tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37746040754876850372024-02-20T21:52:33.603-05:00Reflections from Hog HillThoughts on life from an old house at the foot of Hog Hill (elevation 285 ft).Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-399115483866562892013-05-31T21:35:00.003-04:002013-05-31T21:47:13.981-04:00Dear Teacher,<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dear Teacher,</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>He needs support and guidance but not fixing</i><i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><i>He’s different, not broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><i>I love him just the way he is and wouldn't have him any other way.</i><br />
<i>Sincerely yours,</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>his Mum</i></div>
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My older son graduated from high school two years ago and my younger son will graduate in two weeks' time. I've been thinking about what a relief it will be for them to be done with schools. I've also been thinking about what a sad thing that is.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can't count the number of times in the past 14 years I've heard a teacher comment about one or the other of my boys, "He's a great kid and once he's out of school he'll be fine!" I'm sure they meant well, but think about it - why should any kid have to live through 13 years of purgatory just so he can crawl out the other side? And how can anyone be fine with that kind of a start in life? Why is fitting the mold so important for success in school? </div>
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Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-82980147953781535382012-10-16T22:50:00.000-04:002012-10-16T22:52:16.443-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4C4X5hx_3ll3AYGTQoGxQ1uMmd1CRtAPFG7c8tX2-APQxCt3a7vPnw-iDlS821hy_B3EggBlMxE-81S4eaXVd2_K494ANvcei3C1IP5QyLmuCKNdS-OiUlgShLO024T9KUYLvhAn2LQ/s1600/2012+moth+so+road.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4C4X5hx_3ll3AYGTQoGxQ1uMmd1CRtAPFG7c8tX2-APQxCt3a7vPnw-iDlS821hy_B3EggBlMxE-81S4eaXVd2_K494ANvcei3C1IP5QyLmuCKNdS-OiUlgShLO024T9KUYLvhAn2LQ/s320/2012+moth+so+road.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been very lucky this summer to see some very handsome moths - this one is <i>Tolype notialis </i>or Small Tolype, sporting a very luxuriant coat!<b></b>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-10824631589020427972012-06-16T15:39:00.000-04:002012-06-16T15:40:14.105-04:00My first ever front yard luna moth!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCXGLv02ykaKmbukV1twEy9ZvMS3YJyOmMKbdMiW-6L3IXapYNz8KiPUbaDne8CO-WWFfhnNk_xKREN4PAnIsD51l5YshqnudTT5Owj33c10fZ1ev3ScggXNKWTOyIFVRGCtiIvvYwyI/s1600/2012+luna+moth+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCXGLv02ykaKmbukV1twEy9ZvMS3YJyOmMKbdMiW-6L3IXapYNz8KiPUbaDne8CO-WWFfhnNk_xKREN4PAnIsD51l5YshqnudTT5Owj33c10fZ1ev3ScggXNKWTOyIFVRGCtiIvvYwyI/s400/2012+luna+moth+2.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span id="goog_1301270661"></span><span id="goog_1301270662"></span> key lime velvet suede</div>
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soaring softly settled now </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">raucous catbird near</span></div>
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</div>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-59071430647134404452012-06-13T21:40:00.001-04:002012-06-13T21:40:43.707-04:00I'm struggling to make time to write - haiku and haiga seem to fit...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDDfAkVhXBTK674_EM5dxmCpQF-8fkQym6EA11VnKFmCcfuDGly5wYhI210brOpfIyYhvjkvOP3-UQKjILPSs2PeLyb_cg37z2QRZ0u8InNVnBQfnFTpGUuVRQlmP9CT_dQCln2r7lJU/s1600/2012+06+13+blog+mountain+laurel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDDfAkVhXBTK674_EM5dxmCpQF-8fkQym6EA11VnKFmCcfuDGly5wYhI210brOpfIyYhvjkvOP3-UQKjILPSs2PeLyb_cg37z2QRZ0u8InNVnBQfnFTpGUuVRQlmP9CT_dQCln2r7lJU/s320/2012+06+13+blog+mountain+laurel.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
mountain laurel,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
lambkill, flowers feed my soul,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
mysterious world</div>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-41591696447360916582012-06-02T19:00:00.000-04:002012-06-02T19:00:56.031-04:00Time on an island is time well-spent...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjG4aLUZbus_FGUmcXoGlyl5B4e15yhU8MDOcdy6J-ZOOQSoHIE7-JvxcU0xK2sqb7pSkkwyA3qt3xpBe34ZlldD0Sk2FffunHeDHqop0ZOHzOD1cr38CgwR_-4-vtX2m9myvU0NYOGvY/s1600/from+the+lighthouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjG4aLUZbus_FGUmcXoGlyl5B4e15yhU8MDOcdy6J-ZOOQSoHIE7-JvxcU0xK2sqb7pSkkwyA3qt3xpBe34ZlldD0Sk2FffunHeDHqop0ZOHzOD1cr38CgwR_-4-vtX2m9myvU0NYOGvY/s400/from+the+lighthouse.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
If Once You Have Slept On An Island</h3>
If once you have slept on an island<br />
You'll never be quite the same;<br />
You may look as you looked the day before<br />
And go by the same old name,<br />
You may bustle about in street and shop<br />
You may sit at home and sew,<br />
But you'll see blue water and wheeling gulls<br />
Wherever your feet may go.<br />
You may chat with the neighbors of this and that<br />
And close to your fire keep,<br />
But you'll hear ship whistle and lighthouse bell<br />
And tides beat through your sleep.<br />
Oh! you won't know why and you can't say how<br />
Such a change upon you came,<br />
But once you have slept on an island,<br />
You'll never be quite the same.<br />
--- <a href="http://www.cranberryisles.com/photos/rachel_field.html">Rachel Field</a><br />
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<br />Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-37870013302172011322012-01-14T22:11:00.000-05:002012-01-15T12:07:28.687-05:00How did I get to this place?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
I wonder sometimes about living
in this house that’s glued so firmly to my back that I might as well be a
turtle. I love living in an old house
and I love that it’s been in my family for such a long time. My childhood was nomadic and I knew very
little about my extended family until I was an adult. It means a lot to me to live where my
ancestors lived even though I never knew them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
On the other hand, living in an old
house is not an easy lifestyle. The
house was unoccupied for many years.
