First Frost, Flu, and Food that Comforts

I am home again in bed with another bout of flu. Not two weeks ago I was sick, but it has come back to torment me. When I awoke this morning, not only was I sick, but was sick at heart about our first frost. It was a mild one that only did damage in small places throughout the gardens. Good-bye coleus, farewell zucchini, and it is time to wrap up the remaining tomatoes to ripen or prepare lots of fried green tomatoes.

My brother said recently when he has a sore throat Tabasco sauce is what he craves. When I have an achy flu I crave Campbell's Vegetable Beef soup, buttered saltines, and cold milk. I am guessing it is a comfort food from childhood. I just savored my last buttered saltine and spoonful of soup.I am off to bed again to try to restore my health. I also can never drink enough orange juice when sick. I will grab a glass of that before I shut out the world again under the covers. Sigh.

Sibling Assignment #108: A Story of Autumn

I gave the sibling assignment this week.
" Pick a favorite photo you have taken yourself. Post the photo and write an Abecedarian poem about the photo. You can also use a series of photos."You can learn about this form of poetry here." Silver Valley Girl's lovely litany of life can be found here and Raymond Pert's will be here soon.

A Story of Autumn

An apple tree that began it's life
By fruit that was dropped in the soil,
Core full of seeds sprouted a plant
Darn if it didn't make a tree.
Early each day we are greeted by our pal
Faithful friend during this growing year,
Glorious flowers that open at dawn
Heading to frost the good-bye will be sad for me.
In the season of autumn we always include
Jewel crown bloom in the October air
Kindred spirit chrysanthemum
Loveliest blooms you'll ever see.
Moving inside the harvest of autumn
Now can be displayed,
Often the colors of orange and yellow
Placed on a table by the afternoon light
Quiet surrounding and simple gifts
Remind us to give thanks to thee.
Staying inside Isabelle will now
Try every warm spot around the house
Under the table or on the back of this chaise,
Very smart cat that knows how to just be.
Under the rays of the setting sun
Vanishing behind the western sky,
Wash of misty light illuminates the garden
Xactly as I want to remember it tomorrow,
Yellow, deep orange and fiery red colors
Zip through the memory of an autumn day,
Lovely- don't you agree?

by inlandempiregirl October 2009

Images by JEJ

While I stayed inside today getting out the fall decor, canning dill pickles, and baking zucchini cake and pumpkin bread JEJ had fun with his camera. Between dividing irises and stacking a wood pile he caught some new images with his camera. He kept a fire going in the gazebo in case he needed to stop and warm up. Often we don't get this blaze of color from our Virginia Creepers because they die out from the summer heat. I also love the contrast of colors as he captured the berries in this photo. This is a view we don't often take from the back of the gazebo looking toward the house. This photo shows the beautiful rock work JEJ has done with the path, the borders, the fireplace, and the wall behind the pond. If you are new to this blog, he also build the furniture in the gazebo and the gazebo itself. He thinks he can wrap it this winter so we can enjoy a fire in the gazebo even when the weather is really cold.

Misty Morning in October

Autumn is Ripeness and Color

"Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity;
but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance. What person can stand with autumn
on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his or her world and the meaning of the rolling
hills that reach to the far horizon?" Hal Borland

As I continued to practice my newly learned skills with the camera while the sky was cloudy and it was nearing dusk ( a good photo time says Scott Kelby) I was drawn to the bright reds and yellows that stood out in the lingering light. The small crab apples appeared like small frozen cherries after the rain.Annie and Shelby waited in the gazebo by the fire on this cool, rainy day instead of following me around for the photo shoot. As I felt the dampness seeping through my socks I decided they are pretty smart dogs!

Digging Deeper into Teaching and Learning

During this school year I am working toward reaching National Board Certification as a teacher in the area of Early Adolescence/ English/Language Arts. By the time I submit my Portfolio in late March I will have videotaped my classroom discussions, reflected on my teaching, analyzed student work, and written about how I have improved myself as a teacher leader and a partner with parents. An exam comes later in the spring. This is a rigorous program which caused me to miss most of our last beautiful week-end of September while I was focused on work in my study. I really love it though. I love digging deeper into my teaching of reading, literature, and writing and researching best practices. My students have been cooperative so far when I have questioned them about how they learn and prodded them about their multiple intelligences. We'll see how all of us do the first time we videotape. One student predicted either he would start laughing or I would trip and fall. I can only hope his first prediction is more accurate! Stay tuned.