zoo of a day

We had a grand time at the zoo. It was a bit cool, but we were there for such an abbreviated amount of time that we didn't miss anything due to weather.
Here are the pictures of our day.

Here are my favorites of the day.

warming trends

There was a summit of world leaders focusing on concerns regarding global warming. The summation of a battle plan to combat the rising danger would be that something should be done and action is necessary. (This coming from the owner of how many Humvees?) It is ironic that the hypocrisy of Schwarzenegger making statements about acting against global warming is more obvious than the complete lack of an actual idea of what do about it. Pretty good summary of why I just can't get into politics and global meetings and such. Check out the graph

vs the news that doesn't get on msnbc.

This wouldn't conclusively prove that there isn't global warming either, but it certainly makes a person look twice at the data and wonder why this is all such a big deal. Apparently there were other things to worry about in the 30s.

teaching tunes

You had me at hello.

You're like comin' home.

Teaching is like coming home. (and I think they 'had me at hello'.)
Planning is sometimes a pain (since I'm easily distracted and would rather do something else), paperwork is a chore (since I'm easily distracted and would rather do something else), but teaching is a joy. It's not just the reactions of the kids when they 'get' something or the amazing connections that they sometimes make. It's the whole of it. It's the love of learning and the daily marvel and glory of the curiosities of life on earth. It's the praise and adoration of the Maker of all that is who opted to put life's pieces together in ways that are simultaneously thought-provoking and beautifully simplistic. And it's spending days with people who revel in their own curiosity and quests for knowledge.

That being said:
We're going to the zoo tomorrow!

Fall

This was a tree that we had to get through - we all made it.


Pene got a sticker, or at least she thought she did.



I didn't split this photo overly smoothly, but the right side is really washed out without doing something.






It was a beautiful day, in so many ways. Beautiful color, beautiful weather, beautiful family and a couple of good pictures.

He hath provided the lamb

or sandwich meat in today's case. I had been wanting sandwich meat of any type to simplify the making of my lunch for school. Today when I came home, there was waiting for me - pounds of thinly sliced roast beef. pounds. Due to letting needs be known and a bit of luck, we had been graced with leftover meat that needs to be eaten ASAP. I can work with the 'as soon as possible part', and now have more meat than I will be able to consume before it takes on the roast-beef-is-past-prime-greenish tinge. I am laughing at this fortuitous event in light of scripture that states that we only need ask to receive or that God gives us the desires of our heart. I think about the things in my life that I do regularly and even with emotion ask God for that I have seen no evidence of His having heard the request and I have to laugh at coming home to more meat than I can eat. Perhaps it is that in not knowing my own heart as well as God does, He knows that roast beef is much more what I desire than all the rest.
Whatever it is, I'll take this beef gift and enjoy my supper - and lunch - and supper.

Give us this day our daily sandwich and teach me to be thankful for it.

lessons on the horizon

The weather forcast extends further than my lesson plans do. Granted the weather doesn't take into consideration the needs of each of those it rains on, but still - I feel like I want to be ahead of the weather.

looking for adventure

I found myself needing adventure today. I wanted to go out to the lake - but it's Labor Day weekend and that's not the type of adventure I'm thinking about. I also need to take Pene for a walk because she doesn't get out even more than I don't get out. So we went up to the tree farm. I don't know who maintains all these trails, but they are beautiful. I also don't know if Pene can be on them, but there weren't any signs with slashed out little dogs. We went on a picture hunt, looking for textures and ferns and little shots that tell a bit of a story. I found more texture than story, but it was beautiful, and life is good.

I began my camera sketching looking down - which I often do. I also really like this moss. The light comes through it and it seems to glow a bit at the tips.

pine cone in the mossy stuff


This is where we were going.


fern II


texture hunting


I neglected to bring a mirror with me on this adventure, so I was trying to use my camera to find the gnat in my eye. I didn't find the gnat (it was definitely there), but you can see the camera pretty well.


looking at the detail in the bark


forest decomposition


itty bitty beauty


sunlit birches


fern III


I couldn't bring myself to lie in the cut nettles to gaze up into the birches, but I could crouch, flip the view screen around and still get the picture. (I needed my wide angle lens though.)


I suppose technically this is a prickly fungus - that doesn't sound quite right.


no one can say that I didn't know where I was (and no one was)- I knew exactly where I was, there was a sign.


what it looked like


since I am always take pictures of my treasures 'in hand' - I was trying to get a picture of my feather treasure 'in pocket' - I had a bit of difficulty with the actually getting the feather part.


took this picture because I missed the back of me.


finally got what I was trying to get, still no indication of why I was trying to get the picture, other than being proud of my tail feather


this diagonal was intentional - doesn't make me feel like I am actually doing much when I get the same results whether I'm looking or not.



Pene is mostly patient with me, but she started thinking that she really needed a drink.


from under the ferns


And back again.