I'm enjoying some time with my sweet granddaughters today!

Why didn't I think of that?

Ever have one of those days when you feel bad about something that you
DIDN'T do?

Today I missed out on an opportunity to serve.
It wasn't a big crisis or emergency-
I'm sure I'd have been there willing to help if that were the case.

No, it was something I barely took the time to notice.

Someone at our school has been going through a hard time. They have been scrambling to find a place to live. In the last few weeks they have been in and out of the homeless shelter. Days of school have been missed. Lives have been turned upside down.

Kids are really resilient. This person came to school today,
smiling and happy to be with friends again. We excitedly welcomed them back.

As I was busily doing all the things that teachers do in a normal day, I noticed that they didn't have any socks on. I thought to myself, "I'll bet someone will have hot, sweaty feet tonight."
Then, the challenge of teaching a room full of energetic students overtook my thoughts and I quickly forgot all about it.

Later, as the students were getting ready to head on home, I realized that this person now had on a pair of clean, white socks.

Quietly and discretely, someone had seen a need and taken care of it.

In our quest to accomplish all the many tasks that are thrown at us each day, do we miss sight of those little, but very important, things that go unnoticed?

I did.

And I'm so sorry!

P.S. Tomorrow I am going to buy a big package of socks- just to have on hand.
You never know when you might need them.

♥
JoAnn

I just discovered this book today by Andrew Clements and I love it!

It made me laugh.

It is a cute story about word warps.
The whole book is a crazy mix of phrases like "jibber jabber", "zig-zag",
"helter-skelter" and "nit-wit".

And.....

The art is incredible.
(It is illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca.)
Click here to view a few pages of the delightful school classroom,
zany teacher (Why won't my hair do that?), and fun characters.
(After the page opens, click on the arrows to see a few pages. Don't stop until you see the teacher! (Teachers have their own rules of fashion!)

You can order the book here.
(No, I'm not on their payroll!)

Reading good children's literature is
instant medicine for a dreary day!
(Besides, you can finish a book in one sitting!)

What are your favorite children books?

♥
JoAnn

P.S. My daughter Liz made me the cute blog button on my side bar. It you want one on your blog you can copy the code under the picture and put in on your blog. It makes a quick link.
Thanks, Liz!

Mission accomplished!

(click to enlarge)

In my quest to experience some fresh air, marvel at the beauty of nature, and experience "life" up close, I set out today with my family to a place called Wheeler Farm.
(Click to read more about the historic farm.)
(Yes, my family did question my sanity when I dragged them along. The temperature today was about 38 degrees F, but they were good sports!)



We had a fun time eating our picnic lunch (thanks Subway), walking around looking at the farm, and enjoying being together.

It was a chilly day, but the animals seemed to welcome some company and a few other people were there, too, proving that we are not the only restless souls on the planet.

It was a good day!

♥
JoAnn

P.S. Although picnics do not need warm, sunny weather,
it was a little challenging eating with gloves on!

It's Mosaic Monday. Check out some great mosaics on The Little Red House.

My quest......

I have a Quest to fulfill this weekend.

I need to discover nature again.
(It's been a long winter and I've been indoors too much!)

Wish me luck as I take off on my journey of discovery.

I'm sure you are all wishing me a......
Bon voyage!

(Thank you, thank you!)

Your faithful servant and explorer,
♥
JoAnn

P.S. No, I not going far......

A nice evening with the family

It's always nice to gather together as a family.
My husband, his three sisters, and their parents all met for dinner tonight.
(They let all of the in-laws join with them, too,
but we did miss Steve who is home in Washington.)

We had a nice relaxing dinner, fun catching up on what is going on in our lives, and enjoyed laughing at some funny family stories.

Other things may change us,
but we start and end with the family.
~Anthony Brandt

♥
JoAnn

Update on the beavers......

We are finally back to our routine of walking around this little pond/lake.
I've missed it.
We had to take some time off due to winter's early darkness and our work hours
(and the snow that covered the path).
I've worried about what I would find.

Last fall at least two beavers had moved in
and were devouring trees as quickly as, well, beavers. They are aptly named.
My friend Sheila and I were just sick about seeing all the trees destroyed, but didn't quite know what to do about it. If you are interested you might want to check out the story here and here.

Well, several more trees have been wiped out, BUT someone has been putting wire around the base of some of them. THANK YOU, whoever you are!

I'm hoping that they are also trying to relocate the beavers to a much more woody area (they will soon run out of trees here anyway).

It's sad when man and nature can't get along.
All we want is a pretty park. All they want is to survive.
Hopefully, we can all be happy!

I think the middle picture on the top is their lodge. Doesn't look big enough to justify all those trees, does it?

♥
JoAnn

P.S. I think I should have added one more thing to my "Things I Love" list.
Trees.

I'm linking to Mary's Mosaic Monday on The Little Red House.

♥
JoAnn