Life Map 5 May 2015

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Sally Gerard

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Traveling on this hero’s journey personal quest with my students is an adventure in and of itself. We are still in the pre-writing stage and the beginnings of our life maps. Turns out, it is much more difficult than I imagined to map out a life and mine has been living for much longer than my students!

I took them through my own process yesterday and then turned them loose with theirs. We’d all been making “little” lists:

places we’ve been from birth to now, people we’ve known from birth to now, challenges we’ve faced from birth to now, and milestones we’ve reached from birth to now.

I had pages of lists, and trying to map all of that was daunting. I had a legal size piece of paper and I used “stones in the river” and in the stones I wrote the names of some of the places I’ve lived. I added some detail by the stones about people and place and happenings. I showed this to my students and they groaned, “You want us to do that? Ms. G, it’ll take for-e-ver to write all that.” They were right, but I’d already figured that out IMG_3175and, with their help, I chose one stone and then we went through the stages of the hero’s journey we’d been working with in class and I did my own pre-writing for them, jotting notes in each stage so I could produce my “slice of my” life map.

Now is one of the fun parts, because I can pretend like I’m an artist and use colored markers to invent symbols to represent each stage of this journey and then add my descriptors so I will be ready to write the narrative. I’ll get some photos of these two maps and post them later this week.

IMG_3191Of course, I’m still adding to my narrative each and every day. Now that the new heifers are out, we spend time each evening going around to each pasture to check on them, but mostly to spend time together and getting these new little mammas used to us. They are already beginning to recognize the sound of cotton candy pellets rattling about in the bucket. Indian and Oreo won’t be left out either- they wait expectantly for me to walk over and give them each a cotton pellet.

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A Hero’s Journey 1 May 2015

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Sally Gerard

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I’ve been studying the Hero’s Journey with my students in a variety of ways. We started with The Odyssey and then wrote our own fictional hero’s journey, and these were filled with all manner of: everyday gang thugs to kings to young girls who must avenge their family or find the secret ring or travel to far off castles in order to hear the voice of long dead grandmothers. There were sword fights and ragged clothes, and in one beautiful story, two sisters on a journey to find their mother and then all three were reunited at the end of the story in heaven.

My students can write when decide to. Yes, there a few who still have not done the work, but those who did made mine and each other’s lives richer. Mine, of course, involved horses and mountain trails and a rugged heroine.

But now, my students and I begin the harder work. In the last weeks of school, we will IMG_3150write the hero quest of own lives- so far. Today we will begin to create our life maps and move from there to discover the first of our hero quests to tell. And I wonder, who will we discover as mentor or trickster, where will that call to adventure have come from, who will accompany us on this first telling of journey, will we find that there was faith, talisman, angels by our sides and that we persevered, like Odysseus, to find our way back home to love and family? I love the journey of this unit.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4: 8,9

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Gentle Beasts 29 April 2015

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Sally Gerard

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Heading down to check the stock tanks this morning, I stopped for quite a while to watch a lone antelope buck. He stopped to watch me too. The new heifers were all down by the windmill, getting a drink, licking the salt blocks and eating some mineral. They were keeping and eye on me while I kept an eye on the antelope who was getting closer to the one-wire fence dividing two of the paddocks.

Finally, he ducked under the wire-too lazy to jump over I guess, and trotted off into the stubble. I climbed over the new corral panels to put the windmill in gear and just generally check to be sure everything was as it should be. IMG_3145The heifers contented to keep a wary eye on me, not yet used to this new routine. But I know, soon enough, they’ll be expecting me and waiting for those cotton cake pellets I call “cotton candy.”

Once they decide we aren’t trying to hurt them and that those pellets are good, it is hard to keep them from storming us when we come into the pasture with a bucket. It’s our way of pulling a “Crocodile Dundee” and taming the beasts. When we need to work them, they are much calmer from the handling.

It’s the same with people. We are much less skittish when change comes, if we’re handled a bit more gently to start with. I love this verse from James, and I think it applies as we work with our “beasts,” be they cattle, horses, dogs, cats, or gerbils.

James 3:17 

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

 

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Raindrops 27 April 2015

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Sally Gerard

IMG_3122Almost a year ago, we had a snow storm such that we had to take hay to the pasture to feed all the new heifers. This year’s batch is out on pasture now, but so far they are only dealing with rain and fog. It’s been a wet several days around here, but not producing the four-and-a-half inch deluge just fifty four miles to the north and west of us.

