#MarvelousMaryLee

 Wow! Is there dust flying in the air as you open this post??!! It's been so long since anything has been posted on this blog, that there was at least an inch of dust when I opened the blog to submit a new entry.

But what an amazing reason to open the blog - celebrating MaryLee on Poetry Friday:

• #MarvelousMaryLee
• #PoemsforMaryLee

These are the hashtags being used to honor MaryLee today.

While poetry isn't something I normally write, I gave it a try, especially for ML. Congratulations on your retirement!!

Thirty-five Years of Knowing and Learning With ML

In the beginning…

One hot summer day in 1986

Two teachers new to a district

Moving in across the hall from each other

Teaching 4th grade together

“Hi, I’m Karen.”

“Hi, I’m MaryLee.”

ML inquired if I knew 

Donald Graves,

Lucy Calkins,

The concept of writing workshop,

Charlotte Huck

I knew none of those names or ideas

So my learning journey with ML began.

Our first year together…

Rooms caddy-cornered from each other

Sharing ideas

Classroom successes

On an almost daily basis

Discussing do-overs we wished we could have

Celebrating students

And student writing

Building poetry book libraries together

Trying to find the next great read aloud for our classes

Reading professional books, and

Reflecting on them as we learned from mentors

Trying and refining writing workshop in our classrooms

One year later, August 1987

I had been in labor with our first child for 36 hours

(started labor in July..)

MaryLee and another colleague

Calling to check on my progress on a constant basis

While at the Worthington Arts Festival

As soon as she heard I had delivered,

She got in her car to come see me

Besides my husband and me,

And before any grandparents arrived,

ML was literally the first person

To celebrate this amazing life event with us

On August 1, 1987

Through our Years in Dublin…

Continued those collegial conversations

Grew as an educator from each and every one of those chats

Eventually we went to different elementary schools

But continued to stay in touch through...

Scarves and Hats party

Teaching me how to begin a blog

Books and Brunches

Many trips to NCTE conventions

Road trip to MRA

Jeni’s for ice cream

And so much more.

And now today…

Celebrating all the lives -

Students, educators, parents, administrators, poets -

That MaryLee has changed

And made better.

A teaching life well lived.

An amazing educator.

A prolific poet.

Congratulations!

Can’t wait to be part of the next journey 

You will travel.

How fortunate I have been to know you as a friend and colleague the last 35 years!!!!

#PB10for10 - August 2019

It's that time of year again - time for #PB10for10! It is so fun to see the list of 10 picture books others have curated around a topic or theme. After a two year hiatus, I decided to join in the fun again this year. Thanks so much to Cathy and Mandy for hosting this fun for the past 10 years!!!!

I have the great fortune this year and last to work and collaborate with language arts teachers in grades K-8. A conversation I've had in all my professional development either this summer or sometime in the past year centered around the power of picture books at all grade levels. Though I don't have the exact quote, I shared the thinking of Dorothy Barnhouse about the importance of using simpler texts when introducing more complex learning. The complex learning can be around a standard or a goal, OR it can be about being a better person or community member. Barnhouse's idea is so applicable for all students, both young and adult.

So, my #PB10for10 for 2019 is focused on picture books I've shared in my coaching and consulting work in different school districts during the last 12 months for a variety of reasons. 

Here are the pic-collages of the books I'd like to share this year:

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall - What a wonderful book to begin work with a new community of learners, rather they are adults or students. This book is about being brave and tackling something out of your comfort zone, yet knowing that you have people to scaffold and support you as you work toward your goal, whatever it may be. I begin every session with new adult learners this way, thanking them for trusting me to be their scaffold and support as we learn together. It is also a wonderful community builder for the classroom - how students can support one another as they work to achieve things in the classroom.

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires - I come back to this book time and time again when thinking about perseverance. Another great community builder in the classroom. With adults, when we approach new or revised learning, it is a great read about NOT throwing out everything we may have tried before, but rather finding the pieces of instructional practice that allow us to really help students grow and learn in their time with us.

