Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

Well, winter's definitely dug in. We have plenty of snow. We have the cold temps back in force, with even colder ones on the way. Yay. Highs in the single digits by Saturday. I'm glad I have a writing class to be in most all day. I yearn for sunshine, warmth, not having to wear a/ boots, b/ coats, c/ gloves, etc. I don't like scraping my car windows, Sam-I-Am.  But it's second semester, and the first day went well, I think. I am down to five (from seven) students in my creative writing class, but they are a nice crew, and we'll get on well. I have a full house for AP Lit, and they seem willing to get on with the whole biz, so that's good, too. Most of them have had me for at least one class (some two) before now, so they know the drill. The new three will catch up.  I got my grades done quickly (even the requisite parent emails telling them that their kids who did no work did not pass), and had plenty of time to eat lunch. This new term will be better in a lot o...

A new semester is upon us. I watched a more recent version (2000) of Hamlet starring Ethan Hawke as the title character (and a solid cast along with him) while I had the house quiet and to myself, and I was really pretty impressed. I have been very resistant to teaching Hamlet to high school students for most of my teaching career. There seems to be an overwhelming pressure in the AP Lit world to do the play, though, so I thought I ought to revisit it and see how I can make it relatable and palatable. This film might just do the trick. I've seen other versions of it, and I noticed that there's a new one being released in April of this year, too-- which, if it comes to our neck of the woods in time, might be a fun thing to try to get to. That all said, since Hamlet is so damned dark and twisted, it's a hard one for most high school kids. Let's be honest: if a kid is coming from a situation where a dead parent's ghost is demanding that he revenge him at all costs, i...

Well, how about that. The Patriots won that game-- total shocker to me, but then, isn't that why we play all 60 minutes? Actually, it was not that close, even. Imagine that. And now, they go on to Denver to face the Broncos next Sunday. I honestly thought it was just going to be casual football watching for me after yesterday, but nope.  Alexander Pope was famous for his essays, and from those, come a plethora of pithy epigrams. One that seems appropriate for the football season, and, to be honest, for much of life in general is "Hope springs eternal in the human breast./ Man never is, but is always to be blest."  To always be about to be blessed, but never be  blessed? Grim, I think. But then, we often don't notice what our blessings truly are until they are in the rear-view mirror. It is only through recollection that we notice how good things have been, or what we've been given, or even what we were directed away from. But Hope (capital H) is a forward-thinkin...

Well, not only was my original plan for Saturday all sorts of upended, my bracket is busted for the NFL playoffs pool. The snow and bad roads forced me to shift things, which actually worked out pretty well: I got twenty final exam papers read, graded, and the grades entered. Now I just have to do the final grades stuff for both the school and the partner college through which many of my students have now earned college credit through the dual credit program. Woo! But that will wait. I can do all that on Tuesday, when I'm actually on the clock and being paid to do that stuff.  Today, church, then groceries, then football at 3pm. I'm thinking about dinner ideas, and I'm pretty sure it'll be lasagna. I want some gooey cheesy goodness. Comfort food. I might make a turkey soup with dumplings on Monday, which is also comforting, but requires my attention. I'm tired-- rough night's sleep again, and just brain-toasted-- so easy makes me happy today.  Thus, the fleece-l...

Saturday, cold, dark, slippery outside.  Holly announced to me yesterday that "it's actually spring, Mem." Well, no, dear... we have lots of winter left. But yes, we get a little more light every day, now that we've passed the equinox.  Did you know that equinox means equal night? How efficiently Latin.  The semester ended, generally better than I expected. And I have all papers in, even from the students who have done little work all term. I'll read them tomorrow. I'll do the grade thing online maybe Monday while we have a "day off" (read: day I have other commitments, just at home).  I could use a "me day"-- I used to do that once in a while. Now, I can hardly schedule a hair cut or a quiet cup of coffee. Balance is off a bit. I yearn for a day to read a book and not have to chase a schedule. Maybe I'll figure that out soon. It might help with the rattle-y brain. I can't seem to catch a good night's sleep: I fell asleep watchi...

