SOL Tuesday -- The To-Do List

Slice of Life Tuesday
June 18, 2019
"The To-Do List"
*****************

Spring quarter ended,
And summer break began.

I now have
Two weeks off!

Sleep, clean, rest,
Clean, read, clean,
Plant, clean, visit,
Clean, play, clean,
Organize, clean, relax,
Clean, walk, clean,
Dig, clean, mow,
Clean, repair, clean....

My to-do list is SO very long!
I wonder how much
Will really get done!

**************************
JudyK  :-)  June 18, 2019

SOL Tuesday -- My New Car

Slice of Life Tuesday -- May 28, 2019
"My New Car"
**************


I recently purchased a used car (I think it's amusing how people call used cars "pre-owned" cars these days!) to replace the 29-year-old Chevy I've been driving for the past few years. It's a 2003 Mazda 6. I wanted to post a picture of it here, but I'm having trouble sending a picture to this blog, so... no picture. But I did write a poem about it, which I'll share here --

My New Car

My new car!

(Wellllll... it's new

to ME anyway!)

It's not perfect,

BUT I'm extraordinarily

happy to be...

driving a car

that was built

in THIS century!

😁

*****************************

JudyK :-)  May 28, 2019

SOL Tuesday -- Roses Are Red

Slice of Life Tuesday -- May 21, 2019
"Roses Are Red"
*********************



Late this afternoon, as I was pulling into a gas station to refuel my car, something reminded me of a sort of a poem that I wrote long ago. I don't know what made the memory pop into my head, but there I was, thinking about it. 

It was a poem in a Mother's Day card that I made for my mom. I was maybe 10 or 12 years old, and I wanted to write a nice poem for Mom, but all I could come up with was a version of the old "Roses are red, violets are blue" ditty. Even though I thought my poem was extremely corny, I couldn't come up with anything else, so I decided to go with it. I wrote the poem in the card, and decorated the card with colorful drawings. When I gave it to Mom, she seemed to appreciate it, so I was satisfied. Mission accomplished.

The poem went something like this:

Roses are red,

Leaves are green.

You are so pretty,

You look like a queen!

👑

(I think it's safe to say that I'll never be confused with Elizabeth Barrett Browning.)

******************************

JudyK  :-)  May 21, 2019

SOL Tuesday -- Gone Fishin

Slice of Life Tuesday -- May 7, 2019
" Gone Fishin' "
*************

"We could put signs on our doors that say 'Gone fishing'..and they'd be true!" laughed my colleague Debbie as we locked our classroom doors and made our way out of the school building this morning.

I smiled at the thought. Yes, that would indeed be true. We were headed outside -- in mid-morning on this beautifully sunny school day -- to go fishing for a few hours. But we weren't playing hooky.... We were doing this with full permission of our employer!

It sounds crazy, doesn't it?

This was just another interesting experience to add to the long list of interesting experiences I've had in the past few months, since I've started my new job. The fishing activity was one of the fun activities planned for this week, "Employee Week," at the correctional facility where I work. (Other activities include card games, basketball, volleyball, a golf driving contest, and special meals.) During Employee Week, employees are able to take part in some of the activities as their schedules allow, during their work day. Wow. Isn't that amazing?

Soooo.... Never mind that I know next to nothing about fishing. Never mind that I have never fished before. I was being given the opportunity to do something out of the ordinary while at work... and you'd better believe that I was going to take advantage of the opportunity! I was going fishing.

And I did. 

And I caught nine fish.  🐟

And I had a BLAST.  😊


******************************
JudyK  May 7, 2019

SOL Tuesday -- Springtime Trees

Slice of Life Tuesday -- April 30, 2019
"Springtime Trees"
*****************





Descriptions, in the form of poetry, for my sister Cathy ~

Springtime Trees

The trees bloom....

Whispers of pink petals

And explosions of white,

Small, beautiful, and bountiful,

Grace the trees 

To show that spring has arrived.

Green leaves unfold.... 

Light spring green 

And bold kelly green,

Fresh and new,

Adorn the branches.

Pink, white, and green

Are showcased splendidly,

Reminding us

Of the beauty of spring,

And of promises 

Of what is to come.


******************
JudyK April 30, 2019

SOL Tuesday -- The New Job

Slice of Life Tuesday -- April 23, 2019
"The New Job"
****************************



The New Job

Papers to grade,
Articles to read,

Math to relearn,
Research to do,

Science to study,
Lessons to plan,

So many new
things to learn!

I am told
in a year

I'll look back,
and all this

will
be
old 
hat!



I'm ready now.

😌


***************************
JudyK  April 23, 2019

SOL Tuesday -- What I Am Seeing

Slice of Life Tuesday -- 
April 16, 2019
"What I am Seeing"
********************

I can definitely say that in the past week, spring has sprung in central Ohio! On my drive home from work each day, I've noticed daffodils blooming, trees flowering, grass greening up, and leaves starting to bud on some trees. Oh, what glorious sights those are!

