A Little Buckaroos Super Bowl Read-In

(Warning: picture intensive!)

Today was the Hershey Super Bowl Read-In - a day we celebrated reading with the Super Bowl as the theme. The Denver Broncos are one of the teams playing, so naturally I focused in on them in my classroom.

After all, they have a horse, Thunder, as a mascot, and when they score at a home game, Thunder is galloped across the length of the football field. Anne Judge-Wegner, the horse's rider and trainer, is a TSC grad having attended Klondike and Harrison. She was in the class behind me.

Anne and Thunder celebrating a win.

We had a party with our reading buddies, with Jane's class providing the snacks and me providing the decor and activity (in addition to reading together.)

With help from Tim, I brought in a bunch of tack for the kids to see.

 Two saddles, a bridle, chaps, spurs, saddlebags, a lariat, and Tim's Aussie hat.

 AB loved that hat and wore it most of the day.

 LG models the chaps.

 Mrs. Fields joined us, and took a turn in the saddle.

And ropes Jane with the lasso.

I have spoken before of how tender my students are with their buddies.

Case in point: NC tenderly lifts her buddy, DJ, into the saddle so she can "ride." (My kids then jiggled the saddle so it felt like movement for DJ.)

 The kids' athletic shoes were too wide for the spurs, so they wore them with their socks!

 AB's buddies read to him as he "rides." (JO, AS, AB, WS, and AD left to right.)

 TM lassos NC while EP adds antlers. (Antlers??)

 AB finally shares the hat. WS models it as he rides.

 AD wears the hat and chaps while LG adds the spurs.

 A close up of LG strapping on the spurs.

 AS and JR play catch the bandit with the lariat.

 What's a Super Bowl party without snacks? We had pizza, little smokies, punch, and Chex Mix.

 JR was fascinated with the lariat and pretended to tie himself to the chair.

 LS and FR ride double.

As the party ended, we "lassoed" ourselves - both classes roped together.

 Me (back left) with about half of the students.

 Jane and the rest of them. Look at all those smiles!

A Girl's Generous Gift

If you've ever been upstairs in my office, you quickly become aware that I like horses (if you didn't already know that.) Three of the four walls are lined with shelving, and I have about ::cough cough:: maybe... ::cough cough:: um... about... somewhere around 1,000 pieces in my collection.

I honestly cannot say why I love to collect, I just do. My collection goes back to 1963, so that's only twenty pieces added per year, right?? (Right...)

One of my students, TM, did a Classics report on the book Misty of Chincoteague. (I have the pony, Misty, depicted in both china and plastic on my shelves.) TM is a fellow horse lover, and used four model horses in her project, a diorama of Misty on the Beebee farm.

I told her that I, too, collected horses and since I had a picture of my collection on my phone, pulled it out and showed it to her.  Her eyes widened, and she broke into a huge smile. "I collect, too!" she crowed.

A week later, TM arrived at school toting a blue gift bag tied shut with orange ribbons. She placed it on my desk and announced, "This is for you."

I was surprised - it wasn't my birthday or a holiday. A random gift?

I understood when I opened it.

"They're from my collection," she told me. "I want you to have them.

Oh, dear. 

If anyone should be giving pieces of their collection away, it's me, not TM. 

Especially TM.

TM comes from a blended family of seven kids. Tragedy struck the family recently in that one of the mothers of those children was murdered. TM's stepfather and mother took in the extra children so that they could all remain together and not be split up or put into foster care. An admirable family, but certainly not one with any money to spend on extras. Extras like pieces for TM's model horse collection.

And here TM is giving me a gift out of her own collection.

I felt a bit teary as I placed her ponies on my shelves among my other pieces. Grabbing my camera, I took a picture and put it in the thank you note that I wrote to her. 

