Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Snow Day- Part 3!

At least I got something accomplished on this snow day! I got an exercise session in and I did 3- count 'em - 3 blog posts!!!  Great way to end a month.

So this afternoon I got a ride to the favorite tree and the stone house.  The MA had a little time after lunch to drive me around- like the Cinderella I pretend to be- and I did a deep snow drive by shoot!  The truck is tall enough that I didn't even need to get out of it.  Unfortunately, the wind was strong enough to have knocked a lot of the heavy snow off of the branches and such, but it still is a somewhat different look than the other snow pictures this winter.










And Wow,  did we get a lot of snow.  Haven't seen this much since I don't know when.  I went for a snow shoe walk back to Little Cabin in the Woods this afternoon and it was an effort.  Took lots of photos- over 100.  





Along the driveway

The mailbox! 

There are two buckets under the snow here somewhere



I felt at times like I was in a fairy land.  The woods were so quiet, it was so bright and clean.  The snow covered all of the branches and dead grass and gave a pristine look that emphasized the rhythm and flow of the branches and trunks.  The patterns of nature that man strives to emulate, but can never duplicate.





I felt amazingly alone.  There was no traffic that I could hear, no snow-mobiles, no chain saws.  I had my camera and my phone, but didn't use my heart rate monitor or my ear buds or listen to music.  I just listened to myself.  My breathing, my thoughts, my eyes, my camera, my shutter click, my ski poles crunch, my knees bend, my feet sink down, my heart beat.  There was me and the wind and the snow and the branches.








I almost stopped a few times and turned around, the walk was tough, but I found as I walked that though I was breathing hard- I wasn't tired.  My legs were fine, my endurance is good.  So I overcame my mental obstacle and dug deeper- I went on to my original destination.  You'd think the way back would have been easier, but that isn't true.  The snow was so deep that it only made me have to decide whether to step on my previous snow shoe tracks or not- it was not a simple follow the path back walk.
Little Cabin in the winter






But I made it fine and this is what was waiting for me- watching for me..... Good old Jac!  He loves me even when I am not about to feed him. I love the smell of horse and hay- gotta love a good horse slobbery lick!
He was waiting with kisses!!
Snow shoes on the butterfly chair

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost

Snow Day 2012- part 2



Snow Debi!


So I ventured out of my warm robe and got dressed to go outside to feed the horse.  YIKES!!  I wore the MA's tall rubber boots, they go way up to my knees and it is a good thing I had them on, as there was snow going over the tops of them!!  Good lord!

As tall as the rubber boots!!

So I was trying for a better angle!!  Lol

Same photo, flipped- snow is to my knees!


AS A DISCLAIMER---   No horse was harmed in the taking of these photos!  He is able to return to his shelter literally anytime he wants.  He chooses to look like the abominable snow horse!  Apparently he is not cold!

He seems quite calm for being snow covered and slippery!!

Now he just wants me to hurry up and feed him already

Lola is disappearing!!




Snow Day- 2012

YAY!!!!  Snow day for us!!  AND it is the day before a 5 day weekend.  The entirety of the Chequamegon school district loved getting our automated phone call this morning at 5 am!!  A collective cheer probably went up at once!  After my snow day dance, I got another cup of coffee and proceeded to facebook to party on with the rest of the happy Wisconsinites.  Well, at least those who don't HAVE to drive today.  :)

Here are a couple pix I took, through the window, this morning.  Before anyone thinks I am too smug, I have to go out and feed that horse soon!  So I WILL indeed have to get out of my robe before noon.  BOOOOOO.  But my poor Jac does need his feed.  Another half hour, though......  I'd love to stay in my jammies for a while.




YES, it is possible to find joy in this!!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Potter's wheel and play......

Certainly a double meaning!  HAHA. There is playing on the potter's wheel, which I indulge in occasionally

Playing with clay

 and there is the PLAY which I am beginning work on.  Which means also, kids, that I have been blogging for almost a year!  Hard to believe, it seems like so long in some ways and in some ways like I have just begun.  But my first posts were for the makings of the play "Honk" (Against my better judgement)   (<-that is a hot link- click it!!) last year, and this year it is..............
We have purchased the rights to this particular design for advertising!
Feed me!!

FEED ME!!!

FEED ME!!!

 Who... I mean... what did that plant eat last night? 
 Uh... about a million Japanese beetles. 




You have perhaps an explanation for this?
 No, but if you give me a minute I'll think of one. 





Baby Audrey

I love parodies and this play is so much fun.  We are going to be doing some way cool things this year. AND I have a mostly new crop of awesome stage hands and scenery painters.

I have sort of  "before" pictures here.  We are just beginning, we have stripped flats and stretched muslin.  Painted broad swaths of color and are just beginning to work on the outside scenes.  Some construction needs to be completed yet (not my job!) so interior design will begin next week.  Fortunately we have rented puppets, so that is an enormous job we didn't have to do!



Painting day 1!

Busting through!

Good bye, striped wall paper!! Bon voyage!

And she handles those giant flats with no problem at all!

Did you stretch that canvas from center to edges??? NO?? Do it again!!!  lol

Try not to even think about this!

Props in waiting....
This is what the stage looks like every night when I close up shop.... quiet, dark..... waiting for the voices of awesome singers and the activity of students who love what they are doing. Whether through singing, acting, painting or working behind the scenes.  This is the ultimate collaboration, the culmination of many people's skills, strengths and dedication.  The adults not only teach the kids; we become their friends- people they can trust. People who can pull the best out of them, even when they are tired, hungry, crabby, sad or just 17 years old.




 Here is the Mad Art teacher doing one of her favorite things ever.  I have noticed that I do occasionally refer to myself in third person these days, must be because of this blog!

I try to find a few moments every couple of weeks to throw a little on the wheel- I love it so much and the kids like to see me do it.  It kind of makes them get excited and want to try more.  I spend a lot of time centering clay- I have triceps of steel!




JOY!!!  I think I'm going to sneak in another session next week!  I do have to introduce it to my beginning art students!  :)

And on a completely different note- we had an impromptu accordion concert the other day-- long long story, doesn't matter why.  One of the boys owned the instrument and let the other one goof around a little bit with it.  So funny!
sorry for the blur!




















I just never know what my day will bring!

Until next time, find your joy!