Thoughts

I've

Walked in ever-present mist,

 Amidst thatched-roofed, stone cottages, 

Between brightly painted buildings,
Beneath aged stained glass windows,

Bundled against the biting wind,

Along steep cliffs,

Around sheep, cows, 

Watched the white capped waves,

Listened to Molly Malone,

Thought of Maeve Binchy,

Wondered about ancestors, decisions, emigration,
Reflected on family, culture, loss,
Pondered the future,

Not quite ready, yet ready,

To return to real life,

To go home.

Moated Castle High On the Hill

Amazing to think...

Long, long time ago....

I do not remember when.....

In the age of knights and princesses....

Moated castles high on hilltops.....

Some family called this drafty castle,

Made of rock....

Without heat, running water...

Perched on a rocky cliff....

With windy steps to its turret....

Home.

Amazing to think....

#sol18 This Old House

I've been out of the writing routine this summer, so two posts in two days may overwhelm my 10s of readers....but like exercise, once I start writing, it gets easier.....

After decades of This Old House viewing and after embracing Chip and Joanna Gaines ship-lapped miracles in Texas, I know you can take an old house and make it "new" again.   I also know that sometimes, when you open a wall/floor/vent/drain......you might find that parts of the house were held together with old gum/baseball cards/rusted bolts......

So it was when the plumbers came to repair a leaky toilet tank.....I was optimistic it was not a huge job....and it wasn't...but the partner asked casually, "Is there any other job you need us to look at?"

I hesitated, fully aware of the Pandora Box I might be opening.  Yet they seemed nice enough and had come out as soon as I called in about my emergency leak!  So, I mentioned the tub drain that was SLOWWWW at best even with regular visits from the likes of Draino.  And, I mentioned the kitchen sink that was also SLOWWWW at best even with regular visits from the gallon jug of Draino.

And they moved in....so it seemed....for two hours they kept bringing in supplies.....I was thinking I would need to serve up a meal!  They went up and down the stairs....."Check this out, Mam.  It looks like someone put screws in to hold this pipe together.....It's really soft....that's not good..."

I knew it wasn't good because I recognized the handiwork of a former owner who also used screws to hold the heating pipe together.  Holes filled with screws and bolts eventually blow...

I knew it wasn't good because I recognized the tone and hidden grin.  My dentist has the same look when he looks at a broken crown and says, "That's really soft.  That's not good."

I suspect at lease one of the trips to the truck was to ask his secretary/partner to order a new Beemer or to book the trip to Aruba.  He might have also called my dentist to share the good news.....

Then, he presented me with a bill and the "news" that we would need another appointment to finish the job.  It was clearly reminiscent of the dentist office...and their hourly rate is about the same....

Purple Soup

I bought purple carrots at the local farmer's market. They looked and tasted like carrots, but their rich purple color was more powerful as food coloring!

I started a soup base in the usual way with a whole chicken that simmered for a few hours.  Then, in a pot next door, I sauteed a leek or two, a pepper or two, a stalk of celery or two, and a bunch of now infamous purple carrots.  As I added the kale, a few minutes later, I saw a sight I never expected to see: the carrots turned EVERYTHING purple!

I wondered if the purple color would impact my enjoyment of the chicken soup even if it didn't impact the taste?  Looks are powerful and can influence how we think things taste/are.

I thought about the power of "one" small ingredient (or one small person) to change the course of events!

My mind wandered to a long ago memorized poem....

I never saw a Purple Cow

I never hope to see one

But I can tell you anyhow

I'd rather see than be one!

and thought of its next stanza

I did not plan Purple Soup

But at first I thought it fun.

But that purple threw my soup for a loop

I'd rather see than eat one!

New Year! New Car!

The back to school ads filled last week's papers and filled my soul with smiles and dread and thoughts and questions and fears and and wonders and concerns and promise and reminded me that this new chapter of life was real. I don't need to make a pilgrimage to Lake Shore nor to Staples. I don't need to buy 10 marble notebooks with sassy covers - one for each of my reading groups. I don't to buy new shoes and a back-to-school dress. This year.

However, in this new chapter I do need to either fix up my still-young-but-high-mileage-Mazda and figure out what that current whine indicates (calipers!?!?) or splurge on a new-to-me-car as I prepare for this chapter as teacher of teachers and mentor to many! I do not have the skill-set to maintain an aging (mileage-wise) car.  I do not have a back-up car when this one decides to deal with the ravages of high mileage. So, "get a newer car" was high on my summer "to-do" list.

I'd looked at new and gently used cars....Mazdas, Hondas, Fords, Toyotas, Volkswagons... I'd been to dealers where I felt gentle put downs and one where I could not find the exit door fast enough. I actually had one dealership where they asked me if my "husband"  knew I was buying a car?  I politely headed to the door and did not look back!

Buying a car  is not for the faint of heart nor is it a task for those of us who tend to over-think and over-analyse! Plus, gender-age-bias is alive and well in America!

So, today, when deep inside I knew I wanted to be celebrating with someone who "really likes cars," I ventured into a car dealership because I had noticed many local license plate holders with the name emblazoned on them and because it was raining too hard to do much else!!  The sales-person was fresh out of college, but spewed facts and comparisons about his cars that lined up precisely with those I had found through internet research. He volunteered tidbits and comparisons between models without pressuring me to buy anything,

Then, in the warehouse - literally- I sat in her.  Gray-like-me-yet-brand-new and waiting for someone to adopt her to have adventures.  It took a bit of negotiations and it took a few phone  calls to make the deal a reality....but it happened as the storm raged outside and the rain poured onto the dealership's roof and caused flooding on local roads.

