Project 365: Day 72 - Tues. July 28th, 2009

The Power of Nature ...

Today I took Sanaa home after school and driving to her house was like driving through the aftermath of a tornado. The limbs and fallen trees lay scattered in every yard. Seeing the rubble first hand explains why some families are still without power. Powerlines are still down and roads are still being cleared and the storm hit on Sunday....

The last time I was in this neighborhood I was witness to something very similar....
I was tutoring Spanish to Cory Piette. I taught with his father years ago at Randallstown. Anyway, Cody and I were at their house and the wind started blowing really hard. I don't remember now what urged us outdoors but we went and the wind was so strong it whipped up a pinecone and spit it at Cory hard enough to draw blood. That sort of freaked Cody out so we all went inside. The wind really picked up and Craig said these words ... "with all the rain we've had it wouldn't be surprising if a few trees come down." Well the universe heard what he said and acted upon it. Not even 30 seconds later we heard ...

BAM!!!
CRACK!!!
SCREECH!!!
lights out.

A few trees turned out to be 7 trees and one of them went right through the roof and into the master bedroom. Cody clung to me and buried his face into my side. He was certain that the house was going to get lifted up, spun around, and tossed into a place where we were would be face to face with a wicked witch and some flying monkies. I was a little freaked out too but this was his first major storm. His fear was valid. But soon that fear became irrational and if his hair even so much as moved from the wind he would start pounding me with questions about tornados. It took me about 6 months to get him over his fear of the wind.

What is it about that neighborhood and wind and uprooted trees? I was compelled to take pictures and was reminded of the powerful hand of nature that can come crashing down without much warning. But heed this warning - if a pinecone is ever hurled at you by the wind, take cover, and watch out for falling trees.

Project 365: Day 63 - Sun. July 19th, 2009

I spy ...

a boy beneath the mud

a fish out of water

a bird's happy home ...

Just another Sunday afternoon in the backyard of our Hampstead Haven. Oh the things you will find in your own backyard (or on your neighbor's porch). So the fish thing stopped me dead in my tracks...there it was laying in my grass in my backyard. Now just where in the world did that come from? First thought: 'I bet our neighbor has something to do with it.' Second thought: 'Did a bird drop it? It kinda looks like a sardine but it looks more like larger fish bate than something consumable by a human.' And sure enough after I called Cody to come look at it and then he called over the fence to have Josh come look at it, the truth came out...."I threw that over the fence cause it freaked me out," Josh admited. "But where did you get it?" I asked. "From Jason's tackle box." ... First and second thoughts were properly corroborated. A Libra's dream - proper balance.

And as I sat in my backyard grading my summer school student's second vocabulary tests, I found myself guessing the author of the paper based on observed ability rather than handwriting. I was again correct on every guess. Then I was distracted by the sound of Cody and Josh playing next door. I often look at children and wonder what type of teenage learner they will be....our neighbor Josh is the one who will learn by doing. He will excell in all sports and will only do well in school if someone can figure out how to let him make all learning physical. The kid is simply wired to move and tackle and jump and run and oh ... find dirt. How would I teach him SAT vocabulary? I'm not sure moving flashcards would be enough.

Project 365: Day 60 - Thurs July 16th, 2009

I spy something green with big round eyes, martial arts experience and a name that implies a direct connection to Heaven above....

Project 365: Day 33 - Fri. June 19th, 2009

I spy something brown ...
OMG - can you say exhausted? After our Great Wolf Lodge vacation we needed a vacation! Cody and I slept over 11 hours. Lights were out and so were we! The curtains kept out all the light and kept us in our deep slumber. When we did wake up Cody called me to the window - there was a deer in our "backyard". Can you see it? We were quiet observers of nature for about 5 minutes. Listening to the birds chirp and the deer munch on lunch. It was a beautiful way to wake up.