Well, yesterday's post, as dismal as it was, did not hold true--mostly. The roads were fine (though my driveway was a mess), the road to work was clear where I had to get through, and they didn't shut off the water for the school end of things. Amen. I did not end up getting a hair cut either, though--no parking spaces. We have a bit of a midday parking crisis in town, and unfortunately, I could not find one single spot. So, I rescheduled. Bummer. But that's pretty minor.  Poor Holly has a hole in the toe of her boot. Thus, her foot/sock got soggy, and by the time I picked her up, the wet wool+ sweaty feet= stink was a factor. She got in the bath at 3:00. Then we did a cocoa, muffin, story time and all was well. She truly is a lovely kid, even if she is a bit hard on her clothes. In the meantime, Memere to the rescue: I ordered some new boots to get us through the rest of the winter. Those should be here on Saturday.  Speaking of which, Holly has basketball on Saturday morn...

Another short post-- trying to get all the morning stuff done, and it's a lot some days. Lunches are made, anyhow. It's 32 and raining-- yippee-- and there's scheduled road work on the one road to my school starting at 8, which of course, I will get caught up in somehow. And the roadwork is to fix a water main leak, so they are shutting off the water-- so, probably no water at school. Fun times. I am looking forward to getting a hair cut later today. I look like a sheepdog.  Two more days of this semester. Amen. A weekend of grading and other stuff ahead.  Woohooooo Hold your loved ones close to your heart. C

Wednesday, mid-20s, dark, and gonna be a long day...  Today, there's work, and a staff meeting, then home home home to probably fold a pile of laundry.  Fun, eh?  I fell asleep in my chair last night long before 9:30-- which, to be honest, was better than G, who fell asleep around 7 in his chair. We are tired people. The weather, work, and the underlying/overarching angst that has been infiltrating every moment of the day is wearing us out. I bet it is for you, too.  On a fun note, we've decided on a way to help Holly get a lot more adventurous about vegetables. I don't know why she doesn't like them-- won't eat anything green-- but here we are. We are a family of people who love veggies, who grow veggies, who have veggies every day. So-- it's weird. We've instituted Veggie Adventures!  On Tuesday, when Meg is home, we'll go and pick a new veggie to try. Yesterday, she picked peppers (which she does like) and brussels sprouts (which she then did not eat)...

Tuesday, mid-20s, dark and damp. Nothing new, really.  In football news, it appears that the Pats will play Houston at 3pm in Gillette on Sunday. Guess I'll be watching that. Houston is a very tough competitor, so I am not holding my breath. That said, my bracket is still unbroken. Go figure. Next weekend, it'll be a mess, more than likely. Work is work. Final week of the semester, final papers underway. Same few students owe me work. I'm gratified to see that the new assistant principal is working hard on a policy statement that addresses overdue work; yes, we have some rules, but it seems we need something relatively iron-clad. Kids game the system all the time, and it's disheartening. And when you say that you won't accept late work, then parents quite often get involved. It's messy.  That all said, it's been a quiet start to the day. Meg is home, so she's got Holly for drop off and pick up. I find myself with a huge stretch of time (have I forgotten ...

  I stayed up a bit too late... ...and the Pats won that battle of the defenses.  I'm kind of breaking dress code (do we have one for teachers?) and wearing my "Been there, Won That" tee shirt I spent too much money on that came in on Friday. I have a friendly rivalry with a few students, and it feels so darn good to see the Pats not only the top of the AFC East, but also moving along to the next round of playoffs. I know it only gets harder, but dang, something has to be bringing a little joy.  And my for-fun bracket is still un-busted. Imagine that.  I hope you have a good day. Hold onto your loved ones, check in often, and keep everyone in your prayers. This little football bubble isn't going to fix anything, but I'm living in it until noon, if I can.  C

Well, my bracket remains unbusted for one day, anyhow. We have a fun-only bracket thing going with students in our Fun Friday SportsTalk group. Suggested buy-in is a candy bar. I won't win, mostly because I will not jinx my team by putting them in the winning spot for the Super Bowl, but I filled out the rest of it just to see how I do. I follow football, so I'm not exactly picking teams based on their mascots or uniform colors, but I'm not a guru, either. We'll see how today goes. (nojinxnojinxnojinx) I also have a pile of papers to read and grade, and some house chores to do. I'll make a beef stew-- thinking about putting it in the dutch oven and letting it do the low and slow thing. But first, church. I'm the lector for the 8am, so I'm up and caffeinating. The first reading from Isaiah is pretty bold stuff, and I couldn't help thinking how it could be misused as justification for domination by a single person or political party. It's the one where...