Maintenance and repairs have been deferred for far too long and country
living requires a roll-up-your-sleeves can-do attitude. I’ve never been afraid of the
roll-up-your-sleeves part – in fact, I rather enjoy it. My struggle is with the can-do part, a
byproduct of living for so many years in verbally and emotionally destructive
relationships.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
I’ve worked at many jobs in my
life – I’ve managed a swimming pool maintenance and repair company; managed a
pool supply retail store; managed rental properties; been sales clerk in a
jewelry and watch repair shop; worked on design and analysis of public opinion
research polls; processed, filled and packed orders at a mail order company; done
bookkeeping for a temp agency; worked as a small theater go-fer; looked after mice in a biology
lab; been administrative assistant for a church; worked as local
stringer for a newspaper; and worked in several academic libraries.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The jobs haven’t had much in common with each
other, but I’ve worked hard and done them well.
Except, perhaps, when I was 18 and did a very short and unfortunate
stint as a bookkeeper at a tire store somewhere in Maryland,
the first and only time I was fired from a job.
Hard to believe, but I was even better at vacation home telesales than I
was at the tire store. Well, maybe I
wasn’t all that good at the telesales, but I didn’t get fired. I did, however, give many telephone sales
pitches to the lady of the recorded weather reports and the one who reported
the time. They didn’t earn me much in
the way of bonuses for sales leads, but at least they didn’t hang up on me.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
I’ve also done volunteer work with a number of nonprofit groups. I’ve taught swimming, first aid and life
saving; developed and run fund-raising efforts for fire and rescue departments, schools and
open space protection efforts; presented workshops in genealogy research and
natural history; worked as a tutor in a variety of subjects; served on an urban
planning board and on a rural conservation commission; edited a newsletter and
fought community zoning battles. I
didn’t set out to join all those causes, I just saw gaps and stepped in to
fill them. I never stopped first to think
about whether it would be beyond my abilities nor did I hesitate to take the
lead when it was needed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
I started working my first paid job
at the age of fourteen, I’m now 58. Why is it that even though I’ve been proving myself successfully for the past 44 years I
still don’t have confidence in my own abilities? Stepping out of my well-worn tracks is so
easy when it’s to fill someone else’s need – why is it so difficult when it’s
for myself?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
I have a birdwatching friend who is
very knowledgeable about all matters avian and supremely confident in his
knowledge. I don’t have either the years
of experience or the depth of knowledge that he does, but I have learned a lot. Despite what I know, though, I remain
uncertain and hesitant in my identifications.
While he says his motto is “Sometimes wrong, but never in doubt”-- mine would
have to be “Frequently right, but always in doubt.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
How did this happen and how can
I change it?</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Those are the questions of
the moment.</div>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-83936820416787779912011-10-23T22:00:00.002-04:002011-10-23T22:12:34.721-04:00What happened to the colors?Well, somehow we seem to have rocketed straight from January (see my last post) to October. Sheesh!<br />
<br />
Every year at this time I find myself wandering around with my camera in a bit of a daze. There are so many <a href="http://hog-hill.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-own-private-maginot.html">photogenic scenes</a> around here in the fall.<br />
<br />
This afternoon I was browsing through some of my favorite blogs, clicking on links now and again. I came across a new one, <a href="http://www.fallcolor.growingthehomegarden.com/2011/09/fall-color-project-2011.html">The Fall Color Project</a>, that gives links to blog posts with photos from all around the country. So I took my camera and went wandering around the yard trying to find some color to photograph so I could join the project. I found very little - and, sadly, the brightest of what I did find was from invasive species like <i>Evonymus</i> and Oriental Bittersweet that are flourishing despite my best attempts to control them.<br />
<br />
This fall has undoubtedly been a bit odd. A month ago the green leaves on some trees (including my biggest sugar maple) just started withering up and dropping...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXpAEWsTprwsVwPVvL-9P206pK26wwjQykYr3AZIG7K-kl4DUwVcywnPR6sYROxokXe3p3u87VUyDPRhu4ZparEW_tbU8SFGu6Y0_vMaRIfv8w_X3nxjTvZ_Xnlmsltu-L0xYqF-3rVg/s1600/2011+10+23+gutter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXpAEWsTprwsVwPVvL-9P206pK26wwjQykYr3AZIG7K-kl4DUwVcywnPR6sYROxokXe3p3u87VUyDPRhu4ZparEW_tbU8SFGu6Y0_vMaRIfv8w_X3nxjTvZ_Xnlmsltu-L0xYqF-3rVg/s400/2011+10+23+gutter.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Two weeks ago today the trees that still had leaves were green. The next day colors had appeared here and there - in this photo you can see just a bit in the trees across the lake over in Kingston....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupQIWw69_0rl-941DxIDUvU09DJXaWEXKgo3Jp6TJMSVBKYSv56WLhJ4-L-i8XwiVzLrwuryShp3NA1PTUjpLrKbJnhLuE6rJywpKbQsRaKMOxmEp6WbECUHdnLfW-Mtjg-nQR-Cp7Dc/s1600/11+10+09+lake+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupQIWw69_0rl-941DxIDUvU09DJXaWEXKgo3Jp6TJMSVBKYSv56WLhJ4-L-i8XwiVzLrwuryShp3NA1PTUjpLrKbJnhLuE6rJywpKbQsRaKMOxmEp6WbECUHdnLfW-Mtjg-nQR-Cp7Dc/s400/11+10+09+lake+view.jpg" /></a></div><br />
