Green to Gray to Sunny to Wet

You can always tell that it is spring in the Inland Empire because weather changes can happen almost instantly. In my travels on Saturday I went from blue skies and the rolling, green fields of the Palouse to rain that almost caused me to pull over because I couldn't see!
The day started out with sun and blue skies.
As I returned home up the highway along Lake Roosevelt, it was very dark and rainy. I took the ferry route to get home because I had to stop by school. You can see how much rain was falling as we rode the Columbia Princess across the big lake.
Approaching the other side it is clear to see the drawdown of Lake Roosevelt has begun.
I don't often travel the ferry in the evening, but it was a pleasure to see my former student JC directing cars on and off the ferry. Now today we were back to sunny skies until we headed to town for groceries. The rain just poured! What will tomorrow bring?

Community Clean Up Day: My Students at Work

Traditionally our school staff and students devote a day close to Earth Day to beautify and clean up the community. With warm weather and blue skies yesterday it was a perfect day to be out walking around the community with my 7th grade class.

Before lunch a group of eighth graders beautified the area by my classroom door by planting a maple tree. I am eager to watch this tree grow and turn to a brilliant red in the fall. Lilacs will be planted next week. I am so looking forward to the scent of lilacs in springs to come.RC worked with Joe from the Catholic Church all day to put wood trim around this raised flower bed at the main intersection in town . The daffodils were in bloom and the new wood trim looks great.Some guys from the tribe were constructing a new playground along the road by the post office. After finding cans, bottles, a snail, a lid covered with ants that made many scream, and broken tools we headed back to school to participate in another tradition. Everyone gets to enjoy root beer floats in recycled glasses after an afternoon of work in the community. Prizes were awarded to the classes that picked up the most garbage and students competed in a contest for posters, poetry, and essays. It was a good day at our school.

Celebrating National Poetry Month #17: Cure for Puppy Fever

Annie right after we brought her home.Shelby about three months old exploring the old galvanized tub.


Cure for Puppy Fever

Place two rawhides in a

dog dish and stir.

Next add four puppy kisses.

Take two tiny Milkbones,

a squeaky ball, and

a cute little bark.

Wrap them up in

a soft blanket.

Place them close to

my heart.

Add warm, soft fur and a sweet whimper.

Blend with devotion and

unconditional love.

Enjoy with a puppy chin resting in your lap.

inlandempiregirl, 2005

Shelby's herding her new little sister.Shelby showing Annie the ropes on her first camping trip. Shelby is a little over a year older than Annie.

Celebrating National Poetry Month: The Silver Star

Lake Chelan, spring 2008

The end of my favorite poetry month is almost upon me. I have other poems I wrote, but found it difficult to find the time this month to revise and revise again. The following poem was not one I had read of William Stafford's even though I have read many of his verses and am drawn to his words over and over again. I love the way he honors a mountain in this poem. I can also imagine many people in my life that could be the Silver Star.

Silver Star
To be a mountain you have to climb alone
and accept all that rain and snow. You have to look
far away when evening comes. If a forest
grows, you care; you stand there leaning against
the wind, waiting for someone with faith enough
to ask you to move. Great stones will tumble
against each other and gouge your sides. A storm
will live somewhere in your canyons hoarding its lightning.

If you are lucky, people will give you a dignified
name and bring crowds to admire how sturdy you are,
how long you can hold still for the camera. And some time,
they say, if you last long enough you will hear God;
a voice will roll down from the sky and all your patience
will be rewarded. The whole world will hear it: "Well done".
-William Stafford

Celebrating National Poetry Month: Lovely Words from Robert Louis Stevenson

Flower God, God Of The Spring
by Robert Louis Stevenson

FLOWER god, god of the spring, beautiful, bountiful,
Cold-dyed shield in the sky, lover of versicles,
Here I wander in April
Cold, grey-headed; and still to my
Heart, Spring comes with a bound, Spring the deliverer,
Spring, song-leader in woods, chorally resonant;
Spring, flower-planter in meadows,
Child-conductor in willowy
Fields deep dotted with bloom, daisies and crocuses:
Here that child from his heart drinks of eternity:
O child, happy are children!
She still smiles on their innocence,
She, dear mother in God, fostering violets,
Fills earth full of her scents, voices and violins:
Thus one cunning in music
Wakes old chords in the memory:
Thus fair earth in the Spring leads her performances.
One more touch of the bow, smell of the virginal
Green - one more, and my bosom
Feels new life with an ecstasy.

Celebrating National Poetry Month...Some Like Poetry

Some Like Poetry
by Wisława Szymborska

Some –
thus not all. Not even the majority of all but the minority.
Not counting schools, where one has to,
and the poets themselves,
there might be two people per thousand.

Like –
but one also likes chicken soup with noodles,
one likes compliments and the color blue,
one likes an old scarf,
one likes having the upper hand,
one likes stroking a dog.

Poetry –
but what is poetry.
Many shaky answers
have been given to this question.
But I don't know and don't know and hold on to it
like to a sustaining railing.