Pumpkin Festival in a Small Oklahoma Town

 I just put in a very full Saturday at the Pumpkin Festival listening to the  incessant chirruping of these maddening little creatures, since their stand was next to ours. As senior sponsor, I supervised a booth dedicated to the sale of schenetka and pumpkin rolls. That is to say, I helped set up, then spent most of my time running errands until time to take the booths down and clean up.

We sold over seventy dozen schenetka and I have no idea how many pumpkin rolls.  Everybody seemed to have lots of mad money to spend.




They bought food and souvenirs--even totally useless ones like little bags of red Oklahoma dirt, which was sold by the chamber of commerce for a dollar, rendering  a great return. (Because of the drought, dirt is more abundant than ever this year, and tiny snack bags don't cost much.)

 Claye was asked to run a demonstrator booth, showing people how to spin pots and letting them try it. This was a good idea for her, as well, because she needs students, and this was a way to advertise. Turtle was there to field questions from parents, while the children enjoyed playing in the clay.

One little girl was particularly interested. She seemed oblivious to the crowds around, relishing the feel of the clay beneath her hands with a kind of intense blissfulness.

All morning, strange people strode fearlessly about the courthouse square.  Everybody seemed to be sporting something unique--face paint, ponytails, pet dogs awaiting the dog show, children dressed for the parade, or even unusual tattoos.

Of course there was a parade, hailed by the mighty sirens of two firetrucks and a police car. Important people in the community were given a ride aloft, from whence they could hurl candy to their proud fans.  There seemed to have been no entry requirements. The high school band marched proudly, trying to drown out the "righteous riders" a motorcycle "gang" who laughed as they reved rebellious-sounding engines; parents carried children in costumes, people walked their dogs proudly by like floats--full of fluff and bark. 
There were old cars, decorated wagons, unicycles and even a tractor or two. Yes, that's Fred driving this beautiful John Deere green one.

There's nothing quite like proud sounding trumpets on a clear, cool morning.

And it's a good thing this horse didn't come by until later, because those trumpeters would not have been able to watch their steps.

Even the town mayor participated, singing for a couple of hours-- country songs, newly-composed ballads, and old hippie songs revived and sung with completely intelligible lyrics.

It was a kid-friendly place. Lots of them rode the barrel train or threw frisbees out on the courthouse lawn.

And there were toys for older folks too...old cars they remembered driving, way back when cars were a new invention. There was a stunt-driver, who drove his four-wheeler up a ramp and did stunts in the air, high above the cheering crowds.

My own students did an especially fine job, selling the schenetka and representing our school with smiles and lots of lively conversation with customers. I didn't have to sit and supervise--a job I loathe--but was able to dash madly too and fro like an uncharacteristically substantial humming bird who flits more than she flutters.

I saw several children of former students. Here's Sunshine and Stormy who have switched characters since I last wrote about them. Sunshine refused to give me a hug, so Stormy gave me two.

As the day wore on, I saw many revelers growing quiet and seeking quiet bubbles amid the crowd.

This little girl waved at me from her elegant perch on the courthouse porch.

The weather was perfect, the atmosphere benign and peaceful, but I'm exhausted and still recovering from the raucously continuous chirruping of those perky little parakeets.

Serendipitous Day

What a glorious surprise to arrive at school today and discover that I hadn't been assigned to help with the achievement tests as usual. Did someone slip up and overlook me? Is there some larger than normal project I should be doing at this time? I don't know. It's a wonderful feeling to have four hours off and, even better yet, my own classroom to myself.  I've taken a walk out to the football complex to retrieve some shirts for the office, graded papers, cleaned my room and washed my desk. 
Do you ever get the feeling that life is just too grand? That surely this much blessing must be a precursor to ominous news? Sometimes I feel like that--that surely happiness is undeserved and I'll be paying for it later. But for now? Well, for now, I'm loving it!

Nestled in a Fog Nest

It's a good thing I left a little early to drive to work today. Otherwise I would never have been able to justify the "stopping to take a picture" thing...or maybe I would have. The world has been lovely since our real rain on Saturday. According to the weather channel we got less than an inch, but it sure felt like more. Cool temperatures, fog, orange mornings! What more could anyone desire?

The town where I teach school lies past this little valley, on a bit of a rise that is lower than the surrounding hills. The fog likes to fill the valley, sometimes even obscuring the grain elevator that peeks over it on most mornings.

Technology Changes So Many Things

Years ago, when my students wanted to save their chess games because the bell was about to ring, they hastily scribbled a grid on a sheet of notebook paper and saved it in a tray on my desk. When I figured out how to make a grid on my computer (something that took me a few years longer than it should have) I ran off copies for them to use, and we attached them to a file cabinet with a magnet until the next time they had a few free minutes to resume the game. This year, that changed again.











When the bell rang, one of the students just asked me to take a picture and save it on the desktop of my computer labeled with the date and their names.
Life just keeps getting easier...well, for the students anyway.

So I was just thinking what that would have cost me had I taken a picture to save games just ten years ago when I was still driving twelve miles to Motofoto and paying eight dollars a roll to have pictures developed, then around five dollars for a new roll of film? Or how long would it have taken if I had dropped the roll of film into my local department store and had it mailed away? Assuming the students saved their game twice before they finished--a possibility not too unlikely since they usually play during the last five minutes of class--it could have taken them three to four weeks to finish a game if they waited on pictures. And it would have cost a fortune. I love my digital camera.

There is a drawback, however, to all this technology. Whatever will we do if the electricity goes out? We'll have to learn how to hold a pencil.

From Whence These Right-brained Souls?

