Bird Droppings January 5, 2014 A chill in the air For several days the now we have been below freezing in the early mornings which totally silences the crickets and tree frogs who need an ambient temperature a bit more warm maybe high fifties low sixties. So for today my orchestra was silent as a…

Bird Droppings January 3, 2014 Building Sandcastles drip by drip It was nearly fourteen years ago when I was physically attending classes in graduate school nearly every day and before switching to Internet classes and WebCT. This took some getting used to going to school and then going to teach school. I was teaching from…

Bird Droppings January 2, 2014 So often in finding answers we create new questions Over the past day or so many New Year’s resolutions and advice for next year posting, emailing and even a billboard or two driving home from North Carolina yesterday. With all of the football games being played I got thinking back…

Bird Droppings December 31, 2013 Can teachers use learning as their pallet? I wrote the basics of this article nearly ten years ago and at the time was thinking of an artist friend who was trying to define her art as well as searching for her own meaning in life. My friend often reflects her…

Bird Droppings December 30, 2013 Setting an example is such a simple lesson plan “We taught our children by both example and instruction, but with an emphasis on example, because all learning is a dead language to one who gets it second hand.” Kent Nerburn, The Wisdom of the Native Americans I have over the…

Bird Droppings December 27, 2013 Where is the passion? I was sitting facing a rising sun thankful for a new day. It was ironic as I was sitting on an overturned five gallon plastic bucket next to a small circle of smooth river rocks facing east, listening to mockingbird chattering away in the dawn light…

Bird Droppings December 27, 2013 Understanding the symbols of life “Symbols express and represent meaning. Meaning helps provide purpose and understanding in the lives of human beings. Indeed to live without symbols is to experience existence far short of its full meaning. Ways of expressing and representing meaning include the symbol systems of mathematics, spoke…

Bird Droppings December 23, 2013 Sitting, wondering, pondering and dishwashing So often we take our technology for granted. It has been about six years since we moved into this house and a new dishwasher. About a year ago the drain pump went out and it decided to die on us. In thirty four years of…

Bird Droppings December 22, 2013 Waiting for a miracle Miracle is a word used often by people of faith. It is an explanation for things that happen with no apparent cause and or rationale. It seems we all sit waiting for miracles perhaps waiting for that solution to pop up, to show its self and…

Bird Droppings December 18, 2013 What of life? Morning is a special time a beginning of sorts for each day. For me several aspects of taking the dog out, sitting down, writing and reading have in many ways become a significant part of my day. I walked out this morning and felt the coldness of…