What a disastrous trip!!

What a disastrous trip! In our travels, we observed the results of the natural disasters that have struck our country. While we drove through Ruidoso, NM with our windows down for the cool, piney air, it was evident that wildfires were still burning. It didn't take an engineer to notice that the Mississippi River and its tributaries were overflowing tremendously.

The effects of flooding were felt by friends and family in mid-Michigan after 10 inches of rain drenched the land in 2 days. Streets were closed, basements were flooded, and people just went along with the flow...taking detours, cleaning basements, hauling ruined belongings to the trash.

The drought shortened the lives of thriving corn in Oklahoma -- what once was green is as golden as wheat before harvest, and the extreme heat caused havoc on motorists as their vehicles overheated leaving them stranded on the roadside.

Uprooted and sheered trees, flattened building rubble and new construction (and road signs for volunteers) were indications of the powerful, deadly tornado that swept through Joplin, MO.

Yet, I often wonder, how cyclical these "disasters" are. Hundreds of years ago who would have cared? The bulk of human lives weren't in danger or affected by these natural occurrences. How did those thriving metropolises (if any) survive or deal with the disasters? Has technology with the "here and now" capabilities affected our awareness to an extreme? It certainly has helped save lives, indeed. But I still wonder how cyclical weather and natural occurrences are.

To Handle a Hummingbird

Have you ever attempted to catch one of these swift, little birds?  I haven't, but I did get to handle one.  Glenna and I were resting and relaxing this week at a cabin in the Sacremento Mountains in southern New Mexico.  It is in a lovely setting surrounded by very tall pines built far away from the road (but close enough to see it through the boughs of the trees).

My mornings were early - around 6 - which made me a bit sleepy by mid-afternoon.  Well, on Wednesday afternoon my lap didn't last that long, even after reading the first five chapters of a new book (another blog).  So I started playing games on my laptop to bide some time before fixing supper.  It was a few games of Solitaire later that Glenna exclaimed that a hummingbird was inside the cabin and stuck at the window.  This was cool!  Not a bee or a moth as in previous hours, but a hummingbird inside that needed my attention. My strategy was simple:  get a broom and gently nudge/guide it toward the door.  Poor bird!  The bristles on that broom were not very smooth or soft and were getting caught on the wing.  NOT a good thing!  So after a few attempts to soften the broom's approach, I gave up on that strategy and thought of a new one:  Carefully catch the bird with my hand.  The first two tries were unsuccessful since I was afraid to break its delicate wings. Dummie me - I was trying to catch it with one hand.

The bird was tiring which was to my advantage. With both hands slowly moving from both sides of the bird, I gently scooped it into my palms and closed them to avoid escape, walked to the sliding glass door that led to the cabin's balcony, and opened my hands.  Praise God!  That bird took off!!!!  Too bad the camera wasn't poised for that adventure and experience.

For a moment I understood the power, yet loving gentleness, of the Almighty God.  When my choices in life consequently detours my path, He very gently attempts to guide me with His broom, and when I don't clearly see His guidance, I know He gently scoops me into His hands and places me where I should be.

Fruit in the New Year

Wow!  I can't believe that:
It's been over a month since I last posted;
It's 2010 already;
It's a new semester;
and we survived the pruning.

A new challenge was issued on Plurk to the PLN there:  365 photos.  Post a picture a day is the challenge, so I'm taking on the challenge.  Photography is a hobby of mine, so why not?  The real challenge is devoting a few minutes each day to post something -- THAT'S the fruit I hope to bear this year: self-discipline, dedication and commitment to detail, and less clutter.  haha!

My 365 Photo Challenge pics

Helping Others is a Fruit

Have you ever waded through the clutter on the floor of a store?  Trust me -- that clutter did NOT get there by store personnel; it is NOT the store's display. 

Today, I ventured into a few stores in search of boys size 14 clothing (not jeans and t-shirts).  First of all, there were masses of people to side-step and wait upon while they took their sweet time looking at things.  Eventually, when I DID make it down a sort of clear aisle, there were things lying on the floor knocked off by shoppers -- belts, bras, toys, whatever, and I said to myself, "Some people are plain pigs."

Yesterday I took a gamble on the throngs on people awake at 6 a.m. and went to a Friday-only sale.  There were about 25 of us standing in line when the doors opened.  Within 2 minutes of entering (and I was still standing outside), some lady had about 6 items on the floor in search of the best item on the shelf.  This is SO, SO, SO very rude!  There is a saying that the customer is always right, but this type of behavior is SO VERY CONTRARY to that saying.

I recalled my early days of Christmas shopping and remembered that there were never items strewn across the floor of any store.  "So is this a generational difference," I first asked?  Nope, the lady who had several items pulled out was older than me.  So what is it?  Upbringing?  (should I dare ask -- cultural?)  

Fortunately for the stores, my upbringing taught me how to help.  (Ok, the bras on the floor were a little bit out of my league.  Rudolf's red nose would have nothing on my blushing countenance.)

Dead heading

     I think that's the term my wife uses when she snips or pinches off the old blossoms of her mums.  This, in theory (at least in our house), facilitates new growth because the nutrients are redirected to new budding.  In line with this whole pruning theme, I began to ponder on what might need to be pruned/pinched/dead-headed in my life.
     Would you believe it:  technology!  I'm really struggling here.  I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to technology and all the neat gadgets and Web 2.0 tools.  Which one do I want or need?  Should I become an expert in one or two areas?  or what?  In several workshops and trainings I have attended, these applications, etc. have been referred to as "tools" -- "technology is a tool" to use in the classroom.  DUDE!  One can only have so many tools in the toolbox, and of those tools, most won't get used.  This is the dilemma?  Which ones do I disregard?  They are all useful at one time or another, but I'm not that proficient at using certain tools.  Do I start practicing on them (like blogging and webpages) or concentrate on others?  I'm so confused!
     Perhaps I deadhead/prune later.

Pruning

Have you ever wondered how a fruit tree or a vine feels when it is pruned? Having a sharp instrument draw and cut through must be excruciating pain especially since there is no anesthetic to dull the pain. I can't even imagine if I could handle all of that stress of knowing that, regularly, my pruning is imminent -- someone will come along and cut away unnecessary growth. On the other hand, I understand that, in order to grow stronger and produce greater fruit, this is a necessary part of life. Farmers and fruit growers prune all the time to get the best crop possible, yet don't consider the feelings of the plant. Well, we know there are no nerves, ergo no feelings, in plants.

This analogy to fruit-bearing plants is important to help me accept these challenges at work. The past few weeks have been challenging and emotionally tough for many of my colleagues. Low benchmark scores have served as a catalyst for increased scrutiny by administration and district personnel who are looking for strategies and interventions that will better facilitate student learning. Without going into all the gory details of stress and opinions shared by colleagues, let's just say there is a gray cloud hovering over our campus.

But I won't linger under or about that cloud. There is a bigger picture here (the sun is still shining above the cloud). Is it possible that the "pruning" and "chaffing" (that's another blog) will create greater fruit? Will we, as teachers, become greater teachers? Will students benefit from our "pruning"? This is the outlook I am going to keep and practice hoping that I become a better teacher for my students (even though the stakes are higher for my core-teaching colleagues).