Capture 17 February 2016

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How do you capture heartache in story? I’ve made some attempts but my guess is that although they’ll come close, that deep down empty kind of pain is too personal to get out onto a page. Here is one:

“You heard my pain and I believed you were sorry. I tried to rein in my heart, to bind it, chain it, encase it so you wouldn’t hear it. My muscles know you and I have to force them away from you and teach the sinew to straighten out when they continue to want to bend toward you with long remembered elasticity.

You told me if we went down this path together, there would be no turning back. But you did-you turned away, turned your back. It is cold here now and empty. I try to focus, to regroup, to revise expectations, to dream new dreams, but everything is blurry and ghost-like, I move IMG_1721through the days-breathe, step, breathe, step.

No one sees, for my outside is steady and normal. But my inside is upside-down, backwards, rend-dark lingers there like night waiting for a dawn that will not come. How can two hearts bump into each other and not shatter that protective shell when they’ve shared so much, when their eyes have spoken an unknown language, oblivious to all else around them? Mine did-it shattered.”

I’ll keep working on this.

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Dove 16 February 2016

This mornings moment of grace!

This mornings moment of grace!

I love those dark Dove chocolates with the little message inside. I’ve been known to keep the ones I really like and affix them to the cover of my writer’s notebooks. On the front cover of one of my WNBs, it says in shiny foil, “Have no limits today.” I like to keep some of those fonts of wisdom around, and they come with a tiny serving of dark chocolate, so that is a vegetable bonus! Chocolate does come from a bean, right? If we take into account both the vegetable group IMG_0596of the food pyramid and the dry beans group, that is a total of five to eight servings a day, so, gosh, I need to stop at the store and get more of those Doves!

My after run Dove (they have after dinner mints, after all!) today said, “Believe in those you love.” And, can’t we all use just one more soul believing in us? I know I can. I love the beginning of a new WNB because it gives me a chance to decide what I will cover it with that inspires me. Some are covered and then I’ve put sticky notes on IMG_0597them as well. Some are covered and I’ve drifted inside the covers with various little things I’ve found to contemplate.

When I write each day with my students, sometimes I’m not prompted by whatever I wrote on the board to get our writing juices flowing, so I look at my cover for a bit before the ink begins to flow. I’d found this awesome purple pen before school started this year IMG_0598and used it every day. It was a Pilot G-2 07, but it was purple! I loved the feel of that pen and the way my words came out of it too. When I was gone for elk hunting, it walked off its perch on my WNB and I’ve not seen it since. I hope it is inspiring the words of whoever needed it. Sometime, when I get back to a town big enough to have office supplies, I’ll find some more of those because I bet they come in lots of colors. It makes me wonder if I should provide some Pilots as a ‘toward the end of the year’ incentive to keep writing. Perhaps a few Dove darks as well.

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Ritual 15 February 2016

Picking the Christmas tree ritual!

Picking the Christmas tree ritual!

Like it or not, ritual is a part of our life. Although the word no longer applies exclusively to religious ceremony, but to any action we perform “according to a prescribed order.”

According to the Brussat’s, “Rituals are a central part of life whether it be in how meals are shared together, or how major events are marked…Rituals give us places to be playful, to explore the meaning of our lives, and to rework and rebuild family relationships. they connect us with our past, define our present life, and show us a path to our future as we pass on ceremonies, traditions, objects, symbols, and ways of being with each other, handed down from previous generations.”

Some of my favorite rituals include: the cookies we only have at Christmas, morning

Pumpkin Carving!

Pumpkin Carving!

coffee, pull ‘n’ peel Twizzlers on trail rides, getting together with family at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, morning runs, tomato juice and cheesy Ritz crackers for elk hunting, Meadow Mountain Cafe in Allenspark after hikes, wranglers-night-out, taking the  boys out to eat to celebrate the first day of school, opening up the barn to start a summer at camp, meeting friends for coffee and conversation, and many others as well.

Pull N Peel!

Pull N Peel!

