Doesn't it always help to know a guy with a backhoe? Another part of the tree project was to fall the last big tree and remove the stumps. We hired our neighbor to come in and assist with that part. I am always amazed that people own these life sizeTonka Toys. The trees and stumps are gone from this island in the middle of the driveway with a little help from the backhoe. Just the limbs have started a nice wood pile for next winter... or... looking at the weather forecast for tomorrow... maybe a nice wood pile for this week-end. Snow in April?
This week the students and staff at our school were entertained and instructed by a wide variety of artists thanks to an Arts Consortium through the Washington State Arts Commission. Our rural students absolutely loved having opportunities to learn about a variety of arts through guest performers. Members of the local Noisy Water Drumming group gave students an opportunity to drum and perform songs to honor our local Colville Tribe.
Tommy worked with the students on improv theater and had everyone using movement and performing without scripts. He had this teacher laughing loudly as I watched my students act out scenes such as honeymoon and romantic zombies.
The One World TaikoJapanese Rhythm Drums from Seattle instructed our students in the moves, language, and sound of this style of drumming.
Another artist Shelley Graham led students through a workshop of making figures from recycled material.
Later in the gym the recycled people looked like they were playing the Japanese drums.Two staff members and one of the Japanese drummers helped out in demonstrating some gymnastics routines and... everyone got to hula hoop.Gloria delos Santos directs the Arts Consortium and was responsible for bringing this amazing group of artists to our school. She is a well-known artist herself and has a passion for providing these experiences to the rural students of Ferry and Stevens Counties in the state of Washington. To see more of Gloria's art go to http://www.gloriadelossantos.com/ . Gloria has also organized the North Country Trail Artists which is an incredible self-guided tour of artists in northeastern Washington and Southern British Columbia. You can learn about this here. I have often focused on the natural beauty of life on Lake Roosevelt here on this blog, but we are also blessed with an arts community that is alive and well in our corner of the world.
"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. " - Rachel Carson The Sense of Wonder I always yearn for the first bouquet of spring. Today the flowers were picked by my husband and waiting in the vase he chose when I arrived home. Ah... daffodils.
"We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.... We will prevail...". -- Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, poet, activist.
The Virginia Tech shooting happened one year ago today. One of my favorite poets Nikki Giovanni was teaching there when it happened. She had warned others about the student that did the shooting. A day after the shootings she delivered this chant poem at Virginia Tech. To me it so strongly illustrates the power of words.
We are Virginia Tech. We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again. We are Virginia Tech.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy. We are Virginia Tech.
The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail. We will prevail. We will prevail. We are Virginia Tech.
Hearing her speak her own words is even more powerful:
Doesn't it always help to know a guy with a backhoe? Another part of the tree project was to fall the last big tree and remove the stumps. We hired our neighbor to come in and assist with that part. I am always amazed that people own these life size Tonka Toys.
The trees and stumps are gone from this island in the middle of the driveway
with a little help from the backhoe.
Just the limbs have started a nice wood pile for next winter... or... looking at the weather forecast for tomorrow... maybe a nice wood pile for this week-end. Snow in April?
Members of the local Noisy Water Drumming group gave students an opportunity to drum and perform songs to honor our local 
Tommy worked with the students on 
The One World 
Another artist Shelley Graham led students through a workshop of making figures from 
Later in the gym the recycled people looked like they were playing the 
Two staff members and one of the 
everyone got to hula hoop.
Gloria 
