Taking a Walk

It's spring break here at the 'House, 

and all God's children said, "Amen!"

So even though the weather hasn't been particularly spring-like, 

this morning the sun was winning,

and the light and the green were calling,

and I took my walk in defiance of wind and pollen.

Want to come along?

I love this little stream that feeds the neighborhood pond.

Yellow dandelions polka-dot the road...

...while the dogwoods above are just beginning to bloom.

When I was a little girl, I picked these tiny violets by the handful, filling old vanilla bottles with their sweet, fragrant blossoms.

This calf never would come near enough for a clear close-up, but he posed nicely while I tried to figure out the zoom on my phone camera.

Another lap around and we'll have done two miles.  

Meanwhile,Big Red is braving the wind to plant phlox on our steep hillside.

I'm dashing off to the dentist (and tomorrow to another appointment, and the next day to another...poor planning on my part!)

Thanks for visiting!

Following,

Ginger

A Short (but very, very wonderful) Story

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess (who has never quite known she was beautiful),

who, for lots of reasons, struggled to give and receive love.

It wasn't that she wasn't loved. She was, deeply.

It wasn't that she didn't love.  She did, deeply.

It was just complicated,

 the way things are, the way people are.

Anyway, the lovely princess (who doesn't know she's lovely)

 had some hard things happen, 

things her parents couldn't make better,

and she couldn't seem to change,

and the girl wondered if the King,

the One Who created her, and died for her, and made her a princess,

(and she did believe that-- really she did--but this life wasn't working out like any fairy tale she'd ever heard)

really cared at all.

So this weekend, the King sent some messengers to remind the princess 

that He knew her heart.

He sent her the Gospel.

And the princess (whose life isn't likely to become a fairy tale any time soon)

heard the message loud and clear:

Jesus loved her.

Jesus loved HER.

And that, really, was the most important thing she needed to know.

The End (but not really)

Following,

Ginger

Daybook of a Used-to-be Blogger

Helloooo out there!

Anyone still around?

Since it's Friday afternoon,

and right this moment I have time and inclination (a necessary combination),

I present this week in verbs:

Listening: to birdsong, the humming refrigerator--the sounds of an otherwise empty house

Preparing: to celebrate 20 years with my honey, for state testing in a few weeks, to put together this summer's Bible study

Watching: clouds roll in, laundry pile up

Pondering: a friend's birthday gift, the book of John, how to get groceries into my house without actually venturing to the grocery store

Searching Google for: Reader's Workshop materials for middle school, kelly green ankle pants (which appear to be only part of my fantasy wardrobe), recipes that don't require a grocery run

Losing: my voice, patience during 3rd period today, half of every pair of socks I own

Pinning: classroom ideas for next year, Easter tables, pictures of Scotland

Needing: a nap, some prayers answered, perpective

What's on your verb list?

Following,

Ginger

Mighty and Mundane

The Dreaded Triumvirate: February, March, and April.

Imagine you're slogging through a snowstorm, icy wind in your face, drifts in your path.  Then suddenly you step off the edge of a cliff into a raging waterfall.  You tumble downward, grasping for anything to slow your fall.  You're drowning in the rapids.  ( That's state testing, if you're lost in the melodramatic metaphor. )

Then, just as you catch your breath and think you might breathe again,  you discover you're trapped in a whirlpool.  ( That's May and endess days of post-planning.)

Hyperbole aside, we're halfway through the worst stretch of the school year--

the point in the year where I--and consequently, this blog--get boring and lame.

I could wax eloquent about standardized testing,

or complain about students,

or bemoan life surrounded by teenagers in the throes of hormonal meltdowns.

I could talk about birthdays and flourless chocolate cakes and dinners with friends.

How about endless winter or meatloaf recipes?

I could write about John's gospel, and Christ's deity, and Living Water, and the untroubled heart.

Mighty and mundane side by side, juxtaposed in my year-older brain.

And it's March.

Following,

Ginger

Linking at Three-Word Wednesday

This and That

Doing a lot of this

Eating a lot of that:

Enjoying a lot of this:

Anticipating the return of that (plus freezing temperatures along with the clouds):

Using this (like, every day):

Overwhelmed with that:

Needing a lot more of this:

That's all I can manage today!

Following,

Ginger

Down Here

Hey!

It's me.

Can you see me?

I'm down here, waving.

I'm the fingers you see poking up from a pile of projects and vocabulary tests and novel quizzes and test-prep assignments.

Source

Since this isn't a teacher blog, I don't think you care about the ends and outs (some of it very cool, some of it dull but necessary), 

so I'll just say that I'll be back when I come up for air.

What's on your to-do list?

Following,

Ginger

Multitude Monday--It's March Already Edition

For about 3.5 seconds this afternoon, the skies were blue, the sun was shining...
and the temperature was a breezy 37 degrees.
Yeah.
It was 61 degrees when I left home this morning, if that tells you anything, and I had already changed clothes three times trying to get out the door.
(Volatile weather + volatile hormones.)
Winter and spring begin their annual wrestling match.
Do you ever have one of those going on in your heart, or is it just me?
One moment warmth and hope, the next cold and grumpy.
(See hormonal comment above.)
So I am grateful for gift-counting; it makes me concentrate on the good, search dilgently for the joy, hold onto hope.

244. Good conversations with teens.
245. Worship with our small group.
246. Watching a student's aerials performance over the weekend. Stinkin' amazing.
247. Having a student who wanted her teacher to come see her aerials performance. :)
248. Skinny chicken parm. Oh, yeah.
249. Coaching responsibilities for Big Red pausing for a season.
250. Indoor exercise on a blustery day.
251. Being introduced by my very best friend as "my very best friend".
252. Our God is an Anchor.
253...and a Mighty Fortress
254. He's amazing.
255...and He hears our praises.

Following,
Ginger