I’m not sure how some rituals begin, but I’ve noticed that Robert and I have developed some rituals together. I have my own rituals as well-for blogging, grading, getting ready for bed, for driving to school-and I wonder why ritual is so important to us. I think it gives me a sense of place, things I look forward to, and connection to family and friends. What are your favorite rituals?

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Contemplate 11 February 2016

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Sitting in my classroom after school yesterday, I was paging through poetry projects when another teacher came in. She had a question, but was pulled in by what she saw on my computer screen. I read a couple of poems to her and she wanted to know how I got my students to write like that. I give them models. I read them poetry that I love. I tell them to use the models but to write about what they know, about what is in their hearts, Copy of These are my feelingsabout their lives and families. And they do.

In his introduction, one wrote:

 WHEN I WAS SIX YEARS OLD MY FATHER LEFT ME AND WHEN I WAS NINE MY MOTHER SUFFERED FROM A SEVERE STROKE BOTH WHICH WOULD AS I KNOW IT CHANGE MY LIFE FOREVER.

Copy of These are my feelings (1)

I USED THESE EVENTS ALONG WITH SOME OTHERS TO FORM A GOOD EXPLANATION OF THINGS I FEEL

Wyatt BHis poetry has moved me in these last six weeks, and through this project, I know what moves him. I’ll keep sharing some of these stories and poems. Today I share some of this young boy’s and some from one of my farm kids. Wyatt B (1)

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Basketball 10 February 2016

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What I know about sports can basically be summed up on a single page with a lot of white space. I have the basics: football is played with a ball that is pointy at both ends and all the other sports basically have round balls. There are usually two teams and they run back and forth on some kind of field or court in order to score points. After that, keeping track of fouls, plays, what various players are called and are supposed to do is pretty much beyond me. But, in small town, rural America, sports are what kids do.

Where I grew up, there was plenty of sports oriented students, but there were many other IMG_0548things to be involved in and you didn’t have to be in a sport to have a “team.” Many of my students play multiple sports but many of them also have one that is their favorite. The first poetry project I looked at yesterday was one on basketball. As the students presented in class, I was struck by how many projects included sports and they’d written some awesome sport poetry.

IMG_0549One other theme that came through loud and clear was agriculture. I’ll share some of those later this week-they are near and dear to my heart. Although some students only turned in partially finished projects, for the most part, my students did some incredible work. We also enjoyed lots of cookies, brownies, and fruit gushers. They love those elementary school snacks. Today we return to the fickle Romeo who has put all thought of Rosaline, his one true love, out of his mind because he saw the fair Juliet!

And Ash Wednesday’s breath prayer: I repent…in dust and ashes.

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Lent 9 February 2016

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Lent begins tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. I’m looking forward to this season of reflection and repentance. I thought ahead for once and ordered my daily devotional book for Lent and I’m having some difficulty not just sitting down and reading the entire book now. It is titled “Be Holy” and I’ve read the ‘note to readers’ several times. I like this: “Lent is a sacred journey that has been set apart–a holy journey that we are invited to take with our holy God.”(B. Coulter)

We are always on a journey, in fact today my students are presenting their poetry journey.

A sanctuary in Ireland courtesy of Alex Goerner.

A sanctuary in Ireland courtesy of Alex Goerner.

They’ve been working on the poetry project I assigned a couple of weeks ago, using the poetry they’ve written in class. I’m excited to see how they’ve combined art to showcase the words they’ve written and how they’ve decided to present their anthologies. I know some are doing a Google Slides presentation, some poster boards, some slick zines, and I hope to see other options as well.

Everyone is supposed to bring treats so we can indulge our taste buds and our hearts and minds as we listen to each other read our own work. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I hope that these amazing writers will reflect on this journey of expression they’ve been on and find the power in it. I hope that they go home and share a little piece with their families. I hope the words they’ve written are also chiseled onto their souls to see them through the hard times. I hope that I convey how much what they’ve written has touched me. And of course, I hope they all turn it in!

