Summertime Garden

How fast the summer goes by! Here we are all through July and it feels like only a few days since school ended. We’ve had awesome weather here for the last few weeks and I have been doing lots of walking and gardening. I weed a lot since I don’t use much in the way of pesticides – afraid of harming bees mostly (but also pets, birds, or other wildlife). I really enjoy the buzzing of bees – little collector boats headed for the honeycomb. If you’re calm and observant, they will amaze you as they navigate from roses to geraniums, from daisies to dianthus. It’s a good thing they aren’t built for flight, cause they really get around – one of the miracles of nature, I suppose.

I may enjoy a lot of insect life, but ants are the exception. These have to be some of the most successful creatures on the face of the earth. You may not like them, but you have to admire their tenacity. You think you’ve wiped out a nest today, and guess what? A week down the road they’ve rebuilt and are hungrily scouting the garden once more. I don’t mind them so much way in the back, but when their little armoured bodies start zig-zagging onto the deck I have to take drastic measures. Having googled everything from boiling water to baby powder to cream of wheat, the environmentally friendly deterrents are only somewhat effective. I’ve gone through a lot of vinegar and soapy water without the desired results. If their numbers don’t diminish soon, a Raid could be in their future.

Here are some pics of my garden (minus my little black foes).
　

　
　

　

Start of Summer Holidays



Gardening in our bug suits 



Two weeks into the summer and I am having a wonderful time so far. First of all one of my sisters came to visit for a week. We went to  the Labrador Interpretation Center in North West River, made a trip to Muskrat Falls, and as the picture attests, spent some time digging in the garden and potting plants for the patio.  What a great way to kick off the summer holidays! Having family around is something I miss up here in the Big Land. Even though with today’s shrinking world, no one is ever too far away. A short trip by plane brings me to all the Atlantic provinces where most of my family reside. When I get enough points, I’ll head west and visit my other sister who lives in beautiful British Colombia.

How fortunate we are to be able to keep in touch with family and friends across the country or even around the world for that matter! Our parents never knew what it was to hop on a plane and go somewhere just for a visit. This was undertaken only after much preparation and long deliberation. Travel for the sake of travel… unheard of! A couple of decades later and my older brother and sister have travelled extensively… Europe, Australia, North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Me - not so much. While I like to see new places, I prefer to go see my people. Visits with family and friends, that’s where it’s at for me. Maybe when I retire I’ll set off in new directions. For now, I’m content to stick to the North American Continent and pass my time with people who are near and dear to my heart.   





School's out - Youpi!

It's been one roller coaster of a year but now that it's done I can take a few days to decompress.  Once upon a time we would say that the school year is winding down.  Now we say it's the mad dash to the finish line!  Rush, rush, rush!  Get the exams corrected, the marks tabulated, the report cards submitted, the classrooms cleaned up the paperwork finished! 

With all this brou ha ha, it's easy to get sidetracked.  Despite that, we should try to take time to do the little things that give people a lift and brighten their day.  I  like to thank the people who keep me going all year - the maintenance people, the janitors, the secretaries...  They are called SUPPORT staff for a reason! Without them, we couldn't possibly do our jobs as well.  That's why God invented Tim's and beautiful greenhouses - as a way of expressing how much we appreciate others. 

We also say good-bye to our students each year, most moving on to another grade and many going on to the high school.  They rush out or linger a little depending on their circumstance... some with big grins, others blinking back tears. Mixed emotions surge forward when they have to part from school friends for the summer - and at 12 or 13 friends are sooooo important!

But these are all rites of passage.  The cycling seasons, the lazy (or crazy) summer days.  Summertime - time for  relaxing or completing projects.... Whether you are golfing or gardening, traveling or studying,  making new friends or spending time with family - be safe, be happy, be kind to each other!   

Time Capsules

Hey there, it’s been awhile!  It’s been a whirlwind since the Easter Break began.  Convention 2011 was a big event for me, keeping me busy before, during and after.  As soon as I landed back in Goose Bay, it was right back to school and we haven’t slacked since!

One highlight for me in May month was the Mealy Mountain Safe Grad!  The Grade Six  class of 2004-2005 at Queen of Peace School prepared “des capsules historiques” as a project in their Core French classes.  When we did them, we didn’t want to open them right away.  It seemed better to have a significant amount of time elapse before opening these “time capsules”.  So, I promised to keep them and bring them to safe-grad when they graduated high school.  Off and on through the years a student would come up to me and say “Miss, do you remember the time-capsules we did?  Do you still have them?”  I would always repeat my promise.

 I haven’t seen many students since that night but I hear they got a charge out of them.  What seemed so important as a twelve year old was hilarious at seventeen!  Other things, photos, momentos, cd’s and letters provided a sentimental look back for these young men and women on the threshold of adulthood. 

Congrats to all of the graduating class of 2011!

March Breakdown - April Outrage!