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld - Another terrific book for building classroom community in all grades. Sometimes when a person gets frustrated, they don't want another person to give them a million suggestions for how to "fix" the problem; they just need someone to listen to their frustrations. At all grade levels, learning to listen is a powerful skill. I use this with adult learners, especially coaches, when talking to them about how important it is for them to listen to their colleagues carefully, and then, together, figure out what next steps might be.

Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera and illustrated by Lauren Castillo - The beauty of this book is in the one word title - if we begin to "imagine" what is possible, the outcomes can be amazing, no matter where we began in life. Another great text for the classroom and imagining the possibilities of where students will be as they grow throughout the year. This is also a great tool in my consulting/coaching. I have shared this book as a read aloud the past year when asking adult learners to think about the bigger picture of what we want for our students. Beautiful text and illustrations.

I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet - Being kind is a lesson we as educators address every single year. Rather you are a kindergarten or an eighth grade teacher, this is an important book to share with your students. As with all the community builders mentioned so far, it also addresses the concept of theme and doing what's right, even when that feels difficult. 

Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris and illustrated by LeUyen Pham - This is a book that was shared with me this summer by a literacy coach from Maine (thanks Susan Dee!). Though I haven't shared this book with adult learners yet, it is a great beginning of the year book for building community, and thinking about how each of us brings our own set of concerns to a school year. But we learn that if we work together, we can do it. My favorite line is:

"So many different animals

living their separate lives,

but they didn't know they

were in it together...

until..."

A great book to read aloud for adult and younger learners alike!

My Papi has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, and illustrated by Zeke Pena - Many of the first five books had diverse characters. Each story wasn't about teaching diversity; the characters just happened to be diverse. This book is such a lovely view into the Hispanic community of Corona, California, the  childhood home of the author, the friends and family she encountered on a daily basis. This book could serve as a mentor text for any type of narrative, small moment, or memoir writing a student might do.

The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog (and Other How-to Poems) selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Richard Jones - Another big thank you to Susan Dee for this book title, also! Poetry is a genre that should be read and written in all grade levels. It is such an accessible form of writing. The poems selected for this book are fun - mostly "how to" poems over a variety of topics. More importantly, just like all the poets who contributed are different, so are the styles of the poems they wrote. A great way to have students see a variety of poetry formats. This is another book I haven't had an opportunity to share yet, but it will be coming to my September book talks.

This is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World by Matt Lamothe - I know there is a separate time tor sharing nonfiction titles, but this is such a "go to" informational title for me, both when modeling for students or working with adult learners, I had to add it to my list for this year. Following a typical school day for children in 7 different countries is a fascinating way to begin to share about the differences in our own school days - from types of families to what is worn to school to what is eaten for breakfast to how students travel to school, and so much more - this is a book that you will come back to time and time again to help kickstart meaningful conversations about the world and your own classroom communities.

Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World by Susan Hood, and illustrated by many... - When I have shared this book in the past year, I share it because I love everything about it. Not all the women who are mentioned here are common names. The setup of the pages is appealing - on each 2-page spread there is an illustration, a quote from the young woman, a poem about the person, and some informational fact about the young woman as well. This book is a celebration of young women who truly made a difference in our world - what a wonderful message to share with our students!

Well that's it for this year. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope to be a bit more active with the blog (see more about that in the "About Me" tab at the top).

I am so looking forward to what made everyone else's lists!

Walks Bring Renewal - #SOL18 - 3/31/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

**It is amazing that this is the final day of the Challenge. Out of 31 days, I managed to post 27 slices. So not everyday, but writing habits were built. It's been fun to meet new friends during this month-long challenge, as well as visit with old friends through our commenting. Thanks to everyone who has stopped once or more than once to share a comment with me. It's been great being on this journey with all of you! Congratulations to all of you who wrote each and every day.  I look forward to staying in touch on Tuesday Slice of Life.**


Today I took a walk.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing.

