Closed for weeding

About a month ago, our capable media specialist weeded our high school library.  Basically, the weeding process entailed tearing through the shelves and removing copies of books that were deemed outdated or unusable.

Now, for a high school student and for your average curious and occasionally up-to-no-good English teacher, this stack of "weeds" is not seen a pile of unwanted dandelions.  No sir!  This pile represents a treasure trove of real joy.

The plot thickened on this particular weeding occasion because the weeding process aligned perfectly with Poetry Outloud, a student recitation poetry competition co-produced by yours truly.  As I have been known to do, I harnessed help from a dear and extremely witty Macalester friend.  To my pleasure, her reaction to the pile of "weeds" was precisely as I had hoped.

Pulling out our smartphones, we selected two books in particular that we felt needed to be documented for prosperity.

The whole month is encapsulated with PMS!

What a precocious set of teens.  I would definitely break that up.

Art for thought

 

Things to think about this weekend.  What do you think about this message?  Does your life express your intrinsic values?  Do you advocate for well being policies in your community and American society?  Please share your comments!

***Thank you Kat for passing this along.

Today...

Mike called me to the front window to spy a pair of cardinals protected together in our ugly evergreen bush.  A beautifully feathered male and female snuggled side by side as a leap day wintery slush weighed down on the green's outer boughs.  It made me happy to see those patient birds find a spot to rest.  Mike and I grinned at each other and wondered if we might have a nest in a month or two...a gentle reminder that spring will come. 

Marvelous Monday: volume 2

What is marvelous about today?

Mid-quarter grades are due...which means that there are only 1 and 1/2 quarters left of school!  Which means summer is not unimaginably far away!


Haircut!  Shorter...and a touch darker!  Yes, I got some rich dark brown highlights.  I think one person noticed.

I run after school almost daily.  Once and a while though, I cut myself some slack and veg out with a diet coke, a blanket, and a stack of reading material.  Today is one of those days.  Rachel is bearing with me and being cozy too.

Today is Greg Vasich's birthday.  Mike and I are honoring him tonight with an annual burger night.  If only he were here to share it with us.

Marvelous Monday

This post is a tribute to Miles and Laurel and all other bloggers who participate in the Marvelous Monday phenomenon.

1) The McCarthy parents visit.  In addition to playing cards and drinking Slivovitz, we decided to pack a little entertainment into our presidents' weekend itinerary.

Friday: Fame, as performed by my high school students!
Saturday: Sherlock Holmes, Part I.  Everyone fell asleep except Dad.
Sunday: American Teacher at Bryant Lake Bowl AND Cat On A Tin Roof at the Guthrie
Monday: Breakfast with Downton Abbey.  OMG.

Each of these showings could really be a post on their own so I will leave it at that for now, but prepare for a critical review in the near future.

2) At Bryant Lake Bowl, a poster advertised Orange Mighty Trio's spin off group, NES.  They are performing this Thursday along with an 8-Bit beer release.  I quite enjoy seeing my husband's photo in the window!

3) Speed workout!  Tried and true running partners, Rebecca and I hit the Macalester track to cruise through two sets of intervals.  Although the intervals were already broken down into a series of distances, we broke it down further as the wind pushed us and then we pushed the wind.

4) Grading!  To a teacher, a three day weekend basically means all grading and planning is pushed to Monday instead of Sunday.  Rachel decided to help me with constructive feedback on my tenth grade literary analysis essays.

Apparently, Rachel is generally unimpressed with literary analysis. 

Long Run Sunday

 

These days, Sunday mornings are usually reserved for church or yoga class, but this Sunday called for a long run.  I was going to go running on Saturday, but decided against it due the freezing cold weather.  Sunday, on the other hand, was gorgeous.  The major highlight of the run was discovering some pond hockey rinks along Minnehaha Creek.  I have noticed a few before but these ones were very nicely composed.  If I have children one day, they will be winter sport athletes, and in terms of spectator appeal, ice hockey is at the top of my list.

Rachel relaxes for a moment and takes in the hockey rinks.  She is actually a very competent figure skater.

Rachel and I napping in the sun post run.

Caught in the act!

Typically anti-technology in social settings...these photos reveal another story.  Okay, so I'll admit it, every once and a while, the ipad can bring joy and intrigue to a gathering.  But, it is very rare.