Crazy Words
#SOL16. No.21. I read, and I laughed, and then inspired by Alan Wright's SOL16 Day 20 post, I took out my dictionary and wrote. It was in the time of the year when trees are about to leaf that he came home on leave. We talked and I asked if I could leaf through the...
Some Arachnid Lore
#SOL16. No.20. EN, my not-quite-5-year old grandson, dramatically tells Mommy that a spider is on the bedroom floor. Mommy questions about the exact whereabouts of said spider and heads up the stairs with determination. EN plops onto the couch, gives Mommy a huge...
The Day the Sun Rose in the West
#SOL16. No.19. True story! Once I watched the sun rise in the west. The sun had barely set and dusk was descending when I boarded a commuter flight out of Portland. I was on my way to catch a cross-country red-eye out of Seattle. As we lifted into our takeoff, I...
Life Just Got Harder
#SOL16. No.18. TS and NC (12- and 10-year-old brothers) have been learning about safety—water safety, bicycle safety, hiking safety. While reading about safety protocol for hiking in a woods, they got into a discussion about ticks. The tick talk included information...
The Power of Three
#SOL16. No.17. "To laugh often and love much" has always been one of my favorite quotes. I've seen so many different versions, including one written as prose, and wondered how that could be. And I've always thought they were the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Well,...
Sentinel of My Home
#SOL16. No.16. Some call me a frequent flyer. Others call me a road warrior. American Airlines says I'm Executive Platinum. All I know is that I spend a lot of time in airports and airplanes, traveling to work with schools across the country. The records show that...
Mr. Snowman
#SOL16. No.15. In my back yard, a lone snowman stood, quietly smiling. Though temperatures were getting colder, he kept smiling. When the wind blew hard, he still smiled. Maybe it was Mandi's red scarf around his neck, or Mike's black sock hat on his head, or Madi's...
Takeoff
#SOL16. No.14. Engines roar. We rise to the west. Water becomes clouds, Clouds become water. Where ocean and sky meet, I do not know. --On a winter departure from Santa Anna, Orange County, CA Slice of Life Read more about a slicing life and a great community of...
A Song is Singing
#SOL16. No.13. Outside the temperature is 44, but feels more like 37. A cold rain is falling. A trace of someone's wood fire is filtering through the woodsy, mossy air. Inside my kitchen is toasty, warmed by the aroma of breakfast--coffee, bacon, an omelet, a maple...
Growing Together
#SOL16. No.12. I The inspiration II The poem Growing together As years slip by, Sharing the earth Our roots entwined. Steadfast we stand Sunshine and rain, Faithful and true My Love and I. Writing about my writing The afternoon is perfect for a garden wedding....
I heard his chirp . . .
#SOL16. No.11. I heard his chirp--a tiny, hopeful chirp. Then I saw him, perched on the railing next to my table. Plain brown, no fancy plumage. He cocked his head, this way and that, stretched out his neck, ruffled his feathers, and chirped again. Brave little...
The Assignment
#SOL16. No.10. June 2014 Somehow, from somewhere, a notice about an email drawing class came to my attention. I was intrigued by the idea of taking a course via email. And I've always wanted to do more sketching, more drawing. I believe drawing goes hand in hand with...
A Bed-to-Bed Free Verse Poem
#SOL16. No.9. Having fun with a Bed-to-Bed Free Verse Poem* It's Tuesday Sunrise and coffee with my man --Treasure these moments when I am home Reading and answering emails Keeping phone appointments --One lasted 1.5 hours, we should have Skyped Waiting for a FedEx...
The proper way to sweep a room . . .
#SOL16. No.5. In the Appendix of Things My Mother Used to Make (1912), there is an article titled "The Proper Way to Sweep a Room." Since it is March and spring cleaning is on my mind -- notice I did not say on my calendar -- I decided to read it. After all, if there...
Who is Grandma Will?
#SOL16. No.4. I shared a great laugh with my daughter today. For you to fully enjoy the humor, you must know that her brother-in-law's name is Will. Her boys are free writing daily in their journals --they are loving it because free writing is rough, rough...
In a 19th Century Kitchen . . .
#SOL16. No.2. Some of you know me well enough to know that I love old books. I mean really old books, like over 100 years old. I like to visit the online library Forgotten Books, and browse the books I find there-- mostly educational books but occasionally old books...
A Child Is Reading
A child was reading In second grade hall I leaned in She continued I stood still My coat still on She read to me Because I stayed Because I asked A child is reading . . © 2016 Alice, a found poem Inspired from Twitter post by @DalilaE on 2-19-16
Marshmallow Cannon
We made a mini-marshmallow catapult cannon. You need a balloon, toilet tissue roll, and a few marshmallows. Tie the mouth of the balloon in a knot. Cut off the bulb end of the balloon. Stretch it and pull over the toilet tissue roll to assemble. If you have a wide...
Letter Sort and Match
Materials: 26 colored craft sticks, 6 inches by 3/4 inch. 18-inch felt chalkboard eraser (of course, one that's never been used to clean boards) a Sharpie marker a pair of old scissors that are strong enough to cut the craft sticks Directions to make With a pair of...
Chameleon Words
Chameleons. Fascinating creatures, changing their color based on surroundings. Words are sorta, kinda, a little bit like that, changing their spelling or pronunciation just a bit based on their sentence surroundings. Here is an example. She didn't have much hope last...
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