Signs of spring were everywhere - blooms pushing up from the soil, grass greening, streams full of rainwater rushing under bridges.

The wind was gusting through the trees, bringing fresh air to all around.

Every time I take a walk at this time of the year, my heart overflows with hope and renewal.

Wind blowing, sun shining, flowers blooming, grass greening, birds singing, streams rippling

Today I took a walk and felt renewed.

Weather Woes - #SOL18 - 3/29/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 2 remaining days!


A conversation 2 days ago:

1st person: This weather has been so depressing. Snow or rain, and gray skies forever.

2nd person (someone feeling quite full of themselves): You know, the weather this February and March really hasn't bothered me that much. I guess it's because when we were in Florida for the entire month of January, and I think I just stored up huge quantities of Vitamin D just being out in the sun everyday. It has managed to lift my spirits even on the gloomiest of days now. It's all good.


Today:

2nd person looks at the 10 day forecast:

What that same person feels like now (not quite so full of themselves):

Flummoxed!!

Porches and Patio Fun - #SOL18 - 3/28/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 3 remaining days!

(My slice is more late than normal tonight as I just got home from the event I wanted to slice about.)

Tonight was a gathering of our Porches and Patios group. We have evolved over the years: we began as a group refining our use of technology to enhance our instructional practices in the classroom. And we always had chips and queso dip to eat, and we would gather on each others' porches or patios. Nowadays, it is far more about the food (tonight had an amazing Mexican food theme), the conversation, the learning, the laughter, and the fun.

There is no way to capture all the special, and often times hysterical, moments of our evening together, but here are a few of the conversational snippets overheard tonight:

On Voxer, is that "tap to talk"? 

Passion planner, panda planner, or bullet journal ?

Got it on Amazon - 'Something Wish' pen holder

Sketchnoting - yo need to get your head around process vs perfect

The Kids Should See This

Your name is _____, but you told me to call you 'Hot Mama'

We're going to ride fancy class with air waitresses

Anello backpack - is it a backpack or a wine carrier or both??

The 3rd piece of pie makes it

Funny thing said by teacher: 'Why are you licking your chair?'

Funny thing heard by teacher: 'Keep your balls low to the ground; it's windy today."

It's not a private school. They can't tell me what to wear.

Winky faces - what's with them? Send or not send?

You need to fix your face

Did you ever go to that jeweler?

At what point do flip flops become inappropriate?

You need to see these Kid Snippet videos

Truth

So, that's it... a random sampling of some of our conversations tonight.

Thanks for stopping by to read this silliness.

My Brain is Energized! - #SOL18 - 3/27/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 4 remaining days!

Today, I went to Capital University, for a meeting with Dan, a faculty member in the technology department. He was bringing me up to date with the new platform I would need to use to communicate with students when my summer semester class begins in May.

As I worked with Dan and after, two thoughts were percolating in my brain:

1) I love learning. All different types of learning.
I've always had a passion for it. Being a learner energizes and enriches me as a professional and a person. Today, as I drove away from campus, I left feeling totally jazzed. My brain was firing on all cylinders, and it was exciting stuff.

2) When learning something new, I need to do, not just be told what to do.
When Dan was introducing the new platform to me, he kept demonstrating on his computer how to do it. He clicked this, then he clicked that, then this, then that... you get the picture. I had to slow him down, pull out my laptop, and have him watch as I tried to replicate some of the work he had shown. When that happened, with his guidance and scaffolding, I was able to achieve success with the tasks.

I'm really looking forward to teaching summer semester, but as I reflect on my own learning today, I will continue to look at all learners (student, pre-service teachers, adults) with whom  I work with different eyes, knowing that they have specific needs as learners as well.

The beauty of sharing book titles - #SOL18 - 3/26/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 5 remaining days!


There is a beauty in sharing books with others.

Like the time this January I reconnected with college friends after 40 years, and one of my favorite parts was when there was a sharing of adult book titles we loved. One of those titles actually became a book club choice for one of my book clubs the very next month after I recommended it to them!