We have one week left of this fall semester; it's been pretty good, most of the time. A lot of work, mostly mental, some self-imposed, but good. My overwhelming sense of responsibility for whether my juniors will do well on the AP test in May is eating at me, though. I know it's just a test. I know that it's only a snapshot of what they can/cannot do in an artificial environment (online, 2.5 hours, and the beastly multiple choice part). They are good humans. They are interested and interesting. They have questions. They have the ability to search out answers and make a pretty cogent argument for why they think as they do. So wtf with this stupid test? The anxiety they feel is made even more so for me. We've practiced a ton of stuff, and it's frankly not felt like a lot of fun most of the time. I don't like this way of teaching composition. I will give it a lot of reflection and see if there's anything I can do to make this less boring/rote/miserable. Snacks ...

 " maybe there in-between my pancreas & large intestine is the piddly brook of my soul..." from " On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs " by Renee Nicole Macklin The "piddly brook of my soul"-- that phrase caught me. Where does it reside? Is it located somewhere between the lungs, maybe nestled tightly under the heart?  The news is breaking my heart.  Correction: the people breaking my heart are in the news.  Be safe, all y'all. Somehow, we'll get through this, but only if we take care of each other.  C

We had a good snow day yesterday, pretty relaxing, really. Now today, it's playing catch-up time. Luckily, I have learned over the years that building in a little flex near the end of the fall semester is wise; there are snow days, field trips, etc. and lots of illness that get in the way of smooth sailing. So, I honestly do not mind that we didn't have school yesterday. I'll move what we should have done to today, and maybe something will fall off the plan book. Not worried. We have a light snow falling though, so I'm hopeful that the roads are not slick. The older I get, the less I like winter's requirements. If I could stay home and watch it from the window, coffee in hand, pellet stove ticking along-- sure. Let it snow. But when I have to do heavy coat, boots, extra shoes for work, and slippery driving... yeah, it's not as nice. But what can I do? It's winter. We live here. I bought myself some new lined mittens.  That all said, I hope that today present...

 Huzzah!!! And would you believe Holly is upset there's no school? Sigh.  We will spend the day doing projects and so on. I don't mind one darn bit. The snow is heavy and steady, and the roads are gross. Meg made it to work okay, amen, and so did Tim. Geoff, thank God, has today off. So, he and Holly will go out to shovel, and she and I will do a sewing project, and we'll make the best of this gift of a day.  And it is a gift. My students all have papers to work on (as if they will...well, maybe some will). With the semester closing next week, there's not a lot we have not covered, and whatever we have not, we likely will not. I'm okay with that.  So, if you are in our neck of the woods, be safe. Pour another cup of coffee. If you are elsewhere with sunshine and no snow--hey, we'll do the snow thing on your behalf.  Hold your loved ones close. Drive carefully. We need all y'all.  C

Two hour delay. Well, it's something, anyhow. It's snowing like crazy again, and yeah...I hate winter driving. But at least they'll have a little more time to get things figured out.  That said, I don't have to rush around to get Holly and me out of the house, so that's a blessing.  We'll see how many kids make it in today; I already got one email from a student who says they won't be in today due to their car having really bad tires. And now that NH has done away with yearly required car inspections, that will be closer to the norm-- can't do because car can't. NOT a good policy change, in my mind.  That said, here we are. I need coffee.  Have a good day, be safe, drive slowly, love your favorites... C

