Mr. Blue is a very busy dragonfly

Mr. Blue Skimmer returned today... probably never left ... possibly the same one... I recognize the piece missing from his top left (his left, not yours!) wing, on the bottom of it.

                          

As I was driving away to school, my trunk filled with storage cubes of lesson files, books, and a stepladder, I looked to my left, wondering if there'd be any dragonflies hovering over the pond. Sure enough, I saw one.

                         

I stepped out of my car to take its picture, and just like the other day, a female flew through, and flit, buzz, buzz, boom... they're flying in tandem. I wasn't as successful capturing their brief interlude today, though I did manage to get a better picture of her washing the eggs off into the water.             

                            

I can understand, if it is the same one... he has the perfect arrangement: plenty of food, water, attractive surroundings,  females flying through on a regular basis, and a little pond for her to lay their eggs.

I'm supposing neither of them notice the tadpoles and frogs swimming in that pond. Sadly, their progeny are doomed.

And here's what I really wanted to show you today.... my new classroom!                        

                             

It's one of those trailer buildings... and it's huge inside. Air conditioned. Bathroom. Lots of cabinets and storage space. .... carpeted... I am delighted!

I was all prepared to move into the other classroom where I would be sharing the room with another EC teacher. I heard the news today after I dropped my things off.

I was asked did I want it? You bet I did!

                                                I AM SO EXCITED!

But I can't move in until after Monday when the former teacher of that classroom has moved her things out. She's moving into one of the newest classrooms, a wing just completed this summer.

This classroom I'm getting is about four times larger than what I had for the past seven years. I realize bigger isn't always better, and size has nothing to do with it, but it does when you have a lot of stuff to put away.

My own homebase classroom.... yeay! We have some scheduling details to work out, of course, but somehow we will make it work. Flexibility, collaboration, and good planning are going to be the keys.

Students come back on the 25th....

After speaking with the Assistant Principal, Principal, and a few other teachers, I can honestly say I'm getting excited about the new year.

I found the missing ingredient today.

                           Passion

New school blues?

I dragged my feet this morning. I did not want to go in. What would I do? I don't know where my students will be, and don't have a list yet of who they will be.

The anxiousness of starting all over was doing a good job of keeping me away from what I needed to do: I needed to get to school. Officially I go back on the 21st. Unofficially, I'm weaning myself away from home and into school.

I made a rather lengthy entry this morning, which, if you notice all the links and photographs, took me three hours to complete. Then I found out from Sugar that Krissy intended for the entry to go in Monday the 21st, not this week... I wasn't paying attention.

Still, on Monday the 21st, I won't be blogging much since I'll be in school. Seems it was good to post it early. I can always leave a brief link next Monday back to this morning's entry.

On the way to school, I bought lunch at a fast food. I figured if I took the lunch to school, and ate it in my classroom, I'd be doing something there that felt comfortable. I needed to do something that was familiar and comfortable because the room is so big, and I'm not used to such a spacious classroom. Sounds weird, but I don't know how else to respond to it.

I walked around the building, inside and out, getting my bearings, making sure I knew where I was, and what was where. I walked across a small playground, and had a brief feeling that I had been there before ... probably when my son went to kindergarten there! Nothing else felt familiar.

I ran across a few teachers, and introduced myself. That felt good, talking to teachers about scheduling.

The men working on the new wing had left a small pile of broken and half sized pieces of purple tile in a corner of the hall. I asked one of the workers what they were going to do with them... he said throw them away. I asked if I could have them... teachers, always collecting materials for something, even if they are not sure exactly what they are going to do with them. We'll think of something cool!

Maybe tomorrow I'll have a file cabinet to fill, and I can bring some of my boxes of books and things, get things in place.

I'll bring the camera tomorrow and take some pictures. That might help me get familiar with my new classroom. I'm feeling better already.

How are you other teachers doing out there?

My Past Year in J-Land

Krissy, at Sometimes I Think, suggested that folks wanting to honor the 3-Year AOL Birthday/Anniversary write a Monday entry called MY PAST YEAR IN J-LAND. I had not read of her celebration activity until this morning. I hope it isn't too late to submit!

I will be leaving to go to my classroom for the day soon, but I wanted to get this off first.

In fact, AOL Journals' three year anniversary coincides with my own year anniversary this August. I wrote about that a couple of weeks ago.

I'm going to highlight some of the things, and some of the changes that took place in my life and in my journal this past year.

As I mentioned in that previous entry, my journal began as a means to record my not so scientific observations of the progress made by a small colony of ants living within the space-age blue gel habitat I had bought at an educational toy store last summer. I was like a little kid during those last weeks before school started, constantly checking on the ants to see what they were doing, wondering about their behaviors. I thought my entries were quite interesting. Still do. It was called AntFarm Analogies back then. I changed the name, however, by the end of that first month to better reflect the nature of this evolving journal.