Then there was a recent retirement luncheon when the person across the table for me asked what I was currently reading, and it evolved into everyone chiming in and sharing titles across the entire table of ten.

This past Saturday, my trainer, Tami, was talking about the Easter basket she wanted to put together for her son, M. She wanted to include some books, so she asked me for my recommendations. Luckily, I had just read the following three:

I was more than happy to recommend all three of them to her. I knew her little guy (a kindergartener) would really dig the visual nature of Baby Monkey, Private Eye.

If you don't know these books, and you read with children, they are all great. But I have to say the biggest must have of these for me is The Rabbit Listened. I read this book multiple times to capture all that it had to offer in terms of message. 

It is a children's picture book, but it would also be a great book to use with adult learners. Coaching and collaboration requires a high level of trust, and this book addresses one of the keys to developing that trust. 

Loved this book, and will be purchasing it immediately.

Since sharing books is a thing of beauty, feel free to share one or two titles you are loving as well.

Happy reading!

Savoring Time with a Lifetime Friend - #SOL18 - 3/25/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 6 remaining days!


Like most writers, I tend to have "writing territories" - today's slice is about two of those - my lifetime friend, Lisa, and my writing. 
Lisa and I have been friends since freshman year (1973) at college when we lived in the same dorm, and pledged the same sorority. An argument could be made that I haven't known her my entire lifetime, but her importance in my life for the past 45 years is immeasurable and thus feels like I've known her my entire life. We were friends in college, then lost touch for about four years, but when I moved back to Ohio in 1981, she became more than just a "friend"; for so many reasons, she is my "family", and as such, there are many stories to be told in my life that include Lisa.

Since my retirement last May, Lisa and I have made a concerted effort to explore the city, and its surrounding areas, in which we live. That entails visiting and exploring a new part of the city each time we get together.

This past Friday, we visited uptown Westerville. We found so many great independently-owned shops there, both for browsing and buying. I found one store in particular that I loved - Ohio Art Market. So many great finds, and all the products made by Ohio artists. Beautiful things.

We finally made it to lunch at about the time many people were beginning to think about early happy hours. Another one of our goals on our excursions is to eat at a restaurant that is unique to that community. Several shop owners, and some customers as well, highly recommended Asteriks. They weren't wrong! The food was delectable, and if you ever have the opportunity to eat there, don't miss out on the fried cauliflower; it truly could have been a meal all by itself!

At some point Friday, we began to reflect back on all the parts of the city we have explored together. However, both of us being 60-somethings, we couldn't remember everything we'd done; not even if we just thought about the places we have visited since I retired last May. Yikes!

I came home that day and made a decision - these outings together are too precious. I needed to create a recording of these memories for us. So, I got out a journal, looked back at the calendar on my phone, and recreated the dates/places we've visited. I plan to backtrack and get a few things written about our adventures since May, but after this, I want to take it with me each time, and have both of us contribute some of our favorite memories from the day.

I'm just using a simple journal, but I can't decide what to to title it:

• Lisa and Karen Do Columbus (nah... a little too Debbie Does Dallas)
• Lisa and Karen (nah... a little too Thelma and Louise)
• Lisa and Karen's Excellent Adventures (nah... a little too Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure)
• Retirement Wanderings and Ramblings (might be in the running, but it's still too soon to settle)

Oh well... I'll leave it untitled for now, but I so look forward to much more exploring and time spent with my lifetime friend. And I look forward to recording it for posterity for our children to read and chuckle at someday. In the meantime, it will be the warehouse that stores our memories together.

Cleaning Led to Revisiting Retirement - #SOL18 - 3/22/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 9 remaining days (we made it to single digits!!!).*


I've been on a cleaning binge this week. Yesterday and today I was very focused on my office space. I had already tackled this job last May when I retired, and brought all my personal teaching possessions home. I thought I had it in control, but ten months later, every inch of that work space was a disaster zone.

How much of a disaster???

