I'm thankful for Lawrence

I just learned that my nephew (named for my father) returned safely from Iraq. After a few days in Indianapolis, he will be home. Hopefully, he will be home in time for our family's Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. Thank you God for Lawrence's safe return!

Here he is playing badminton last July at the river, when he was home on leave.























Meanwhile, I better get back to cleaning and cooking for my in-laws gathering here tomorrow. I set the turkey in the refrigerator on Sunday and I think it is still frozen. Yikes!

School Stories

What a difference a vowel makes
Steve's class was reading aloud a story about a little girl who discovered how to make paint that made her invisible. One quiet little girl mispronounced a word in this sentence, "Irma mixed another batch of paint." She used the i-sound in batch.

She let out a wail of horror and started sobbing. By the time Steve got over to her, tears and snot were running down her chin and she was wailing incomprehensibly. He took her out in the hall and consoled her, and she finally choked out that she needed glasses and that was what she saw and the horror of saying such a word in class and she never says bad words.

I'm touched by her innocence, but the class of urban kids had erupted in laughter. I hope the little girl won't remember third grade by this incident.

Another quick story
Steve was grading math papers and one boy answered a story problem with "Oh, my brain."

File this under "I'm not surprised"
Steve received a note this week from one of his quieter students: "You are such a positive influence on so many people and I know you have changed my life." It doesn't get any better for a teacher (or a teacher's wife.)

Lucky me!

A woman from church delivered a very special gift to me this weekend, a truck full of horse manure. It is now spread on my large vegetable garden covered with a layer of mulched leaves. This bed is still heavy clay so it needs all the organics it can get. Luckily it is fenced; otherwise, my dog would consider it his manure and delight in rolling around in it.

Thank you, Sue.

Fall Peepers?

The spring peepers were in full chorus this weekend.