Go away, winter #SOL19

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Dear winter,

For many years, you have been one of my favorite seasons, second only to fall.  There's nothing more beautiful than a blanket of white, fluffy snow covering the yard.  I truly appreciate the reflective gleam of snow on a sunny day.

In November, you provided us a preview of what was to come.  We had our first snow day at school.  We welcomed your chill and sparkling frost.

During December, you seemed so calm.  We enjoyed 50-degree days and very little snow.  Sure, we may have complained a tiny bit about the absence of snow during the holidays.  I assure you, we didn't mean to upset you.

January was definitely your month to reign.  You brought us snow and ice storms, causing delayed starts and cancellations.  We shoveled, we scraped and we bought SO much salt to keep us safe.  You did not relent.

As February wraps up, we are wearing layers of sweaters, scarves and hats to protect us from your icy, arctic blasts.  You even sent impressive 50 mile-per-hour wind gusts to drive your point home.

Dear winter, would you consider moving north a bit earlier this March?  Why wait until the 21st? Can we suggest a lovely spot in the Arctic Circle?

Thanks for visiting.  It's truly been an experience.  We look forward to some time apart before you return later this year.

Sincerely,
Chris

Desert Botanic Garden #SOL

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We entered the Desert Botanic Garden.  Cactus everywhere

barrel

saguaro

prickly pear.

The hummingbirds hovered over the blooms.  More birds

chirped 

scurried

waddled.

The monarch butterflies sunned on plants.  Other butterflies flitted by

black swallowtails

zebra longwings

painted ladies.

We enjoyed walking amid the desert flora and fauna.  The sun

glimmered

heated

glowed.

Soggy Spring #SOLC17

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The rain has made the ground squishy and soggy.

The birds are excited to pull juicy worms from the dirt.

The green sprigs of daffodils and snowdrops peek up, some flowering.

The trees are covered with moss, their leaves beginning to bud.

The water in the stream gushes, splashes and flows over rocks.

The air is sticky and fragrant and gentle.

The rain brings new life to the earth.

SQAWK! #SOL17

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In yesterday's post, I used sounds to emphasize some of Sunday & Monday's events.

Today, I start out where I left off:

I heard a noise behind me.  SQUAWK!

This noise didn't sound like the robins and sparrows that usually sing from the pine tree.  This was something really different.  After I set all my things in the car, I walked over to the source of the noise.

That's when I saw him.

A rooster.  Under the pine tree.  Really!

 I started laughing to myself.  What else made sense?

I realized that this guy must have flown/walked/been blown over to my house from the park district's historical farm across the street.  We had some pretty intense thunderstorms last night, so I'm glad he made it through the night under our pine tree.  I'm also amazed that he didn't perish as he crossed the four-lane highway!

I really didn't know what to do, so I got some birdseed and threw it to the rooster.  He eagerly chowed down on the seeds, clucking contentedly.  My daughter (the bird whisperer - another slice for another time) was asleep inside.  My hope was to wake her up and have her alert the park district about the escaped rooster.

I snapped these pictures and jumped in the car, already running late to work.  When I arrived, my principal was out for car duty.  I told her I had a great excuse for being barely on time.  "No way!" was her reply when she saw the pictures.

I'm hoping my friend, the rooster, found his way back to the farm.  My daughter didn't wake up until after 10:00 a.m. and at that time he had wandered away.

I didn't see him on my walk tonight, as I looked carefully through the woods around our house.

It's not every day you find a rooster in your yard!

Thanks for your inspiration, Juliette! #SOLC17

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First, I must tell you, my cheeks were a little pink on Sunday.  Betsy used one of my slices as the example on the call to slice link.

Next, you should know, I usually construct my slices on the fly (I plan nothing) and I write as I go.

Furthermore, I admit, my heart jumped when I saw my name connected to a slice on Sunday.

I immediately clicked on Juliette's Gifts.  I believe Juliette lives in another country from what I can gather from her slices.  She got inspiration from my Spring is Approaching slice and blogged about her summer.

Juliette mentioned traveling to Mallorca.  I love geography and searching for places, so I had to look it up.  Just LOOK at this gorgeous place!

Cal Boquer Beach, North Mallorca

Image from See Mallorca

I've always been a guppy** when it comes to travel.  My husband went to Europe with our high school choir for his first airplane trip.  I've only traveled the US with white knuckles on the airplane and restless legs in the car.

But Juliette's slice got me thinking.  There's a whole world out there that I need to see.  I may need some more coaching when it comes to cross-country and overseas travel, but I think it would be worth it.  I can picture myself standing at the top of Cal Boquer Beach in North Mallorca, staring out into the blue, clear ocean, 

Thanks for your inspiration, Juliette!

** ("Flounder, don't be such a guppy!" The Little Mermaid)

Spring #SOLC17

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Spring is approaching

The sun is warm but the air is cold

I step outside, gloves on hands

and pull down the dry, jagged branches 

of the monster clematis that clings to our fence.

Spring is approaching

I try to connect the hose

failing more than once.