In September, 2005, the MOST EXCITING thing I have ever done to date (next to having a baby, of course) was when STARBASE came to our school, and a crew of NC National Guardsmen flew in on their Blackhawk helicopter.

                

Students watched it land in the ballfield next to our school. Ten teachers were chosen to ride in it (teachers of 4th and 5th grade, the Principal and Asst Principal)... I was among them!

                I wrote about it, and included pictures in my entry.

                     

This is me and one of the pilots just before we boarded the BlackHawk. He and his crew ate lunch with us that day. Do I look happy or what? My girlfriend, Alyson, snapped this picture. Friends have a camera ready for that special moment!

The flight was 20 minutes of pure thrill and joy, and when it was over, we were so proud of our National Guard. I had nearly fifty pictures to hold it all in our memories by end of day. Impressive and touching what those young men gave, of their time, patience, humor, and flight skills, to our students and staff that day.

                                               

Here, our Assistant Principal expresses all of our feelings, including joy, sadness, and patriotic pride for our military heroes with a final thumbs-up sign as they flew into the setting sun.

In October, some second grade students found a Big Fat Green Caterpillar in the playground.

                     

                                                     I kept it.           

                      

         It cocooned, and stayed in my home all through the winter..

By November, I was mentally exhausted, and since my husband had to work that day, we decided not to drive the two hours to have the Big T dinner with the family like we had been doing for years. We stayed home for a quiet restful day instead.

I was facing the awful truth by February, that blogging (blog is short for web log), or journaling had become an addiction for me. I spelled out the warning in my journal.

Flat Scalzi took a whirlwind tour of our country early last spring, visiting various J-landers... he came to visit me!.

For a few months, my siblings and I worried over my mother. She wavered between Georgia (just after Katrina hit Louisiana) and Alabama. I visited her in her Alabama home during Easter week ofthis year and found her to be happy.

I wrote about the turning points in my life during April... looking back, I wonder if even then the spiritual nudge was pushing me to change schools? I don't know....

Also in April, the caterpillar that had been cocooned since October emerged.

                                

We admired her, took her picture, then released the beautiful Giant Silk Moth, Polyphemus

                              

My husband's grandmother, just a few months shy of 100 years, died in May of this year. Her passing changed the dynamics of his family, and gave me some moments to ponder her life, and make an entry.

Also in May, I took the last photos of our last koi pond before Steve had to take it down. A freak hailstorm on Mother's Day beat the pond liner, tearing holes into it, causing irrepairable damage.

School let out in June. A little visitor in church said a few words that made us all smile. We marked our 31 years of marriage on June 14 by driving to Orlando and spending five days in five famous theme parks.

In July, of course, was our Vacation Bible School, which I wrote extensively about for nearly three weeks. J-landers probably got tired of seeing my journal entry alerts!

All through the year, many of you have read about and prayed for little 5 year-old Diego Santiago... I first mentioned him in my journal in April. For awhile it seemed he was getting better, but the cancer took its toll, but not his nor his family's faith that God would remain with them all. While I was away on a 2 1/2 day mountain retreat in West Jefferson, North Carolina, little Diego's brave fight came to an end on August 2nd. Cookie continues to struggle with what has happened in their little family, and asks that we continue to pray for them in losing the precious one, their youngest and only son. His story can be read at Diegoland in the CarePages. You will need a password to enter it, though, and it's easy to do once you get there.

                 

Most recently, I blogged about my great-nephews, the Tornadic Trio. The fireman and the teacher have a wonderful family... many happy years of raising children lay ahead of them.

It's been an eventful year... and I didn't even get into world events... each one of us has a story to tell. Here's where I tell mine.

If you would like to link your year in journaling, write up your entry, then go to Krissy's journal and leave a link in her comments. Or email her at fisherkristina@aol.com.

It's all part of the AOL Journals 3-Year Anniversary Celebration.

The Eagle Nebula

Once more, Mr. Scalzi sends us tripping into outer space, this time not with a tale from the pages of his soon to be released science fiction novel, but with a photo taken by NASA.

The photo he chose is here at ByTheWay. He challenges us to find a Hubble photo on the internet as well. Writes John:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Show off a favorite space photo from NASA. Challenge for the folks who participated in the Photo Shoot last year: Pick a new photo you love. Given all the amazing photos from NASA over the years of space exploration, this shouldn't be difficult.

The reason I specify pictures from NASA, incidentally, is that they are not copyrighted, so you have every right to use them however you want. You already paid for them with your taxes after all (except for those of you who aren't from the US, but we won't tell if you won't).

I didn't participate last year. But I selected this photo:

                                       

It's been one of my favorites ever since I saw it in a calendar a couple of years ago. Called Gas Pillars in the Eagle Nebula (M16): Pillars of Creation in a Star Forming Region. Click here for a larger version of it. It's quite a shot.

