#sol24 October 15 Grand Dogs For Me

"We've always had dogs," he said as his dog pulled desperately on the leash. "They sure are good company," he added with a smile that suggested the benefit of a dog for those of us who live alone, without acknowledging my quiet house.

There were many busy days (years in fact) when being alone was a goal rather than a problem for me; however, these days, my home is mighty quiet and alone is the new normal.

 

"I do think about it, sometimes," I offered, "and the thought of a pal sharing my porch on summer evening sounds inviting.  But, the thought of having to make plans with a dog walker if I go out for the day and the idea of bundling up for a walk late on a cold winter night have been deterrents. Plus," I added with a smile, "pets are like kids, you never know what you are going to get!"

"And," he laughed as he was pulled down the street, "most of the dogs on this street do have minds of their own." 

"I'll settle for strong-willed, visiting grand-dogs," I offered, but he was long gone on his walk/run after his beloved and strong-willed pet. Yet, my heart was remembering that long ago downy soft drowsy puppy snuggled next to me. "Grand dogs for me," I reminded myself, sternly!

 

 

#sol24 October8 Slice of Cake with Frosting

In a world where divisiveness, disagreements, and destruction headline the daily news, I am sharing a  happy slice of life about a small group of children who spent a couple of hours focused on decorating mini-cakes with mountains of frosting, layers of tiny cakes, and heaps of sprinkles!

The sugar laden picture (below) will not take away the assured pain of a huge-o hurricane nor will it restore peace in our world; yet, there is something peaceful and even hopeful about squishy pastel colored frosting oozing out of a gigantic tube filled with more sugar than any parent would allow any child to consume in a week! 

In reality, a cake decorating party is a messy event that is best held outside! 

To be honest, there was a lot of frosting wasted!

In retrospect, more sprinkles landed on the ground than on cupcakes! 

Yet, the sensory rewards from surrounding oneself with self-created sugary treasures are profound as evidenced by the smiles and laughter (not pictured)!        

This is a not-just-for-kids party idea!

 

#sol24 October 1 Good Bye, Neighborhood

I have written about the lawn jockey my neighbors

dressed for every holiday and Giants game.

He was a beloved fixture my grandchildren referred to as

the Little Man. Here is his story of his last adventure.

"I realized the end was near when he took off my Giants shirt and began to dig out my feet. I'd been a feature on the street for decades and I really wondered how many people would miss my costume changes to mark the seasons, holidays, and every sporting event.

While I was a little excited about the potential of a new adventure, I saw tears well up in his eyes and realized this was a new, and different chapter. Yet, he continued as if he was on a mission. His son finally showed up late in the afternoon and they lifted me onto the trailer with a fire pit and a mini fridge. I saw the little girl across the street watching the action from her porch."

"Can I go over to say good-bye she begged her grandma with tears streaming down her face.  I can't believe they are really taking him away!"

"Moments later, they were snapping a picture of me and the man was walking away while the tears poured down his face. I tried to be brave and smile for that picture, but to be quite honest, I was afraid.

There were some uncomfortable good-byes among the other humans, but the man stood by himself facing his old house. I realized at that moment, that life for each of us would never be the quite the same.

We pulled away moments later and I tried to bravely wave good bye to the house I had guarded and the neighborhood I had cheered for so many years.  

We had not gone very fall when I leaned over a wee bit while he was making a turn.  Without my feet being firmly planted on Earth, I leaned over and fractured my arm, the one I need to wave to my fans.  I am pretty sure it is a stress fracture as I sure was stressed!

Now, sadly, I sit in a storage unit where the sun does not shine and there are no cars going past.  I am waiting patiently, however, because that man with the tears in his eyes talked about something called retirement. He said it would be different, like a new season, and I think I saw a wee bit of a smile on his face as he told me to rest up for the next chapter. 

Right now, I'm a bit unsure about what will happen in this retirement stage, but I'll rest up for a bit and hope his smile is a sign of a new beginning, with new cars, and new human fans."

#sol24 September 17 Tree, Table, Book Club

 We gathered in a basement,

Are all book clubs in basements?

