SOLSC #16: Serendipity on the Beach

 

    Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
   sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

Some of my happiest moments occur on the beach - my first glimpse of the ocean more than 40 years ago as a college student visiting Oregon, our first family reunion in Galveston, sharing the beach with deer on Cannon Beach, and now a discovery during our annual book club retreat on Whidbey Island.  I threw out this teaser in last Monday's post . . . "Lucky to have more ideas than days to slice, I can't wait to share what we discovered on the beach when we slowed our pace to watch."

Our first sighting!

With St. Patrick's Day on the horizon it's time to share our lucky discovery!  Anne and I were returning ahead of three other friends.  They walked fast, while we strolled.  I was worried about the waning light, so we turned around and headed down the beach toward the cabin.  Suddenly, I spied movement ahead of us as something emerged from the driftwood.  I stopped Anne, pointed, and said, "Porcupine,"  I'm not sure why that idea popped into my head (do we even have porcupines in Washington?), but it was a critter on four legs and we had discovered a porcupine gnawing the steps to the cabin in Colorado many years ago.  I thought we had best keep our distance, just in case.  So we stopped, watched, and savored this moment.  

We were too far away to know exactly what it was, but raccoon was the next thought that popped into my head.  We shared our urban habitat with raccoons in Houston, so why not a raccoon on the beach?  As we continued to watch and stealthily moved a bit closer, we discovered that this animal was dragging a log.  Soon a walker caught up to us and joined us to spy on this wildlife.  I snapped pictures with my phone, but our lone walker had a fancy camera with a zoom lens.

Jennifer (in a green jacket) walking toward us.

Before long, Jennifer appeared on the beach coming from the direction of the cabin.  We used our best sign language to convince her to stop walking and watch this critter with us.  We were afraid that if we shouted, this animal would bolt back into the driftwood.  Soon, we were joined by the three fast walkers.  In addition to dragging the log, the animal also stopped to gnaw on it periodically.  As it finally abandoned the log and waddled toward the water, a unique tail confirmed our suspicions.  

Our friend with the zoom lens said that in twenty years of living here, he had never before seen this animal on the beach!  I just wish I had given him my email, so he could have shared his photos with us.  You'll just have to accept my word that the fuzzy critter in these photos was indeed a beaver!  

A beaver in salt water?
No photos as it waddled for the beach because I had passed
my phone to Anne so she could give directions to our last
group of friends searching for the cabin.  

SOLSC #15: Surrendering to Joy!

                          

 

I "serve up a slice" at Two Writing Teachers
and celebrate with Ruth Ayres at
Celebrate this week!

Weather - Consecutive days of sunshine and spring-like weather
  
1/2 Day on Friday! - A head start on end of trimester grading with the gift of a half day without students

A white flag slice -  Sometimes I just give in.  It was near the end of second period.  Someone was whistling.  I admire whistlers, mostly because it's a skill that I've never acquired.  So I give my students permission to whistle on the count of three.  Our room sounds like an aviary.  I grab my phone, wander around to each table group, and record their cheerful tweets.  I'm not sure how I would have explained our activity to an administrator, but it was a joyful interlude.  

Technology - Our cherry tree on Friday 

Photo snapped from inside our classroom!
Joe edited photo to eliminate light reflections.

SOLSC #14: My Tower of Books

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

When I read Elsie's post yesterday about books, it made me long for a cozy bookstore and a long afternoon.  However, I don't really need to go to the bookstore to find my next read because I surround myself with unread books.  One swivel of my desk chair brings this tower of ten books into view that I have yet to read.  I just finished Flora and Ulysses, and I'm almost finished with the audio book of PS Be Eleven, so it's decision time.

I spend a few moments pondering the tower of books and deciding what to read next. You'll recognize some newer titles and many older ones that my students are appalled that I haven't read.  It's a toss-up between Apothecary and Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life.

I think about my next audio book and remember that I have Matilda read by Kate Winslett in the car.  And that's when I remember The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing (sequel to Three Times Lucky) which is on the floorboard in the back seat, just picked up from the library's hold shelf this week. How can I resist spending time again with Mo and Dale?

And then I remember a title that leaps to the top of the tower, Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner.  It appeared on my desk recently with this sticky note:  "Thank you for letting me borrow this amazing book.  It's my all time favorite now.  I appreciate you picking out books I may like."  How can I resist an endorsement like that?

What titles have made it to the summit of your WTR (want to read) pile or what do you think I should read from my tower?

