Praying For...Gayle that she will slowly blossom into the young lady she might be instead of a rebellious, mean girl. Girls today are really not that much different than girls of my day, although they are more bold with boys. Some choose kindness and respect; others choose bawdiness and unkindness of all sorts. I pray for children everywhere that they will be inspired to choose the higher road.
Bibliophilia...sent Gayle What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge and Cole Watership Down by Richard Adams both delightful reads. Tidying up the reading corner at the school, I came across The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania of Jordan. The feeling I got of hope and peace from this book brought tears to my eyes. It also made me sad. Because I know there are children watching horrible, violent, obscene movies and television, I know that they will not know how to be peaceful. Why, oh, why can't we see what we are doing to our children?
Jesus' Word..."And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed," Mark 1:35. Days go better if I follow His example of rising before dawn and seeking a quiet place to pray.
Sound of Music...it's not that I am any sort of fine musician, but I love to play violin, ukulele, and sing. "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent," Victor Hugo.
Pen and Brush...I started a new book that will likely suffer the fate of most of my others. I love the characters so much that I cannot give them problems. So it will be a lovely piece of my imagination, where life is beautiful and dreams come true. Who cares if nobody will read it but me? It's a blast to create a new world. Still drawing off and on.
Cucina Fresca...I have high hopes for a new gluten-free, oil-free, plant-based corn bread I'm going to make tonight. If it's a success, I'll post the recipe next time.
Teaching Little Children...I continue to love, love, love working in the Montessori classroom. Today, I taught two children metal inset lessons. Metal insets are probably my favorite material, since they lend themselves to much creativity like drawing. Sandpaper letter lessons with 15 or 20 children a day has sanded my right pointer and tall man quite raw. Watching the four year olds in the class explode into reading, I barely contain excited joy. Even though they all work individually with one on one lessons, for the most part they progress similarly.
Puppy Prattle...Dash has become so dear to me. I finally figured out how to bathe her. With cottony thick coat on her back and thin silky coat on her face, I struggled to get it just right. Now she looks neither greasy nor frizzy. She still eats next to nothing, but she IS only 4ish pounds. How much could she eat anyway?
Garden Gate...all my trees except the moringa out front, mangos, and established citrus took a beating during this excessively hot summer. Definitely a learning curve, I now know that Anna and Golden Dorset are the only appropriate apple choices for this hot desert. Beverly Hills and Gala will be replaced with those. Basil, however, loves this heat as much as moringa and mangos.
