Thank you, MLTI!

I am so excited--through a grant, all high school teachers in our state are given new iMacs, and I received mine Thursday. Shows we are serious about learning and passing on information literacy, combined with the freshmen computer program and our computer labs as well as our district staff training programs. I am having a great time getting to know this machine's capabilities and will use it constantly in my work. Favs so far: I finally checked out Google Earth and saw, among other places, where my sisters were vacationing without me last week at North Carolina's Outer Banks. My iGoogle account is getting more of a workout. Boston's Museum of Fine Arts has some podcasts and movie clips I'll be showing next week to my students. The very best, to me, is the built in camera and Photobooth. I just love digital photography and the fast, fun edit programs brought you the pictures I posted today. It's just me and my backyard,and I did NOT edit the landscape color. Gotta love the Northeast in autumn. And Go Red Sox.

Babies everywhere!

Our Alex had an outpatient eye surgery yesterday to correct his slight left cross eye so he will see better. Say a little prayer for him, please. His daddy says the nurses thought he was cute as a button, and he's definitely a tough little guy. Did I tell you he lost a front tooth 3 weeks ago? Lost his balance and struck it on his favorite toy, the star keyboard, then had to have it pulled next day by the dentist. Daddy also said he's getting very tall and staying thin, though he eats like a trooper--or maybe like Rocky Balboa! All told, with the tall, the thin, the snaggle toothed grin, and the red eye, he looks like quite a fighter, I hear.
More news: My mid-Western grand-nephews, Nic and Nino, turned blonde after their Italian brunette start. I discovered that when I visited their Geegy and Mommy over Labor Day weekend, watching our two-year old twins play choo-choo in circles around each other. Cute little engines, but they were darling dark haired cuddle bears when them last time in June, 2006.
My brother's first grandchild, Coley, is a tow-head who loves to swim and who also wears glasses, like Alex. My other sister's newest grandson is a plump little cutie, like his cousin, Ian, but his hair is light, too, as is his sisters. So of this new generation, dark hair is staying in my line. Blondes are dominating the family.
Grandchildren are definitely poppin' up all over. My schoolroom custodian's daughter gave birth to a son this past weekend, too, so life changes for another family. Can't wait to see a picture, Ms. L!

Essential Questions a decade later

This post originally figured as work related, a teacher's assignment a decade ago.  Now essential questions must be personal. And what I think mostly about them is that they feel too personal to post publicly or perhaps even to formulate for my own conscious consideration.   Fearful things, are they?   Since I shy away from sharing them with others or even myself, I'd say that's fearful.   I might for example stumble into saying that I haven't seen my darling grandsons in a year exactly and have no idea when I'll see them again.  Such a briar patch!  I don't want to state the particulars of a family rupture that is all too commonplace in our world.  8-4-17

The boys are 10 years old in these photos I took in August, 2016, except for the last one taken June, 2017, by their dad.

      

  

Autumn comes quickly in New England

School started--for teachers only--today, so my husband and I hiked for two hours on a local in-town trail yesterday. The sky was cloudless blue and the temperature in the high 70s in the morning. The sounds and fragrances and sights refreshed us for the work ahead.

Today, I reconnected with old friends and we anticipate in our series of meetings the fresh year of connections with young people, which will start next Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. I will reveal to you that I do not enjoy cooking, but I was asked to bring a salad to our faculty lunch today, and I discovered this utterly delicious rice concoction. Who knew rice was a salad ingredient? Anyway, this will be my standard "takealong" from now on:

Mediterranean Rice Salad

Rinse, cook, and cool 1 1/4 c brown rice in 2 1/2 c water

Chop the follow vegetables fine (1/4 dice mostly):
medium cucumber (1 c)
small red pepper (1/2 c)
2 stalks celery
6ish scallions (scant cup)
1/4 c fresh parsley

Prepare dressing:
1 1/4 c plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 c nonfat mayonaise
1 large garlic clove, pressed
2 T lemon juice, 1 T rice vinegar
5-6 chopped fresh mint leaves (or1/4 t dry)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix dressing into rice thoroughly, then add in all vegetables. Top w kalamata olives. Chill thoroughly--overnight works.

I paraphrased this recipe from a book left behind in Georgia, and will cite it ASAP. Meanwhile, try it. As my niece, Rileigh, says, "Try it! It's good for you! You'll like it!"

Thursday, August 23, 2007
Comment on today's class

I'm taking a class on information literarcy, and we explored unitedstreaming.com today. It took me more time than I wished to set up--I had less time to explore the site. That WAS frustrating, but, as usual, our teachers, Steve and Connie, came to the rescue. The real issue is my modern expectation of instant results, a result of increasing internet speeds, and not limited to me. We criticize kids for their inability to focus and a demand for instant gratification, but there's no wonder here. I think their brains are rewiring in that direction, one us older folk find hard to accept since we can't go there. Sandy (P.S. reminder to self: meet again 2 weeks from today, 3:15)

Introductions

I teach art at a New England high school, and I'm on the brink of my twentieth year this September. I'll be 60 years old this fall, too, and I became a grandma last year on July 4, with the premature births of our fraternal twins, Ian and Alex. I spent six weeks with them this summer and got a strong reminder of how wonderful new life is. I'd forgotten the softness of baby skin, the fright and wonder of learning to stand and walk on two little feet, the tragedy of bumping little heads on a floor. Boy, do I miss the boys!