Oddly, the apply blossoms really opened up in this cold wet. We may need to scaffold around this little tree if all the blooms produce apples! Still no life in our five cherry trees and one plum- the fifteen below zero temperatures we had in November apparently sounded the death knoll for them. I’ve ordered some hardier varieties produced for Saskatchewan. Of course, it’ll be a couple years before they begin producing.

We know it is spring around here when the yellow headed black birds come through. We see them once in the spring and again in the fall when they pass back by. Clearly they have much more status than the red-winged black birds because they take over the lilacs and the red-wingeds just wait until they leave.

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Stuck 23 April 2015

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Sally Gerard

Stuck for words today, I offer some photos…

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Evening 21 April 2015

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Sally Gerard

IMG_3081Evening brings such peace after a busy, bustling day. Discovering the budding life of spring, I walked around in awe last night. Our calf has decided that alfalfa is pretty good stuff- she eats a bit and drops into a heap as if exhausted from the effort of chewing.

Most of our fruit trees are blooming, making this the first year for the apple trees and including: pear, peach, crab apple, wild plum and choke cherry. We’ll have no cherries this year as all five trees have died. Apparently, Montmorency are not hardy enough to withstand the bitter cold spells we had in the fall and winter. Last summer was our first IMG_3117really good cherry harvest, so this was a big disappointment. I’m hopeful for the almond trees and the hazelnut- neither are showing any signs of life yet. If the wind cooperates and gives a bit of a break, I should be churning out the choke cherry jelly with relish!

Walking out in our trees, the sweet smell of the lilacs takes me back to 105th street in Omaha. I’d walk up that hill from our house; I don’t remember the name of the street, but Jimmy Mendenhall lived on it. 🙂 One house was hidden IMG_3114by thick lilac bushes with three different colors of blooms. I’d walk by it going to and from Oakdale Elementary School and any time I smell lilacs now, I’m right back on that street.

 

 

The wild plums bloomed a while back and are fixin’ to begin the transition to fruit. It looks like snow settled on them and forgot to melt. IMG_3119The stillness of this evening seeps into the soul and spirit, a healing balm to the buzzing throng of day. God topped it off with a most beautiful setting sun. Blessing.

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Befuddle 17 April 2015

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Sally Gerard

IMG_3076Fog-a cloud-like mass or layer of minute water droplets or ice crystals near the surface of the earth, appreciably reducing visibility. 

a state of mental confusion or unawareness; daze; stupor

a mass of droplets of condensed water vapour suspended in the air,often greatly reducing visibility, corresponding to a cloud but at a lower level

becloud, obfuscate, dim, blur, darken. daze,befuddle, muddle, mystify.      Dictionary.com

This barn is a beacon for me, especially in times of befuddlement! I look to it when I step out to run in the darkness of pre-dawn and I look to it upon my return. Some mornings it sits apart in all its red glory and other mornings, like today, I have to wade through the fog to see it.

I like fog, the way it wraps you up in moisture, shielding away the rest of the world and time itself. While I have often experienced the mental fog, I enjoy the weather phenomena. I like the mystery of the shroud. Even now, gazing out my work window, the chokecherry bushes are obfuscated from my vision.

I don’t know why, but it is calming. It gives space to think a bit and not feel so rushed. Blessing. Psalm 148, the New International Standard Version says, “Praise the Lord, you from the earth, you creatures of the sea and all you depths, fire, hail, snow, fog, and wind storm that carry out his command” And Job 37, “From the breath of God ice is made, and the expanse of the water is frozen. Also with moisture, he loads the thick cloud…”

Maybe amazing things are in store for today. I will try to pay attention!

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Immortal in Community 15 April 2015

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Sally Gerard

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I’ve known I was going to be a teacher since the fourth grade. I can remember lying on the floor in my fourth grade classroom with my eyes closed, listening to my teacher read a novel to us out loud. Transported into the book, I knew I wanted to do that for other kids–to inspire and encourage students to reach as far and wide as they could, to discover their passions and write about them, of course, and to see them succeed. It took me a while to come into a traditional classroom, but I taught so many kids about horses and riding. Now I have both a traditional classroom, an online classroom, and college courses.  I love being a teacher.

Writing has been a part of my musculature for a long time too. I received this diary,

Note that I crossed out my middle name, Gerard, in my rebellion against having the same middle name as two of my siblings!

