Arden's photos.

 a few pictures my grand D took last summer during her stay in Indiana. These were from the Shedd where she went with her Grandpa Larry. I am trying to relearn, you know, use it or lose it, posting pictures in various places.

I found this jelly shot very lovely.

The War in Education

Read anything by Diane Ravitch to discover what is going on in education. I am just going to say that the stress of this year in this political climate has teachers as exhausted as they usually are in May. I am at the age of retirement, love teaching and will teach until I don't feel that way. The students keep me young in many ways and focused and thinking. I know that teaching in an 80% poverty school, there is no way for my pay to go up-- that's OK, I am at the end, but why would a young person stay? Why would teachers dedicate themselves to these students who need them the most? The climate must swing, it just won't in my time. I am so grateful to be in art, the joy and creativity has been sucked out of science, my earlier incarnation, now it is practically scripted, day by day and if the student doesn't get it, no matter, we must move on. What happened to mastery? Where is creativity? We are losing it. Second grade teachers having to be on the same page, the same word the same time? bullshit. Not only are students not automatons, neither are teachers. Bring back the joy I say, bring back the joy! Have you ever seen a 6th grader dissecting a frog? It's a peak experience and I thank Ms. Lindsey for teaching me that so I could share it later!

Whenever I post after long periods I realize what a rambler I am-- so what--it's my blog. I'll ramble. But right now it's shoes and socks and go to the clay studio!

Trying Clay, Clay is Trying

Clay is my husband's art form, not mine. I have learned to have fun with it teaching it in 8th grade but now that I am in a 6-week class offered by our local university, I see that it is really not mine. I have one good new project for class but my more "adult" attempts I find rather graceless. We have two classes left and I hope to make this last giant coil pot (giant for me) into something I am not ashamed of. Larry is coming right back up to speed after years of not doing clay. Some of the other retired educators are as well, and some not so retired. I will give it this, it is fun to be in the room with all these familiar people making some kind of art. I have a plan for today but I haven't even tried the wheel. I was very perfunctory in my college days with clay and have not done the wheel because I won't be doing it in the future. Just don't want to. But I am curious to see if I can relearn centering and actually pull something up. The real challenge today will be PARKING. It is ISU's homecoming parade and we somehow have to park in a certain lot on campus. I am dressed for the parking war but will miss the parade with the marching bands that choke me up every year! I am looking for collegiate and leggy today and I might flirt with that white haired man in the back doing the Dr. Seuss themed pieces.
I just got clay started with my 8th graders yesterday and they will get their hands in it on Monday. It is always a combination of excitement and Zen.

Old Growth

 Old Growth Forest

 Leaves

 of

 Three

 Leave it Be

 and other monsters

Melanie

Funny
fun loving
kind
considerate
endlessly patient with us AND with demanding parents
a beloved mother
a beloved wife
a beloved daughter
a person who made each of us feel so special
and as we learned
brave
valiant
My last look before the diagnosis was her flipping that gorgeous red hair
revealing that growing lump that wanted to strangle her and would have
as she left to do down the road that brings us to today
Burkitt's
I don't want to see that word again
She brought up the best kids
they love her so
first grandbaby coming soon will not be cuddled by Melanie
the arachno-whatever that paralyzed her from the waist down
the cells climbing the spine
still looking forward as of Saturday
to coming home
building strength
a phrase I love from Leah
May her memory be a blessing.

United to Fight--Team Mel

Our school secretary is battling a particularly aggressive lymphoma, Burkitt's Lymphoma. She has undergone the most grueling chemotherapy of anyone I have ever known. Right now she is struggling to get her white count up enough to have the last two rounds of chemo that bathes her brain to keep the cells from climbing in.  Something else, arachno---- gripped her spine (from the many lumbar punctures) and paralyzed her from the waist down. Her first grand baby is due in October and she wants her life back. Tonight the restaurant where her daughter worked for 6 years as she put herself through college held a fundraiser for Melanie and it was packed. It was a very gratifying evening, her children, her mother in law, her children's spouses, teachers and administrators from all over the corporation, and life long friends of Melanie were and are in attendance. Beef O'Brady's is such a  terrific participant in the community, they do so much for so many and this was particularly wonderful. Our sweet tiny little Melanie has this cancer most common in young teenage boys of African descent. She does not fit the profile at all making this a difficult and unexpected diagnosis.  If you stop by here and read, rattle the universe, speak a prayer, send a warm thought of healing to a lovely lady who needs and appreciates all she gets from every corner of the earth.

Backyard

When we moved in 35 years ago, our side yard was an open sunlit expanse of grass where you could play croquet. At some point we plowed it up and planted one of those big boxes of wild flowers and had fabulous displays of wildflowers for years.  We planted an English walnut which eventually shaded out all but a very few hardy coneflowers and the bluebells in spring. "Suddenly it seems" we have a shady breezy extremely pleasant arbor of trees, a giant maple towering over the walnut, an apple tree sweeping over the pond, and tiger lilies blooming nearby. It is wonderful. I know it isn't sudden, it just seems suddenly pleasant to have such an inviting spot to sit in the yard and read in the dappled sunlight. An English walnut tree grows branches highly suited to grandsons and tree houses. It also makes a lot of trash, but Larry and Henry built a little firepit and we can burn a few of those little branches when the boys are here.  If yard crashers saw this yard, they would scream in dismay, it is bumpy, scarred by a crazy digging dog and emergency plumbing work, there is a constant battle against encroaching poison ivy and that honeysuckle that is trying to take over the Midwest.. but, let me get another glass of lemonade ready and take my book outside to read.