It's a Saturnidae! Pupa, that is.

It's Friday and what am I doing? You're reading this, so you know already.

I followed a link that septinx left me (at the previous cocoon entry) to find out about the caterpillar/cocoon, and from there began a search to identify it.

Also, having identified it, I wanted to know how to keep my precious cocoon over-winter, and wondered how long it could stand the cold. These are the questions I had as I searched, and guess what? I found the answers to how to keep the larva/pupa overwinter!

For now, I really don't care if it is a Luna or a Polyphemus (right now, it could be either). They both are in the same family of saturnidae, or Giant Silkworm Moths, both stunning in color and size.

I learned that caterpillars make "a decision" by some inner workings (established at the moment of creation, I wonder?) whether to pupate and emerge from their cocoons in the early fall, or pupate over the winter.

Apparently mine made the decision to pupate over the winter. I have to make sure it stays relatively cold, above freezing temperatures, and keep it from predators who might want to have a feast on him. He is safe in his bug barn, and he's cold enough in our very cold garage. If the winter becomes too warm, I may have to set him up in the refrigerator.

The biggest problem he will face when he emerges is that the bug barn is too small for his wings to expand properly, so I've got to figure out a way to get him out of the box before his wings stretch out completely. The box is made of wood and wire. I could dismantle the box, which is nicely painted and looks pretty, and will be completely destroyed if I try to take it apart.

Any suggestions on how to save both the moth and the bug barn?

Dr. Seuss Books Answer to Question

Regarding the question I asked in Preparing Students to Read, an entry I made a couple of days ago, I do have the answers for those who have been wondering. Following is an excerpt from the entry:

"Prior to school starting, between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m., I visited our school library, asked the media specialist to direct me to the Dr. Seuss books, then checked out 8 different books for the students to view while they looked for common elements among his books. I included what I knew to be his first published book, the last book he wrote, and the book with the shortest number of different words (50). ...

Bonus Question: Can you provide names of the books mentioned in the last sentence of paragraph 6?"

Here are the names of the books.

Dr. Seuss' first published book: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.

His book with the least number of different words (fifty):  Green Eggs and Ham.

The last book he wrote: Oh, the Places You'll Go!, published when he was 86 years old!

Other trivia:

Cat in the Hat took him a year to write.

In 1984 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his work in children's literature.

He died in 1991.

I'd write more but the week is catching up to me and I'm about to hit the pillow for some serious snooze.

What was your favorite children's book growing up? Doesn't have to be a Dr. Seuss. I remember my mother reading from a set of classics out loud to me and my sister before we went to sleep. I recall I couldn't get enough of Black Beauty and Heidi.

Mom will never read this blog as she doesn't have internet access, but I'm sure I owe my love for reading to those early moments of hearing her voice bring the stories to life for me. She claims she never read to us that often, but she must have done it during that window of opportunity, when I was impressionable to the effect of the word read out loud, the years between infancy and school age.

She has said the same thing about our faith. She says she seldom took us to church, and I remember that to be true, however, she made us go, and because we went, we were marked for life! Proof that what you teach your kids when they are very young is going to stay with them, and make them who they will basically be when they grow up.

I am grateful for that. Thanks, mom.

First Picture of the Year 2006 Photo Shoot

                            

In response to John's Blog Photo Shoot, here is my first photo of the year. Well, one of the more acceptable ones. You see, my friends and I like to be silly once in awhile, and I must admit that they are fonder of being silly more often than I.

It's why I like them, I suppose. We balance each other out, guaranteeing that the silliness doesn't get out of control and interfere with our broader relationship with the world, and the somberness doesn't set in too deep or prevent us from getting up in the morning.

I thought about adding the photo to the original entry, but the picture gives a different slant on the evening and somewhat takes away from the spiritual quality of that special time as I remember it (if you are not familiar with the terrain here or haven't read the original entry, just click on the highlighted words original entry above to take you to the New Year's Eve reflection for the complete story.)

There were other friends and neighbors at the Patterson Park firepit this New Year's Eve, including our husbands, and their children who ranged in ages from 8 to17, but I didn't get the necessary permission to add them to this public viewing place. Suffice it to say that there was a good balance of silliness and serious reflection for all of us.

These lovely ladies have a special message for you:

Watch what you say this year... words can cut deep.

Don't listen to everything you hear from people, especially when it makes someone look bad.

And if you see someone naked, don't look, unless you are married to him!

Yes, morals are still alive and well in our neck of the woods. I told you we balanced silly and somber.

