Mom and Dad

A recent photo of my mom and dad which perfectly captures this new life they call "Retirement." Think that means putzing around the house and putting your feet up? Not in the Bodine world.

Why I love my job..

To Carry a Djembe..

Awkward from any angle...

Wide load coming through!

Tiny Tug, Long Island Sound

Love you a Latke.

Potato Vegetable Latkes with... farmers' market goods, eggs from somebody's backyard, and last year's last jar of homemade applesauce. Delish.

Rainy Tuesday

Tuesday mornings are lovely this summer. I am scheduled to teach from 8:30-10:30 in the morning just a few blocks away. Since it's just a few blocks away, I get to sleep in an extra half hour. Then I stop at the farmers' market on the way home to pick up our weekly CSA. I've been a frequent shopper at the flower guys' tent as well.

This morning was the first rainy Tuesday of the summer. It was the best kind of rain--gentle and no wind--which means you can leave the windows open to listen without getting wet. I woke up a little earlier than scheduled, so I sat in our sunroom with my toast and coffee, windows open, and listened to the soothing sound of steady, gentle rain. What a treat. It reminded me of the gentle rain we had every afternoon in Scotland on our visit. Peaceful. Restorative.

Perfect way to ease into the day.

You can learn a lot of things from the flowers...

Enchanting summer night. Fireflies making the night air sparkle and night-blooming flowers waving in the gentle evening breeze.

Caitlyn: Did you guys know that this plant's flowers only open at night? Isn't it fun to think about flowers and bugs having little love affairs?

Lisa: I feel like if the flowers could talk, the mother flower would be saying, "all right girls, time to let your hair down.."

anyone lived in a pretty how town

by e.e. cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

Plastic Free Life

A coworker of mine, Jeanne Haegele, will be featured on the CNN special Toxic America this Thursday, June 3^rd at 8 p.m. Eastern. Jeanne has been working for the past 2.5 years to become as plastic-free as possible. She blogs about her experiences at http://lifelessplastic.blogspot.com. Her story will be included in the CNN special to demonstrate that people can make simple, everyday changes to reduce their reliance on plastics and the potentially hazardous chemicals they may contain.

All in a Day's Work

 

The Peace of the Wild Things

The Peace of the Wild Things by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

All because of the dress..

Dialogue with a student.

Miss Caitlyn: Carla, what a lovely dress you're wearing today!

Carla: I hate it. My mom MADE me wear it. And I'm probably getting a D or a C in math.

Miss Caitlyn: Uhh.. what?

Carla: I hate this dress so much that I can't concentrate in math and I'm probably failing!

The Story of Stuff

I saw this about a year ago, but I needed a refresher..

How long?

How long can one stand in the basement with a cantankerous landlord, staring at a misbehaving washing machine, without exchanging a single word?

Pretty long, it turns out. Pretty long.

To Claim A Wife

Take a look at the synopsis for this romance novel..

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/susan-fox/to-claim-wife.htm

Too wild to wed...

March of the Goblins

When I am teaching I tend to fully embrace what I'll call "kid-mode." I laugh a lot with my students, but the funny and poignant things they say don't always stick with me. Today, for whatever reason, it did. Sophia is 7 years old and is a very practical and clever little girl. The new song we worked on this afternoon was called "March of the Goblins." I played it and sang it to her so she could hear the tune, and the words went something like this:

Yo-ho! Yo-yo-ho! Marching up the mountains thunder! Gold! Gold! We like gold! And we'll guard our plunder!

At the end of the song, Sophia said, "Uh, Miss Caitlyn, I don't really get that."

"Get what?" I asked.

"The words."

I explained that they were goblins searching for gold, defined plunder, etc, and she said, "But why do they like gold so much? All it is is a bit of shine."

"Yes, but they're goblins," I replied. "Wouldn't you like to search for gold if you were a goblin?"

"No. I would like to read. And sing."

(pause pause pause pause......................... a glance and a smirk up at me)

"...and play the piano."

I laughed. Did I mention she's also very diplomatic? Maybe she'll be a politician someday!

Auld Lang Syne

I wasn't going to go into detail about my pathetic situation, but since I alluded to it and people are asking, I might as well get it over with.

New Year's Eve sucked. Everyone was either out of town or already had plans with their families or significant others, so I spent the evening alone on the couch with episodes of a PBS Special and a cup of coffee. I took a hot bubble bath and tried to convince myself that really this was what I wanted anyway, but it didn't work. It just sucked. I threw in the towel at 11:50 and got into bed. When the fireworks started to go off a few minutes later, I sang Auld Lang Syne to myself, from my bed, in the dark, alone. I felt like Bridget Jones in the opening scene where she tearfully lip-sings All By Myself over a glass of wine.

So I guess 2010 is going to come on in and make itself at home. I'm hoping that after the rocky start to our relationship we get used to each other.

Happy New Year.