I'd love to reciprocate and give TM a piece or two from my collection (goodness knows I could stand to pass on a few, and who better than a fellow horse lover who can't afford to buy them?), but it isn't appropriate since I am her teacher. Perhaps when she completes her 5th grade year with me I can do it. I always give the outgoing 5th graders a gift - maybe I'll tuck a pony into TM's.

In the meantime, her two horses stand on my shelves, a reminder of a very generous girl.

One Week Old!

Miss Julie is one week old!

Cole sent me this picture of her in his lap. She's changed so much already!

I CANNOT wait until the rest of the quads arrive!

School Pictures!!

Here are the grandkids' school pictures from the 2012-2013 school year.

 JC Coleman, 6th grade, North Liberty, Iowa. 

(Definitely embracing that Denver Broncos culture!)

Trinity Coleman, 4th grade, North Liberty, Iowa.

Letters from Grandchildren

JC and Trinity sent us thank you notes for their Christmas gifts. I had to laugh as each note reflected their personalities quite well!

 Trin's on the left and JC's on the right.

 JC's note.

And Trin's note.

This grandmama is still smiling.

A Cold, Tough January

January 2014 has been BRUTAL. Record snowfall for the month, Alberta clipper after Alberta clipper, one polar vortex with a second on the way, two episodes with temperatures well below zero and wind chills at minus 25 and below! A third round of the extremely cold weather is expected Monday and Tuesday.

I am almost getting blase about the unending snow and cold.

Almost.

Last night another clipper went through with high winds and new snow. It sculpted what was already on the ground and in so doing, drifted Brixford Lane shut at the park entrance. City snowplows cleared that out about two hours ago, but still the winds and snow blow....

Feeding the birds is a bit of a challenge as a large drift is between the feeders and me. So is feeding Peter Rabbit and his lady friend, too, who come up and eat under the feeders. (I put seeds on the ground for them.)

Another large drift, a very wide one, blankets our patio. Look at how deep it is in comparison to the chaise lounge!

 A second view of the same drift.

I keep my tub of birdseed outside for convenience, and it is nearly buried.

Yet another drift at the east side of the patio, then bare, windswept ground, and a large drift in Bob and Nancy's yard.

Dr. Scott Hanback, superintendent of TSC schools. sent an email to everyone yesterday acknowledging the difficulties the weather has caused for education. (Don't forget the tornados in November that destroyed two TSC schools and caused damage to several others!) Here is a portion of his email - look at the stats:

We’ve been fairly spoiled the last few winters in Indiana. You’d have to go back to 2010-2011 to find a pretty rough winter as far as school schedule changes are concerned. And if February 2007 rings a bell, then we have nothing to look forward to next month; of the 19 school days in February 2007, 10 of them were delayed or canceled. And for you veterans who were here in 1999, who can forget the ‘never ending Winter Break.’

So far in 2013-2014: 4 delays, 4 cancelations (8 total cancelations for MES/SMS, 5 total cancelations for WES)

2010-2011: 6 delays, 5 cancelations

February 2007 alone: 6 delays, 4 cancelations (cold, snow, fog, ice)

1998-1999: 5 delays, 7 cancelations (school closed 6 consecutive days followed by 3 delays, students finally returned to school after winter break on January 14); yes, the teacher workday was June 3 that year.

I am so ready for a break in the weather!

A Kestrel Sighting!

American Kestrels are a small falcon indigenous to Indiana.  They like to perch on power lines, and at first glance, may appear to be Mourning Doves - they're about the same size and have a similar plump and rounded shape. A closer look, though, reveals coloration differences and a leaner body.

I've caught glimpses of several Kestrels out by Hershey but never gotten any pictures. Today was different. As I was leaving Hershey around 4:15, I noticed a Mourning Dove on the power line at the intersection of the lane back to Hershey and 300. The bird had that leaner look, though, and as I looked more carefully, I saw the stripes and spots of a Kestrel.

My photos are lousy - it was late in the afternoon and snowing, plus the bird is small and a distance from the car. Nonetheless, I finally got my Kestrel pictures!

