A Little Bit of Gratitude

           Every week, Ruth and Stacey host Slice of Life Tuesday on their Two Writing Teachers blog.  Please come to visit some, or all, of the bloggers' posts.

        

          The Teaching Authors have posted, I think, for the second year in a row, the Thanksgiving challenge for the next two weeks to write a “thanku”, either in their comments or link to them in your own blog post.  I imagine you can guess that a “thanku” is a thank you written in the haiku form.  You can find the link above that explains all about it.

         There are numerous ways to be grateful, in special places at special times.  I hold dear my family as you all know, and friends far and near, but the newest group that help me live my life are the blogging friends.  Friendship is born out of commonalities and indeed there are friends out there who believe what I believe about learning and growing and being kind.  I write this "thanku" for all of you.

Gratefulness blossoms as friendship is fertilized, slicing words with friends.

  Gratefulness blossoms

as friendship is fertilized,

slicing words with friends.

 Happy Thanksgiving Everyone - To You and Yours!

photo credit: kabils via photopin cc

So Many Good Books Available!

Jen and Kellee host this kidlit meme at TEACH.MENTOR.TEXTS.  Join us to see what we're all reading.

          It's Monday! What are you Reading? is another meme hosted by Sheila at BOOK JOURNEYS that offers reviews of all kinds of books.  

        If you’re on Twitter, use the hashtag #IMWAYR when sharing your link.

I’m trying to read most, if not all, of the Cybils nominees in poetry this year since I’m a beginner second round judge, & feel as if it’s a education of sorts to read those which others nominated, those who’ve been doing this longer than me.  I read two this week & can see that the judges in the first round have a tough job before they send the finalists their picks.

And, I’m still listening, nearly done with Monsters of Men, Patrick Ness’ Chaos trilogy.  It continues to be fascinating. 

This week I read some great books!

Anticipation

           Thanks to Anastasia at Booktalking who is our host today for poetry Friday.  Drop in to see what's there!

Dear Winter,

I have missed you all the sweat-drenched summer,

gleeful that you were hanging behind 

the glory that is fall.

Yet now that you are about to arrive

and I know that you are near,

I wonder about the long nights

and days of cold.  I want

my sheets to be flannel and my comforter

filled with down.  I worry about the inches

of snow I will need to shovel,

and corners around which

my car will creep.

I already feel the tires slipping,

but managing to hit the curb only once.

Yet,

Winter, your snowflakes

quiet the days,

and soften the nights.

And the woolen scarves

hanging now in the back hall

wait to wrap me in hugs.

I will taunt

others to try my idea

of a towel warming rack.

I will give down socks for Christmas. 

And keep the teapot whistling,

ready for sweet sips,

because finally the merest

thought of you causes me

to shiver with delight.

     

                         Truly Yours,

                                             Linda

Another Goodbye and A Happy Birthday

Tuesday Slice of Life Posts are hosted by Stacey and Ruth at their Two Writing Teachers blog.  Please join us for a wonder-filled day of reading.  And thank you Ruth and Stacey for special Tuesdays!

     My daughter Sarah's birthday was yesterday, November 12th.  She is quite a special young woman--wife, mother, daughter, friend.  I am always proud of all the things she does, how she acts, what she says about life. I like her and I love her.  
     I am still working on a writing project of goodbye poems that tell stories I remember about my grandchildren and my children.  Here is number nine, dedicated to my daughter.

Fabulous Books This Week!

Jen and Kellee host this kidlit meme at TEACH.MENTOR.TEXTS.  Join us to see what we're all reading.

          It's Monday! What are you Reading? is another meme hosted by Sheila at BOOK JOURNEYS that offers reviews of all kinds of books.  

        If you’re on Twitter, use the hashtag #IMWAYR when sharing your link!

        Charles Dickens said, "There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts."   This week, however, it isn't true at all, and I'm only trying to catch your attention to the gorgeous covers on the books I read.  They really are pretty.  

Bear Has A Story To Tell – by Philip C. Stead, illus. by Erin E. Stead

This has to be one of the most beautiful picture books I’ve read in a while.  Bear is getting ready to go to sleep and goes to his friends to tell them a final story before hibernating.  He meets a mouse, a duck, a frog and a mole, all too busy to listen.  What happens next will be left to discover.  The illustrations are beautiful, spare watercolors, giving the animals such sweet expressions.  Each whimsical spread shows both the friendships and the waiting for spring.