No Time

to think 

or take a drink

to have a smoke 

or tell a joke

just kicking butt

one more time

to make this school mine

checking the weather report

all the time

today will be sublime

(just joking folks 

about the smokes

will do anything for a rhyme)

For those who don't know, they called me back to Freedom Elementary to run the after school program for 5 weeks until a new site coordinator (hopefully a woman from San Diego) can take over. Will probably spend a little time with her going over the basics, then have my life back. The money's good, the challenge is, well challenging, and it feels great to see the smiles from teachers who remember me from last May. 

Thank Goodness for Sons

Just a quick post to let folks know I'm still kicking. John and I just spent  2 days cleaning out one of the storage units (except for the furniture!) and 2 days having a yard sale. It was pretty successful for both of us. Not much income but lots of stuff gone (including a huge load going to Goodwill!)

Starting tomorrow I will be working for after school again in Watsonville, filling in until their new After School coordinator comes on board September 25. Hopefully, the days won't be too long. And I'll have enough energy left over to keep the ole blog going!

Angelina Beloff

Diego met sculptor Angelina Beloff during his stay in Belgium in 1909. They married two years later and had a son who died at 14 months. In spite of Diego’s relationships with other women, they remained married until Diego returned to Mexico in 1921. Unable to collect court ordered alimony, Beloff supported herself teaching sculpture classes.

Diego at 20

 

As a teenager, Diego studied at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts where he discovered the work of the indigenous Mexican artists from the period before the arrival of the Spaniards. In 1906 at the age of 20, he left for Europe where he immersed himself in the work of French, Italian, and Spanish artists. Finally, in 1921, he was ready to return to Mexico where he would find his voice as a muralist.

Diego Rivera

Diego Rivera (and his twin brother, Carlos, on the left) were born December 8, 1886 in Guanajuato, Mexico. (Carlos died two years later.) Diego began drawing at the age of 3. To save the walls, his father build him a studio with canvas covered walls. 

Need a Break?

Drop everything and get out the peanut butter and jelly!

A Long Time Ago in a Faraway Place

I left Lueders, TX, in December, 1954. This photo of the football team was taken two years later. My "true love," Johnny Lambert, is the last boy in the bottom row. I saw him only once afterwards when my father and stepmother took me by to see Granddaddy Clark. Johnny heard that I was in town (his family ran the telephone office) and came over to say hello. An awkward, self-conscious preteen, I was so embarrassed I wouldn't talk to him. I heard  later that he died young. I never forgave myself for such foolish disregard of his feelings.

Moving Forward

This is only the first step, but a very promising step. Tell your state representatives how you feel on this. It does matter! A lot!

She Feels

flat, cold, lifeless

no shape or dimension

no meaning

anger without outlet

hurt without release

unresolved, unrealistic

unacceptable

unable to face the truth

unwilling to take the risk

to break the bond

let go of the last chance

to make amends

to let go of the disappointment

and accept the raw reality

Jellyfish Clouds

 

Jellyfish Clouds: I'd never heard this term until today but it seems totally appropriate.

I Worry

about leaders who do not listen
parents who no longer care
children who go to bed hungry
or die of curable diseases
politician without morals
voters who don't vote
species that disappear
floods that could be prevented
earthquakes and fallen villages
tornadoes and hurricanes
birds buried in tar
old people afraid to go outside
families losing their homes
lost languages
lost souls
lost hope

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

"But it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then." Alice

First published August 2, 1865, Lewis Carroll's story is subject to many interpretations and adaptations. But for children everywhere, it opened the door to new worlds and provided an ongoing source of both dreams and nightmares. 

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam

Watching Monty Python on tv with Cindy (Monty Python: Almost the Truth, IFC), I'm reminded of the role Spam played in my childhood. 

Using her Mouli (from France, you know), Mom would grind up Spam with pickle, onion, and mayonnaise and spread it on slices of white bread. It  felt very exotic!

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