Ent

One of my kids drew this, we had studied about insects. I think it is a terrific picture. If it is possible for an ant to look tired, this one is it!

The worst ever

From Wikipedia-

"It was a dark and stormy night" is an often-mocked and parodied phrase written by English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton in the opening sentence of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford. The phrase is considered to represent "the archetypal example of a florid, melodramatic style of fiction writing," also known as purple prose. The phrase comes from the original opening sentence of Paul Clifford:

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

HAR! That's awful!

The annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest was formed in 1982. The contest, sponsored by the English Department at San Jose State University, recognizes the worst examples of "dark and stormy night"

writing. It challenges entrants to compose "the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels."

Bulwer-Lytton wasn't a total flop. He was quite successful actually, his novel Paul Clifford notwithstanding. He coined the phrases "the great unwashed", "pursuit of the almighty dollar", "the pen is mightier than the sword", as well as well-received novels like The Last Days of Pompeii. (source)

Speaking of bad, if a dark and stormy night stands for the worst opening line tot he worst novel, then Plan 9 From Oter Space by Ed Wood stands as the worst movie ever. It is the benchmark for the worst of the worst all other movies are compared against.

Debuting in 1959 and sinking into obscurity almost as quickly, Wikipedia says "For years the film played on television in relative obscurity, until 1980, when authors Michael Medved and Harry Medved dubbed Plan 9 from Outer Space the "worst movie ever made". Wood was posthumously awarded the Medveds' Golden Turkey Award as the worst director ever."

The movie The Great Gatsby based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic book was released this weekend. And like the four other Great Gatsby movies before it, it seems to have flopped. Movie Critic Rex Reed says,

"Is it any wonder, in all the slobber and confusion, that the acting is so bad? With the phoniest set of performances this side of an Ed Wood flick, you might as well be watching Plan 9 From Outer Space."

Ouch! Burn!

Hopefully nothing you do will be deemed the worst ever!

"Birds make me laugh"

The cafeteria at school is crowded with first and second graders. It is full, and it is loud. VERY loud. It has to be, with nearly 200 children talking even at a normal level, trays banging, feet shuffling, and forks tinkling.

There is this first grade boy who is quiet. He doesn't speak much, and when he does it is in a soft-spoken voice. He is sensitive and artistic. He has a kind heart and loving eyes.

He raised his hand today and he had something to say. I came over, expecting him to ask me the usual, please open my ketchup packet, or I dropped my fork and I need another. Instead he said,

"I saw birds at my house."
"What kind of birds did you see?"
"I saw a blue jay!" he said happily. "I saw a robin, and a red bird, and crows." He looked very pleased about this.
I said, "The red bird is a cardinal."
"OH! I saw ducks too. We have a pond. And some other birds I forgot."
"Yes, ducks are birds. What do you like about birds?"

"Birds make me laugh."

To be a child and be touched by the simplicity and beauty of birds singing and flying about your yard. What makes you laugh? Is it as simple as birds?

Mushroom town

The sun finally came out. I took some better photos of mushrooms springing up on my lawn.

The rain finally stopped, but left a pool for the mushrooms to swim in

Soaking rain is nice...for a while

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain,...

AccuWeather says,

"Soaking rain will continue its slow journey across the South through Monday, ruining outdoor plans and heightening concerns for flash flooding. The steadiest rain through tonight will remain centered on areas from Georgia to central Kentucky, neighboring Indiana and central Illinois."

All I know is, the lawn is now mushroom-town!

Large patches of mushrooms are springing up all over the lawn. Not only are they cute, but they look very tasty. I'll resist the urge to pop one in my mouth, of course. My homemade cream of mushroom soup with safe, store-bought mushrooms I'd cooked earlier will be more than enough to satisfy the fungal urge. But they are so cute, aren't they!

Even this chickadee stopped by to grouse about the rain

Summer Staycation is almost here

Staycation has become a new buzz word since the economy crashed. It means

a period in which an individual or family stays home and participates in leisure activities within driving distance, sleeping in their own beds at night. They might make day trips to

local tourist sites, swimming venues, or engage in fun activities such as horseback riding, paintball, hiking or visiting museums. Most of the time it involves dining out more frequently than usual. Some people may include one or two overnight visits at relatives, friends or a longer trip. Staycations achieved popularity in the US during the financial crisis of 2007–2010.

My summers at home from school are my staycation. At this time of year, the annual stress reaches its maximum. All the kids are tired. All the staff are tired. We're tired of the kids. The staff is tired of each other.

As with any close-knit group working many hours alongside each other every day, when you get tired you bruise easier. Little irritants become magnified. Feelings become hurt at the drop of a hat. It doesn't mean we don't love each other, we do. It just means we're tired.

Many teachers I know go away on vacation right away after school ends. The last day for kids is right before Memorial Day and teachers have a couple of days of post-planning after that. Then they flee to the beach. Here in north Georgia, the beach is far away. Beach means Jekyll Island, Myrtle Beach SC or the panhandle of Florida. All these are 4-6 hours' drive.

But as anyone knows, once you drive into the hotel or cottage parking lot and you see the gulls wheeling, smell the tangy air and hear the surf, and see that azure blue beckoning you, it is a balm- and worth the hassle of packing and getting there.

As much as I love the beach, I like staycations better.

I have traveled and I LOVED it. I would not trade anything for the sight of Paris boulevards at night, of the haunting Colosseum, the snow-capped volcanoes of the Andes, the Amazon jungle, Mediterranean fishermen on the blue sea hauling nets, the cold Atlantic under glowing Northern Lights...