My guess is that I'm not going to be the only one selecting this photo. I'm sure someone chose it last year. What can I say? It's mysterious and splendid in this three dimensional image.

Looking at the picture, you wouldn't expect it to be merely light reflecting off of pillar-like clouds of dust and gases in space, but that is what you are looking at! I will not pretend to know and understand the description of its creation or even the process that created it, though it is artistically and scientifically explained in the text accompanying the photo.

Here's what I understand: God made it.

Simple, clear, and easy to understand when you believe that God made all things in the universe.

What is most interesting is that forming within these pillars of cool hydrogen gases are raw materials for building new stars...embryonic stars! Inside the pillars of gases are globules of even denser gases, containing the young stars. Someone has cleverly named them EGGs (Evaporating Gaseous Globules). If you are wondering how big one of these EGGs are, my source says that our solar system would fit nicely inside of one of them.

How they know this, I don't know, not my field of expertise... but here are some facts about this nebula: it is 2 million years old, is 7,000 light years from earth, contains the mass of 12,500 suns, and the right column is about one light year from top to bottom. Click here for source. 

If you want to see it for yourself, probably with a telescope, look into the Serpent constellation.

To read the complete story behind this picture and the subject of the photo, go to the Hubble Site News Center here. 

For starters.

 

Check out Stevie's AOL Journals Video!

Stevie's Tribute to AOL Journals in honor of AOL Journals' 3rd Anniversary/Birthday is nearly completed. He's still accepting pictures if you haven't sent yours in.

If you'd like a peek at the product, check out his journal, The Life of Stevie.

I had emailed him my picture when I first read that he was making the video, and sure enough, there I am in his tribute video! The music he picked to accompany it is perfect. What a clever and thoughtful gift to celebrate AOL Journals' 3rd Year.

If you are a J-Land Journaler, you may see some of your friends in the video. Also, he asks that if you did send in a picture, to preview the video to make sure he's got all the names spelled correctly.

What an awesome job, Stevie! I can't even imagine how much time you have put into this venture.

The Tornadic Trio strikes again!

I wrote about my nephew and his family visiting last weekend in a previous entry.

The Tornadic Trio (I just dubbed them that) and their patient parents arrived at my house here in NC last night between eleven and twelve o'clock. I'm accustomed to staying up past midnight during the summer months, so waiting up for them was not in the least any problem at all. Steve had already gone to bed (he gets up at 4 a.m. for work).

I was watching the movie, The Ron Clark Story, to get in the mood to return to school. Ron Clark is famous among teachers in the nation. He left a comfortable teaching position in a North Carolina school, moving to New York City to accept a position in an inner city school, one of the most challenging public schools in the country. To read more about this dynamic teacher, click here.

The boys had been sleeping in the van on the return trip from Georgia, so they were somewhat awake and ready to play by the time their feet hit the carpet. I could tell that mom and dad needed a break, some sleep, a good night's sleep, in fact. So, by one a.m., we were all in bed or on the blanket-covered floor for the night.

Early morning, I heard crying... I thought it might be Avery because he had not been feeling well. Seems he'd caught a cold germ from one of his cousins while in Ga. Common little cold viruses that just give us the sniffles have greater impact on Avery due to health related problems he was born with. When I heard his cough, I thought we'd be taking him to the doctor today, but later his parents said that was his normal cough.

But it wasn't Avery I'd heard crying. My nephew told me that Casey fell out of bed early this morning, and bumped his head on the lamp table. Ouch! Poor Casey! He's okay, though.

While I fixed breakfast (homemade oatmeal with cinnamon and sugar, and peanut butter toast, orange juice), the boys played amongst themselves on the floor at my feet. I was hoping their parents were getting a few extra Z's during this time.

                       

They appeared to be wrestling. Then I heard two of them talking (3-year old talk) to each other. Brody, the comedian, was telling Casey a story of some kind. Like they were pretending to be firemen, and he was telling Casey what to do. Avery watched on with his love-my-brothers smile.

                   

It is quite entertaining to listen to them talk to each other, their fascination with firemen and firehouses (which they know quite a bit about having visited their dad's firehouse).

Soon, Casey rediscovered our treadmill, and climbed it. Then he demonstrated how to slide down it like a fireman on a pole,

                             

while Brody explored my ancient collection of videos. Seems he heard his mother talking about buying some new movies to take with them on the road for the remainder of their trip back to Connecticut.

                                  

It wasn't long before the two of them discovered the fireplace. It must be in their genes, this attraction to climbing poles, and fireplaces.

                          

Ah, but Aunt Bea was smart, and she had tied twist ties into the metal mesh curtain to keep the boys out of her candles tucked away inside. That didn't stop the two. Brody encouraged Casey to break in, and when Casey gave up, Brody jumped in. He removed the brass pull quite effectively!

