Frog Bane

We had an unwelcome guest on our slider this morning -- a Cuban tree frog, one of the larger ones I've seen around the house. It's an invasive species, will eat just about anything it can get its mouth around, including insects, indigenous tree frogs, small birds, and even its own kind. GB wanted to catch it for her science kids at school, but I put my foot down. So to speak. After giving it a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity, I gave it a choice of paper or plastic. The frog didn't seem to care, so I caught it in a plastic grocery bag, put it out of our misery, and dropped it in the trash can.

It's really not surprising that we have an abundance of frogs around here. We have been blessed with a greater than normal rainfall this past week. Huge thunder and lightning storm on Wednesday. The high water mark was Thursday evening -- 3.5 inches in about two hours. The retention pond behind the house, which was almost dry again ten days ago, now has ducks paddling around in about 4 feet of water. We're at 50 inches of rain for the year, which is 8 inches above normal.

We had our One Great Day of Service at TCS yesterday. The kids did very well. My 5th graders worked at the Salvation Army cleaning, serving lunches, washing windows, and weeding. GB's 3rd graders bundled thousands of pencils at A Gift For Teaching, a non-profit organization that collects school supplies so that teachers can get free supplies for their students. (Orange County Public Schools now has 60% of its students on free and reduced lunches.) The non-profit also provides resources so teachers can give birthday gifts and Christmas gifts to their students. They also provide music and art lessons for disadvantaged students. We had many parents who worked with their children as chaperones and steadying hands. We ended the day with an all-school chapel. Each grade level gave a brief recap of their day and we celebrated together God's blessings.

This coming Wednesday the elementary grades will go to the Bob Carr Auditorium for our annual youth symphony concert. The concert hall is just a few blocks away so we take the free bus service, Lymmo. Buses run every 5 minutes downtown, but with 225 students we tend to clog up the system. Every year it's a SRO operation; other folks who are waiting at bus stops en route step up to the open bus door, take in the wall to wall kids, and step away...Even if there is room, they don't want the buzz of elementary age kids talking and finding joy in the moment!

Oops

I did a little current events with my 5th graders last Thursday. I had seen an article on a Tennessee woman who had polio as a baby and lived for 58 years in an iron lung. I talked with my students about this amazing thing -- the gift that the family gave to this bed-ridden woman, taking care of her and nurturing her for nearly six decades. I talked about the dangers of bed sores over such a long time and the incredibly physical work of taking care of someone in an iron lung. I tied it all into my experiences with my dad.
I had forgotten that I had one girl, Morgan, who is acutely sensitive to strong stories and images. It affects her and makes her ill. (B, you are 180 degrees in the opposite direction from Morgan!) After we came to the end of the story it was time for recess. As the kids were lined up and heading out, one girl said, "Morgan what are you doing?" She had bumped into another girl and then bumped into the door jam. I was a couple of feet away from her and caught her as she fainted. I lowered Morgan to the floor and sent another student to get some help. When Morgan regained consciousness, she was mortified that she had fainted. I think it was worse that she got so much attention. She is a very quiet, reticent young girl. Mom came and took her home, and she was fine.
This was a first for me. In 35 years, I have never had someone faint like that! I felt badly that my comments had caused such distress in young Morgan. Morgan's mom expressed appreciation for the tender care we gave her daughter, and Morgan was just fine the next day. So now I can add to my resume that girls swoon in my classroom!

We Love Presidents' Day!

Today is like an extra Saturday, an especially long week-end bonus. We had a really busy week with the usual meetings for church and school. My 5th graders had the responsibility for chapel this week, so we practiced for our chapel on Thursday. The really nice thing was that by giving the chapel on Thursday, the topic was a lock! It was easy to tie in Jesus' love for us with Valentine's Day! We had another all-school program on Friday; it was Grandparents' Day. It was one of those good-but-tiring times. You're always "on" meeting the most special people in the students' lives, which is enjoyable but we're grateful when it's finally finished. The kids were gone by noon and we had a quiet afternoon to prepare for the short week ahead.

Saturday I "vacuumed" the yard, i.e., put on the grass catcher and sucked up all of the oak leaves while cutting the grass. I had not cut the grass in six weeks, so it was time. I'm also in the process of repairing the ledge in front of the kitchen window. It's about 24 inches deep, fairly flat, and was rough stucco so it trapped rain water, which then begat mold. I've been filling it in and smoothing it, and giving it just a little slope to easily drain water. One more thin coat should do it. I also have to trim the hibiscus by the bathroom window. Little squeaks and scrapes on the window when the wind blows tell me that it's been growing again.

Yesterday we had a celebration for Vanessa McKenna after church. She became a US citizen this past week. We all wore red, white, & blue to church and her in-laws brought a cake for us all to enjoy. In the evening about a dozen of us met at Don & Tracey Bailey's house. I led a SWOT analysis on Conway Community Presbyterian Church. We need to get a focus for the year's challenges and opportunities. This was a good way to begin that process. We spent about two hours talking through the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to CCPC. Next step is to develop some strategies that will, in God's good grace, effectively move us forward.

Gayle finished her class quilt for the TCS auction on March 1. Every one of her students did a square for the quilt. She's working on her wall hanging and some other stuff today...I hear the sewing machine! After I get the outside stuff done, it's time to do the taxes...Tomorrow I will attend a seminar put on by Christian Schools of Florida. The topic is teaching from a Christian worldview. It's being held in Maitland at Orangewood Christian School. It should be a good day.