My  SigOth's daughter gave me this bag at the beginning of the school year.  She thought it was a great summary of the life of a teacher (lol).  I got a chuckle out of most of them but was a little perplexed by the March and April captions. Now, having almost survived the very l-o-n-g stretch between Christmas and Easter this year (only two more days to go) I have come to appreciate them. While most of North America have a March or Spring Break, here in NL we had to wait until Easter... and Easter is very, very late this year!

You can look for this bag at http://www.towel-totes-more.com/
Thanks to http://www.dowlinggraphics.com/ for permission to use this graphic.

On the Campaign Trail

There's a Federal Election on the go now but that is not my campaign trail.

Any teachers out there know that the NLTA is holding its Biennial General Meeting in April. At this time delegates to the convention will elect the Provincial Executive Council which will serve the Association for the next two years. Because I want to improve the situation of teachers in our province, I am again offering myself as a candidate.

 

What a Day at Birch Brook!

YES!  Mother Nature smiled on us big-time.  She gifted us a Large Labrador Day with the sun shining, the wind hiding and temperatures just below freezing.  The trails were fast, the company was jovial and the food delicious.  What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!  Around forty people of all ages came to participate in one of the last outings of the winter season:  active teachers, retired and substitute teachers, toddlers, kiddos and teenagers. We could feel the energy as we set out - with skis and snowshoes getting a fine workout.  Back at the Birch Brook Ski Chalet, children got their fingers into cupcakes and crafting supplies, and adults stopped by the scrapbooking corner.  Thanks to President, Janet Byrne-Turpin and the Lake Melville Branch Executive for organizing this event and a bigger thank-you to everyone who attended. You made the NLTA Family Day a fun time.  Hope to see you all again next year!  

Postponed due to Weather!

This year we have not had a single “snow day” in  HV-GB.  Ironically, Mother Nature decided to give us one last Sunday and our NLTA Family Fun Day had to be postponed. The North West River Road was in poor condition and we had to put safety first!  As a result, we all found ourselves with a bunch of food to dispose of….for me it was lasagne, for others a variety main dishes, salads and cupcakes. But you know, as problems go, that`s a good one to have.   I’ve still got my snowshoes waiting impatiently in their corner of the porch and I`m looking worriedly out my window this evening, hoping the weather will improve for tomorrow.  If not, I`ll be eating chicken wings all week. J

NLTA Family Fun Day

Ah,  summer!  Looking out my window it’s hard to believe that it is so close. Just around the corner as they say…. The sun is glistening on the snow and we are finalizing our plans for our branch’s Family Fun Day at the ski chalet next Sunday. Embracing the season whether it is the lovely, long summer evenings or a large Labrador day on the ski trails, we can find opportunities to re-energize, to socialize and to relax with family and friends.  This event has become an annual one since we hosted the CAPTO conference some years ago.  Every year it grows a little more …. We have sliding and snowshoeing, skiing and playing in the snow.  Indoors there’s a potluck supper with an incredible assortment of food.  We ask people to bring their outdoor gear and a dish to share and guess what?  We are never left wanting.  We also encourage anyone with musical talents to bring along their instruments - a sing-a-long or a toe tapping accordion tune never goes astray!

This year our venue has changed to the brand new chalet at Birch Brook.  We’d like to thank the NLTA for providing us with a little additional funding so we can provide our members with that little extra – in this case, access to the beautifully groomed trails.  Indoors there will be crafts for the kiddies and for the first time crafts for the adults! Yes, we are preparing a scrap-book to commemorate the
120th anniversary of the NLTA and members are encouraged to stop by the scrapbook corner to help design a page.  So, anyone who likes scrap-booking,  here’s a chance to showcase your skills. 

This is a Family Fun Day but feel free to come with or without kiddos.  Singles can still take part in the festivities.  Substitute and retired teachers are always welcome.  Let’s hope next Sunday is as beautiful as today! 

Surprise! Surprise!

This week I conspired with the kids in school. What is a teacher doing conspiring with kids?  Well it goes a little like this.  A very sweet Grade 6 student knocked politely on my door one day and asked if we could have French class in her home-room this Friday instead of in my regular classroom.  Curious, I had to ask why.  “Well, she said, “it’s Miss’ birthday and the class is planning a surprise party for her.  And you know, we wondered if we could have five minutes of your class just to decorate and set up the food and the cake.”  I readily agreed. “Oh, and could you ask Miss if you can use our classroom.  That way, she won’t suspect that we have a surprise planned.”

Well, we made up an excuse and got the room.  Those kids were so organized… They had all their supplies hidden in another teacher’s class – stashed on a trolley for quick transport and the whole works of them blew up balloons, re-arranged furniture and posted Happy Birthday banners in record time.  They selected the most rocking birthday song for the smartboard and were well concealed when their teacher arrived!  “Surprise!”  Yes Miss was certainly surprised and so was I.  What a wonderful way to express how much they cared about their teacher. What a beautiful, simple gesture… made even more so since it was initiated by the children, planned by the children and very much appreciated by their teachers.  We should never forget to take time out to celebrate how much we care for one another.

Beautiful

A lovely reminder  of things to come as we head for summer...