SOLSC #13: An Accidental Discovery Forces Me to Take Drastic Measures

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

I'm surrounded by paper piles, determined to grade the "late basket" today.  Only I get sidetracked because  I need those pre-assessments for tomorrow morning's team meeting and I can't find them!  Not only do I need them, but I still need to assess them.  The phone rings at 4:30.  It's one of two people - either my daughter or my walking buddy.  I launch into an explanation of why I can't walk today, but change mid-sentence with the words - " I'll walk if you'll come down to school and drag me out!"  She takes on the challenge, arrives 30 minutes later, and patiently waits for me to pack my stuff so I can go home after our walk.

We head in a direction we haven't walked for awhile (actually, we haven't walked many directions lately due to interminable rain).  I know you can walk in the rain, but it's a good excuse to skip the walk.  I comment that we're heading toward Leslie's house, and she keeps peanut butter M&Ms by the front door.  Fifteen years ago I went to a monthly planning meeting for our church ladies' group at Leslie's house.  At the time, I had just reentered the work force after staying home for 14 years.  I would arrive exhausted at the end of my school day.  But I knew the M&Ms would be there by the front door.  Our time together was sweetened by a few M&MS on the way in and a few more on the way out.

We ring the bell, chat, and enjoy a few M&Ms (sometime soon I'll arrive with a bag of M&Ms in hand).  Jan and I continue our walk, and that's when we discover HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED  in a tree.  In the front yard of another house, I notice a reindeer with a red bow around its neck.  That's when I remember that I unplugged the white lights during my recent purge, but did not remove the red bows that I leave there after Christmas for Valentine's Day.

I know that daughter is expecting 8-12 inches of snow tomorrow, so I head to the deck as soon as I arrive home to dismantle the red bows.  I make one last sacrifice and stash the snowman recipe holder!

I've done my part for the winter weary parts of the country.  Spring, it's time for you to arrive!

HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED

SOLSC #12: Walk with us!

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

A beautiful sunny day in the mid-fifties called me away from school for a walk with a dear friend! We checked on the progress of a new house.  We tried our hand at solving world problems.  We discussed the new list of books for our book club.  We roamed from her new grandson to job interviews for my son, but mostly we savored the beauty of spring's arrival. 

SOLSC #11: Tree Philosophy 101

 

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

As we were settling in for our slicing time today, I encouraged my students to remember that they could slice about what was going on in the outside world.  I pointed to "the tree outside our window," and commented that I've often written my slice of life about the arrival of spring and even this particular tree since it blooms each year during March.  I commented that it had changed dramatically in the past few days and that today's blue skies added to its beauty.  Someone said that it would be fun to take a photo every day to document its growth.  Oh well, maybe next year!

About this time, one of my students piped up, "That tree is ugly!"  Classmates quickly pointed out that he was looking at the wrong tree.  When I walked to the back of the classroom, I saw his view of "the tree outside our window."  While I wouldn't say it's ugly, it's definitely at a different stage of development.  I ventured outside after school to snap pictures of both trees.  

As I stood looking down the line of cherry trees lining the west entrance to our building, I realized that each of the four trees looked dramatically different.  While each of them receives the same amount of moisture and sunshine, each is at a different stage of development.  Each will eventually blossom and add beauty to our campus, but not at the same time.   I celebrate the unique timetable for each tree knowing that we'll have pink blossoms out front for quite awhile this spring before all the trees get their leaves. There's a great parallel here to the learners in my classroom.  My challenge is to celebrate growth with each learner, trusting that each will eventually blossom and reach his or her potential. 

SOLSC #10: Lucky found me this morning!

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

I am in love with words.  I am easily distracted.  I am frustrated that I cannot respond to more of you this year.  March is frenetic. March is my book club retreat.  March is end of 2nd trimester. Today I sit down with no slice ready to go.  Today I'm behind before I begin.  Today I don't have time to slice later.  Your slices entice me.  Your slices call to me.  Your slices inspire me.  This morning I promise myself to finish slicing and meandering by 5:30.  This morning I cannot wander overlong among the slices.  This morning I must head to school early to read the sub notes and prepare for the day.  Stopping at Melanie Meehan's post, "all reading is valid", I indulge my wandering gene.  Stopping to read more because Tara recommended it, I wonder if Brooklyn Bridge is a new title for Karen Hesse.  Stopping to click on Amazon because I want to know more about this title, I start skimming the first chapter.  Lucky leaps off the page and weaves its way through the beginning pages.  Lucky describes my excitement because I found a new way to keep Newbery Love alive for one more month.  Lucky to have more ideas than days to slice, I can't wait to share what we discovered on the beach when we slowed our pace to watch.
(I''ve wandered overlong and broken my promise to myself - this took 47 minutes.  See you tomorrow!)