Preparing Students to Read

1. It was a good first day of school in 2006. All my plans were in place, allowing for some flexibility should there be unexpected interruptions. For today, at least, the day went as planned, all students were present, and all classes followed the established routine. I felt completely rested and rejuvenated from the week of slack, and I think the kids noticed it, too.

2. Even they were in an agreeable frame of mind, getting along with those who usually annoy them. There seemed to be an extra dose of patience among them all.

3. I had planned to introduce a biography of Dr. Seuss during the fifth grade reading class to teach the reading concept of distinguishing between fact and opinion. I wanted to really grab their interest, make them want to learn more about this famous children's author as they practiced their reading skills.

4. Anticipating that two or three of the students would have critical comments in regard to what they feel is a little kids book writer, I had made up 20 questions about the author. One on each of an index card. I told them to select two cards from the stack, face down. After everyone had a card, I called on each one of them to read out loud one of their questions. Then, if they could answer it, or someone else could, that was great, and if not, well, they had a reason to read the book to find the answer.

5. A couple of questions piqued the kids' curiosity. Why would Dr. Seuss join the army during the war when his advertisement/cartoon career was already successful? How did he get the idea for the story of an elephant sitting in a tree, Horton Hatches an Egg? Which was his first published book? Why would it take him months to write one little children's book? Where did he get his ideas for the characters and settings of his books? ... and so on.

6. Prior to school starting, between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m., I visited our school library, asked the media specialist to direct me to the Dr. Seuss books, then checked out 8 different books for the students to view while they looked for common elements among his books. I included what I knew to be his first published book, the last book he wrote, and the book with the shortest number of different words (50).

7. Their participation was animated, their answers reasonable, and by the time all 20 questions had been asked, several had even raised their own questions. One girl wanted to know why he changed his name, and another wanted to know if his first publishers were still alive, and which war did he fight in, anyway? The few who had reservations about reading How the Cat Got His Hat were so intrigued by all the questions raised, for which they didn't know most of the answers, and for which did make them ask their own, that they were indeed ready to read more about the author of Green Eggs and Ham.

8. Being able to discern fact from opinion is a practical, real world skill. Reading a biography, certainly one written with children in mind, is always a good choice for teaching it. And that, my friend, is my opinion!

Bonus Question: Can you provide names of the books mentioned in the last sentence of paragraph 6?

It's Been Great Journal Hopping!

It's been a great week ... really it has. But it all ends tomorrow for me. In regard to journal hopping, that is.

I have added more post alerts this past week than I have during the past six months. My buddy list has grown, and I've even added several of my new found friends to my address book so I can keep in touch.

But school begins tomorrow, and my focus will be there for a good deal of the weekdays, as it should be. I'm excited about returning, my plans are written, my classroom floor is waxed and shiny ( I saw it today when I went in for awhile), and I have some new books to bring to class to read aloud from time to time. Only the best for my kids I usually say. I want them to have the best of me as well.

I don't think I'll have a problem journaling each day. Possibly getting around to everyone's journal to see what's happening in their lives will be where I may come up short. So, to Penny, Donna, and Cathy, Jackie, Becky, Natalie, Lori, and Robin,  Sugar, Cyndi, Trish, and Linda, the other Jackie, Dave, John, and Joe, and finally Karen, I've enjoyed the past two weeks, and hope to continue in some way to stay in touch. There have been others who have visited me, and I them, but I don't have everyone's website address yet. I look forward to reading your entries at the end of each day. Make me proud!

Keep me in your prayers as school begins... and I will remember each of you with your special requests that you have mentioned at one time or another.

I still have not posted my first picture of the year, but I am waiting for permission from the other two who are with me in the photo.

Come back... I still have lots to write about.

Why I Write Much

So, my New Year's Resolution is brevity over verbosity.

That's going to be difficult, you see, because I don't talk much. I write much. I think I write more than I talk because I don't talk much around other people. I do a lot of listening in public places, even at friends' and family's homes. Especially on the phone.

I don't talk much because I'm not a quick thinker. My response time is slow... real slow, unless it's an emergency. One year I took First Responder Training. I can respond quickly in an emergency, but when talking is involved, I need plenty of listening time, to go over in my mind what I'm hearing, to make sure I understand what is being said. If it's important enough, I will ask questions to clarify.

When I was younger, it embarrassed me that I took so long to understand what another person had said to me. Especially in a situation where exchanges of wittiness were taking place, mine would be slow and hesitant, and I'd feel stupid afterwards when I could think of very clever things to say.

