Teaching Writing by Waltzing

Kathy Nimmer visited my classroom again today and showed why she was Indiana's 2015 Teacher of the Year. She came to teach a writing lesson, and taught it by teaching the kids to waltz!

She related her lesson back to one she taught my students in December about how authors, including Charles Dickens, often wrote "in threes" and we went through A Christmas Carol looking for them (and finding many.)

Now, with the ISTEP tests looming, she was teaching them how to be sure to include three points in the essays they will have to write.

Truly ingenious! And did the kids ever have fun!

An Eagles' Nest!

I have discovered a bald eagles' nest out near the barn! I was driving Molly to the vet a week ago and noticed it then. Since then, I have driven past it twice to see if I can see any eagles working on the nest.

 It's on the western edge of Hadley Lake on 250, close to Galemas' Greenhouse.

I follow the Decorah eagles and the Berry College eagles online but I have never seen an eagles' nest in the wild. What a thrill!

Kathy Meets Molly

My dear friend, Kathy Nimmer, helped me find Molly. (Go here) to read about her role in putting Molly and me together.) She has wanted to meet Molly since we got her in December, but between bad weather and crazy schedules, it took two and a half months for it to happen.

Wednesday evening, the two of them finally met.

 Molly was hesitant at first as Kathy sat down on the loveseat and began to gently stroke her.

 Then Kathy decided to get down to Molly's level and slid onto the floor next to her.

 Gradually Molly began to relax as Kathy explored her with her hands.

Suddenly, she began laughing. "You're right about her being stocky. I am scratching her chest and it is HUGE. You misnamed her; her name should be Dolly, not Molly!"

Kathy is referring to Dolly Parton whom she met when Dolly awarded her (and Nacho) with her Chasing Rainbows award in 2016.

Photo from Google Images. Look closely at the bottom - you can see Nacho's head!

To watch Kathy receive her Chasing Rainbows award from Dolly Parton go here. Kathy is introduced at minute 4:50. And Dolly gave Nacho a rhinestone collar for his part in the award at the end of the video!

We sat and chatted for a while, and eventually Molly completely relaxed under Kathy's ministrations and went to sleep.

Next up we want to introduce Nacho to Molly. Since Kathy lives just around the corner from me, it would be fun to go for walks this summer together.

School Bus in the Water!

The rains have been coming down, the Wabash River has flooded areas that rarely become flooded, and roads across the area are impassable.

Why TSC did not call a two hour delay yesterday so that buses (which begin running at 6:00 AM when it is dark) could better see the roads is beyond me. And, TSC paid a price for that decision.

One of our high school buses loaded with students was washed off the road. The driver did not see the water over the road (two feet deep!) and drove into it and then was washed off the road into the field. The students had to be rescued by jumping from the emergency exit at the back of the bus onto a rescue vehicle and then be ferried to another bus. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

See that line of trees to the left of the white police car? That's Tim and Loni Gibbs' driveway.

Many school corporations are on a two hour delay this morning, just as they were yesterday. And TSC, just like it was yesterday, is not.

I would have hoped we had learned from our mistake yesterday.

Quiet Book Progress

Kate's quiet book is underway! I started it in January and have been working on snow days (three of them this year!) and Saturdays ever since.

All the little pieces are finished - they may not look like much work but it takes HOURS and many, many thread changes!

Now, I need to put the text on the pages and draw anything that is not fabric and color it in. Then, I will sew all these pieces into the book. I would say I am about halfway done at this point. My goal is to complete Kate's book by the end of March and then take it to her during my spring break.

Quiet books are a lot of work, but I sure love making them. (This is my seventeenth one!)

Carhops in the House!

While visiting us on Friday, Mila and Ian suddenly began taking food orders as though they were servers or carhops. It was hilarious especially to see Mila "write" our orders down on a pad of paper with a  crayon.



No food every materialized, but we still had fun!

More Healing of Grammy

Just for fun, here's another video of Dr. Ian and Dr. Mila treating me for diverticulitis.

These Doctors Do House Calls!

I have been really sick with diverticulitis since Monday and home from work all week. It's been a rough go to say the least, and I have spoken with a surgeon and will be meeting with him on February 27. (Colon surgery is not something I want, but this is my seventh or eighth bout with diverticulitis.)

Yesterday Vanessa called to see if I was up for a visit. Was I ever! And to my delight, she brought two doctors with her!

 Dr. Ian...

 ... and Dr. Mila (who is really a vet, but I'll take whatever care they're offering!)

 I had to endure some shots...

 ... but Dr. Ian advised me to think about shirts and other things. That helped my pain levels big time.

And by the time they were done, I felt much better!



Thanks, Dr. Ian and Dr. Mila!

Millie, Molly, and Me

I am home sick with diverticulitis and was working on my computer while Molly snoozed at my feet.

Millie, who was visiting for the day, came over and sat down which prompted Molly to sit up. Craig happened to be nearby, grabbed his camera, and took a quick snap.

I got a similar photo of Lisa with the girls when she came to pick up Millie after school.

I love these two dogs!

Baby Steps, but Progress!

Molly has been with us two full months now. She is slowly getting over her fears from past harsh treatment and is beginning to act like a pet instead of like a fearful barn/outdoor dog who would just like to sit in a corner and be left alone.

When she snoozes during the day, her body language indicates that she is relaxed and feeling secure. Look at the loose tail and the way she is stretched out instead of curled up protectively.

When she turns her face and body away from us to sleep, we know she is really feeling secure, and that makes us so happy. (We no longer keep the leash on her full time - we did that so if she panicked, we could grab it and intervene, helping her to calm down.)

She continues to be very gentle with us all, never growling, snapping, offering to bite, or acting aggressively despite the fact that someone has obviously harmed her in the past. She allows Mila to crawl up to her and interact, even cuddling on the doggy bed with her.

Molly's progress is slow and hard won. Sometimes we take steps backward if something unexpected happens (for example, a Valentine banner I had hung over the fireplace fell down, causing her to bolt and be upset for quite some time. I put the banner away - it was not worth scaring her again should it fall again.)

She's sleeping at my feet as I write this. That in itself is an accomplishment - she came over on her own volition and settled in. I scratched and petted her, gave her a few treats, and then got online while she relaxed into a nap. It's what I was hoping for when I got her after a seven year no-dog drought - a dog to be a family member, a friend, a companion, one who loved us as we loved it.

I think we're headed that way at last.