Doves are a bit rounder in the middle with a longer tail. They also draw themselves up and become taller when they notice you.

The head shape of a Kestrel is flatter that a Dove, too. Plus, it has spots and stripes on its plumage. (I could see them, but they did not photograph well.)

 An enlarged picture may be fuzzy, but the tail length and shape of the body are more evident.

The bill, too, is shorter on a Kestrel than that of a Mourning Dove.

Poignant Timing

I was clearing away the last bits of Christmas from our bedroom yesterday when I came across this:

An old tag that was in with the holiday wrapping paper - to me from Cole. Probably from when he was in kindergarten, maybe even earlier.

I smiled as I held it in my hand and looked at it. It brought back memories of a little guy that looked like this when he was born.

Who loved music even at a young age.

 And played his sister's Muppet Baby keyboard constantly.

 Now, he's a daddy.

To this sweet cherub.

I am so glad that I have this scrap from childhood

as a reminder of his little-guy days.

Quad #1 Has Arrived!

Meet Julie Anne Isenbarger, Cole and Emily's first child!

 Julie Anne Isenbarger, born January 18, 2014, 8 lbs. 5 oz., 20 inches long.

Emily was actually due January 11, my Grandpa Honeywell's birthday. But Julie decided to delay her arrival for a week.

Cole posted this picture of a 1,000 piece puzzle they assembled during that long, long wait.

At 3:30 AM CST Friday, Emily's water broke. They headed to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville around 1:30 PM, but were sent back home because her labor was not progressing very quickly. I got another text at 2:30 Saturday morning saying they were headed back to Vanderbilt. This time they got to stay, and thirteen hours later, Julie made her appearance at 3:30 PM CST. Thirty-six hours is a LONG time to be in labor.

 A happy Cole with his firstborn.

 Emily cuddles her newborn daughter.

 Hi, Mama!!

Sleeping in her mother's arms.

 The family bonds on the bed.

Welcome to the family, Miss Julie! I can't wait to meet you!

Robert Frost's famous poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, speaks of a traveler who, while traveling one winter evening, stops his horse and sleigh for a few moments to look at the beauty of the snow-covered woods.

These woods, too, are lovely, dark, and deep, and like the poet, I stopped to observe them. (Would that I were driving a horse and sleigh like he!) All photos are taken from the bottom of my parents' driveway. I count myself lucky to have lived and grown up in such a beautiful place.

I have always loved how the home is screened by the woods. It's there on the left if you look closely; you can just see some of the brick and the white of the siding. There's a barn to the right hidden behind the pines. As I drove up the hill, a large deer burst out from behind the barn and went leaping up into the bluffs behind our home. What a thrill to watch!

 Looking east at the Wabash. To the right is our former pasture; the left was a field that has since overgrown. A pond forms in those trees whenever the river floods, and we used to go down with buckets and rescue catfish and release them back into the river.

(Here's some catfish trivia: baby catfish stings are FAR more painful that adult stings. I have no idea why, but I learned it from hard experience. The little ones pack quite a wallop!)

I love the weak light from the winter sun in this photo! This is our pasture along the river. Our horses loved that lush river grass and were always happy when I rotated pastures and it was time to go down by the river. You can see the Wabash behind the line of trees. I feel a deep connection to that river, having spent so much of my life around it.

Looking southeast beyond our pasture and to the woods that grow south along the highway and almost to the 52 bridge.

We used to have to park our cars at the foot of the driveway in winter and hike up when it was snowy. My father plowed it with his tractor, but the driveway is deceptively steep with a hump two thirds of the way up. Add snow and ice, and it was (and is) a challenge. I slid down backwards in my car more than once, hoping I could get the slide under control before going out onto the highway!

I am glad I took time to "stop by woods on a snowy morning."

Here's Robert Frost's poem that inspired this blog entry.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.