May 31, 2010
Day 151 - Memorial Day
As a Nation, many of us have today off in honor of Memorial Day. Families and friends gather to celebrate with picnics and fun. I hope we all remember to pause and give thanks to the many men and women who have given their lives defending our Country. My Dad was in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict. This medal is on display at Memorial Park here in Arlington Heights. Thank you to all who have given unselfishly!
May 30, 2010
Day 150 - Cubbies
We saw a Chicago Cubs game on this very hot May day. We weren't actually in the ballpark, but had rooftop tickets nearby. A teacher friend was selling the tickets to raise funds for her son's baseball team. I had never watched a game from a rooftop before, so I enjoyed the new experience. Unfortunately, our Cubbies got beat.
May 29, 2010
Day 149 - Birdbath
My dear husband scrubbed out the birdbath and filled it with fresh water today. I haven't seen any birds taking a bath yet, but I'm sure they will find this nice respite from the hot weather soon.
May 28, 2010
Day 148 - Native plant
This native plant is growing well in my garden this year. Two years ago, my brother, who is a master of native prairie plants, gave me a small cutting of this plant. I brought it home and stuck it in my garden. Last year it began to grow a bit, but stayed small and never bloomed. This year, it is getting big and looks like it will be blooming soon. I sent an email with a photo to my brother, unfortunately he can't identify the plant. Can anyone else ID this whispy plant?
May 27, 2010
Day 147 - Peonies 2
These cut peonies are from my garden (see my photo from 5/25/10). I love the smell of peonies in the house! This may be the only batch I get to bring inside this year as they are fading fast outside because of the heat.
May 26, 2010
Day 146 - Sunflowers
Here's another great display of art from students at the school I was subbing at today. Just like a real patch of sunflowers, at first glance, it looks like all the sunflowers are identical. But, upon closer examination, we see that they are all different and all beautiful, much like the children who created them.
May 25, 2010
Day 145 - Peonies
Our peonies burst into full bloom over the weekend. Unfortunately, due to our unseasonably hot weather, they are fading fast. The original peony plants came from my mom and grandmother. They are a beautiful reminder of two beautiful women!
May 24, 2010
Day 144 - Concert!
Tonight my husband and I attended an awesome concert, James Taylor and Carole King playing at Allstate Arena. They were two of my favorite singers back in the '70s and they didn't disappoint us tonight. They played for over two hours and came back for two encores for the sold out crowd. A big difference between the concerts 30+ years ago and the concerts today is the addition of the JumboTrons. They enable even those of us in the cheap seats to get a good look at our idols!
May 23, 2010
Day 143 - Rhubarb
We are experiencing HOT summer weather today. At 5:30 p.m. it is still 89ยบ and very humid and sunny. It is a little too early in the season for it to be this hot. I didn't venture very far to take a photo today. This is the rhubarb plant in our yard. It has grown a lot and looks like it is ready for me to harvest some of the stalks. I think I'll make some rhubarb bread this week!
May 22, 2010
Day 142 - Wedding dress
We went to a family wedding today. The beautiful bride is my cousin's daughter. We had a wonderful time celebrating with the bride and groom and visiting with family. I took ooodles of photos, but chose this one for my photo of the day. I love the detail and beading on Emily's dress. She is a very pretty bride!
May 21, 2010
Day 141 - Downpour
This is not what I needed to end my very busy week! I subbed all day today and had to run some errands after school. When I came out of the last store, it was pouring! Of course my raincoat and umbrella were in the car. Oh well, I guess it could be worse!
May 20, 2010
Day 140 - Lunch?
Today's luncheon with my district retiree group was at Arlington Park Race Track. We enjoyed a great afternoon of eating, chatting, watching horse races, and enjoying time outdoors with wonderful friends. I took lots of photos, but this one of somebody's lunch (?) shows the joy of being retired!
May 19, 2010
Day 139 - Yikes!
Today was our last night of bowling for this season and we had a lot of fun bowling 'crazy'! I love bowling with the school district league and spending time with colleagues and friends. We have so many good laughs!
May 18, 2010
Day 138 - Ant hill
I came across this ant hill in the middle of the sidewalk while walking the dog today. I know that ants are hard working, but I do think they could have chosen an easier spot to make their home!
May 17, 2010
Day 137 - Fragrant!
When I came home from subbing today and stepped out of the car, I could smell the fragrance of these lilacs that are in our back yard. They are actually mini-lilac bushes next to our patio. What a lovely scent to have filling the air!
May 16, 2010
Day 136 - Dogwood
A cool and cloudy day was predicted for today, but Mother Nature fooled us and gave us a sunny spring day. It was a perfect day to sit outside and enjoy the spring blooms in our yard. This photo is of the blossoms on our Pagoda Dogwood bush.
