Jennifer Buxton's Candy Corn Treat

First Post of the Day

No words, a few tears, and a grateful heart. If you haven't seen Jennifer Buxton's blog post this morning, go read it and you will see why I am teary.

Thank you, Jennifer. We have 19 bags of candy ready for our neighborhood's trick or treaters tonight and no doubt I'll sample more than a few, but your blog post was absolutely THE BEST Halloween treat of my day.

Happy Halloween!

 

On the Run

Second post of the day.

I'm writing this morning and feeling better but not 100% yet. Those TIA symptoms coupled with the migraines are still causing trouble. I've started having tremors in my hands and I can't hit the correct keys when typing  - it is a mess. And if it happens when I am sewing, my fingers turn into pincushions, I stab myself so much. I've had a lot more testing done with a neurologist and they still don't know what is causing all this. 

(Bragging rights for having the Russell Viper Venom Screen as one of my tests, right? My kids thought I was kidding them when I told them about that test, but I'd anticipated their response and had taken a photo of the orders from the doctor to show them.)

Anyway! 

This week is Dr. Seuss's birthday and many schools celebrate with a week of literacy. I've been asked to go into two schools and read to a couple of classrooms.

Wednesday (before I got so sick with that migraine) I went to Lisa's school so Pepper could listen to students in her classroom read to her. (Pay no attention to that tennis ball!)

Afterward Lisa taught her students about what a guide dog does and let them ask questions about Pepper.

Today, I am going back to the school where I used to teach. Another teacher, my friend Kathy, is coming with me and we will read together. Kathy transcribed the book Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein into braille, and she will read while I hold the book and point out things of note on the pages. 

Kathy, her guide Nacho, and me, ready to go to a speaking engagement. We do a lot of teaching together, even though I am now retired. (She taught high school but is now in administration and is responsible for the training and support of teachers new to the corporation.)

Pepper being read to last May by a second grade class that had written poems about dogs. Kathy and I brought Nacho, Tate, and Pepper in so the dogs could hear their poems.

Kathy and I taught together many times when I was still in the classroom, and now we have fun going back into schools together. When we bring Pepper and Nacho or Tate, it is even more fun!

So, I'm a bit on the run today and don't have as much time as usual to write. But (fingers crossed) I won't get another migraine like that last one for a while and the blog won't be interrupted like that again.

Stay 'tooned!

A Dr. Seuss Spotting

Yesterday, Todd spotted a Dr. Seuss quote in an unusual spot:

The Denver airport terminal windows!

It's from the book, The Sneetches, and is a story about a culture where some Sneetches had stars on their bellies while others did not, and the star-bellied folk thought they were better than their non-starred friends.

Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches

Had bellies with stars.

The Plain-Belly Sneetches

Had none upon thars.

Those stars weren't so big.

They were really so small.

You might think such a thing

Wouldn't matter at all.

There's a citation for Dr. Seuss, and then a web site underneath, www.thosewhogo.net. Curious, both about the unusual location for a Seuss quote on cultural differences as well as the web site's purpose, I checked it out. I discovered something that I will use next year when we do our Conflict unit and create our own reaction artworks.

It's an art project! Here's a quote from the web site:

“To those who go” is a public art project by Ximena Labra for those and about those who will travel. Not only in space and time, but also in their minds, those who travel are willing to go beyond their usual surroundings. They are the seekers. Therefore, they find.  It is the will of discovery that makes us human beings find out who we are and what the universe is made of.

This is a project about people who went and saw, the ones that have gone further and shared their discoveries, their dreams, their revelations.  But it is also a project for the ones that are going today, -in spite of everything and because of everything the world is about- to find and to see, to do and to be… what they are.

Around 25,000,000 people will visit the Denver International Airport during this project´s existence.  From December 2012 to August 2013, the airport will display many great quotes about travels and travelers on different areas, and from great halls to toilets, all passengers will be able to enjoy them.

Also, there is an online collection of  books for anyone to download from the free airport wifi in this website.  One moment, or many hours of delight for every passenger that can read or listen is what this project is about.

This piece was actually made inside Denver International Airport. We had our work in progress site at the Terminal Level 5 Gallery during December 2012. From January to August 2013, this place will be open for visitors with project information and will also contain other art projects being displayed here at the time.