                                  

That's okay... it can be fixed. They ate breakfast, then mom and dad cleaned them up, packed their bag, and back on the road again for these five fine family members from up north. I wished them well, and I hope to see them again before too many years pass.

                            

I miss their little faces already. I think Tom and Becky are good parents, teaching their kids good manners, to be sensitive to others, and to share their toys, among other things. At three years old, these three little guys are happy, healthy, and hugely curious. As any three-year old should be.

Before they left, T and B told me they had a great visit in Georgia with their family, even got to see an uncle (my brother) they hadn't seen in quite awhile. I know my sister (A-B-C's grandmother) enjoyed having them at her house for part of the week. The other part, they visited Tom's sister, and a brother and his family, also in Georgia, and possibly some cousins. Tom has one brother in CT, and a sister (twin) in Arizona as well. It's tough when your family lives so far away like that.

Between the Ron Clark Story on TV, and the Tornadic Trio's visit, I was somewhat ready to enter my new classroom.

I went back to school today. Just to get a feel for the classroom, get oriented in the building, help the other EC teacher move everything back into place, put our desks where we want them to be. I didn't do much else, but at least I have an idea of what to bring into the classroom from home.

......(sigh).......

Who am I kidding?

I'm not ready to go back just yet.

Ten months in the classroom is a long stretch for a teacher.

The Great Blue Skimmer

I had a couple of visitors in my lotus pond garden today. Or, perhaps, I was the visitor.

I approached the lotus plants with caution, noting that many of the long stems were laying on the ground. It was their response to having some undergrowth and weeds pulled out from under their "feet," if you will. Growth that was providing a significant amount of support, it seems, for now many of the great round leaves are leaning and laying on the ground. Today, I shored them up, tying in sticks to brace the fallen stems until their roots get rooted again.

The dragonfly buzzed me before landing on a branch just above my head. He or she, I didn't know, but found out later, after doing a search, that most likely it was a he. A Great Blue Skimmer, as a matter of fact, and he was watching his territory, waiting for a female to pass through it. A female dragonfly, that is.

                         

Not a shy insect, the handsome dragonfly posed for me a few minutes, momentarily flitting away, then returning to another position, on a different branch or stem.  

I took a few pictures, he'd flit to another nearby branch, I took a few more, he buzzed to a lotus leaf, and so on. He lead, I followed. I guess I was helping him pass the time while he waited for a very special guest who had not yet arrived.

                                    

Suddenly, this little dance we were doing ... stop, pose, pose, pose, flit, buzzz, flit, stop, pose, pose... no longer held his interest. He buzzed away so fast, I ducked. Instead of one buzzing sound, I heard two, and with a quick manipulation of my head and by stepping back away from the pond, I was able to better view Mr. Blue and his new dance partner.

Before I realized she was the mate he sought, they were simply two dragonflies, one pursuing the other. It took only a moment for me to recognize the real drama playing out in my yard, so I stepped back to watch. A few seconds of pursuing, and then he had her, and the two flew in tandem.

Another second passed before I remembered I had a camera in my hand. I started clicking away, but they moved so fast, in tandem, flying in and around the lotus leaves. I gave them space, snapped three pictures, hoping for a decent shot, not able to see on the monitor what I was getting.

                 They flew in tandem like this for just a few seconds, and then he landed on the edge of a lotus leaf.

He's the one on top holding her head with some little claws at the end of his abdomen. I read that the female dragonfly is often injured (usually her eyes) during this violent procedure. She's extending the tip of her abdomen into his thorax, where he keeps the sperm.

                   

CloseUp of dragonfly eye. (photo by permission of Will Cook, at Digital Dragonflies)

They separated, and he hovered about the stems growing from the pond while she repeatedly dipped her abdomen into the pond water, washing off the eggs. I read that he does this to ensure that she lays the eggs safely without interruption. In other words, to make sure no other dragonfly comes by to snatch her away for his own propagation, or no other predator swoops down upon her for a meal. If this were to happen, the male would chase them away.

Here he is hovering.  

I took pictures of her egg laying maneuvers, but none of them were clear enough to use.

When I was able to get a better look at him after the mating, I was surprised at the wear and tear he had been through. Scroll up and look at the barely touched wings of the male dragonfly before, then look at him after. He looks a little bedraggled. I thought it was the female at first, but now I'm sure it is the same male dragonfly.

 Dragonflies are carniverous, eating mosquitos, small fish, tadpoles, and even each other. For some really great pictures of dragonflies, click here.

I was only outside around the lotus leaves for a few minutes, during which the entire mating ritual of the Great Blue Skimmer took place.

I'm always surprised when I walk outside and notice something going on in the animal kingdom that I hadn't noticed from the chair at my computer. But from the chair of my computer, I can find out more details, and learn more about what I saw outside!

A pleasant melding of technology and living.