Note that I crossed out my middle name, Gerard, in my rebellion against having the same middle name as two of my siblings!

complete with a little golden lock and key for my ninth birthday. I wrote in it faithfully, recording my day-to-day doings. From there, I went to blank journals of various kinds and I’ve kept them all. I still have this little piece of my pre-teen self and I laugh at my attempts to be so grown-up. I even wrote a few swear words in it, and I don’t swear much.  I bet I felt very mature writing in such what must have been a risqué mode for me. I’m fairly certain I learned the words from one of my older sisters, Jana, who I dedicated Worthy of Love too! She seemed to know them all very well.

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Disclaimer: when I spellchecked my post, it did not include this diary entry made by a little girl only nine years new on this planet.

So, I write and I teach. The great part is that I’m an English teacher which means I get to teach writing. What I love about that is going from the “I hate writing. I can’t write.” to “Ms. G, can you help with this sentence, paragraph, piece?” “Ms. G, can you read this and tell me what you think?” I work with my students in a writing community as best I can. We write together. I share and they share and my hope is that they learn to communicate who and what they are, that they learn to communicate the unique place they come from that is only theirs, that they learn to communicate the amazing thinking they do and that they learn to communicate their ideas for making this world a better place-even if it’s just in their own small community.

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Siri 13 April 2015

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Sally Gerard

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Switching from a flip phone to a smart phone about a year ago, my technology world opened before me in a plethora of options and apps. Overwhelmed by this little computer, galaxies apart from my flip-up and dial, I am getting used to it. It is wonderful to be able to check just about anything in the moment, and yes, I admit that I often check to see where my novels are on Amazon’s best seller’s lists. You can make my numbers go up simply by clicking on one of these links and purchasing one or both for your reading pleasure: Worthy of Love or Windows In The Loft Ha!

But, there is a frustration associated with this smart phone that can undo me at times. I slide my finger and nothing happens, I tap on my weather and get the weather in upper Michigan, I check to see how far I’ve run and find the Fitbit app has crashed, I try to take a pre-dawn photo and manage to snap one or two before the phone simply turns off deciding it is too cold to function at 30 degrees, it constantly nags at me to update various apps or download the latest version of whatever it thinks I need. IMG_3054

And then there is Siri. On the commercials, the college boy who needs to get home to see his old dog, has a conversation with Siri resulting in him finding his way home just in time. When I talk to Siri, she can’t figure out where I am or where I’m going. I ask for simple information, while driving because I know I can’t look at the screen. I expect her to tell me exactly what to do, and what do I get? She calmly tells me that her research has turned up several helpful websites. WEBSITES. How can I read help websites while I’m driving? She never has conversations with the in the kitchen when I’m whipping up gourmet meals to tell me that my rare spice is available down the street at so-and-so shop. No, I get websites.

Would I go back to the flip-phone? I was very good at sending tweets with it.

 

 

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A Snowy Morning 9 April 2015

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Sally Gerard

IMG_3002Soggy-that’s how spring snow is. The wind got up its roar in the night, blasting the north windows with rain, snow and sleet. The sun has not deigned to put in an appearance yet. Little calf was curled up on the straw with her mamma and the horses were in the corral with their butts to the north…the bulls were holed up on the south side of the wind break. If I could, I’d put on some kind of movie marathon-maybe Lord of the Rings or Firefly, Harry Potter or The Man From Snowy River…

I’ve been buried in a book recently and had to read this last bit several times-it struck a IMG_2993chord with me. The main character is beyond her wit’s end: husband in the next room dying, living in a foreign land, and facing the end of everything she knows. She goes to the chapel in the dark of a long winter night and sits in this sanctuary, begging God to show her the way. There is a Bible on the pulpit and she goes to it, turning the pages randomly, searching for words to give her comfort and to guide her-even as she prays in her deepest heart for God to speak to her.

She ends up in the Psalms-finding struggle, sadness, despair and then a lifting up, a vindication, joy. She takes the words back with her, but recognizes as she steps from the chapel, that time had stopped in that sacred place for her. She’d found the presence of IMG_3004God there, and though she longed to stay, she found as she walked back to her room that God was still with her. She spoke to the pastor, reassured by his words that both sin and grace begin with a conscience decision. She was able to go on and find her way through this terrible struggle.

I’m not sure we get enough of this sense of faith in today’s fiction. I think that maybe readers long for this in their pleasurable fiction reading, and that it is just as modern as vampires, wizards and lottery style games.

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