A Perfect Fit

When I arrive home each day Annie my English Springer Spaniel is usually at the gate to greet me. I caught her waiting in the driveway in the photo above. It wasn't until later that I observed her liver and white markings and how well they blended with the snow and dirt surrounding her. After studying the photo together later on the computer screen JEJ and I were reminded of the artist Bev Doolittle's work. I love the way her watercolor paintings take animals like the pintos above and blend them into their surroundings. Like Doolittle's pintos Annie's liver and white colors seem to belong in this place. Whether my dog is searching for a cat, chasing a ball, following me around the garden, or drinking from the pond she knows her place in the world. She is a perfect fit in her surroundings.

Orofino, Idaho

I am sharing writing strategies with teachers in a workshop Friday. One I love to use with student and adult writers is copy change or imitation poetry. Copy change is a way to use the structure of other poets and add new words to create different meaning, thus new poems for ourselves. For inexperienced writers it provides that structure with memoir writing. Below is a sample using the poem Knoxville, Tennesee by Nikki Giovanni. It is a memoir poem remembering summers spent in Orofino, Idaho.

Orofino, Idaho
I always like summer
best
you can eat fresh tomatoes
from Lila’s garden
and corn
and beans
and lots of
cucumbers
and Kool-Aid
and homemade chocolate cake
at a birthday party
and listen to
rock and roll music
up
in Mary’s room
next door
and go up to the Clearwater River with
your mom and dad
and wear cut-off jeans
and be hot
all the time
not only when you go to bed
and sleep.

Tonight I Paid Attention!

As i walked past the window tonight I paid attention to the moon. It was reflecting off the lake causing the trees and fence to be illuminated. I grabbed my camera and tried a night shot.

Today I Paid Attention!

"We have not inherited the earth from our fathers. We are borrowing it from our children." Native American Saying

This morning I drove south along Lake Roosevelt to work. My brain continued to wake up as I sipped a cup of coffee and listened to the lyrics of "Anticipation" sung by Carly Simon in the warm car. My mind wandered to my plans for the day, and a meeting I had after school.

I often forget to stop and pay attention to my surroundings along the highway. Today was different. I observed two swans swimming by Barnaby Island. I noticed the clouds settling in like fog across the lake. An eagle flew gracefully above a lone pine tree by the creek. Two deer paused in the field, then turned and fled into the brush. The sky was a spectacular robin egg blue. It was a breathtaking drive down the lake. I am glad I can borrow this from our children. I am also glad I paid attention today.

Ahhhhh! Comfort Food!

March 1st was the red letter day. If I made it to March I thought I would conquer the cold season. Almost, but not quite. In about an hour's time Friday, March 2nd after I arrived home from school my throat began to ache. Soon the body aches started, then the cough, and before I knew it a full-blown cold had settled in. There were two things I sent JEJ to town for. My two comfort foods for the common cold are tomato soup and lemon drops. I go through my chicken noodle soup phases, but right now it is thick, canned tomato soup with buttered saltines that provide comfort. Adding a lemon drop for the sore throat almost made me forget I was sick. Ahhhhhhhhchoooo! Not quite!

Planting Seeds For Growth: Cultivating Creative Teaching

An excellent opportunity is available for Inland Northwest teachers Friday and Saturday March 9 and 10 . The Northwest Inland Writing Project is sponsoring their annual spring conference at St. Michael's Academy in Spokane. Carol Jago, Janet Angelillo, and writer/poet Marti Mihalyi are the featured speakers. The conference also has concurrent sessions on meaningful literacy topics . It is geared to teachers K-college and a buffet lunch is offered each day. More details and registration information is here.