Over the weekend I bought a new magnetic poetry kit, The Edgar Allan Poe version. Lots of words spread out on a cookie sheet. I created an Earth Day haiku.
Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged Earth Day, haiku, nature on April 22, 2019| 2 Comments »
Over the weekend I bought a new magnetic poetry kit, The Edgar Allan Poe version. Lots of words spread out on a cookie sheet. I created an Earth Day haiku.
Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged monarch caterpillars on April 16, 2019| 9 Comments »
My fifth grade students were testing, and since my classroom is a computer lab, I was left with no place to teach my third grader. What does a teacher do when it’s a beautiful spring day and there is no space in the school? Go outside. Kaia and I went to the garden. I had with me paint chips and the book Because of Winn Dixie, so we wrote poems and read aloud. When we took a break and walked around the garden, we discovered a patch of milkweed and counted four monarch caterpillars.
The next day we were offered the French classroom, but we made some time to go out and check the garden. Our count went up to eleven.
On Thursday when we went outside, there was a garden group who comes once a month to tend to the garden, teach 4H students and hold garden club after school. Today there was a naturalist who was speaking on monarch butterflies. She taught us a few things. One thing, do not trust your count because there are always more than you can see.
She showed Kaia how to touch a caterpillar. They do not sting or harm you, but you could harm their delicate feet. Kaia spotted some crawling all the way over on the concrete slab away from the garden. She rushed over to tell the naturalist about this. She explained to us that monarch caterpillars travel away from the host plant when they are ready to pupate. She gently picked these two up and carried them back to the garden area.
I decided to come back after school and gather a few caterpillars to take home. Meadow (yes, the naturalist’s name is Meadow) gave me instructions on how to care for them. It’s a good thing she did. I thought I had only brought home four caterpillars fat and ready for pupation, but as the days went on, there appeared 3 more in the net habitat.
The four made chrysalises on the plastic top of the container, but I’ve had to feed the three that appeared. I’ve been gathering (stealing) milkweed from our church school’s garden to keep them fed. I hope I haven’t brought home even more caterpillars unknowing. So far, so good. I’ll post updates on my Instagram and Facebook pages.
The science of nature fascinates me. I think I’d like to be a naturalist like Meadow when I grow up.
Posted in Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged Progressive Poem 2019 on April 12, 2019| 27 Comments »
Irene is gathering Poetry Friday posts today. She is the originator/ organizer of the Progressive Poem. I’ve participated for four years. Each year, the poem progresses through different blogs as line by line, we build a poem for children. This year, Matt Forrest Esenwine started us off with found song lyrics. The trend continued, and we have this high energy, happy poem about summer.
I am a fan of musicals. This appreciation runs in my blood. I passed it on to my middle daughter. We’ve enjoyed Wicked, Moulin Rouge, and Waitress together and hope to see Dear Evan Hanson this year. My husband is not such a fan, but earlier this year he appeased me and went to the movie Mary Poppins Returns. He liked La La Land, so why not? We were both totally entertained. I downloaded the soundtrack the next day.
When I’m out walking my dog in the early mornings, some days I just listen to the birds, but a few days ago in anticipation of this required line, I listened to Mary Poppins Returns. Oh, the joy that music brings to my heart. A quick search for lyrics online found a just right line for today.
Endless summer; I can see for miles…
Fun, fun, fun – and the whole world smiles.
No time for school- just time to play,
we swim the laughin’ sea each and every day.You had only to rise, lean from your window,
the curtain opens on a portrait of today.
Kodachrome greens, dazzling blue,
it’s the chance of a lifetime,make it last forever–ready? Set? Let’s Go!
Come, we’ll take a walk, the sun is shining down
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
Tomorrow’s here. It’s called today.
Found Lines:
L1 The Who, ‘I Can See for Miles’ / The Beach Boys, ‘Endless Summer’
L2 The Beach Boys, ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ / Dean Martin, ‘When You’re Smiling’
L3 The Jamies, ‘Summertime, Summertime’
L4 The Doors ‘Summer’s Almost Gone’/ Led Zeppelin ‘Good Times, Bad Times’
L5 Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine “You had only to rise, lean from your window,”
L6 Joni Mitchell, “Chelsea Morning”
L7 Paul Simon, “Kodachrome,” “Dazzling Blue”
L8 Dan Fogelberg, “Run for the Roses”
L9 Spice Girls, “Wannabe”/ Will Smith, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”
L10 The Beatles, “Good Day Sunshine”
L11 The Carpenters, “Top of the World”
L12 Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Underneath the Lovely London Sky” from Mary Poppins Returns
Posted in Writing on April 11, 2019| 1 Comment »
Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged #NPM19, magnetic poetry, monarch caterpillars, NaPoWriMo on April 10, 2019| 4 Comments »


Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged #DailyCalm, spiritual journey, Spiritual poetry, Wendi Romero on April 4, 2019| 4 Comments »
Today is the first Thursday in April and a group of bloggers are gathering at Dani’s place to write about “renewal.” I am working on mindfulness daily. Focusing my thoughts on light and love keeps worry at bay. But sometimes the clouds cover the sun, and it’s hard to see the light.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51
Renew a right spirit in me, Oh God.
Help me walk in the path of light and truth.
Keep me from wandering far from you.
I am weak, but my heart is eager.
I open my soul to you
like a flower seeks the light, reaching.
Your grace is mine, I know.
Guide me to the light.
The following is a poem from a Facebook poet friend, Wendi Romero. She is posting daily poems during Lent. This one spoke to me.
Lent: Day 23
Leaning Toward Light
I see in the morning
what I’m unableto see in
the dark of night—how flowers open
pink with promisehow slanted rays slice
golden through aged mossI’m beginning to see
how every living thingeven in the shadows
leans toward lightthe more I lean
the more I awaken©️Wendi Romero