With grapes and cookies,

From 8 to 88 to discuss

Challenges of each stage of life,

Including cognitive decline.

Tree, Table, Book

We shared stories,

Our writing,

 Dreams of being published,

Compared thoughts about the characters,

Made bookmarks

To remember

To share our stories.

It was a first, for all,

An Intergenerational Book Club.

The book was uniquely suited

As if Lois Lowry had planned it!

We are all awaiting the sequel!

#sol24September10 Shopping for Santa?

 

When I heard James Earl Jones passed, 

I smiled and I remembered...  

Long ago, in the days before cell phones with cameras, 

I left school on December 23 with a huge list of 

what needed to be done for the looming holiday 

replacing lesson plans and curriculum concerns. 

The snow had already begun to fall, and the forecast called for 

lots of white stuff before the impending holiday.

 Part of me knew I really should head to the babysitter's to pick up my kids, 

but the other part of me hoped I had enough time to 

stop at the local Grand Union to pick up a few things.  

Like almost everyone else in town, I grabbed a cart and threw in the snowy day essentials like bread, milk, and eggs. I impulsively grabbed flour and sugar thinking I might just bake cookies while stuck inside. The lines were growing, so I pulled into the nearest one and impulsively grabbed a slew of the in-reach items.  A scored a couple of Swedish Fish, Twizzlers, M & M s, Hershey Kisses, Jolley Ranchers, Altoids, bubble gum, gummy. worms, pens, travel sized games and travel size toothbrushes for good measure. I was pretty sure this would be my last shopping before the big holiday and so I took full advantage of that impulse aisle! I suspect I was thinking about the excessive amount of sugar destined for those stockings or perhaps I was bemoaning the lack of weather appropriate footwear, but the voice behind me was comforting and familiar. 

"Helping the big man out?" he asked with a laugh as I threw the haul onto the conveyor belt. "Did you see these Santa candy dispensers?" he asked reaching for Santa Pez dispensers in the nearby aisle.  He carried only a handbasket, but was dressed for the snowy afternoon in an oversized coat. 

I surely smiled as I responded to the bigger than life local hero who popped 2 Pez dispensers onto my belt.  

"You needed them," he chuckled. 

Let's be honest. The novelty dispensers were 

a bigger hit than all the junk I purchased! 

I've long wondered how he retold the story

of his Grand Union encounter 

with a snow-holiday-stressed local teacher!

 snowfall outside 

#sol24 September 3 Wherever You Find Yourself

 

Schools have opened, pools have closed and the air has a certain chill; therefore, no matter what the calendar says, "summer" is over, and we must abandon slip-on sandals and lazy afternoons. In these waning days of summer, life moves slowly for most people, even though the days go way too fast for teachers and students! 

For some, the summer slow down has reached the ultimate in slow-motion events, The Annual End of Summer Tractor Parade! There really is something special about this parade that my cousin and #1 reader told me about even though this slow moving event could  make local kids excited about school!

                                                                    (Montgomery, NY)

For many of us (teachers and students probably fit in here), the summer slow down has led to abandoning damp swim suits for Scrabble. Life, or Jenga blocks!  We hit the stores for backpacks and shies and now find ourselves teetering on the edge of excitement and trepidation! Fall is like that! 

For some. today is just a new day or working and transitioning to sweater and jeans.

All of these are good options,

Wherever you find yourself today, I wish you a fall season that "falls in a good way for you."

#sol24 August 27 Power of Stories

The request was simple enough. "Want to do a book club?" she asked. I read a lot more than usual this summer as I took the summer "off" from my teaching tasks. Kristen Hannah and others had filled my summer evenings with stories of people who interfaced, ever so briefly, with my "real" life. I often thought about how this chapter of my life mirrored those middle years when books and their characters filled the crevices of my mind that had been filled with teaching, family, and life demands for so many years.

"Sure," I responded and ordered the book (back ordered) from Libby, my free online library. Worse come to worse, I could always order a Kindle version if it took too long.

Then, one day, I noticed the e-book had arrived. I "knew" Lois Lowry from many books shared with students and teachers over the years of my professional life as a literacy specialist.  