• Two big black garbage bags full of papers and just stuff.
• One large box full of school supplies - pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, binders, journals, post-it notes, pencil pouches, notepads, and much more. Far more than I could ever use in my lifetime. (Luckily, I can donate this box of supplies.)
• A huge bag of ARCs and middle grade books ready to donate.

So, it was a productive day, my space is now clean, and I am now motivated to tackle the rest of the house.

But today, during the cleaning, I had a few emotional moments as some priceless treasures were unearthed:

• All the retirement cards and notes I received last May to celebrate my years as an educator. Notes that were thoughtful and kind. Notes that shared how much it meant to the person that our paths had passed both personally and professionally. Notes that made me smile (and maybe made my vision a bit blurry as I got emotional). I loved rereading all those messages.
• Many years ago, I had the good fortune to learn with the brilliant Samantha Bennett (That Workshop Book) during a coaching session in my 5th grade classroom. Sam really pushed my thinking during this experience, and made me dig deep to get to my personal beliefs and how they translated to my work with students. Today, I found the note she sent me after our time together - her words to me about our work together were priceless.
• Right before I retired last year, I was honored with an award given to a staff member once a month in my district. I found the plaque I received when cleaning today, but the part of this that made me teary-eyed were all the nomination letters my colleagues had written for me to receive this award. I couldn't believe the both the quantity of letters written, as well as all the kind words about the impact I made. It was very humbling to read all these again.

So, yes, my office space looks great now, but to get to that place, there were some tears along the way as my cleaning led to revisiting my retirement, and reflecting back on my teaching career.

Bookends of My Day - #SOL18 - 3/21/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 10 remaining days!*


Morning bookend

Our youngest daughter texted very early this morning to share she had decided she wanted to drive up from Nashville to visit us Easter weekend. We haven't seen her since Christmas, and weren't going to see her again until the end of June for a family wedding. She decided that was just too long to wait to see her family.

I couldn't be more delighted that all four of us will be together next weekend. Such a gift!


Evening bookend

After a lovely yoga class, I came home to a stuffed-up, sneezy, slightly whiny spouse. The respiratory ailment that affected so many this winter had found him. On the kitchen counter, I saw a variety of medicines lined up: Vicks, Vitamin C, Zicam, cough medicine. He was pulling out all the big guns.

After I checked with him to see how he was doing, I started in on my own preparations - the container of Clorox Wipes came out, and I've been wiping down refrigerator door handles, faucets, remote controls, other door handles, you name it. I'm truly not sure I can outrun this illness, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Sure hope we are both feeling better by next Friday when our youngest comes to visit!

Goosebumps and tears - #SOL18 - 3/20/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 11 remaining days!*


Goosebumps and tears.

I actually woke up this morning with a game plan for my slice, and then I began to skim through my Facebook feed. And my plans just flew out the window.

Goosebumps and tears.

I watched a video clip performed by two incredibly talented Broadway stars - Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt. As they sang, and the musicians accompanied them, the words and the music swelled around me.

Goosebumps and tears.

I found this clip on the "News and Guts" site, which also had the words and who sang what typed out. I did some very close reading of just those lyrics, and was so moved.

Goosebumps and tears.

I replayed the clip at least 5 times, closing my eyes and opening my ears to take it all in again and again. Every single time...

Goosebumps and tears.

And then I read the rest of the article, which showed tweets from Miranda, Platt, and Emma Gonzalez, student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who shared her reaction after hearing the clip.

Goosebumps and tears.

As this beauty has continued to surround me all day, I can't help but reflect on the fact that there is nothing beautiful about all the school shootings we have experienced, and there is nothing beautiful about all the precious lives that have been lost.

Goosebumps and tears.

But I hope that this beautiful musical mash up, together with all the voices that are being raised to change the status quo with regards to school safety and gun laws, will somehow make a difference. Until that time, I am left with...

Goosebumps and tears.

Bad Habit Help Needed - #SOL18 - 3/19/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 13 remaining days!*

BAD HABIT HELP NEEDED!