But now, being older and wiser, I realize that not talking is a gift as well. Holding back comments, whether you don't know what to say , you don't want to hurt their feelings, or you don't think it's appropriate to say, can be a strength and a desirable quality these days. What a great way to diffuse an argument (you don't want to contribute to) than to say nothing when that person needs someone to react defensively, or wants you to get angry. Works like a charm. When all the name calling is done, you get to walk away with no regrets, no harm done, no wounds dealt. No apologies needed.

Withholding words is a practical tactic in many situations, but there are times you shouldn't withhold what's on your mind. For instance, if you know something about another person, your speaking to the appropriate authority or community leader can cause others to get involved in helping the person or family out of their predicament.

But as far as small talk and social conversation, sometimes witholding is the appropriate action to take. I have caused more problems with my wagging tongue in the past than I care to admit. As a result, I don't talk much. What I don't say is more valuable than what I do say. And what I do say is going to come out for the good of another, not for their demise. Our words can destroy another person, or at least deflect what might have been for them. You can cause a lot of havoc in a person's life by saying criticisms about them to your friends.

It all begins with the thinking. Think negative things about another, then say something negative about them, and the next thing you know, they are experiencing negative relationships.

So, forgive me if I write too much now and then. Still, it is my goal to be more concise with my language. And brief. There!

New Year 2006

We had planned to spend the evening with some 200 of my husband's co-workers at the Marriott in Greensboro for New year's celebration. I was all dressed up and appropriately glittery in black pants and silver and gold high heels that squeezed my toes but looked great with my outfit.

I had wondered how I was going to survive six hours of "partying" when I don't even like to drink. But the food was good, and by 8:00 the buffet dinner was taken away, the lights were dimmed, and the deejay stepped onto the dance floor to welcome all of us and invited us to come out and dance.

Well, he tried, he really did, and for most of the songs he played, dancers stepped out and showed their stuff.  He played something from the 50's, from the 60's, from the 70's, and so on, trying to find the pulse of the people. He didn't find ours.

Steve and I waited for something we could really feel like dancing to, but we never heard it. Usually, just one note of "My Girl," and we're on the dance floor for slow dancing, and after that, we're warmed up and will dance to anything. But we never heard a single familiar note of anything close to "My Girl" to stir our blood.

By 9:00, the names were drawn for door prizes. Everyone got something. Steve got gift certificates to eat at some local restaurants... I was hoping he'd get the shopping spree at Best Buy, but hey, going out for dinner is nice too. It took an hour to go through all the names in the basket, and by 10:00 or so, the deejay fired up the music again.

We waited for about fifteen more minutes, giving the guy a chance to pick some really good music, but the tunes he was playing didn't strike our fancies. After awhile, I looked around our table, where previously eight people had sat and dined together. There was no one left at our table but the two of us. And not one of them had said goodbye as they slipped away! Certainly, we had only met just this evening, but I would have said goodbye to someone I had spent joint time eating and drinking, and socializing for an hour.

Well, we just looked at each other and thought the same thing. Let's go home and bring in the new year with our friends andneighbors. We knew where they'd be... out in their backyard with a bonfire burning bright. And they like us! They would never leave without saying goodbye. So we drove back home.

We went home to change into suitable back yard clothing for cold weather... no snow, just cold, and got back to their house at about 11:30 pm. Their warm welcome as we joined them around the firepit gave proof that leaving the company party had been the right thing to do.

After watching the ball drop in New York Time Square, we toasted with champagne, the kids had sparkly grape juice, then we circled around the firepit once more, where the heart of the evening began. I could tell you that some silliness occurred, because it did, but we were as good as home in the comfort and safety of our friends' backyard.

Alyson asked us each to tell about our blessings of the year, and to make a resolution for each other for 2006, to help those who could not come up with one on their own. I told them mine: to be more organized. But each one of them came up with one for me anyway. 

Beth's resolution for me was to "do more of this (she gestured a circle to indicated communication) with us " and she gestured a larger circle encompassing everyone sitting around the fire.  I got the meaning, and agreed. I do need to spend more time with my friends and neighbors because they are important to me. More than once a year. We get along too well to let the opportunity of being more than neighbors pass us by.

I expect this year that Steve, M, R, and J will plan a deep sea fishing trip (my resolution for them) and Alyson will expand Patterson Park (their yard), Beth will get more PDA from her husband. D will get more lunchtime visits from his adult friends, and he will give me a tour of his school campus (NC School of Science and Math in Durham).

Nothing like a cold New Year's Eve, a circle of fire, and a clear, starry night to bring out what's important among friends.

PS photo of me and two of my friends in entry dated 1-4-06.