But I'm older now, I've been there and done that, and I trade the thrill of new sights for the warm slippers of the familiar.

The familiar and comfortable has its place too. I love napping with my kitties on my big bed by the window. I enjoy making a cool smoothie and sipping it topped with fresh blackberries while strolling the yard. I like reading a book in the sun on the patio under swooping birds. I like going to my home church, and not a different church on vacation.

If I was so inclined, there is plenty to do in this area, not the least of which is a beautiful State Park 3 miles down the road, with a flowing river, trails, a charming covered bridge, and more. The Farmer's Market with live music is one mile away from me every Saturday. There's lots to do in the nearby city of Athens.

Oftentimes we might overlook the nearby because it doesn't seem glamorous. You would be surprised at how many native New Yorkers I talk to who have never visited the Empire State building. Romans who never look at the Colosseum. French who drive by the Eiffel Tower without looking up and never entering the Louvre.

My staycation will arrive soon and I invite it to stay for a while. I'm at the point in life where traveling was good, but staying is better.

Kindergarten jog-a-thon

We had a jog-a-thon at our elementary school on Friday. I work with kindergarteners so that was the group I went outside with.

The kinder kids find sponsors, and on the designated day they bring back their sheets and run laps around the field. As they pass the tent, volunteers put a hash mark on their tag that is affixed to their back to keep track of how many laps they had run. My job was to stand at the corner cone and make sure no one cut corners across the field. You'd be surprised how many want to do that, lol.

After the first lap all the kids were huffing. Honestly, kids today don't go play outside and run around the neighborhood, running and biking in between all the houses, playing in the brook, and picking at the dump, like we used to 40 years ago. In my day, we'd leave in the morning, our mothers shouting "be home by dark!", and off we would go, on bikes or feet. Nowadays, for obvious reasons, kids are confined to their yards and frankly most of them just stay inside and play video games.

So they were huffing for sure. But after the second lap they all were getting into the competitive aspect, competing with themselves to see how many laps they could do. They'd proudly shout "I did 5!" or "I'm on 7!"

Some kids who I only see all day sitting at a little table and doing alphabet papers in class, really shone with their running. One girl was so thrilled. She shouted as she passed by, "I love running! It's my favorite thing! But I love climbing the tree too!" The tree, lol.

Many of the girls ran hand-in-hand, and that was the sweetest thing! One gal likes to wear wedding type dresses and Easter to dresses to school. She has long flowing black hair and black round eyes. She and another girl were running hand in hand, the girl's hair looking like a model's in the wind machine blowing all around her because she was going so fast, her little satin sash on her flowered dress wafting out behind, her hands clasped tightly together with her friend's and both were smiling. How sweet!!

Of course there were pairs of boys competing with each other, running full blast with tongues hanging out, feet pounding the grass as they rounded the cone, looking back to see where the other boy was. Is he gaining? Am I ahead? Boys!

If I closed my eyes, and just listened and felt the air, I enjoyed the soft spring air on my skin, the birds overhead, and the sound of children running and laughing in the sun. Not a bad way to end a workweek.

Flowers of all kinds

I learned this week that the tall, blue flowers in the field next door are cornflowers. I loved their neon blue color and the star-like shape. When I pick a bunch and put them on my windowsill, their blue color stands out against the white kitchen window curtain.

I love flowers. They figure prominently in my photography and in my life. For example, the lupines of Maine, remind me of the tangy northern Atlantic ocean air and the quiet streets with occasional moose.

The morning glory is a radiant flower, delicate, and present in the world without being aggressive about it.

The sunflower, rose, magnolia and poppy are totally aggressive about their presence, declaring it boldly and standing their ground like flower warriors, lol.

But no matter how large or how small, how delicate or how strong, all flowers are so beautiful. They are like God had sprinkled diamonds all along the world and when you stumble over one, you go "Oh! How wonderful, this gorgeous jewel!"

White hair

I earned my white hair, OK?!!

How to relax on a budget

If you are on a budget like I am, you cannot afford wild spending sprees. You can't even afford tiny spending sprees. Heck, you can't even think about spending without danger of going into the red.

But a gal's gotta relax, too, you know?

Yesterday when I got home from school I was tense. It had been a rough week with the necessity of giving a state-mandated test. This freaks out the kids and stresses the teachers and proctors. Even the kids who didn't have to take the test had to pass silently in the hallways and have quiet lunches. But we got through it and Friday after the storms passed by, by the time I got home it was cool and refreshed. I went out into  the yard, not minding my sneakers getting wet, and spent some time in the fresh air and the cool grass. I picked a bunch of flowers and loved every minute of it.

All it takes to relax on a budget is a bit of creativity and prayerful contentment. For example-

I love flowers. If I was rich, I'd have fresh flowers delivered every five days, and a butler to arrange them. Absent that, what I do is this, go into the yard and pick some. Also, go into the field and pick some.

Yard and field, lots of flowers for the picking!

See?

I'm Ikebana bound, very relaxing

Alternately, if you haven't bought yourself any clothes for over a year, you might stop at a yard sale and buy a few tee shirts for a dollar and then relax in one of them.

Maybe you found some beat up old paperbacks at a yard sale or a library sale, for a quarter and bought one or two or three.

But wait, there's more! The most relaxing thing is to sit in the sun, listen to the birds, and read those books in a comfy chair, like this one,

Or this one,

 

Watch out, though, the sun may make you sleepy. You can always take a relaxing nap! I confess, I learned how to relax from...

 My cats!!

Have a relaxing weekend, everyone :)