new view

 from this

 to this

 and this.

changing beauty.

resting time to you.

happy halloween

out walking, i passed this lovely spider.  

here's to a safe and wonderful halloween.

joy to you.  

to you

to those in the sandy's path - and to those handling life's other storms,

peace and safety to you.

top 5 - grade cards

children work hard at school.  mistakes are expected or the child isn't learning anything.  that's hard.  the perfectionist in most of us hates to make errors.  as teachers, it's our job to let parents know their child's strengths and growth areas. 

so here's my top 5 from a weekend writing reports:

5.  the weather was cold and gray, so it was a good time to be inside.

4.  a fireplace 

3.  hot tea

2.  i still ran/walked 5 miles.  (hooray for fresh air!)

1.  my teaching partner and i met and worked together.  

here's to an excellent education for your children.

the beauty of work.

joy to you.

top 5 - october

5.  going outside - the leaves change daily.  

4.  hot chocolate with breakfast for the kids, and hot fall coffee drinks for adults.

3.  halloween traditions.   

2.  fall clothes

1.  soup, warm blankets, a fire in the fireplace, entertaining family

this photo is not what ohio looks like now, but two weeks ago.

joy and happy weekend to you and yours.

ghost

booo...

busy here, but happy.

joy to you.

asmodeus

my son loves the redwall series by brian jacques.  

here's the scary snake that eats, well, you don't really need to know.  

we're getting into the spirit of halloween.

celebration preparations?

joy to you. 

late to the farmers' market

 my friend lauren loves bread.  she posted her beautiful photos of it here.  that reminded me to buy this wood-fired bread made by blue oven bakery.  it's delicious.  

the cherry chocolate bread is amazing!  sunday i was late to the farmers' market, and

 this is what they had left.  

 i bought a pecan raisin loaf, some english muffins, and made a mental note to arrive earlier next weekend.  

edible beauty.

traffic - rainy day

the river and the church steeple in the distance, that's what i was trying to get.  the light turned green, though, as you can see in the photo, so this capture must do. 

the red car lights are nice.  

safe rainy-day driving is a beautiful thing.

agreed? 

wedding cake

the best wedding cake maker in cincinnati is shalini - of chocolats latour.

she's not responsible for the plastic parts of the decoration.

delicious dessert with humor.  i'll take it!

joy to you.

getting dark

 it's getting dark earlier.  this was the beginning of a short 4 mile run/walk.

  by the time we got to the bridge, the sun was pretty low.  

a short jaunt around downtown, and this is what it looked like heading back.  

happy to be moving after a long injury.

changing seasons beauty.

classroom view

in the afternoons, we leave the classroom lights off.  it's quiet work time.  

right now the view is distracting, in a wonderful way, and

the fish had babies.  

fall beauty.

joy to you!

cave

interested in caving?

natural beauty.

red river

The lodge looks over the river.  

 Kentucky beauty.

Notice the caps?  I'm teaching them at school, and feel compelled to conform to my lessons.  

Joy.  

natural bridge

 in the midwest, you might want to head to natural bridge state park in kentucky.

 my sister is a rock climber, and has come here for years.  

 she got married this weekend, and had her wedding in the park.  it's called natural bridge for a reason.

 you can hike for an hour or two and arrive at this bridge, or you can take the direct route - steps!  or for those with a relative who needs assistance, they even have a sky lift.  

 once you are under the bridge, it's impressive.  but you can climb it, too.

 we took the hard way.

 there is an easier way, too, and   

 the view is lovely.

 no railings, though, so be careful.

hike much?

joy to you.

friday

 if your idea of camping is room service, and yet you want to get out on the trails, and

if you live anywhere in driving distance of red river gorge, kentucky,

try renting a cabin from 5-star rentals.  the rental office is gaudy, and didn't give us confidence.

 we were tired, expecting a tiny, worn camper,

and found this lovely home.  

you will need to bring paper products, and read the instructions carefully,

but it's a nice place to stop after a long drive.  

click here for more information.

joy to you.

dostoyevsky

may your weekend be a beautiful adventure. 

joy to you.

fountain

art - in the museum and out in the city.

urban beauty.

happy wednesday!

redirect - top 5

science reading - along the lines of willpower and the checklist manifesto - is interesting.  here's one that's pertinent to teachers and parents.  

it's also for anyone interested in the science of personal change.  

my top 5 reasons to recommend this book:

5.  the author demands social research use a strict test to prove solutions work.  he debunks many interventions for children and adults that do not have science supporting them.

4.  wilson structures the chapters in a practical way.  for instance, in scared crooked, he discusses several interventions to reduce youth violence.  he takes a close look at what works and does not and why.  the end of each chapter is a using it section, with ideas.

3.  i like the way wilson takes research and puts it in day-to-day terms.

2.  there is information for those that have had a traumatic event.  see chapter 1.

1.  this book made me more away of how children talk to themselves, and how this affects their behavior in the classroom.  we want our students to feel competent and peaceful.  redirect helps teachers or parents be aware of children's internal conversations, and also how our behavior affects them.

sound interesting?

joy to you.

time for pie

a student brought in pumpkin seeds to share yesterday.

time for baking.

happy tuesday!

nc beauty

 hot tea was my beauty this weekend.

 happily, my brother got out and caught the morning on his run.

beauty is like vitamins - as soon as i saw these, i felt better.

thank you very much, twin.

happy new week.

symmes township park

field trip.

the beauty of farming.

also the beauty of hands.  

happy today.