Dot Day

A teacher friend recently told me about Dot Day.  All because she was purchasing sweaters with dots, which she would use on Dot Day at school.

But Dot day isn't about sweaters. It's about pondering what kind of  mark we want to leave on the world.  Mine is slowly expressing itself in my work with gardens, specifically school gardens.

How are you making your mark?  Check out this website.

Hair

I like hair very much.  I like touching it.  More than most people.

That is all.

Intoxicating elixir

I am constantly on the receiving end of brain stimulation.  Phones, IPads, computers, radio, and my mind travels to far away possibilities and that is how I like it to be. Information is my intoxicating elixir.

One Community

One Community is a monthly photo project in which participants photograph their homes and community with a theme in mind. The theme varies by month. The goal is to both showcase similarities and differences in our communities worldwide – and bring us all closer together in understanding through art.

This month’s words were selected by Rebekah. They are: Work, Gold, Centerpiece, and Balance.

Work -  The girls work hard in the clean up stage in the life of a school garden.

Gold -  Yes, he is gold. The backbone that makes many things in my life possible, even while he is being silly.

Centerpiece - They are the centerpiece of everything I do.  Becoming a better person in order to be a good mother has been a focus of my adult life.

Balance - The bicycle as a metaphor for life.  A family, each a bit different from the other, hanging together, in California, pictured above.

One Community participants include:

Sarah Sarah is a life-long Missourian who shares her home with her husband, two sons, and an old grumpy dachshund. Like every good Midwesterner, she can (and will) talk to you at length about the weather.  Sarah blogs at www.beautyschooldropout.net

Colleen lives with her handsome hubster and two feisty felines in Portland, Oregon. She loves rain and sun (in that order), words and pictures, and chatting up the neighbors. She blogs at: www.underaredroof.com

Rebekah lives in Kilkenny, Ireland with her husband. An American by birth, she’s discovering what it means to be an expat on the Emerald Isle. She blogs at: www.honeysucklelife.com 

Kara is a cheerful nerd living in downtown Phoenix, AZ with her law-studying husband and an anxious pound puppy. She works full time in the mental health field but in her off time enjoys sunshine, great food and the occasional craft beer. She blogs at: www.sunshine-cupcakes.com

Wife and Mom to a houseful of boys in sunny San Diego; word geek and all-kinds-of writer; maker of things both creative and useful. Sue is now blogging again at nobaddays.wordpress.com.

Teresa lives in Massachusetts with her husband, college aged daughter and two crazy cats.  She is a creative spirit who tries to find the lesson, blessing and humor in everything and she blogs at http://laughteramongtears.blogspot.com/

Stephanie is a lifelong Wyomingite with ranch girl roots.  She has her own marketing and graphic design business and in her free time, she enjoys knitting, fishing with her boyfriend, and team roping.  She blogs at: www.nowicanseethemoon.co  

Kelli Kelli lives in Phoenix with her dog, Willie Nelson Mandela. She is a novelist, public health advocate and United Methodist. She blogs at: www.africankelli.com

Eduarda  is a curious, visual creature who believes all pictures tell a story.  She hails from Mozambique, via Portugal and NJ, and now is desert rat living with her husband and two teenage daughters in Chandler, AZ.  She blogs at: http://of-blue.blogspot.com/

I left my heart in Metropolis

Education Innovation Summit

Having the Education Innovation Summit take place right in my backyard made it irresistible and I promptly registered.  I was introduced to the start up world in the education space.  Fascinating stuff.

A panel

A panel

Ava, Media

Mr. Crow,ASU

 KIIP schools.

Small panel

Night view from the pool.

Another panel

 Outside.

1.  Great speaker.

Grand Ballroom for a panel.

I was a bit apprehensive about the choice, but I went and did what I do best - gorge on information and learn all I can.  This was a new arena for me, and a missing piece in my puzzle. 

Despite the fact that most people were there to do business, I managed to run into people like me who are involved in education in some way and needed to know more. 

And did I say it was held at the Phoenician?  Special!

Cadet Chapel

The Cadet Chapel at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO is one of the most amazing places I have seen.  With my heart on my sleeve, I was aware I was standing on sacred ground, so to speak, for the Schroder family. It was a home for them for several years, twice.

