Rosie Writes!: May 2015

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Beautiful Winterwood Lakeside Cottage Visit May 2015

View from our balcony

Our outside dining

Dusk

View from the bedroom

Lots of walking

Wild flowers everywhere

One of many "road" pictures

My feet are in Winterwood

Our cottage that overlooks the lake

This definitely must have a story to go with it.

Welcoming, huh! ha

See the tiny mushroom?

Grand Entrance

Prayer garden

Babbling brook for real

Ron taking a close-up

Prayer spot

Jorden Orin was born on my birthday! His parents own Winterwood.

What a birthday! May 20, 2015

Winterwood Cottage is a perfect place to start a birthday. After spending the morning reading, writing, and a couple of cups of coffee sitting on the porch overlooking the lake, Ron and I headed toward Rogers. This was quite a trek and consisted of a lot of curves but we were rewarded with beautiful scenery along the way. While riding I received my yearly birthday call from W. L. McCulloch, my dear childhood friend. He never forgets and I look forward to his call.

Once we reached Rogers, we went to the Chrystal Bridges Art Museum. I had heard that this was a spectacular place and we were not disappointed. The building and grounds alone were a sight to behold. Of course, a little sunshine would have made it glow even more, but the temps were cool and we were grateful for that. The art was more than we could cover in one day but we did see some wonderful art pieces and I will include some of them in this post. It was a wonderful experience and I would like to go back.

Crystal Bridges Art Museum

Rosie the Riveter

Georgia O'Keefe

Beethoven's Trumpet (With ear) - John Baldessari

Dolly Parton - Andy Warhol

Lunar Rendezvous - Circle of Flowers by Alma Thomas

Around 4:30 we arrived at my cousin, Anita Sue's home. Anita has lived in Rogers for many years. She recently retired from being the Dean of the English Department at Northwest Arkansas Community College. She has been so happy here personally and professionally. Our mothers were best friends and both shared the characteristic of never letting any grass grow under their feet, a tradition that Anita and I are successfully carrying on. Anita made us feel so welcomed and was such a fabulous hostess. We have always been close and I treasure these times we can spend together.

We had my birthday dinner at a place called Crabby's where the food, drink, and fun were definitely present. Our waiter was excellent and we could not have asked for a better celebration. After being given my creme brule to take with me, we left and went back to Anita's for a scrumptuous dessert that she had prepared. After a little more visiting we had to say our good-byes because Ron and I really didn't want to get caught in the mountains when it got dark.

So much for that plan! We decided to try a "short cut" and got a little lost. We found our way back to the main road eventually, of course, but it was a little stressful and we were so happy to get back to Winterwood safely. We got comfy and watched my traditional birthday movie, "You've Got Mail" before going to bed. Actually we weren't able to finish it because we fell asleep. We will finish it later today.

So, that was my birthday. There was only one other surprise that I didn't find out about until today.

Sativa and Eric, the owners of Winterwood have been expecting a baby that was predicted for next week or the next. Well, guess what! Jordan was born yesterday on my birthday! Eric called this morning to tell us the great news! I just think that is the coolest thing.

It is a beautiful day and Ron and I are going to go walking in awhile. This has been a wonderful trip and it will be hard to leave. But, we will return......

Winterwood: What Are Those Sounds?

Reflecting on My New Pups!

2015 Coppell Cadre with Dean Thomas!!

It is Thursday, May 14th, 2015, and I am sitting by the window at one of my local Starbucks "offices" enjoying the beautiful day. A few minutes ago I completed all of my grades, which means I have officially wrapped up my semester. This is always a bittersweet time for me because I have attachment issues with my students and that has genuinely been the case with this Coppell cadre pictured below. I could tell the first day of class in January that they were going to be a special group. Even though they might have looked a little sleepy-eyed and had a normal sense of apprehension, I could tell that they really wanted to learn about teaching kids and becoming the best teachers possible. In order to do that they would be expected to be in class, be there on time, do quality work and make the effort to quit thinking like a student and begin thinking like a teacher. I am happy to write that this is exactly what they did. By the end of the semester, they had established a trust within their cadre and a love and support system for each other that will continue throughout.

They know the importance of establishing this same community in their future classrooms and they know about the power of their words. Somewhere along the way, they also learned about keeping the dignity of a child, teaching kids to write with the help of researching great gurus, writing their own lessons, sharing ideas, and maybe even a thing or two from me. They were like butterflies ready to take off and as hard as it was, I had to let them go! I know they will fly high and add beauty to this world, and I know they will remember to ask themselves, "Where are my feet?"

I am so very fortunate to still be able to live my dream of being a teacher. There have been many who have come before this group and there will be 19 new ones in the fall. I feel so blessed to cross paths with students and attempt to help them along the journey that I have taken and continue to take.

Yes, I am definitely the lucky one.