From the first words, I recognized the familiar "memory" assessment that is part of nearly every doctor visit after a certain age.  Often, we joke about that 3-word assessment; however, we also dread and respect the potential of 3 words to a life's path.

The themes, mostly heavy duty, included those nearest and dearest to my heart: aging, friendship, and the power of stories.  

I read deep in the night and finished early in the morning while my eyes were still encrusted with sleepers.  The "inter-generational" reading-inspired-book-club was weeks away and there I sat, deep in thought, early on a late summer morning, rocking gently.  

It was a feeling similar to how I felt as I finished The Women earlier this summer and wondered why I had never talked about the impact of the Vietnam War on my generation.  Families and friends had been divided by differences.   These days, it's more likely political and lifestyle choices that divide and separate people

Yet, there are some aspects of life that cut through all the "red tape" of life and Lowry answered the question about what is most important exquisitely: the perils of aging, demands of friendship, and the power of stories.   Consider it a must read. 

Tree, Table, Story

By Lois Lowry

#sol24 August 13 Good Samaritan

 

Today, I could write about the people I met during multiple flight delays or I could tell you about the amazing and powerful people one shares life experiences with when a hurricane, such as Debbie, does what hurricanes do and alters travel and vacation plans. I really want to write about the stranded woman and special needs daughter from Dallas who had spent 18 hours securing a new fight: however, I am going to write about a moment at the beach, on my long awaited and much needed vacation. 

I had already done the obligatory ocean swim where one goes from one end to the other of the designated area and had settled into an salt-water holding pattern of slow motion when they entered my visual space.  She was more spry than he was, but not by a lot.  I wondered about their trip to the Island. He must have needed a wheel-chair assist at the airport, but I was sure he did not want one. Perhaps I was projecting my own thoughts onto others,

He held onto her shoulders as they slowly, but surely, made their way onto the sandy ledge. His slow descent was marked by many stops where he readjusted his stance while focused on the goal, the water's edge.  Several times, he stopped and appeared to be rethinking the decision to enter the water; yet, his supportive partner appeared to reassure him that the trip was both possible and worthwhile, even if she was not sure of the path ahead.  

He stopped inches from the water's edge, and it was then that a younger man passed a toddler to his wife and emerged to become an entry support person. I do not know what words, if any were exchanged.  I do know that the entry went smoothly and the man was soon immersed in the warm water where his smile was evident to all.  The younger man stuck around just in case he was needed.

The older man stayed in the ocean only a few minutes, and the Good Samaritan helped with the exit through the murky sand.  Eventually, the Good Samaritan returned to his own, young family playing in the briny waves. 

I hope that some day, in the not so distant future, there is a Good Samaritan to help me when the waves and ocean drop are greater than I can manage,  

I hope, in the distant future, there is another Good Samaritan to help that young man when he needs support to feel the ocean in his bones. 

#sol24 July 30th SMART Talk

 

I wasn't sure I was going to post today, 

But a conversation with friends got me thinking 

About the power of words.

Overheard at the gym...

"I don't know how she keeps up, she's BIG!"

"That teacher is just awful."

Overheard on the news....

"She's a bum."

"He's weird." 

Overheard in class: 

"He's impossible!"

"She's off base."

In my opinion, all this name calling from adults is likely to result in more and more name calling among our children which would clearly undermine the movement to reduce, rather than increase bullying!

I, for one, am going to try very hard to move about this fray and try to focus on observable characteristics!   

Of course, when I think of observable traits I think of Individual Education Plan goals which really might offer us a good way to talk about issues!

Good IEP goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely).

Perhaps we could start talking in SMART ways as well?

#sol24 July23 To Be Two

 She has a strong voice and lots to say,

She is not afraid to "flail" to get her way,

She talks too much, when quiet is expected,

She runs too fast, when slow is anticipated,

She swings with too much gusto,

She eats too many Goldfish,

She devours too much cheese.

She'll read the same book, too many times!

She'll play hide and seek, too many times!

She has two favorite blankets, today!

She can find her Meme in a crowd, too!

She is not afraid to speak her mind!

My love for her is too great!

The littlest of my beloved grand-kiddos is two!