We've also had a few warm days...as in, well-into-the-70's warm. Hallelujah! And since today is one of those days, I decided to take advantage of it and sit out on my cousin's patio after I got home from work. I am sitting here observing, and enjoying, and soaking up the wonder of spring! I was inspired to write a list of some of the things I'm seeing right now. So here it is ---


What I am Seeing -- Tuesday April 16 at 5:30 PM :-)

• blue skies -- clear, beautiful, deep
• sunlit grass -- fresh, bright, green
• fir trees -- tall, green, stately
• sprouting plants -- little, green, full of promise
• white fences -- bright, defining, symmetrical
• birds -- flying, singing, squawking
• cement sidewalks -- beige, worn, cracked
• brick buildings -- tan, yellow, straight
• parked cars -- shiny, metallic, bulky
• lawn furniture -- colorful, comfy, inviting
• deciduous trees -- bright green, swaying, leafing out

   

 

     

*********************

JudyK :-)   April 16, 2019

SOL Tuesday -- Educational Conference (a poem)

Slice of Life Tuesday -- "Educational Conference"
**************************




Earlier this evening, I returned from a conference of the Correctional Education Association. After all the years I've been teaching, I've never been to a multi-day educational conference before...and it was an extremely interesting experience. I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to attend!

A poem in honor of my very first conference:

Educational Conference

Throngs of educators

Beautiful resort

Daytime learning

Inspirational keynote speakers

Presentations

Questions

Success stories

Friendly commiserations

Helpful tips

Delicious food

Evening games, music, and fun

Networking

Ideas

Sharing

Warmth

Validation

Rejuvenation

HOPE.

******************************

JudyK :-)  April 9, 2019

SOL Tuesday -- A New Quarter Has Begun (A Kaiku)

Slice of Life Tuesday -- 
"A New Quarter Has Begun (A Haiku)"
April 2, 2019

A New Quarter Has Begun

Spring Quarter begins

with much paperwork to do....

So....See you later!

:-)

*********************
JudyK  :-)  April 2, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 31 -- Onward!

SOL story challenge, March 2019

Day 31 -- "Onward!"

**************

Looking back at the titles of my posts from the past month, I thought about my journey during this year's SOLSC challenge. I realized that the titles, as they are in the order they were posted, do a pretty good job of telling the story of how I progressed in writing, and in life, during the month. Here is the list-poem created from the titles: 

Progressing Through March

Here I Am Again!

Hmmmmm....

The Decision

Monday

Text Snippets Poetry?

Whole New World

Six Word Stories: The More Things Change....

An Equation Poem

What's Interesting So Far?

Small Gratitudes

March Observations Pi-ku

Looking Out My Window Today -- Pi-ku Poem

Clickety Clackety

PD on Pi Day

Let Spring Break Begin!

Little Cloud

St. Pat's Six Word Memoir

Three Good Things About Yesterday

Thank Goodness for Spring Breaks!

My Evening

21 Observations

The Visit (A Haiku)

Letter to the SOL Writing Community

Grateful Follow-up Letter to the SOL Writing Community

An Inspiration and Some Helicopters

Blazer The Fire Engine Who Was Afraid

Taking time to smell the crocuses

For the Longest Time

Spending the Day With the Grandkids

Words That Have Made Me Click

Onward!

Explanation of the progression:

I began March rather tentatively, having recently started a new job, and not knowing how much time I would have to write. But I started the SOL challenge anyway. I wrote every day. I reflected on the major changes going on in my life. I experimented with and practiced my writing. I noticed things that were happening around me, and wrote about my observations. I wrote about a memory or two. I was enjoying myself.

Then, about mid-month, I began to doubt myself. I continued to forge on with my writing, but I wondered if my writing was worth reading. I decided to keep writing, but was very confused. In a letter I posted to the SOL writing community, I expressed my dilemma, hoping that maybe someone would reply. If my writing was bad, I wanted to know about it so that I could try to fix it.

The response I got from that letter was overwhelming! I heard from countless others slicers, some with the same problem as me, and many who had helpful suggestions. I received the affirmation (which I needed badly) that my writing wasn't terrible. I received encouragement...so much encouragement that I actually felt embarrassed! I was extremely grateful for the pointers which were given to me and to other 2nd- and 3rd-year slicers; I intend to take all that I learned from that experience and improve myself as a writer, and as a person.

By March 24, no longer worried about whether my writing was "good enough" or not, I continued my writing with new resolve. I noticed and reflected, wondered and reminisced, and learned from other slicers. With this SOL story challenge now ending, I am feeling happy and thankful...happy to have learned so much, and thankful to Two Writing Teachers and the SOL community for another enjoyable experience.

