fu Tea, and Costco, so it was hard to make a choice between them. I chose Gong Fu, because I am really enjoying the luxury of a delicious cup of steaming tea these days. I enjoy sampling new flavors, and as you can see by the tins lining the wall, there are many to try. Not only do I enjoy the tea, I like the ceremony and the paraphernalia that goes with it. I like watching the clerks climb the ladder to lift down the precious tins. They carefully weigh and scoop the tea into the bags. I love the shape and line of the teapots that stand on the shelves. There are special spoons to stir the tea, cups to brew the tea, fancy tins to store it in, and teapots of all sizes. It's a pleasure to savor the rich aroma of the tea as it steeps. And finally to anticipate the comforting warmth and flavor of the tea as I grasp the cup in my hand, and sip slowly..
We are only eight days into the 365 Photo Challenge, and I'm already beginning to see a theme emerge. This is the second time that my little Acer Aspire Netbook has made it into the picture. I have only had a netbook since last March, but having one really has changed the way I spend my leisure time. Now, instead of being parked in front of the television, I am in front of this little computer screen. I frequent coffee shops, bookstores, and restaurants that have free wireless internet available. When the wireless internet at home goes down, that is cause for alarm.
This time spent on the internet has broadened my horizons, putting me in touch with people from all over the world. It has changed the topics that I talk about, and read about. It has transformed the way that I teach. It has altered the way that I look toward the future. And now there is this new blogging thing. We have already had four snow days this school year. Much of that time, and the two weeks I had off for winter vacation have been spent reading and now writing blogs. Writing! The return to an old love! Who would have thought it? And the soup was good, too.
Today was an early dismissal day, so that teachers could participate in professional development. Fortunately for us, our principal always provides us with some sort of snack to get through the afternoon. This is a great benefit, because she is a fantastic cook. We enter the library to sign in, and there next to the agendas, is this beautiful plate of iced cookies. This was definately a two cookie PD, so the platter was completely empty by the time we left at 3:15.
Today was another day of inside recess. For the fourth day in a row we woke up to below zero temperatures. I know the children need their exercise, but sometimes I like inside recess, and the kids seem to like it too. On days like today, I enjoy watching them play. This group really has fun together, and they seldom bicker. They like to work with Legos and Connects. Dominoes are another favorite activity. I doubt any of them have actually ever played a game of dominoes. They like to build with them, and they especially like to create domino runs. They will spend their entire recess planning and patiently setting them up. At the end of recess, we all gather around in suspense waiting to see if the dominoes will fall correctly. Successful domino drops are greeted with cheers and applause.