I finally line up the treads

twist, twist, turn on,

big spray, wipe eyes,

now the water is flowing.

Spring is approaching

I take in the sights and sounds

of my yard.

Birds chirping,

grass turning green,

plants pushing through the soft dirt.

What will I plant this year?

Spring is approaching

Time to finish up the indoor projects

and move to the outdoor projects.

Some planned, some spontaneous.

Some long overdue.

The Reading Nest #SOL16

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It's April.  We have less than 30 days of school (yes, we will finish in MAY!)

and my little "birds" are flap, flap, flapping their "reading wings."

I, the sweet, smiling enabler, take on a new persona every spring.

My little birds are not very happy with me.

I become the mama robin

who has sat on the eggs in my nest

keeping them warm and safe from predators.

My little birds are chirp, chirp, chirping

hungry for more words,

longer books 

("Can I have a chapter book, please?")

Their reading wings are the strongest they have been all year.

They really don't want to try to fly.

They are too scared, but

I begin to nudge them closer to the edge of the nest.

When they look at me with big, worried eyes, 

waiting for me to help them with a tricky word,

I pause, I count in my head, I prompt them,

"You try."

They can usually get the word, but I'll whisper help if they need it.

Some of my brood are stronger than others.  

They teeter on the edge of the nest,

encouraging their fellow "feathered" friends

to join them in a trial "flight" with a book.

These birds are ready for short flights on their own.

They refuse to wait for an introduction to the text - 

they jump right in and begin reading on their own,

usually leaving the safety of the table for a comfy spot on the floor

where they exclaim,

"I can read it by myself!"

Some birds need a bigger push towards the edge.  

These are the birds that I will welcome

back to the nest in August.

These are the birds that need more meals

of strategies, easier texts and positive reading experiences.

I will always be back at the nest

where the little ones can find me

amid a variety of juicy texts.

From McHenry County

Giddy about Gardening #SOL

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C'mon.. you can do it!

One day in June the family piled into the car and went to Home Depot.  We usually don't shop the home improvement stores as a unit, so we must have decided to randomly stop after a meal out.

As we wandered the store, we came upon the seed rack in the garden section.  We started looking at seeds.  "It's too late," my husband warned, "but you should see what will grow in the back yard."

Ah, the backyard.  Our neighbors installed a stone retaining wall two summers ago.  We have not decided what to plant at the foot of the wall on our side, so we've just been mulching the area.  

Hmmm - could this be a place for a garden?  

We decided on the spot that we would plant seeds in our new garden.  My husband picked cilantro and peppers (he loves pico de gallo), I picked carrots, and the girls chose watermelon, cantaloupe and spinach.

That day the seeds went into the ground.  Weeks later the sprouts came up.  Then flowers... and ... you get the picture.  We were actually growing a GARDEN!  We added a tomato plant and jalapeno pepper plant.  (Jeff really wanted to make pico!)

We've been pretty good about taking care of these little plants.  I've been completely mesmerized as I've watched tiny seeds grow into seedlings, sprouts, plants, flowers and now FRUITS and VEGETABLES (thank you, first grade science curriculum, for the inspiration and vocabulary).

Will we ever get to eat a juicy watermelon this year?  Doubtful.  I don't even think the cantaloupe will get past the flowering stage.  We have enjoyed tiny carrots, lots of cilantro, and some spinach.  We may try fried green tomatoes, and I'll have to find out how the peppers grew... I don't eat jalapenos!  I can't wait to plan what we are planting NEXT year!

Tomato plant

Spinach

Jalapeno

Watermelon!

  

Sugar Bush SOLC #16

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Today my nephews, brother, sister-in-law, oldest daughter and I visited our local nature center to celebrate maple syrup!  YUM!

Our park district personnel (and helpers) reenact a pioneer sugar camp.  Pancakes and sausage covered in real maple syrup under a tent.  Youngest daughter volunteered to pour coffee and hot cocoa.

Today was a freezing, blustery day with a lot of sunshine (which didn't help).  I had brought my girls many times when they were younger, but today was my brother's family's first time.

My nephews taste-tested store-bought versus tree-tapped syrup.  They were proud that they picked the "right one" (tree-tapped).  The boys were impressed that it takes 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup.

The boys watched carefully and listened intently as a volunteer whittled and cored a piece of sumac into a spire just like the pioneers would do to tap a tree.  Danny, the oldest, showed off his vocabulary by explaining to me that the native Americans used a hatchet to cut a "V" in a tree to collect the sap.

All of us moved quickly through the stations.  We then made the brisk walk back to my place, 1.5 miles in total.  I kept apologizing to my brother, nursing a sore hip, for the long walk, but he claimed not to mind.  We made sure he had the spot in front of the fireplace when we returned.

I'm happy to share our nature center with my nephews.  My girls have enjoyed programs there for years, but now it's time for the boys to take their turn.  I wish they lived closer than an hour away.

It was so cold, the sap was frozen!

Lindsey and Troy

Mike and Danny
(I told them to show how cold they were!) 

Pioneer display (love his hat!)