 

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The Wizard 8 February 2016

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One of the great things about getting married is family. And for me, one of the best parts is that I get to have a granddaughter. Of course, I’ve known her most of her life and we are buddies, but now I also get to name her granddaughter and I like that.

She and I are theatre buddies and we head off to Denver several times each year to see various productions. This weekend, we went to see The Wizard of Oz. You couldn’t believe the number of little girls dressed like Dorothy and even carrying little Toto baskets! The show was wonderful and we both decided the Scarecrow was our favorite character. Toto was played by a rescue dog and did a fantastic job.

But what is it about this show that continues to make it so popular? I know it is the message. That we all have inside of us those things we think we lack: courage, a heart, a brain, and a home. Sometimes we forget how much we have to offer until the ‘wizards’ in our life remind us. That is a God thing. “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…” Philippians 1:6

We’re all off to see the Wizard, with our courage, our heart, our brain and all of those we can call home. Yes, there are hard things along the way and we don’t always agree on what the best course is-but we link arms and click our ruby-red slippers together and continue on the journey!

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Shoe Shoeing 4 February 2016

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The storm this week did bring tons of snow, but the winds made huge drifts and I got my snowshoes out. I love snowshoeing. I forgot how hard it is to break trail, but it was so bright and watching the snow sifting underfoot was mesmerizing. The wind had let up some yesterday afternoon and at least the warm sun was shining. We’d spent the morning shoveling out so we could get the livestock fed. IMG_0540

I worked online for some time, and I needed a break. Snowshoes to the rescue. I thought about how hard it would be if you had to rely on snowshoes to get you to town in a bad storm for supplies, but it’d be worse without them. Cross-country skis would be even better, but I sold mine in the garage sale I had before I moved east. I could have strapped on my hiking pack with some water, but it was too cold to stop for long.

Today it’s back to normal routine-snow days are over for this week. Now, I just need to find the clearest road to get me to the highway and to work.

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For My Brother 3 February 2016

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A Blizzard Poem…

Two hundred or more ice-crystals form one incredible flake

surrounding a tiny speck of dust driven to the clouds by the wind.

So beautiful and shiny when they begin to fall;

our faces turn up, tongues out, to catch the cold sweetness

 

It turns heavier then, winds whipping-IMG_0533

churning icy crystals to sting and drift.

The winter of 1880-seven months of blizzard-

tunneling to livestock, wood, and water,

the snow just kept coming

October until April-living on whatever could be found.

 

IMG_0534There was no warning system, no up-to-date weather App.

Days started warm and fair,

blizzards snuck in like conquering armies-

no arrows gave warning, no Highland cries or buglers.

Just a whisper of a breeze

before the steel grey clouds consumed the sun,

and everything turned to biting snow, bitter cold, a battle to survive.

 

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Blizzard 2 February 2016

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Blizzard: a severe snowstorm with high winds and low visibility. According to Accuweather.com, “In the 1870’s, an Iowa newspaper used the word “blizzard” to describe a snowstorm. Previously, the term blizzard referred to a cannon-shot or a volley of musket fire. By the 1880’s, the use of the word blizzard was used by many across the United States and IMG_0527in England.”

Here we woke to deep drifts from the high winds and had to shovel our way out the door to get to the stock. Of course, there are also bare patches of ground. It’s funny how your perception is way off though and you can’t tell if you’re walking into a deep drift until you IMG_0523are in the middle of it. The horses are warm in the barn as we put them in last night in anticipation of the conditions. The bulls are safe in the corral and don’t seem bothered by the ice.

Students across the state of Colorado and into Nebraska are doing the snow day dance-or more likely sleeping in. I hope to get my snow shoes out if the wind dies down a bit, since I did not brave these conditions to IMG_0528run this morning. I would have ended up in a drift myself. I did drive the sixty miles to school yesterday on icy, snow-packed roads, only to arrive to the message that my district would be letting students go early due to the worsening conditions. After that announcement, no one had any focus except for the snow outside. So, a day to catch up, to get some things done that I’ve had no time to do, and to make brownies I think!

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