“You’re teachers pet. You’re teachers pet!” I can remember that was a common accusation that was hurled at I and my fellow classmates from time to time in elementary school those many years ago. Most students probably feared being categorized as a teacher’s pet. Such a nametag was probably one of the first examples of negative peer pressure to exist in our educational system. Nobody wanted to be considered a ‘teacher’s pet’. Nobody but me, that is! I am a…..
I published my first book “Children In The Outdoors”, Vol. I in 1987 and since that time I have spent a considerable amount of time sitting in booths at craft fairs, county fairs, town celebrations, etc. It’s my favorite way to market my books. If my Clinton High School math is correct that means I have had thirty-one years of booth sitting experience. So I’ve decided it’s time to vent a little. After thirty-one years having shoppers pass by my…..
We are in the middle of summer on our little acreage and the battle against nature is in full force. Unless you experience what nature can throw at you you’ll never fully understand what botanist go through attempting to bring plants to maturity. In other words gardening can be a frustrating job. I am reminded of the constant intrusion of nature every morning as I look out our living room window and watch the ‘big bully’ blue jays chase away…..
When my two brothers and sister were small it was exciting to climb into the old 49 Ford and ride into town with our folks as they tended to some business. That excursion happened occasionally during the week but for sure on Saturday night. On Saturday the car not only contained the family of six but also a can of cream and chicken eggs packed and layered in special boxes designed to transport them to the creamery so that they…..
In a couple weeks I will be speaking at an “80’s and older group” at the Clinton High School All School Reunion. I have never spoken to a group with the audience clustered in their 80’s and 90’s before. Heck, there may even be a centenarian or two in the crowd! I’m a little concerned because the closest I’ve come to such an experience is singing to people in our local nursing home. I’ve never had much luck cracking a…..
When one is a teacher and a struggling author opportunities arise where one receives requests to speak to various organizations. Over the years I have given a variety of speeches to a wide variety of audiences. One of my early speech memories occurred when the Junior class of Wheaton High School requested that I speak at their junior/senior prom banquet. I pretended I had kept a diary of my own junior prom experiences and read portions of it to them……
I’m not a mechanic. I can’t fix things. If I had had the opportunity to choose my talents before I was born I probably wouldn’t have chosen it anyway. Can you imagine choosing a talent with an ending that sounds like ‘ick’! Not impressive at all. But as my life has progressed there have been many times when I wished I had the talent of a mechanic. I was reminded of that fact this spring as our dining room fluorescent…..
I was fencing today. There are two reasons for making a fence. Fences are needed to keep animals out of an area or fences are required to keep animals in an area. Today I was concentrating on keeping animals out of an area. You see it’s nearing pumpkin planting and gardening season so the battle begins between the gardener and the deer population. Deer love to eat anything I plant in the garden. They have a special fondness for pumpkins……
It was an emotional time when the decision was made to replace our aging mailbox. You see it came to us in a very special way. I forget how many years but it must have been fifteen or twenty years ago that a speeding snowplow smashed into our original mailbox and hurled it bent and broken into the snow- filled ditch. I saw the wreckage as I was on my way to work one morning and muttered, “Another job for…..
Writing books for me is kind of like being hooked on caffeine or nicotine. I just can’t quit. Of course I haven’t tried too hard either. I never know when an inspiration for a book will present itself. Several years ago I was at a craft fair selling my latest book “Holiday Adventures for Kids”. I had threatened to name that book “Amen” as I assumed it would be my last book. But as it went through the publishing process…..
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