This single branch on the big driveway oak has turned red, though the rest of the tree is still quite green...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-ZmMOBTWYdlqa-PkjSwsUMUtAOmyqMz2qSXMiL7c7EG4qIksZyiWFRFL-My0raT0vGkVnPK8s1NpBoKoOM1RvAzPVVm1jZZli0UvxXFWyfmFvXj2BybXBGs8RcRKDml2O4YZp-2SgYw/s1600/11+10+23+oak+splash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-ZmMOBTWYdlqa-PkjSwsUMUtAOmyqMz2qSXMiL7c7EG4qIksZyiWFRFL-My0raT0vGkVnPK8s1NpBoKoOM1RvAzPVVm1jZZli0UvxXFWyfmFvXj2BybXBGs8RcRKDml2O4YZp-2SgYw/s400/11+10+23+oak+splash.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Across the driveway is a completely overgrown crabapple that is just beginning to show a few hints of color, mostly in the fruit...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzXLkNg0cY6qJiBy5q6e-s8me8nor1aweW0ivxCKc3J29Lqz1QR5OxGthXXxC2pUtk-odSIR_WL1FiAhd8hAVxSPPJLbPNG0V6udYszvePd9SZCt8EAaM7d3Jcz4epFSxCMXnk2IztP8/s1600/2011+10+23+crabapple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzXLkNg0cY6qJiBy5q6e-s8me8nor1aweW0ivxCKc3J29Lqz1QR5OxGthXXxC2pUtk-odSIR_WL1FiAhd8hAVxSPPJLbPNG0V6udYszvePd9SZCt8EAaM7d3Jcz4epFSxCMXnk2IztP8/s400/2011+10+23+crabapple.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I found this little splash behind the carriage house - pretty colors but that purply-red comes from the dreaded Burning Bush...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_Lx-LEDJ3fW2uQT1IbyyxxvR83zf3kV3s6ENOHvWyqsDkrFAG4CNm7tOGddU9_G-25-jYcdVJ6vMyf1oSq-jsJfAxDOnNOuRp5Us0MPRgwhc0d8j6nheqr2qINLW2kKSjf2iQYZVtJg/s1600/11+10+23+color+splash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_Lx-LEDJ3fW2uQT1IbyyxxvR83zf3kV3s6ENOHvWyqsDkrFAG4CNm7tOGddU9_G-25-jYcdVJ6vMyf1oSq-jsJfAxDOnNOuRp5Us0MPRgwhc0d8j6nheqr2qINLW2kKSjf2iQYZVtJg/s400/11+10+23+color+splash.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Wandered down to the field but found very little there. You can see the white trunks of the popples (the local name for poplars, known also in other parts as aspens), which have already lost their leaves. The rest are showing just a few hints of color...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5cdNTcPYUKRhWx9bIfE_Tba8FUSsn1px2C763bYUkkgi-UGAHo65GRoaJCBttcepJwnlW__BSHMbqoLfk0hHm5EKw-WxO5xfo6HEu1WEnZkq2wmlmm91kWDWxb9UqrkfL57aWYuRGtA/s1600/11+10+23+field+in+fall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5cdNTcPYUKRhWx9bIfE_Tba8FUSsn1px2C763bYUkkgi-UGAHo65GRoaJCBttcepJwnlW__BSHMbqoLfk0hHm5EKw-WxO5xfo6HEu1WEnZkq2wmlmm91kWDWxb9UqrkfL57aWYuRGtA/s400/11+10+23+field+in+fall.jpg" /></a></div><br />
There was one straggly bit of staghorn sumac growing where it shouldn't be, nestled between the smoky green of the Butterfly Bush and the still-bright leaves of the lilacs. Another sugar maple, one that's usually quite majestic, is looking pretty thin this year...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HwvQ5N-hrykpz007n4WngbaTnbNqFeQCDiRvZO23NXImYoz4kxGpFT4UiYDvuzrldYseJCdLmiSYLL7LwlX1595AgdJyrkuV0l-GJ-KJOEh35-wDJn8gBCSPKIKnuQxFZa8n6mpfR58/s1600/2011+10+23+maple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HwvQ5N-hrykpz007n4WngbaTnbNqFeQCDiRvZO23NXImYoz4kxGpFT4UiYDvuzrldYseJCdLmiSYLL7LwlX1595AgdJyrkuV0l-GJ-KJOEh35-wDJn8gBCSPKIKnuQxFZa8n6mpfR58/s400/2011+10+23+maple.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I have heard it speculated that the maples are showing delayed damage from our late August visitor, Hurricane Irene. We didn't get the winds or torrential rains that lashed Vermont, and thought we'd seen it go by with little effect. We're only about ten miles from the ocean, though, and some are saying now that the rain we did get was saturated with salt and that's what's caused our troubles. I lost one of my sugar maples three years ago to some unidentified and fast-acting lethal agent. I sure hope that this time salt is really all it is!Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-47809468738913342292011-01-22T09:38:00.002-05:002011-01-22T09:41:07.501-05:00Straight No Chaser "Auld Lang Syne"<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oUTeICtsQJA?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="285" width="470"></iframe><br /><br />I guess it's a bit late in the month for this (or, perhaps, early in the year?), but I just found it on the blog of a fellow Craftster-er, Belladune, and wanted to share its loveliness!Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-32341090928134819332011-01-15T20:45:00.007-05:002011-01-15T21:52:16.816-05:00Water, the currency of kings...As I shoveled my way to the garage this afternoon, I enjoyed this view down through the orchard. The snow fell four days ago but the tracks of a squirrel are still the only ones in sight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQN4hYcFBo-gcNBvfw3zlkd6JnQPkXyJtf4T3uXs8Ms6ta4MxEmxFLp_cSPRzO-MzrtFM3v_1qFzQEqqQW3_Fc-4oSN4ZuZuE59dxebC9zxH8roLLc_uU_uW_uU-QCycs39FRT7jXgnA/s1600/2011+01+15+Orchard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQN4hYcFBo-gcNBvfw3zlkd6JnQPkXyJtf4T3uXs8Ms6ta4MxEmxFLp_cSPRzO-MzrtFM3v_1qFzQEqqQW3_Fc-4oSN4ZuZuE59dxebC9zxH8roLLc_uU_uW_uU-QCycs39FRT7jXgnA/s400/2011+01+15+Orchard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562594436961952386" border="0" /></a><br />There's no question that winter in New England can be beautiful but there's also no question that winter in New England can be awkward and irksome, especially for those of us blessed with old house living.<br /><br />As I stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes this evening I suddenly became aware of water dripping on my arm.<br /><br />From above.<br /><br />From the ceiling.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-J19W2SyiyArf4AKCICNxiULiczfQeHrhLcrrj4ieNG3CkzmLtmKxyWV8byELieRlb3pqXZHUDekEAg5k_jsTVXEg-Om3uSWRcATcNP1_Hb6PmeXN1PxvWuZgOOG0pcN0kSXbKpSbxhU/s1600/2011+01+15+kitchen+ceiling.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-J19W2SyiyArf4AKCICNxiULiczfQeHrhLcrrj4ieNG3CkzmLtmKxyWV8byELieRlb3pqXZHUDekEAg5k_jsTVXEg-Om3uSWRcATcNP1_Hb6PmeXN1PxvWuZgOOG0pcN0kSXbKpSbxhU/s400/2011+01+15+kitchen+ceiling.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562596269615397378" border="0" /></a><br />Dam!<br /><br />Ice dam, that is. Warmth from inside the house works its way up and out. The snow melts where it is in contact with the roof. The water runs down to the edge of the roof. The underside of the eaves is exposed, so there's no heat coming through and the water promptly freezes up again. The edge of the roof builds up a dam of ice. Now the water has nowhere to go, so it makes a little pond that backs up under the shingles.