May 15, 2010
Day 135 - RAM
Today was a rare day with no plans on the calendar this afternoon, so I was able to clear off a couple items on my desk and to do list. I listed this RAM on eBay. I took it out of my iMac recently when I upgraded its RAM. I hope it sells!
May 14, 2010
Day 134 - News
Fox News and many other stations were on hand today for a huge celebration! Hometown hero, Lee DeWyze, returned from Hollywood to celebrate his American Idol status with friends, family, and his community.
I'm not a huge American Idol fan, but many of my friends are. I got caught up in the positive energy and headed to Arlington Park Race Track to see Lee DeWyze. There were about 40,000 fans crowded into the grandstand and ground level by the track. When Lee took the stage in the winner's circle, he was overcome by emotion as he looked out at everyone who had come to support him.
I didn't have a great view from where I was sitting, so I searched for a better spot and came across the jumbo screen in the paddock area. What an exciting evening!
I didn't have a great view from where I was sitting, so I searched for a better spot and came across the jumbo screen in the paddock area. What an exciting evening!
May 13, 2010
Day 133 - Clouds
As I was driving late this afternoon, I was stopped at a red light, listening to the radio talk about severe weather moving in. I glanced to the sky and saw these clouds rolling by. This still photo doesn't do justice to the scene. The wind was blowing so hard that I could see the clouds moving across the sky. In fact, they moved so quickly, we never did get the predicted severe weather!
May 12, 2010
Day 132 - Countdown
This great sign is hanging in the lounge at one of the schools where I sub. I taught with the infamous 'Ed Rowley' many years ago and he has always been known for his countdown to summer vacation. He's been retired for many years, but his tradition lives on!
May 11, 2010
Day 131 - Salt and Flour
I'm subbing again today at the school I retired from. On display are salt and flour maps made by the 2nd graders during their study of landforms. When I taught 3rd grade, I loved making salt & flour maps of the 50 states with my kids. It is a great hands-on project that kids never forget!
May 10, 2010
Day 130 - Color Poem
I love reading poetry that children have written! First graders and their intermediate reading buddies wrote these color poems together. They are hanging in the hall at Ivy Hill where I substituted today. It is a wonderful example of excellent writing.
May 9, 2010
Day 129 - Hello?
We celebrated Mother's Day today at our daughter Cheryl's home. The cutie in this photo is Seth and Cheryl's niece. The baby's mom was not at the party, so she pretended to call her on the phone to say hello. We had a fun afternoon!
May 8, 2010
Day 128 - Game night
We do a game night once a month with my husband's side of the family. We enjoy eating, drinking, laughing, sharing stories, and of course playing games. Tonight we were in Rockford at Scott's brother's home. We played Tripoli. Both Scott and I came home winners!
May 7, 2010
Day 127 - Whirlybirds
The wind and rain overnight blew down a lot of these maple seeds before they were ready to fly. I wonder if that means we'll have less random maple trees sprouting up in our gardens this year......
May 6, 2010
Day 126 - Happy Lucy
This is one happy dog! She just came back from a fast walk with Scott. She loves being outside during the evening when there are rabbits to smell and chase!
May 5, 2010
Day 125 - Tulips
The sun is warm, but the wind is cool on this pretty spring day. Notice how the tulips are blowing! I love to walk around this lake, but I don't get here as often now that we have the dog. Our Park District does not allow dogs in the parks. :-(
May 4, 2010
Day 124 - Peony bud
May 4, 2010 - Here's a close shot of a bud on one of our peony plants. Usually the buds don't open until around memorial day, but I'm guessing we may have blooms before that this year due to the above average spring temperatures we've been having.
May 3, 2010
Day 123 - Keyboard
I love these new keyboards that they just received in a special education classroom where I enjoy subbing. I'm sure the color-coded keys, the big letters, and the well labeled keys will help the kids.
May 2, 2010
Day 122 - Founding Father
We participated in a Historic Bike Ride this afternoon sponsored by the Park District and Historical Society in Arlington Heights. It was a great afternoon for a ride and we enjoyed learning some things about our town. This photo was taken in the Wheeling Township Cemetery. The headstone belongs to Asa Dunton, the founder of our town.
May 1, 2010
Day 121 - Thief!
Last week I posted a photo of a squirrel feeder I bought at a craft fair (see Day 114). Scott and I have been enjoying watching the antics of the squirrels as they scamper up the tree and take whatever treats have been left for them in the jar. However, this squirrel has become a thief! Instead of sitting in the jar eating the corn, he drags the whole ear out of the jar, scampers down the tree and tries to run off to enjoy it by himself!
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