Dust Bowl

July, so far, has been a month of flux for me. There are many things in the works and the dust is still in the air.

Some things that are happening:

• Still (mostly) plugging away at the Whole30. Results on that front next week. And I'm starting the 21 Day Fix on the 20th. *Big Scared Grin*
• Graduate school has been applied to, interview had, and acceptance letter hopefully in the mail, along with a financial aid package, likely chock full of student loans. Yay? 
• Spiritual stirrings are afoot. My personal belief system is not something I like to discuss publicly. I will happily talk religion and spirituality, in fairly general terms, all day long, but the depth of my beliefs and how they work aren't something I really like to discuss, at least not in this public of a forum. However, things have been happening my heart, and it would seem dishonorable to not mention them if I'm going to list things that are "happening." 
• My mom and I are working on a project together. We are meeting once a week to work on it. If I say any more my mom will kill me. But, okay, I will also mention it's awesome. 
•  I have started teaching my summer classes. I am teaching a legit, several student, need a lesson plan, have to write stuff on the board math class (if you took a math class with me in high school try not to laugh to hard). I'm also pulling together three reasonably individualized novel studies and trying to get a handful of students through as much of the HiSET as possible before mid-August. God help us all.
• I ran two miles yesterday without stopping. I haven't done that in about a year. I love my body and all it can do. 

I'm looking forward to the dust settling and seeing the lay of the land. Until then, keeping my face covered and hoping for the best.

Unblocked Writer

I'm back, but with no agenda, no plans, no little granular thoughts. Simply, I'm here to fill space that I have so desperately wanted to fill. I want to spread out all over this white, blank space and saturate it. Words want to tumble from my brain like so many raindrops from the water-heavy sky and soak into the bone dry earth.

Let me spin sentences like a spider does her web. Let me pluck words like flowers from a field. Let me weave together pieces of thoughts like a bracelet of embroidery floss - colorful and meaningless, durable all the same. Let me deliver you more analogies and metaphors like a waiter at an endless feast who does not stop even when you cry how over-full you are.

Sometimes I just need to let out all these words that haven't made their way out in the midst of writing assignments and work emails. I don't think the principal wants to hear me spin fabulous tails and I think my students are already a little bit bored with me.

My writer's brain is getting a little feisty, irritated, even. It hears me talk about writing all the time, it's interest being piqued even at the mention of five paragraph essays, and wonders why so much talk and so little doing. So, here I am, taking my poor little writer's brain out for a walk. It was once a galloping St. Bernard, huge and harry and full of joy, but now it's been reduced to a small, yappy pup, terrier size, making up for it's lack of size by it's inexhaustible bark. I can see it stretching it's stubby legs here over the screen, leaping over the overburdened metaphors like hurdles, and not quite clearing them (perhaps because there are too many).

Forgive my me zeal on this page, forgive me my absence and my periodic returns. I needed a spot to rest, but now I must return.

Thankful

Our Thankful Jar, autumnal decor, and one of my favorite Thanksgiving books, a book of poems by Jack Perlutsky.

 My absolute favorite time of year is here! I live or the time between early November and New Year. The crisp air, the first snowflakes and then snow storms, Election Day (even when the results are less than desirable...), and all the fun family time, cozied up in our little house. All the very best things come during this time of year and I'm so pleased it's finally underway.

One of my favorite parts of November is our Thankful Jar tradition. I wrote a bit about this last year, but I wanted to re-share a bit this year and show you this year's word cloud. 

You see, what we've done each year since 2009 (!) is fill our lovely glass pumpkin jar with something we're thankful for each day. On Thanksgiving night my husband and I take turns reading what we all wrote. It's been especially fun this time because E. is able to write her notes herself, so while in years past I've known what she's thankful for each day, this year it'll be a surprise when we read our thankful notes aloud. 

This year I made our word cloud using Tagxedo from last year's notes. While I usually use all the previous years' notes I was very disappointed that I could not find the envelop I had put them all in! Hopefully in the massive house cleaning and organizing I have planned for after Christmas will churn them up - it would be awful to lose four years worth of notes!

The beauty of the word cloud is that it truly highlights what our family is most thankful for in a fun and creative (but totally easy) way. It also has worked really well in a classroom setting and provided kiddos with a great product to go home with to show their families (we did this in my special ed classroom a couple of years ago, to great success).

Of all our holiday traditions (and there seem to be more brewing each year), this one is my favorite. It's quiet and thoughtful, no treats or loud exclamations, but simply a moment or two out of each day to think outside of oneself and wonder at what has made that day particularly exceptional.