Help! I'm now living in a house with two artists!
First Claye slowly turned into a sculptor; now Turtle has suddenly blossomed into a sketcher.
We should call him Grandpa Moses, I think, because when he gets into a hobby, he seriously gets into it, though there be any number of Red Seas before him.  Turtle started taking lessons from Claye, who agreed to give him some pointers, although drawing isn't really her forte. Then he bought books on the subject and has now filled the den with every perfect shade and texture of pencil and every size of  drawing notebook

 Whenever he has to sit and wait--and that's not uncommon for a pastor who makes hospital calls--he draws portraits of the people sitting around him, and while he is sitting at conventions or in airports, he sketches the nearby buildings.

The good thing about it is that he is helping to illustrate my lesson plans for the Wednesday night children's program; The bad thing is...well...I kind of wish I could paint or something or maybe play the piano or the cello or write legibly...yes that would be a good start. I'll work on that.

Anyway, to give you some idea of what this is all like: I came home from work a couple of days ago and found this shopping list on my fridge:

A Few More Pictures from my Classroom

Another Exciting Homecoming Week

Something special about our school is the degree of student participation in almost everything---even crazy dress up days before homecoming. This week we had: royalty Day, fake injury day, highlighter day, movie character day, and of course our normal Friday blue and white day.









On Monday, we were inspired to be in the presence of such important monarchs as Queen Elizabeth, Queen Katherine, and...Hannah Montana? What's she doing here?

This little girl is the Queen Bee.

On Tuesday, injury day, it was difficult to get around in the halls for all the wheelchairs and casts and braces. I wore a bit of bandage tape on my face, but other than that, dressed in ordinary clothes. There was enough fake bleeding to make the place look like a triage tent and I felt some of us needed to be whole enough to care for the injured.

Wednesday, highlighter day, we had one hundred percent participation...thanks to neon duct tape. It was a wild, shiny day.

It was also "See you at the Pole" Day so we rather lit up the street as well.

Yesterday, movie characters were running around everywhere.

I was Gladys Aylward from the Inn of the Sixth Happiness, the science teacher was Ben Stein, from the movie Expelled, and there were students from every genre around...well every genre that didn't stretch the dress code too far.





Our winners on Thursday were  from Veggie Tales: Bob and Larry. They played their instruments and sang in the halls between every class.














Today is blue and white day. The posters will be judged. Homecoming will happen this evening out at the football field...and I'll be running around trying to fit the last of the t-shirt orders with those who ordered...but didn't get them delivered yet. Wish me a blue and white day!

Is That Scary Enough?

My daughter told me today that she is having trouble deciding how to make a Halloween costume for Zaya. He is determined to be something scary this year, but doesn't want any of the costumes they sell in stores, preferring to come up with his own ideas.

The first one was an ebola virus. Carina told him that was simply too scary and would stun anyone who answered their door.

So he thought a while longer and came up with another: A shigella bacteria. She told him that would just be too hard to explain without using the word diarrhea and might put people off, so why couldn't he choose something that wasn't disease causing?

He thought about it and said he'd be a black hole in space. She explained that, while the idea was creative without being repulsive, she didn't think she could make a costume out of negative space, so couldn't he think of something scary that was humanoid enough to fit a boy.

He did. Now he wants to be an IRS auditor. I voted for that one. He'll have to do some explaining, I know, but at least the costume will be easy.

A Barking Beast

Since the weather is mild, I've no longer any excuses to keep me from walking in the evenings, so I decided to take up, once again, my almost abandoned habit of meandering through the streets. Ostensibly, my goal is to lower my weight and blood pressure; however, since those two are doing well, the only goal really left is to fight flab, which, I suspect, is going to be a losing battle, but who said I was a realist?

Anyway, on my swift and steady rounds this evening, I was suddenly challenged by this little beast, who barreled out into the street and blocked my way with blustering barks and guttural growls. Two little girls standing in their yard nearby approached quietly to reassure me. The oldest spoke:

"She won't hurtcha. She's nice."
"I can see that," I lied bravely.
"She's really a sweet doggie."
"She looks sweet," I lied again, "What's her name?"

The little girl smiled as she replied, "Killer."

Phone Conversation with a Seven-year-old.

My daughter doesn't have internet yet, so she hasn't been posting. Fearing that a vital part of her children's adventures would go unrecorded, I made the sacrifice and decided to write about my grandkids whenever I got the chance.
So, I visited with my grandson on the phone this morning. Here's an excerpt from our conversation:

Zaya: "Grandma, we just watched episode four and five of the Star Wars Series."
Me: "Is that the one where the Empire Strikes Back?"
Zaya: "Yes. It's the older ones."
Me: "Well, if you're going to watch the next one, remember that the first part, where Jabba the Hutt has all those monsters, is gross, but it gets better after that. I'm sure glad I'm not living like that, roaming around the sky exploding planets.
Zaya: Why not? That would be cool?
Me: That depends on whether you are the exploder or the explodee.
Zaya: (laughing) Oh, right. I really just meant the traveling part.
Me: Yeah that's a lot better than all the fighting part. It's not as gross as some parts of Lord of the Rings though."
Zaya: "Well, you know why that is, Grandma. Star Wars is set in the future and they use lasers; there isn't blood, but Lord of the Rings is set in the past and they use swords."
Me: "You're right, still, it's pretty violent, so it will probably be a while before you watch that one. So, how are you liking home-schooling?
Zaya: "Just fine."
Me: "Just what are you studying this year?"
Zaya: "Oh you know, math, spelling, history, science, English, Greek--just the normal second grade stuff."
Me: "Um-huh."

(I didn't want to spoil it by telling him.)