Being Away

I am away from home today, but got reports that the spring bulbs continue to bloom, the dogs keep watching for me to drive down the road, and the forsythia bush is bursting with color.It is hard to be away from home. I love catching those spring moments in the country.
I tried to catch different images while away like shelves of dishes I rummaged through to find the right one to take home and my digs for the night as I headed to bed.

Artful Blogging, Life Images, and an Evening With a Friend

I reconnected today with a lifelong friend and she came bearing incredible gifts. I guess I have lived under a rock because I had never heard of Somerset Studio publications. They have two amazing magazines called Artful Blogging: Visually Inspiring Online Journals and Life Images: A Collection of Captured Moments and Inspired Journaling. She gave me back issues of both of these publications. I am so excited to dig into these beautiful publications or go see if I can find even more issues tomorrow!
Don't these look inviting?

Celebrating National Poetry Month #16: from the Archives: Memory

Memory
by Ted Kooser

Spinning up dust and cornshucks
as it crossed the chalky, exhausted fields,
it sucked up into its heart
hot work, cold work, lunch buckets,
good horses, bad horses, their names
and the names of mules that were
better or worse than the horses,
then rattled the dented tin sides
of the threshing machine, shook
the manure spreader, cranked
the tractor’s crank that broke
the uncle’s arm, then swept on
through the windbreak, taking
the treehouse and dirty magazines,
turning its fury on the barn
where cows kicked over buckets
and the gray cat sat for a squirt
of thick milk in its whiskers, crossed
the chicken pen, undid the hook,
plucked a warm brown egg
from the meanest hen, then turned
toward the house, where threshers
were having dinner, peeled back
the roof and the kitchen ceiling,
reached down and snatched up
uncles and cousins, grandma, grandpa,
parents and children one by one,
held them like dolls, looked
long and longingly into their faces,
then set them back in their chairs
with blue and white platters of chicken
and ham and mashed potatoes
still steaming before them, with
boats of gravy and bowls of peas
and three kinds of pie, and suddenly,
with a sound like a sigh, drew up
its crowded, roaring, dusty funnel,
and there at its tip was the nib of a pen.

Celebrating National Poetry Month #15; A Rose by Any Other Name

A Rose by Any Other Name

Will Sound As Sweet

Elizabeth Harkness, Lady Hillingdon,

Queen Elizabeth, Betty Prior.

Grandpa Dickson, Royal William,

Don Juan, Whisky Mac.

Livin’ Easy, Nearly Wild,

Double Delight, Carefree Beauty.

Unforgettable, Honey Perfume,

Fragrant Delight, Golden Showers.

Timeless, Angel Face,Peppermint Twist,

America, Olympiad, Brigadoon, Chicago Peace, Fourth of July.

Rio Samba, Moon Shadow, and Peace were the first to be found,

With Piccadilly and Climbing Cecile Brunner to complete the sound.

By Inland Empire Girl

Celebrating National Poetry Month #14: The First Chapter

The First Chapter

to my sister

Silver Valley Girl

Reflecting on the beginnings of

her historical fiction,

her hands fluttered in excitement as

she shared her revisions.

She is surrounded by

The women writers at The Swallow’s Nest,

Her mind journeyed back as Mother Earth,

embracing the Cataldo Mission.

Through her prose she introduced

the Coeur d’Alene Indian, the

Italian immigrant, and the

girl named Elizabeth.

Gentle suggestions, questions for clarification

and praise spilled out over coffee and warm cake.

“Who is telling this story?

What about the point of view?”

Her thoughts drifted far away to a place long ago.

“Oh… the view… when standing atop the hill by the Mission it is breathtaking,”

she replied

as she closed her journal and smiled.

by Inland Empire Girl, 2006

WASL, Wild Weather, and Watercolor

creations after watercolor class

This week I am spending time each day proctoring the Washington State Assessment of Learning. As students completed tests each day we planned some alternate activities to give them a break before afternoon classes.
A community worker organized a game of dodge ball that the students loved... they used marshmellows instead of balls. Fortunately she had clean ones they could eat when the game was over.

I had groups of students do watercolor in my classroom. I realized how much I missed "the old days" when I taught art each week to my elementary students. After a few quick lessons on technique I just let them be creative.
As we finished yesterday a huge hailstorm interrupted our art lesson. What is it about hail that makes students want to run outside and catch the stones on their tongues?
Students loved experimenting with watercolor washes, creating their names or other creations like the ones at the top. I can't wait to see what we can add to the collection tomorrow!