<br /><br />Et voila! Drip, drip, drip!! The same water that created that picture postcard orchard scene is now working its way through the inner spaces of my house, carrying rot and destruction along with it.<br /><br />When I was a teenager I worked as a lifeguard at a community swimming pool where I also taught swimming lessons. I remember one reluctant beginner who, when urged to jump in the pool, would say to me with all the intensity of his age, "The water is my enemy."<br /><br />At the time I thought it was a gross exaggeration, but now I know better. Water may seem insipid - colorless, tasteless, and unable to hold its own shape - but it is truly powerful and insidious.<br /><br />The one good thing is that the place where the water most commonly works its way through is directly over the kitchen sink. By coincidence or by design? Given the practicality of our Yankee ancestors, I suspect it was by design.<br /><br />Welcome to my world!Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-75220098721301618452010-12-27T11:42:00.004-05:002010-12-27T11:47:04.712-05:00Best holiday wishes to all...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCw8s6xrpPCE8-K58WzdUdvLkZ3lAB_UB2ekdEVevBiO6lHnC8mC-QNAqn48QLJ9W32hZKYPx8qWL-rmq_oUarKmxYBott3521Vc3wORsJYtmuum12lZEGOvoR5IOqL2ZK18apxoUWXI/s1600/2010+Christmas+wreath.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCw8s6xrpPCE8-K58WzdUdvLkZ3lAB_UB2ekdEVevBiO6lHnC8mC-QNAqn48QLJ9W32hZKYPx8qWL-rmq_oUarKmxYBott3521Vc3wORsJYtmuum12lZEGOvoR5IOqL2ZK18apxoUWXI/s400/2010+Christmas+wreath.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555404203953489666" border="0" /></a>Perhaps not a white Christmas this year,<br />but at least we got a white Boxing Day!!<br /></div>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-31886815754757916552010-11-24T15:49:00.005-05:002010-11-24T16:06:44.510-05:00Back to my roots...I'm staying more than busy these days between family and work and school, but I've been trying to squeeze in a few minutes for myself here and there. I've recently discovered a website called <a href="http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php">Craftster</a> where I've met lots of very nice people who are just as crazy about crafting as I used to be in the dim past. I've been breaking out my needles and hoops and embroidery thread and having a great time designing and making and swapping. Swapping is the best! Making things for yourself can be pretty unexciting, but sending something off to someone who will appreciate what's gone into it and receiving one back from them adds a whole new dimension.<br /><br />My most recent swap involved this winter tree made by me and sent away to Georgia...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDaE7iJdaxsjuqIWzhHSG9wlzB6LdrDDO-BEQvTlDpcNtjPxZBsovreS0s5gQNYYkGdqjxqm_Pf4hA6KPkcHXL8AXaPcLfxcc4a9titc3uqZgnBVnOGfj8osjYjP2nz2_hT0JS8GlM3E/s1600/2010+hoopla+02+tree+shiny.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDaE7iJdaxsjuqIWzhHSG9wlzB6LdrDDO-BEQvTlDpcNtjPxZBsovreS0s5gQNYYkGdqjxqm_Pf4hA6KPkcHXL8AXaPcLfxcc4a9titc3uqZgnBVnOGfj8osjYjP2nz2_hT0JS8GlM3E/s400/2010+hoopla+02+tree+shiny.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543223411847145282" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And, in return I have this lovely redwork hoop....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsNsFWGFY2p5Nd_rhjVrpkCMl-VetiSByec36YjPYKPmp-4_mT_pLctmhy7uJptdQIKxnN_kq0oa5BQLGw6XuFEYmZXpaXNl6Yca7ax2EYxj-wfTlDI-KTxX26wK6MaYinM30P4KmYPM/s1600/2010+hoopla+2+sanctuary.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsNsFWGFY2p5Nd_rhjVrpkCMl-VetiSByec36YjPYKPmp-4_mT_pLctmhy7uJptdQIKxnN_kq0oa5BQLGw6XuFEYmZXpaXNl6Yca7ax2EYxj-wfTlDI-KTxX26wK6MaYinM30P4KmYPM/s400/2010+hoopla+2+sanctuary.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543224191027203106" border="0" /></a><br />Yayy for hoops!!!Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-5447254848480634242010-11-06T11:57:00.009-04:002010-11-06T14:23:17.404-04:00My own private Maginot...Have you heard of the movie, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Own_Private_Idaho"><span style="font-style: italic;">My own private Idaho</span></a>? I love the title, but I could never bring myself to watch it. It's one I would have loved in my twenties, but now? Not so much. There's far too much bleak in the world already for me to want to watch more of it in living technicolor.<br /><br />Hold that thought - and follow me now, on an entirely different but not unrelated path...<br /><br />I love living in New England, and I love the fall. In fact, I gave up the year-round sunshine of life in San Diego largely because I missed the rhythms of the seasons.<br /><br />Every spring I anxiously await the appearance of the pussy willow catkins and the rosy haze of the budding red maples. I marvel at the coral quince blossoms at the front doorstep, just as my grandmother, her mother, and her grandmother did before me.<br /><br />I forgive the squirrels their mighty depredations of the winter bird feeders as I watch them eagerly sipping sap from the snow-snapped twig ends of the sugar maples.<br /><br />I bathe in the falls of petals from the fruit trees as the glowing orioles search for bugs and nectar.<br /><br />I peer anxiously at the distant branches of our mighty oak tree, trying to judge the size of the new leaves. The size of a mouse's ear is the time to put in the first planting of peas, but I can tell you that this is not a size easy to judge with binoculars. My farming forbears lived here when the branches were more likely fifteen feet overhead, rather than the present sixty or so. If the attic windows faced that direction I could use the height of the house to my advantage, but they don't. The best I can hope for is a perching titmouse or chickadee to provide some point of reference.<br /><br />The fringe tree perfumes the night air in early June. Not as completely as it did before being cut to the ground during a misguided tree surgery foray, a case of mistaken identity. Happily though, it's since grown back to be a full contributing member of the choir.