I still had some concerns/worries/anxiety after leaving a deposit and arranging for a trade time as I found my old faithful car - literally buried behind many other shoppers in the parking lot as the rain continued to pour from the sky. But as I recalled those three-point-turn strategies it emerged,,,,a double rainbow just as my phone died.....

I'm not yet sure of her name....but I am sure she is part of my back-to-school-shopping experience this year. I am sure she cost more than those 10 marble notebooks at Walmart!  

If only I had bought shares in Tesla? If only I was buying a Tesla?,,,,,,this would have been an an easier purchase! sigh.....perhaps?.......

To keep or to give away...

That is the question as I go through box after box. I look at each book, cup, picture...I envision this project would be so much easier for Marie Kondo, but I ask myself, "Will this bring me joy," as I decide which pile. At times, the sentimental part of me emerges and the "things" I touch bring back memories.
I've certainly kept some things that will never bring me joy and I have given away things I already regret! Yet, as we cleaned out a box of old treasures the other day, I was reminded that some "things" bridge generations by providing near instantaneous joy.
"What's this?" the little one asked.
"It's an old harmonica," I responded cleaning the dirty old harmonica on my shirt and realizing it needed a bit more cleaning before I would be willing to show how it worked!
"What does it do?" she asked.
So, I showed her how to breath out and make music.
"It's a music maker,"she said excitedly as she made it make music.
Th old harmonica had been around the block a more than a few times; however, it still is decidedly in the keep pile as it still has the power to bring joy, especially inside a "secret" fort.

#sol2018: Fourth of July

I spent the morning, under an old shady tree, watching a Fourth of July parade. There was clapping, waving, juggling, and bike riding. There were fire trucks and police cars with horns honking and sirens blaring!

For local officials, it was a chance to see and be seen.
For children, it was a chance to be up close and personal with marchers and big trucks!
I must admit, there was something for everyone.If you look closely at the last photo, there was a reminder of one of the many freedoms we have in America: the freedom to READ!

`Probably not needed

One project on my to-do-list is to finish unpacking boxes. I really want to get my home in order so I can find things (as noted in paragraph 2)! I made good progress towards that goal during the first week of my summer.......I found missing clothes, books, dishes.......I found a few treasures, like my spring jacket, a brand new sundress, and a lots of children's books, that will be put to good use! However, I've taken lots of items that I do not need and really do not want anymore to Goodwill. Most importantly, I realize MOST items not used for more than 2 years are probably not needed and probably not worth keeping!

Another summer project is to research and collect reading and special education assessments. I made some progress towards that goal unpacking boxes (see first paragraph)! I found a few folders, binders, and books that will be put to good use! However, I've placed lots of papers and books in the recycling bin. Then, I ordered a few new books and started Googling what other Universities were teaching as well as what other states were doing.  Most importantly, I realize MOST items not used for more than 2 years are probably not needed and probably not worth keeping!  The really valuable resources are all available online, anyway!

Diana King

An Edutopia tweet brought back memories.

I spent two summers followed by an entire school year learning Diana King's methods for teaching students with dyslexia. While I was already "certified" in the Orton approach after a year at Catholic University, administrators in my district hoped that embracing Diana and her very slightly different methods would squish requests to have students attend her Kildonan school.

I found Diana's British accent endearing and her knowledge of linguistics amazing; however, I also remember her consistent before a break and before the end of the day quizzes!  Yes, she gave multiple quizzes to teachers every day and if you did not "pass," she would review and reteach until you knew it! 

In the course of my career, I've studied and been certified in not only Orton and King's methods, but also in Preventing Academic Failure and Wilson. While the sequence of instruction and format of a lesson vary slightly, the essence of each method is systematic, direct instruction in the phonetically consistent parts of written English.

There are new "voices" and programs for students who find learning to read challenging; but, Diana King's story is a reminder that teachers with lots of tools and tons of determination can make a difference in the lives of students with a "dyslexic" reading profile!

On the first day

I woke "on time" even without the alarm, as if I was poised to "get things done, on the first day! I  slipped into my bathing suit and a sweatshirt to ward off the early morning chill and slipped into the pool to warm up! Put daily exercise, no excuses on my daily schedule.

I headed to the pile of laundry where I sorted, purged, and began washing.  Put do the wash regularly on my weekly list!

I moved into the pantry and the fridge, next, where I removed questionable foods, merged duplicate containers, and organized the cleaned out spaces so that I could find things!  Put clean fridge on my bi-weekly list! 

I headed into the garage even though there was much more to do inside. The weather was near perfect and I knew that the 100 plus days on the horizon would not be good ones for hauling boxes.  The piles of now-falling-apart-boxes, valued treasures-memorabilia-collections, and really-more-like-junk were intermingled and to be honest, daunting (which is why this project has not been completed since I moved nearly 2 years ago)!  Don't put off for tomorrow what you can get done today, I smiled!

I remembered it would have been my parents 68th anniversary as I loaded boxes my mom packed for my not-yet-married nieces and nephews into my front seat. It's time to put them into the intended hands rather than in my garage, I thought hoping my mom would have agreed!

I was exhausted, but accomplished even if there were still many piles, closets and boxes ahead, as I climbed into bed to finish Brain on Fire. Put read for fun on my list this summer, I thought as I relished a first day well spent,