Tuesday. It snowed again. It's warmer, at 15 above zero. But it's still dark, dark, dark. So is the news. But I can't even begin to talk about that right now. I was gratified to find that many of my students did have a draft going for their papers; that is a win, in my book. Granted, the usual suspects did not. Some kids just want to fail things. That used to bother me a lot more than it does now. The semester will end, they will move on to other things, and then either they'll have to take a class with me next year, or they can do credit recovery with some online pablum. So be it. I can only do what I can do, right?  And that goes for just about every aspect of life. I can keep trying, but there will always be something or other well beyond my ability to make a dent.  Speaking of dents, Meg's water heater was replaced by 9:30am yesterday! Huzzah for good repair people. And G is working on a good cover for her broken basement window. These things are not of her doin...

ahhh, Monday. You found me. Four below zero. Dark as a well. And I'm sure many of my students did not do the rough draft of their paper that is due today, even though they had more than two weeks.  Here we go again, right?  The news is catastrophic, chaotic, and hard to fathom. It's like watching a bad movie, or slogging your way through a novel written by someone who has clearly lost the plot, but will keep the disaster tropes in place.  And Meg's hot water heater, as they say, shat the bed.  This new year feels a little prickly so far. We didn't get the blessings written on the lintel yet (we did get the blessed chalk and the prayer at church yesterday), but I think we will today. I hope so. We need all the blessings we can get.  Well, the Patriots did win yesterday, rather handily, which was a nice thing. Unfortunately, it doesn't counter the news cycle all that much. Well, at all, really.  I hope your day is a good one. I'm going to try to keep my backs...

It is said in the Gospels that the magi were "warned in a dream...and took another way" (Mt 2:1-12). They found the Christ child, did him homage, but then, when it was time to depart, they were told that Herod was not to be trusted, and that their very lives were in danger.  Sometimes witnessing the truth --or in this case, the Truth-- is dangerous. We, too, live in dangerous and desperate times, when the telling of the truth can get a person in a lot of trouble with co-workers, family members, and even some government agents. This is nothing new, really: world history is filled with stories of despots and the courage of those who speak up for truth. But being a truth-teller, or even insisting on the truth, can come with consequences. So, it was pretty brave (and prudent) for the magi to take another route back to their own countries. Unfortunately, that left Herod unchallenged by those who were essentially his social equals.  There's the problem: those who abuse their po...

Saturday, ten degrees, and dark as the bottom of a well.  I've been trying to live inside a self-imposed bubble for a week, hoping to gain perspective and some rest. In part, this has worked, but the news feed leaks in. There is bombing in Caracas this morning, and I cannot fathom what this is going to bring to our doors, literally and figuratively. So many people living in fear, confusion, pain, and sorrow-- much of it manufactured by others who are greedy, amoral, and who wield a tremendous amount of financial and social power.  So many people who are struggling to make sense of things, to make their paychecks stretch, who are trying their level best to keep body and soul together.  It's hard to even try to care about anything less grave; I'd love to be all wound up about a football game, or some foolishness I overheard, or anything, really, that ranks pretty low on the "I should care" meter. The weight of the world, or rather, the associated weight of these hor...

Daanggg, it got cold last night. Far colder than predicted-- as I'm writing, it's 15 below zero. I figured it must be, since the house banged early this morning (it does that when it gets super cold--).  I am NOT leaving the house to do errands until it's over zero.  Today is an unexpected quiet stretch, at least until after lunch. Tim took today off, so Holly's home with him until later. Just as well, since it's stupid cold. Let her stay in her jammies at home, and not have to trudge across the snow and ice so early.  So, it's just Cece the Snoozy Dog and me, and I kind of want to crawl into the pellet stove. G got it cleaned early, so it'll run fine all day without any extra effort. I appreciate that.  Our quiet New Year's Day was nice; family time, a turkey dinner (and O, there are leftovers), and a little television last night. I should have gone to bed at the first signs of being sleepy, but I didn't, and thus, per usual, I fell asleep in my cha...

From Jane Hirshfield's poem, " Counting, this New Year's Morning, What Powers Yet Remain to Me " " The world asks, as it asks daily:  And what can you make, can you do, to change my deep-broken, fractured?...// Today, I woke without answer.  The day answers, unpockets a thought from a friend don’t despair of this falling world, not yet didn’t it give you the asking"  OK,  2026. What do you have in store?  T ake care, my friends. Be there for each other. Be there for yourself, as well. C C l