<br /><br />The flowering dogwood, spared by the fringe tree's trauma, has defied all predictions and continues to be lovely despite a case of dogwood blight and the loss of its top in the hideous early December ice storm of a few years ago.<br /><br />Into the summer the Kousa dogwoods are blanketed in drifts of blossoms, the leaves hardly even seen till later, sporting their crop of nubbly fruit.<br /><br />And so it goes, until suddenly one day the only thing between me and the sky is the tracery of bare branches brought once more into view.<br /><br />And on the ground in front of me lies my own private Maginot Line...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYErn8Kqbze6F0t0U3Xp7Py7vFsYWoQNdYJ1-QwDGi3kEGPz_bKzBCIeWipm2Ehqby1L5qNVehhHtifRjs16GeJVWD9GZ83oShbxi3y2jSjyHeJVKFL79atg1iRmwfJlMyLRYgKtTsqLI/s1600/20101106MaginotLine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 413px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYErn8Kqbze6F0t0U3Xp7Py7vFsYWoQNdYJ1-QwDGi3kEGPz_bKzBCIeWipm2Ehqby1L5qNVehhHtifRjs16GeJVWD9GZ83oShbxi3y2jSjyHeJVKFL79atg1iRmwfJlMyLRYgKtTsqLI/s400/20101106MaginotLine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536499967111945810" border="0" /></a>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-36411156147115536982010-09-09T19:31:00.002-04:002010-09-09T19:34:29.081-04:00Here we go again!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LN8nyxRFB3yyYXxvqD__UQxQolIFvSuhdxTr25af8GON0pJp8nnCNY9YeTwbEIdpPFGA8-VbQCjDKA8wEtlt7RFdk71asbSfMSJ_dVu51qBNiZagSKL6lagccFrMuxJfjhw-efrc16A/s1600-h/IMG_1844.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LN8nyxRFB3yyYXxvqD__UQxQolIFvSuhdxTr25af8GON0pJp8nnCNY9YeTwbEIdpPFGA8-VbQCjDKA8wEtlt7RFdk71asbSfMSJ_dVu51qBNiZagSKL6lagccFrMuxJfjhw-efrc16A/s400/IMG_1844.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379622463470101586" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's a wonderful thing about life....what goes around, comes around. And then it comes around again. And then again!<br /><br />The text below is a re-posting from last year, but it's just as true now as it ever was. The students are a year older and there's a group of new faces to learn to recognize and get to know. For all the parents everywhere - thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to work with your children. I think I have just about the best job in the world!<br /><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >The best news is that the students will be back in just a few days! </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Next week is my favorite of the year, bar none. The cars and coaches pull up and the kids spill out, eager and overflowing with energy, squealing with delight as they connect and reconnect with each other and with the community. Opening day assembly will be on Friday morning, with all the students and all the faculty in attendance. The principal will talk about some aspect of the founding deed of gift, the topic for every opening day assembly since 1783. I'll sit on a bench in the assembly hall, listening, and trying very hard to actually see the students all around the room. It's surprisingly difficult with the shadows of so many other generations crowding in alongside them.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Some people only sing hymns at Christmas - for me, it's at opening day assembly. The school minister will lead us in singing <em>For the Splendor of Creation</em> with his great booming voice<em>.....</em></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" ><em>"For the splendor of creation that draws us to inquire, for the mysteries of knowledge to which our hearts aspire,....for the unexplained remainder, for the puzzling and the odd: for the joy and pain of learning, we give you thanks, O God.......for the common life that binds us through days that soar or plod: for this place and for these people, we give you thanks, O God."</em></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >The bells have been silent all summer except to tell the hours, but they'll take up their second job now, calling students to their classes again. </span>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-73236739370477009522010-09-04T23:05:00.003-04:002010-09-04T23:10:26.073-04:00Vacations are all about making new friends...right?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedoEg_SxXLXO9BX2EG5R9ttcnf29imum7IWuB57KW_3pzPAV2t6ma4oy7RGg5TA3Wm8XZxygNzjf0jSo_2yoJ_8rn9Au7DwqYPe3_qwiDY3ng49pNpWuI3NOH-TMAVYaI-WtYjmRQdmE/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedoEg_SxXLXO9BX2EG5R9ttcnf29imum7IWuB57KW_3pzPAV2t6ma4oy7RGg5TA3Wm8XZxygNzjf0jSo_2yoJ_8rn9Au7DwqYPe3_qwiDY3ng49pNpWuI3NOH-TMAVYaI-WtYjmRQdmE/s400/IMG_1091.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513260812069895650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFq8f7ouvtF0Pqfj-2R8sjlzl2XSsaNFq8HYNUPK3SvHNeiY6WABYfd7nVFvq4a6bQYheKCIYuCPTjMaAZHhrZunXtGhI9sximJIbQ_Bkk7XfzKKuPOpWczX4-jgcRNlKl4yFueVOSY8Q/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFq8f7ouvtF0Pqfj-2R8sjlzl2XSsaNFq8HYNUPK3SvHNeiY6WABYfd7nVFvq4a6bQYheKCIYuCPTjMaAZHhrZunXtGhI9sximJIbQ_Bkk7XfzKKuPOpWczX4-jgcRNlKl4yFueVOSY8Q/s400/IMG_1090.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513260545086247218" /></a>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-90420135225333086682010-06-25T11:23:00.001-04:002010-07-03T23:47:02.778-04:00Book #14 for 2010...Catching up on past reading from earlier this year...<br /><br />Book 14<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">New Hampshire in history or the contribution of the Granite State to the development of the nation</span> - Henry Harrison Metcalf<br /><br />Written in 1922 by a former State Historian, this fascinating little volume is full of information about the many native sons and daughters of New Hampshire who gained prominence in some way during their lives. Examples range from the well-known newspaperman Horace Greeley, and statesman and orator Daniel Webster, to lesser-known luminaries such as John Pierce, who was responsible for the development of the University of Michigan which was the first of the state universities in the US, and Henry Wood, who "established the first Protestant Mission in Japan and preached the first sermon in English in that country." Who knew? I surely never did!