Hi, I'm Karen, and I pick at my nails and hangnails.

This has been a habit I've had my entire life. I've tried many remedies to cure this habit:

• When I was younger,  I would use Sally Hansen polish to strengthen my nails. It didn't work.
• Went to a nail salon and wore acrylic nails for years - stopped because of the expense and all the fumes and dust from the drilling each time. And I just couldn't believe that wearing acrylic all the time was good for the health of my nails.
• Several years ago, I tried gel or shellac polish to strengthen my nails. It would be wonderful for about 7 - 9 days, and then the polish would begin to lift. As soon as I began to feel that lift, I would begin to pick again. When doing that with gel or shellac, I was also peeling off layers of my nail as well. Not good.
• A year ago, I tried a nail salon again, this time going to improve my nails; getting a manicure with a nice coat of polish. Again, it looked good for about 7 days, but then I would need to file and re-polish at that point. Hangnails became the culprit - my nails were fine, but hangnails began to appear, and I couldn't leave those alone.

Which brings me to today, and the fact that I'd love to fix this bad habit if I can.

This is a definitely a "first world" problem for me to have. But I'm curious - if you read this post, and have had the same issue, I would love to hear how you handle it. 

Back on the Mat - #SOL18 - 3/18/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 13 remaining days!*

Come to your mat.

These were the words that welcomed me back to yoga after a 3 month absence. Between the holidays, spending the month of January in Naples, a rib injury in February that prevented me from twisting, I had to put yoga on hold for those 3 months. It was so nice to be back this morning.

Set an intention for your practice today.

As Carol, the instructor, spoke these words, it helped me bring focus to the next 75 minutes. It allowed me to be mindful about what I wanted to take away from the class. Today, I wanted to focus on balance, strength, and flexibility - both physically and mentally. The idea of knowing what you want to take away from the practice of yoga, really allows you to set a goal for achievement.

Our breath practice will be 4-7-8.

As I sat on my mat, Carol led our class in today's breath practice. Inhale for the count of 4, hold for the count of 7, and exhale for the count of 8. Becoming aware of breathing, and practicing that awareness, is a critical part of my yoga practice. This work on breathing always brings with it a sense of calm.

Listen to your body.

We were reminded several times during class, to listen to our individual bodies. If a certain move or flow was not in our comfort zone today, that was okay. Do what you can, working at your individual level.

Thank you for practicing with me today. Namaste.

As I left class today, I was so grateful for the gift of time to come to my mat, set an intention, breathe, and listen to my body.

I feel like the lessons I learned today in yoga would be very applicable to life as well.

A Tribute to Ireland on St. Patrick's Day - #SOL18 - 3/17/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 14 remaining days!*


My oldest daughter and I traveled to Ireland this past September to celebrate my retirement and her 30th birthday, and we had an amazing time! That trip could be multiple slices. However, on St. Patrick's Day, I decided my slice would be very visual in nature - sort of a photo essay, with some captions to share what you're seeing. I could overwhelm you with all the pictures I took, but I culled it down to a somewhat manageable amount.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!


Starting in the Republic of Ireland:

An overlook in Killarney

Killarney - fences made with stone

Limerick - bridges transverse the river that runs through it

Limerick - The Locke Pub.
By far, our favorite pub - music, dancing, good food.

Dingle Peninsula - Dunquin Beach

Dingle Peninsula -
View of the beach from the parking lot.
We had to hike down to the beach.

Dingle Peninsula -
a shrine for St. Brigid of Kildaire

The Cliffs of Moher in Galway

The Gap of Dunloe

Moving into Northern Ireland:

The Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway

Dark Hedges 

Dunluce Castle

View from Dunluce Castle

Dunluce Castle

The Peace Bridge connecting Derry and Londonderry

And the rainbow after the rain -
Castlerock - Downhill Strand Beach

And now the picture that graces our fireplace mantle, courtesy of Shutterfly, serving as a wonderful memory of our trip to Ireland:

Slice of Life in Seven 6 Word Stories - #SOL18 - 3/16/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 15 remaining days!*

Yesterday, Clare posted her day in seven 6 word stories. I loved the idea of 6 words describing various snippets of the day, and decided to try something like this myself today...

