Sunday Scribblings:Gifts at the Hospital: Pork Chops, Shaggy Dog, and A Gift from the Sea

The word this week for Sunday Scribblings is hospital. It reminded me of December of 1977 when I had a time of sickness and surgery, but my strongest memory now of that time is the gifts I received.
When I fell ill that first year of teaching I was thankful I was back teaching in my hometown close to my parents. The doctor discovered I had cysts on both my ovaries which meant the removal of my tubes and ovaries. When I was laying in a hospital bed at twenty-two years old I realized two things. I would not be able to conceive children and I had begun menopause. I experienced my first hot flashes and let's just say I didn't handle these changes well. Back then you stayed in the hospital longer than nowadays. Mom's cure for my post-operation blues was to bring me a homemade pork chop dinner from her kitchen. I know hers wouldn't have had the fancy parsley, but when the foil came off one of the dinner plates from home and the aroma of Mom's fried pork chops and gravy rose up from the Corella plate, I found a cure for my blues.My dad was not usually demonstrative in his feelings and female "stuff" and hospitals were not in his comfort zone. The time around my surgery was hard enough, but a family friend had been killed in a car accident that week also. Dad went to be a pall bearer in the funeral while I was waking up from surgery. Later he arrived at the hospital with a huge shaggy stuffed dog which he places right on my bed. That was a gift that touched my heart. After being in the hospital a few days a guy I had only met a few times stopped by to say hello. JB was serving on the school board and I had talked to him on the phone about school related issues. He brought me his copy of Gift From the Sea. I still have this book with his book plate signed inside. I remember how much that book spoke to me at that time in my life and still does. Later after he was elected State Senator he was killed in a helicopter crash while logging. I have always cherished his copy of this book.

That stay in the hospital was life-changing for me. I felt blessed to be surrounded by family, friends, a fine hospital staff and to receive three special gifts: a meal from home, a stuffed dog, and a book of wisdom.

You can find other Sunday Scribblings here.

Saturday Road Trip: Making the Loop

Today we enjoyed an amazing road trip that included sunshine, blue skies, a digital camera, two dogs, snow, coffee, breathtaking scenery, and lots of great conversation. Enjoy the show!

Frost, My Favorite Leaves, and Other Friday Photos

I awoke this morning to our first frost. It wasn't a hard frost, but the windows of the car were white and I had to wear a heavier coat as I left the house. It was 31 in the car, but other staff members at school reported temperatures as low as 20 degrees at their houses. Later when the sun did come out so I could catch my favorite tree where I park each day. It is illuminated by the sunshine and the leaves are the kind you want to collect and iron into wax paper to keep forever. After it warmed up it was perfect weather for my students to be outside enjoying some fresh air at break. Here was a group doing some ninja thing together.After a long day another student decided resting in the shade and just observing was a good way to spend break time. Before I left the parking lot today I stopped and gazed at the leaves that had fallen from this tree again. Sadly, I know soon the tree will be bare and these leaves will have turned brown.I pulled over at one of my favorite spots on my drive home to snap a few more pictures. This is French Rock where the rocks are shadowed by the mountain in the late afternoon sun.

TGIF.

Autumn is a Time of Gathering Together

gathering together images from around my gardens

For man, autumn is a time of harvest,

of gathering together.

For nature, it is a time of sowing,

of scattering abroad.

-Edwin Way Teale

Pineapple Cheese Balls: A Keeper from the Recipe Box

I don't often have gatherings that require finger foods. When I do have an occasion to take a finger food to a potluck this is a superb recipe. The blending of flavors creates a different sort of cheese ball and it makes a nice display on a platter or a serving bowl ( the picture is not my own... I haven't made it for awhile). Someone usually requests the recipe at the end of the gathering.

Pineapple Cheese Balls
2 (8 oz. ) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon seasoned salt

In mixer bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pineapple, 1 cup of the nuts, green pepper, onion and salt; mix well. Cover and chill until firm enough to shape. Divide mixture in half; shape into balls and roll in remaining 1 cup of nuts. Cover and chill several hours or overnight. Serve with assorted crackers. Makes 2 cheese balls.
You can also place the mixture in a crock or serving bowl ,sprinkle nuts on top and serve it at room temperature. Place a ball in a festive bowl and tie ribbon and it makes an excellent hostess gift.
from Six Ingredients or Less by Carlean Johnson

Walking the Tightrope: The Challenge of Feedback

Every day I write for myself, for my profession, and to help my students. Because I have students usually at least two years I always am challenged by giving my student writers effective feedback. To help these writers grow and improve I know the importance of this feedback.

When they first enter my class I always find positive things to say about any piece of writing. That part I have down. I can sit down with the writer and have them show me what they thought was good in a piece of writing. They love to do that although often the writer has to be held down to a number because of time. As they mature as writers I still give them the positive feedback, but I have to give constructive feedback to help them get better at the craft.

A student can be so proud of the story about the princess that kisses a frog that turns into Orlando Bloom even though there isn't a logical sequence and they went from kissing to living happily ever after. How can you gently encourage this fragile writer that some work needs to be done? Today a student and I conferenced on her story. The first thing she said was," You sure wrote a lot of comments for me." Sigh... I did it in really pretty magenta pen. I tried color coordinated sticky notes. I tagged the good parts. All she saw were the few things she felt were wrong. Don't we often do the same thing as writers? We got through it and she is back to reworking it, but I just wanted to be able to smile and say " cute story" and leave her smiling, but I knew that would not help her to grow as a writer.

It is a tightrope walk depending on the student. One may sway one way and smile when you give them suggestions. Another is ready to fall off the rope without a spotter or net below them. They just want to tear it up and start over. Another will dance across the tightrope and hand you a set of poems they composed on the school bus that morning. Some don't even start across the tightrope. They are still writing safe pieces about " My favorite day" or " My friend Sally".

Each day when we all return to class we regroup, remember to support each other, and create that community of writers. Sometimes another student is more helpful than I am with feedback. Some students ask for me to " be brutal". To encourage a variety of writing styles I provide choices in writing workshop so it isn't just essays, letters to the editor, and reports on famous people.

There are days when students hit a wall and can't do much. Sometimes they look up and don't want to quit at break. I celebrate successes, encourage growth, give them time, and provide small doses of feedback. That is what I need as a writer.

" I think I did pretty well considering I started out with a bunch of blank paper." Steve Martin