<br /><br />The one thing that would be helpful in the book is an index, but perhaps one will be added if it is reprinted some day.Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-86203000489521251872010-05-31T11:35:00.005-04:002010-07-04T00:03:05.772-04:00One of my favorite places....Monhegan Island, Maine.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9175dM8pSuGHimBTBjVtG1tN4io7cb50DEii1pSGBdDuyXUPJKnwS1Fg9Jrvj2kRJDVRbi43tAjXv1R1tI-ZTDRSgyN1NDBEw-lfSpOgEA2y-MctQWB0tFkSKSCyDB3hyphenhyphendALBut_urL8/s1600/IMG_0798.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9175dM8pSuGHimBTBjVtG1tN4io7cb50DEii1pSGBdDuyXUPJKnwS1Fg9Jrvj2kRJDVRbi43tAjXv1R1tI-ZTDRSgyN1NDBEw-lfSpOgEA2y-MctQWB0tFkSKSCyDB3hyphenhyphendALBut_urL8/s400/IMG_0798.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477460600235632178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIR3ZnJwV2LuHnQtrEp37W3lmW83odvY8Hiwv-HZ7trDmywfmfRiUabCwxqUzR7G-sg4XNQAuMQlIXMsSLlO4f00ZknPTH9kQo4gGB8RtiQT2wHBB85GriV28wdhcrnfhvKShRVfhR5Y/s1600/IMG_0762.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIR3ZnJwV2LuHnQtrEp37W3lmW83odvY8Hiwv-HZ7trDmywfmfRiUabCwxqUzR7G-sg4XNQAuMQlIXMsSLlO4f00ZknPTH9kQo4gGB8RtiQT2wHBB85GriV28wdhcrnfhvKShRVfhR5Y/s400/IMG_0762.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477460333233324482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnF0Wy2Hq64Ns_pda-VwySVe7BAkJTpjut_kSY_6218Jk7Cys1BABRYBuxjgQ89A5uXfXkBZLHrC8T3eHV4IabMCu71dFyNkpOoreiczOX1qkmA0uUJQtyEx7g-9o0IZg0wae-0QFvP1s/s1600/IMG_0801.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnF0Wy2Hq64Ns_pda-VwySVe7BAkJTpjut_kSY_6218Jk7Cys1BABRYBuxjgQ89A5uXfXkBZLHrC8T3eHV4IabMCu71dFyNkpOoreiczOX1qkmA0uUJQtyEx7g-9o0IZg0wae-0QFvP1s/s400/IMG_0801.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477459540554437506" /></a>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-42026292920881721922010-05-22T19:50:00.006-04:002010-07-03T23:52:14.982-04:00Spring flowers continue apace...and way ahead of schedule!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYf5H673RB8eaVDxKkLFQwvbNFURXt60ApHPChxcp-YfXO2xqZHbPATO2RZ_6LrcE-SU2TXJFBZz5cjOviKe6eHm0vDnAevxbu3i4-kwmLNPybWhpN4Q4ADgXD2ra2BVTrEe6o4CpGnQ/s1600/IMG_0679.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYf5H673RB8eaVDxKkLFQwvbNFURXt60ApHPChxcp-YfXO2xqZHbPATO2RZ_6LrcE-SU2TXJFBZz5cjOviKe6eHm0vDnAevxbu3i4-kwmLNPybWhpN4Q4ADgXD2ra2BVTrEe6o4CpGnQ/s400/IMG_0679.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474247953394742114" /></a><br />Crabapple in bloom - and long since gone by<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlRAWLEMT9upQqOru2qli72y6_NYRFinWS5G0bC_mMQRhiiHbWJfwL14nPpdDwchRfykvA-pxGWazMB0DzNaoQ73aj1zEbChup7baetcu7qCIqoLDgc41AdQqiwtJdiB-VFfHlLi4e70/s1600/IMG_0739.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlRAWLEMT9upQqOru2qli72y6_NYRFinWS5G0bC_mMQRhiiHbWJfwL14nPpdDwchRfykvA-pxGWazMB0DzNaoQ73aj1zEbChup7baetcu7qCIqoLDgc41AdQqiwtJdiB-VFfHlLi4e70/s400/IMG_0739.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474246904068581266" /></a><br />Rhododendron - this variety is often blooming on the Fourth of July, rarely in mid-May<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupWSeYwFLWaAwaaBNJWxo_oocINW4qmsOkgVUFAchnFQ0jVgTh2hl42-KEzQtsFgLFmHrzrsxLejsC6F-LP_agEHAIBsatb4SD8MBd6nRsPBN9d-WaSTGpvaMDbnGZG4le94elG5ScN8/s1600/IMG_0726.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupWSeYwFLWaAwaaBNJWxo_oocINW4qmsOkgVUFAchnFQ0jVgTh2hl42-KEzQtsFgLFmHrzrsxLejsC6F-LP_agEHAIBsatb4SD8MBd6nRsPBN9d-WaSTGpvaMDbnGZG4le94elG5ScN8/s400/IMG_0726.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474247494143347506" /></a><br />The Great Sea of ChivesMarilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-84550448831434022572010-04-11T13:55:00.003-04:002010-07-03T23:55:13.214-04:00A surprise visitor at the bird feeders today...Wild Turkey!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUjpJVvLqGDQXMIq9opMh5KHj79oHiR5lje5ZfcMZaCsF-DJGoOQWw2d7eLoDIrw7HC3W4rBaJ9ttc0ts7sVNnEosK4Gw3HbW7c8f16O5UfE68Y0LdLC54Q-NxewovmQNfEAUP9GMHQ8/s1600/IMG_0652.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUjpJVvLqGDQXMIq9opMh5KHj79oHiR5lje5ZfcMZaCsF-DJGoOQWw2d7eLoDIrw7HC3W4rBaJ9ttc0ts7sVNnEosK4Gw3HbW7c8f16O5UfE68Y0LdLC54Q-NxewovmQNfEAUP9GMHQ8/s400/IMG_0652.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458940550025985330" /></a><br /><br />I know, I know - I'm supposed to be writing a paper, but honestly, could you just let this walk by <span style="font-style:italic;">your</span> window unnoticed?Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-46505218190262577762010-04-10T11:05:00.004-04:002010-07-03T23:55:36.740-04:00Hmmm...who ate lunch here?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_1AnXtYlK4s4WAKD3pwWQ242M1bQCG5RB3Jqu-w1-oz5O-Pu3QM4ly_9DylN2sfwxwf1VXxGXfbKhYEkRWcTIiSIrwzz4GvmmUxwahh6uK5s_yU1XCNKoKdsjubJLTRADaNjE-zvUec/s1600/IMG_0608.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_1AnXtYlK4s4WAKD3pwWQ242M1bQCG5RB3Jqu-w1-oz5O-Pu3QM4ly_9DylN2sfwxwf1VXxGXfbKhYEkRWcTIiSIrwzz4GvmmUxwahh6uK5s_yU1XCNKoKdsjubJLTRADaNjE-zvUec/s400/IMG_0608.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458525536731114530" /></a>Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-80417639834697233182010-04-04T21:55:00.002-04:002010-07-03T23:55:57.754-04:00Skunk cabbages!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_ZoEcCg-cE7wwUAHzXImxuZB8gOfd0HUwYmz8Ev6WHVZzMjMrdQ1DqbOiVdkPjpDmo-ReSZbDJOvEXW-cjfXkJ_tYvUAh5Ajgnr5EDRfdw01VbBM71Mqzf8nTzGohJxBFpGwf5eFZho/s1600/IMG_0601.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_ZoEcCg-cE7wwUAHzXImxuZB8gOfd0HUwYmz8Ev6WHVZzMjMrdQ1DqbOiVdkPjpDmo-ReSZbDJOvEXW-cjfXkJ_tYvUAh5Ajgnr5EDRfdw01VbBM71Mqzf8nTzGohJxBFpGwf5eFZho/s400/IMG_0601.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456466273074177106" /></a><br /><br />All that rain isn't so good for the cellar, but it sure makes the plants happy!Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-90912452964823162042010-03-06T09:28:00.003-05:002010-07-04T00:02:08.977-04:00Book 13 for 201013. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Towns-John-Green/dp/014241493X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267885766&sr=1-1">Paper Towns</a> by John Green - <br /><br />What a wonderful book this was! Anyone who has ever been a teenager, or known one; anyone who has ever had a crush on the girl- or boy-next-door; anyone who has ever lived through high school and graduation and come out the other side; in short, pretty much anyone, will find some point of recognition in this book. And, even more than recognition, will find food for thought: thoughts about who we really are, thoughts about who our friends really are, and thoughts about what it takes to spin and weave and stitch together the threads that form the fabrics of our lives.<br /><br />No spoilers here because I couldn’t bear to ruin the book for anyone. I will say that there were one or two points at which I nearly stopped reading because I had grown to like the characters so much and wasn’t sure I could trust the author to treat them well in the end. I persevered, though, and I’m pleased to report that John Green is entirely trustworthy. I can also quite honestly say that my seventeen-year-old son liked the book just as much as I did – high praise, indeed!Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-71312564868785601892010-03-05T22:03:00.004-05:002010-07-03T23:56:30.476-04:00Spring is coming...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5L_KAc6n1oh1pKUQvhqrqZjKcLJ6sVB7XDEPLBylCjSBdpT_NmyIlm36co3qBM0WsK8dE2FxdudTQLyUDoAWCbZ-avlRRmB4gpBiLChYymN0T6sIRkUzu0EWalp_9NGgfrfniDXpTL4/s1600-h/IMG_0594.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5L_KAc6n1oh1pKUQvhqrqZjKcLJ6sVB7XDEPLBylCjSBdpT_NmyIlm36co3qBM0WsK8dE2FxdudTQLyUDoAWCbZ-avlRRmB4gpBiLChYymN0T6sIRkUzu0EWalp_9NGgfrfniDXpTL4/s400/IMG_0594.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445351324745120738" /></a><br /><br />They're baaaaack!Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-30541515099259680252010-03-05T21:55:00.002-05:002010-07-03T23:51:10.710-04:00The Myth of the CaveFor class this week we read and discussed Plato’s “Myth of the Cave” from Book 7, Section 7 of The Republic, which can be read <a href="http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/greek/philosopher/myth_allegory_cave_plato.html">here</a> with a helpful illustration for first-time readers, or <a href="http://people.bridgewater.edu/~jjosefso/The%20Myth%20of%20the%20Cave.htm">here<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></a> for a plain text version.<br /><br />Plato talks about two types of bewilderment or confusion, one caused by coming out of strong light and the other caused by going into strong light. Strong physical light, such as the sun on a clear day, can easily bewilder our physical eyes and, by metaphorical extension, the bright light of knowledge growing from intellectual pursuits can easily bewilder our mind's eyes.<br /><br />Each of us has our own beliefs based on our own personal and cultural perceptions. It is not always easy to accept or be tolerant of other points of view when we are so certain of our own. Plato's "conversation" is mindful of the fact that no point of view is fundamentally right or wrong. Each is a reflection of the reality of the "viewer," which means that although they're different from each other they are no less real.<br /> <br />With effort we can develop a more sophisticated degree of understanding the complex layers of what we view (which might be thought of as going towards the greater light) but the initial simpler level of understanding isn't wrong; it's different, less well-informed.<br /><br />It seems to me that an educator's greatest responsibility to a student is to facilitate and encourage the student's own personal development of a deeper understanding. That new understanding may result in a change of views for the student, but it's a result of an internal process of growth, rather than some piece of wisdom we've given to them.<br /><br />I think the hardest part is to retain enough memory of our own time in the darkness to be able to identify with the student who stands at the beginning of a path we've already walked. It's important for teachers to continue to put themselves in new learning situations in order to keep that memory alive. We may not be in the same "darkness" as our students, but continuing to experience the process of moving from the dark to the light will help us to be tolerant and supportive as we remember the struggles, the frustrations, and the ultimate satisfactions of learning.Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-55517189555473574202010-03-04T10:51:00.004-05:002010-07-04T00:02:35.944-04:00My life as a student continues...A new school term has started for me. My new class is Philosophy and Ethics of Education, which promises to be very interesting. I’ve had a recent change of major – not <span style="font-style:italic;">my</span> choice, for once :o) Turns out I’ve taken too many education courses to pursue my intended Master of Education in Heritage Studies. It requires many more courses about subject matter and many fewer about the process of teaching and, unfortunately for my degree, I guess, the process courses are the ones I keep taking because they're the ones from which I’m learning so much. The suggestion was made that I should switch to a Master of Education in Secondary Education, with which I happily complied. The upshot is that I have only four more courses to take to complete my degree……woooo hoooo! o_0Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774604075487685037.post-54043618924934587462010-03-02T03:29:00.004-05:002010-03-02T04:06:56.956-05:00Catching up on my reading this year...12. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Anubis-Gates-Tim-Powers/dp/0441004016/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267519937&sr=1-1">The Anubis Gates</a> - Tim Powers<br /><br />11. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Return-Hawks-Hill-Honor-Winning-Incident/dp/0316006890/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267519853&sr=1-1">Return to Hawk's Hill</a> - Allan W. Eckert<br /><br />Book 11 - Return to Hawk's Hill by Allan W. Eckert, my second contribution to the February TIOLI red-spined book challenge. I didn't enjoy it quite so much as I recall enjoying the first in the set, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Incident-Hawks-Hill-Allan-Eckert/dp/B002XUM1IE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267519892&sr=1-1">Incident at Hawk's Hill</a>, but they're written for a younger audience (probably middle school-ish) and I'm somewhat older now than I was in 1970 or so when I read the first one ;o)<br /><br />The book provides an interesting look at family life on the Manitoba frontier in the 1870s, but even more, it provides a considered look at some of the issues of lifestyle and cultural differences between the frontier settlers, largely of white European extraction, and the local Metis population, who were descended from local indigenous peoples mixed with much earlier French fur-trapper influence. The biggest difference lay in the attitudes toward nature...whether to respect and honor the natural world, taking only what we need and fully utilizing what we take or whether to take whatever we want with a view to subjugating the natural world to our whim of the moment. An issue we're still grappling with today, and a worthwhile read for any young person interested in environmental issues. I'd definitely recommend reading the two books in order, though.<br /><br />10. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Pooh-BenjaminHoff/dp/B0015KG3N2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267519555&sr=1-3">The Tao of Pooh</a> - Benjamin Hoff<br /><br />Book 10 - The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. Read this one for the February Red-spined Book TIOLI Challenge. Not only that, but it came off my shelves, too! I feel like the tailor's apprentice with his "seven with one blow"!<br /><br />9. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Hampshire-Then-Now-Contemporary/dp/1931807477/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267519513&sr=1-1">New Hampshire Then and Now: Historical and Contemporary Photographs of the Granite State from 1840-2005</a> - Peter Randall<br /><br />Book 9 - New Hampshire Then and Now: Historical and Contemporary Photographs of the Granite State from 1840 to 2005 by Peter E. Randall<br /><br />This book was a fascinating photo-essay of our state and the changes (or in some cases, lack of changes) that have been recorded in photographs over a period of 165 years. The author/photographer has put together a collection of 80 photographs from the state historical archives and various local collections along with contemporary photographs of the same views.<br /><br />Included are picture postcard views, homes of the famous and not-so-famous, mills, dams, scenic overlooks. Particularly striking to me were some of the less traditional and unexpected interior views - duck-decoy carvers' workshops, shoe shops, clothing shops - not the same shops but the same callings, and little changed in many ways.<br /><br />8. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Hundred-Demons-Lynda-Barry/dp/1570614598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267519469&sr=1-1">One Hundred Demons</a> - Lynda Barry<br /><br />Book 8 - At last, a book again! This one's a graphic novel, One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry.<br /><br />The book's title is based on an Oriental painting exercise, which seems to involve exorcising one's personal demons by creating illustrations of their significance. The book is a collection of the author's own demons, though perhaps not quite as many as one hundred.<br /><br />The book is biographical in many ways as the demons were all part of her past; but also fiction in many ways as each of us hold memories that are colored by our own perceptions and the distance from which we look back on them.<br /><br />An entertaining and thought-provoking reflection on one woman's coming-of-age with hints of the adult she has since become.<br /><br />Rated 4/5.<br /><br />7. <a href="http://www.heritage.umd.edu/chrsweb/associatedprojects/hampden/hampdenresearchdesign.pdf">"History from 'The Bottom' Up: A Research Design for Participatory Archaeology in Hampden-Woodberry, Baltimore, Maryland."</a><br /><br />More articles, another case study, same class.<br /><br />6. <a href="http://www.heritage.umd.edu/chrsweb/new%20philadelphia/2006report/1.pdf">New Philadelphia Archaeology: Race, Community and the Illinois Frontier, report on the 2004-06 excavations</a><br /><br />A collection of case-study articles read for a class, Heritage Studies Foundations.<br /><br />5. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Darling-Hamburger-Paul-Zindel/dp/0060757361/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267519403&sr=8-1-catcorr">My Darling, My Hamburger</a>, Paul Zindel<br /><br />Book 5<br />My Darling, My Hamburger by Paul Zindel whose best known title might have been <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Effect-Gamma-Rays-Moon-Marigolds/dp/0060757388/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267520761&sr=1-1">The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds</a>, which I have not yet read.<br /><br />A quiet little book about four teenagers in their senior year in high school and the choices they make to get them through. It was surely true of its day; it was first published in 1969, I graduated from high school a year later. I found it very easy to identify and connect with the characters.<br /><br />I wonder, though, if the book might seem a bit dated today, mainly as a result of advancing technology. Narrative sections are interspersed with notes written by one or another of the protagonists - but it seems more likely that most of those would be text messages in today's world. The situations faced by the characters are pretty universal, but American society is considerably changed from what it was then.<br /><br />Worth reading, if only to find out the relevance of the title!<br /><br />4. <a href="http://openlibrary.org/b/OL3044888M/Researching_the_old_house">Researching the Old House</a>, Greater Portland (ME) Landmarks, Inc.<br /><br />Book 4<br />Researching the Old House, from Greater Portland (ME) Landmarks, Inc.<br /><br />A very useful handbook that outlines the many possibilities for finding information to document the history of an old house.Marilyn Botthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801202802992890782noreply@blogger.com0