Now, onward!  :-)

**********************

JudyK :-)  March 31, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 30 -- Words That Have Made Me Click

SOL story challenge, March 2019
Day 30 -- "Words That Have Made Me Click"
*******************



During this month's Slice of Life challenge, I have read many, many slices about countless different topics. Today, inspired by Elisabeth Ellington and Ramona, I thought back to some of the words that have prompted me to click on certain slices to read. I've come up with this list-poem:

Words That Have Made Me Click

Walks

Music

Moment

Travel

Shopping

Pictures/Photos

Chocolate

Little Things

Words

Poem, Haiku, Pi-ku

Library

List

Books

Wordscapes

Sick day

Flu

Couch

Blues

Weather phenomenon

Snow

Puppies

Dog

Kittens

Baby

Grandkids

YOU

Sister

Grandma

Spring

Morning

Spring Break

April

Monday, Friday

Sunday, Saturday

Beautiful

Quiet

Happy

Daffodil, Crocus, Tulip

Sunshine

Nature

Look out my window

Question

Comments

Wonder

Inspired

Currently

Noticing

Life

Joy

Gratitude

Memories

Thanks

************************

JudyK  :-)  March 30, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 29 -- Spending the Day With the Grandkids

Slice Of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 29 -- "Spending the Day With the Grandkids"
*******************

Spending the Day With the Grandkids:

Riding in the car,

Shopping,

Hugging,

Looking at pictures,

Laughing,

Drawing,

Styling hair,

Eating,

Joking,

Adding & Subtracting

Reading,

Playing,

Watching movies,

Talking,

Rocking...

Loving.

  

************************

JudyK  :-)  March 29, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 28 -- For the Longest Time

SOL story challenge, March 2019
Day 28 -- "For The Longest Time"
**************





There is a question I've wondered about for the longest time....



After taking lots of crocus pictures yesterday, 

the question came to the forefront of my thinking again. 

So I've written a Haiku about it:

For the Longest Time

I've been wondering.

The plural of "crocus" is....?

Crocuses? Croci??

Hmmmm....

*************************
JudyK  :-)  March 28, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 27 -- Taking time to smell the crocuses

SOL story challenge, March 2019
Day 27 -- "Taking Time To Smell the Crocuses"
*****************


We finally got a beautiful, slightly-warmer-than-average, sunny, blue-skied day here in Central Ohio today. It was the kind of day that you wish EVERY day could be during a March spring break in Ohio. (Ha! If only....)

Taking advantage of the nice weather, I decided to clean out the inside of my car...which needed it badly. But first, I wanted to get some pictures of my crocus flowers. The flowers have been in bloom for a while now, but most days recently they've been staying closed up because of the lack of sunshine and warmth. Or on days when they HAVE been open, I haven't been around at the right time to see them open. But today, we had the sunshine and the warmth, and the flowers were wide open and beautiful, and I was around to see them. So, of course, I had to get some pictures:

                       

         

This is the one where I accidentally knelt on a colony of ants 

while getting this picture....I have a knack for that. ;-)

               
     

      




Then, after I had enjoyed gazing at those beauties for quite a while.... well, then it was on to the car cleaning:

 

...With intermittent breaks to sit on the glider on my front porch to enjoy my view:

It IS spring break, after all!  :-)

***********************

JudyK  :-)  March 27, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 26 -- Blazer The Fire Engine Who Was Afraid

SOL story challenge, March 2019
Day 26 -- "Blazer, The Fire Engine Who Was Afraid"
************************

Earlier today, I was thinking of some of the records I used to listen to when I was a small child. One of them had a story and song about a fire engine named Blazer. Blazer was a happy little engine until one day he was called out to a fire, and it turned out that he was afraid of fires. What a problem for a fire engine to have! Of course, the story had a happy ending, because Blazer was able to overcome his fear when it mattered the most. The story was corny, and the music was even more corny, but it contained a good lesson for children to learn. I remember listening to that record over and over and over again, so I obviously must have liked the story, the song, or both!

Here is a picture from the internet which shows what the record looked like.

I haven't listened much to music for small children recently, but I'm wondering if the music these days teaches lessons to children, as they did when I was very young. I'm guessing that they do...or at least some of them. I know there is a recent children's song about a baby shark; I've heard part of it, and the tune is quite catchy...but I have no idea if it teaches a lesson. Maybe I'll ask my grandkids, and see what they think.  ;-)

When I was looking online for information about Blazer, I was able to find a recording of the story/song. I listened to it -- because of course I HAD to refresh my memory! In case you'd like to hear it, here is a link to it:

~~

Watch "Blazer, The Fire Engine Who Was Afraid (Cricket Records 1954)" on YouTube

https://youtu.be/h6eSYMGHDNM

~~

Now that I've listened to Blazer again....Well, let's just say that I can go a while (a LONG while), before I listen to it again. I think I'd rather take the baby shark. ;-)


*******************************
JudyK :-)  March 26, 2019