The third quarter of our school year is almost at an end. But that’s not what I want to write about. There is a war in Eastern Europe, started by a madman with access to nuclear weapons and a previously demonstrated and re-confirmed complete disregard for the lives and safety of his own citizens, let […]
Tag: children
Birthday boy…
Here he is, just after the Marvin Hamlisch tribute at the Seattle Pops. That’s our boy!
Three weeks in…
I am sure I am forgetting something.
Quiet Day of Light and Shadow
A week after the official start of autumn, and it’s cooler. Won’t get into the 70s today, and the sun keeps getting swept behind the clouds by the wind. It’s going to stay in the 40s at night and not get above the 60s much from this point on. I admit to some regrets that […]
First day of school 2009
First the elder child — didn’t realize the flash wasn’t flashing until long after he was off to school. I tried to adjust the colors to be less dismal. Hope you can see his “aussie” fashion statement! And then the younger, looking dapper and nonchalant. The flash worked on this one, but the pic is […]
A trick question?
The elder stidkid made it home late Sunday night, from a three-week trip to Australia. While he was away, his best friend/penpal from Tbilisi came to visit, arriving a week before the stidkid came home. So the younger stidkid hosted our friend admirably for a week. Today, once the sleepy-head awoke (at two in the […]
The Perils of Teaching (mini-rant)
I am sure there will be many surprises in my years teaching, but this, unfortunately, will not be one of them: yet another teacher has been poisoned by students. A couple years ago something similar happened locally when students put a known allergen in their teacher’s coffee. {Note to self: don’t leave beverages unattended in […]
Student Concert
Another successful student orchestra concert is under our belts… The children looked spectacular as usual, and sounded even better. Here is a clip of the Brass Choir, performing a short fanfare from “La Peri” by Paul Dukas, French composer of the early 20th century. I am posting this a little ahead of YouTube’s processing curve. […]
Something Blue
Something blue… blue skies, blue eyes, blue berries! The picture above is of the bushes that have been heeled in “temporarily” for about 8 years. This year, they will be moved to their permanent position down below the garden, in an area that is low-lying and therefore boggy much of the year, but dry and […]
Good Parenting Advice
Every once in a while, a really good article comes along. This is one of them. Published by Slate magazine, this article by Alan E. Kazdin and Carlo Rotella really hit the nail on the head. Yes, kids can be annoying. And yes, a normal, basically decent parent sometimes fights to maintain equilibrium in the […]