Starting gate - toast, paper, Jumble, book

Chilly water, body moving, heart pumping

Cleaning lady ill, my turn today

Altered for me, now fits perfectly

Reserves at library, true treasures found

Racks in basement - gorgeous clothing decisions

Brackets doing well, some teams disappoint

I may need to bring this format back another time. For someone who loves to rattle on, being concise is a good skill to practice for me!

There Isn't Any Ice Part 2 - #SOL18 - 3/15/18

**I'm so grateful to the #SOL community for welcoming me each and every time I post a slice. Thank you so very much to the team at Two Writing Teachers for coordinating and hosting this slicing community for the entire month of March for the Slice of Life Challenge. You all rock!!**

*During this year's challenge, my plan is to reflect on a slice of my life from that day, or the day before, and write about it. No theme to tie my writing together this year, no plans ahead of time.  Just glimpses into slices of my days. Not having a plan is a very uncomfortable place for me, both as a person and a writer, so fingers crossed for the 16 remaining days!*


Last Wednesday

Husband: The new refrigerator looks great. Can't wait to start using it.

Wife: We have to let it cool for 24 hours before putting anything in, or it might spoil. Then, we have to throw away the first 3 fill-ups of the ice container, and throw away at least 3 gallons of water to get the filter working, and the water clear.


Last Saturday

Husband: Why are we still using bottled water, and where the heck is the ice? There isn't any in this compartment.

Wife: I'm truly not sure what happened with the ice or the water. The ice container filled up once, I emptied it, and we haven't had any ice since then. I've filled about 3 gallons a day for the last 4 days, and the water is still murky, and not fit to drink.

Husband: I think "we" should do something about that.


Monday

Ring/ Ring!

Wife (talking to the appliance department of the big box store where the refrigerator was purchased): That is correct. No ice has been made since the first batch, and the water is still filled with residue.

Wednesday? Great, I'll plan on being there then.


Wednesday

Wife: Thanks for coming to check out the refrigerator. I'm hoping you will have some answers and be able to solve these problems for us.

Two service guys: No problem. This is probably just an easy fix.

45 minutes later...

Two service guys: Ma'am, we can't figure out what is going on with the ice or the water. It just doesn't make any sense. We've been told to offer to put in an order for a new refrigerator if we couldn't fix this one. Would that be okay?

Wife: I would certainly appreciate that.


Thursday (today)

Cell phone ringing...

Big Box assistant manager: Ma'am, it is my understanding that your new refrigerator isn't working. I see that you have requested a new refrigerator because your water filter and ice maker are not working. 

Wife: Yes, that is correct. I was told you would be replacing the refrigerator that just got here last Wednesday.

Assistant Manager: Yes, I just talked to my manager, and we can do that for you. Unfortunately, we don't have any more of this brand in our store or our warehouse. The soonest we can get one for you is the end of March, beginning of April. Would that be okay?

Wife: No, it's not perfect, but I can live with it since, at least, the refrigerator items are staying cold. But here is what I'm wondering - we have been very inconvenienced by this situation because we are buying bottled water and bags of ice to replace what the refrigerator we've already paid for isn't doing for us. I'm wondering if you and your manager would consider compensating us in some way for this - price off the refrigerator, gift cards to your store, something that says you believe in customer service.

Assistant Manager: I will talk to my manager, and get back to you, but I don't think it's unreasonable for us to take off $___  from the amount you paid, and reimburse you for that.

Wife: I would truly appreciate that. Thanks. I look forward to hearing from you both about this compensation, and when the refrigerator is in and ready for delivery.

And that is how "we" handled the situation. ;) Will keep you posted on the outcome, but it might not be until April.

(And for anyone who wants to see how we came to this situation in the first place, feel free to check out this post.)