the brave little snow panda masters the road
with a few big challenges along the way.
—
“this would not be a problem if i were driving a snowplow.”
-aaron allston
Jan30
Author Archives: beth
Jan29
snowball.
our class has been taking a close look at snow and ice
after reading them
the first book i ever read all by myself
‘snow’ by p.d. eastman
brought a snowball in from outside
named it ned
popped it in our freezer
check on it every now and then
take ned out for just a little bit
see if it’s still cold and in the shape of a snowball and if it’s drippy
hope that ned will be with us throughout the season
even if he goes away in the spring
we’re pretty sure he’ll be back next winter.
—
Jan28
slow down.
“let your children see you slow down.
read a book, walk in the woods,
sip coffee in the early hours of the morning.
because when they grow up,
they’ll know how to slow down, too.”
-angela anaghost-repke
Jan27
more about boxes – joy edition.
after my recent post about those who ‘keep boxes’
my longtime friend, a brilliant apple systems engineer
texted this mind-blowing response to me:
“thought you might like to know that the apple engineers designed the iphone box
so that the amount of time it takes to lift the top off is 4 seconds –
just because their research showed
that it was the amount of anticipation that gave the recipient the most joy”
—
“i have drunken deep of joy, and I will taste no other wine tonight.”
― Percy Bysshe Shelley
Jan26
the genius of each.
as i worked on report cards over the last week
putting together my notes
gathering my thoughts
sharing my stories
telling their stories
i was reminded
that each child
has
their own gifts
their own challenges
yet each shares
without fail
a curiosity
a sense of wonder about the world
a desire to learn
and does so
in their own way.
—
“Do not train children to learn by force and harshness,
but direct them to it by what amuses their minds,
so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy
the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”
-Plato
—
image credit: Radhusets Julkalender 2012 – Arte del libro, Arte dell’illusrazione
Jan25
writing desk.
what you might imagine it to be vs. what it might quite possibly be.
—
i recently listened to this book written and read by stephen king, and loved every minute of it-
a mix of his personal story and very straight shooting practical advice.
“It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write,
remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room.
Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.”
― Stephen King
—
Amazon book review summary: Short and snappy as it is, Stephen King’s On Writing really contains two books: a fondly sardonic autobiography and a tough-love lesson for aspiring novelists.
—
image credits: tom gauld, simon and schuster
Jan24
boxes.
j.l. hudson department store – detroit, michigan
—
i have always loved boxes
some for nostalgia or beauty
others for their material or design
as my children know
sometimes a box is my favorite part of a present
yes, i have a kept a few or so.
apple – macbook air
—
“thanks to my mother, not a single cardboard box has found its way back into society.
we receive gifts in boxes from stores that went out of business twenty years ago.”
-erma bombeck
—
one specialized group are those who save the boxes created by apple and the used boxes are actually for sale on ebay.
i only recently gave a gift in my macbook air box that i had saved for no reason other than i loved its amazing design.
see the link below for a look into this apple phenomenon:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5bw3b/why-people-keep-empty-apple-iphone-macbook-boxes
Jan23
slice of life.
pie eating contest at the jefferson school, washington, d.c. 1923
—
in honor of national pie day
i am proud to announce that
once
on one fine summer’s day
i was declared
the women’s speed pie eating contest winner
at the local fire department’s picnic
no hands
just a chocolate pie and a competitive spirit
—
“things that really matter are the things that gold can’t buy,
so let’s have another cup o’ coffee and let’s have another piece o’ pie.”
– irving berlin
—
image credit: united states library of congress, prints and photographs division
Jan22
do you remember?
who remembers this?
sitting backwards
making faces
rolling around on turns
cigarette smoke-filled air
fighting over who could sit there
the door that swung open
back window down
best seat ever.
—
“like all great travelers, i have seen more than i remember, and remember more than i have seen.”
-benjamin disraeli
—
image credit: doyouremember.com
Jan21
liberty.
saw the spirit of liberty yesterday
her return was lovely
yet she was there all along
never really left
there was just no stopping her.
—
“life without liberty is like a body without spirit.”
-khalil gibran
—
image credit: 1907 barribol – the spirit of liberty twirls the american flag
I didn't have my glasses on.... 