We spent time in all three levels and I was scooped up by the beauty of the building, where future soldiers of many religions can live there temporarily and feel the silk embrace that lingers in the air.  This is more poignant now that Ken is gone.  He loved the place.

It was love at first sight.

If your door could talk!

What would it say, this gate/door?

Games

Click pic to enlarge.

Pesto

This end of summer activity is what I bring to my urban life from farm life I see others having.

Amanda is deep into harvesting and preserving for the winter.  I am very content with a bunch of pesto that I will freeze and enjoy all year long.

I used peanuts instead of pine nuts because I was committed to using ingredients I had in the pantry.

And I have a nice supply of pasta too.

Eggplant

Summer is no longer the same without a bit of eggplant.  I made this recipe so much last summer that I can whip up a batch without looking.

Before, ready for the oven.

After.  Oh, so good.

The World of Disney in July

Having grown up in a place devoid of highly commercialized entertainment places, I had to pull myself up with my boot straps and grudgingly make it here for the sake of the younger child who had last visited at the age of 3.

So here we are.

Later in the day I found out that many more people had the same idea and showed up to pack the place and create very long lines.  

Moving on

Transitions are either expected or not.  Either way, one might want to make room for the emotional adjustment required in order to, well, adjust.

I am moving on from a few things and embracing new ones. The emotional spectrum is pretty active.  And today is a new day.  I will seize it.

One Community - August

One Community is a monthly photo project in which participants photograph their homes and community with a theme in mind. The theme varies by month. The goal is to both showcase similarities and differences in our communities worldwide – and bring us all closer together in understanding through art.

This month’s words were selected by Sarah. They are: ice cream, bright, numbers, and splash!

Ice cream: Cold, sweet, and soft.

Bright:  Bright girl, bright mind, and her bright clothing.

Numbers: The Steel Drum Band is all about numbers.  The audience, the players, and the music.

Splash:  The car wash that raises funds for the band.

One Community participants include:

Sarah is a life-long Missourian who shares her home with her husband, one (soon to be 2) son(s), and an old grumpy dachshund. Like every good Midwesterner, she can (and will) talk to you at length about the weather.  Sarah blogs at www.beautyschooldropout.net.

Colleen lives with her handsome hubster and two feisty felines in Portland, Oregon. She loves rain and sun (in that order), words and pictures, and chatting up the neighbors. She blogs at: www.underaredroof.com

Rebekah lives in Kilkenny, Ireland with her husband. An American by birth, she’s discovering what it means to be an expat on the Emerald Isle. She blogs at: www.honeysucklelife.com 

Kara is a cheerful nerd living in downtown Phoenix, AZ with her law-studying husband and an anxious pound puppy. She works full time in the mental health field but in her off time enjoys sunshine, great food and the occasional craft beer. She blogs at: www.sunshine-cupcakes.com

Wife and Mom to a houseful of boys in sunny San Diego; word geek and all-kinds-of writer; maker of things both creative and useful. Sue is now blogging again at nobaddays.wordpress.com.

Teresa lives in Massachusetts with her husband, college aged daughter and two crazy cats.  She is a creative spirit who tries to find the lesson, blessing and humor in everything and she blogs at http://laughteramongtears.blogspot.com/

Stephanie is a lifelong Wyomingite with ranch girl roots.  She has her own marketing and graphic design business and in her free time, she enjoys knitting, fishing with her boyfriend, and team roping.  She blogs at: www.nowicanseethemoon.co  

Kelli lives in Arizona with her dog, Willie Nelson Mandela, and her boyfriend, Dutch.  She is a novelist, public health advocate and United Methodist. She blogs at: www.africankelli.com 

Eduarda  is a curious, visual creature who believes all pictures tell a story.  She hails from Mozambique, via Portugal and NJ, and now is desert rat living with her husband and two teenage daughters in Chandler, AZ.  She blogs at: http://of-blue.blogspot.com/

If I try hard enough

If I try hard enough, I can still smell the ocean all the way from AZ.

Can you hear it?

The sound of the ocean is like no other.  I wish I could hear it more frequently.

California

Oh California how I love thee.

A treasure in Carlsbad

Vacations are not complete without a visit to a local community garden.

I found this one in Carlsbad, CA.  We had to settle for seeing it from the outside.  All entrances were locked.  It's fun to compare these gardens to ours in Arizona.