This morning I am wondering how many of our high school students are feeling. The school is instituting a new (changed) policy on cell phone usage. As I understand it, although there were guidelines before, cell phone usage in the classroom was left up to each individual teacher. Now, each department was charged with coming…
People I know take shopping road trips all the time. Part of the reason is that we live in a smaller area with less human density. This is a good thing. But, once in a while, it is fun to take a trip to spend a day shopping. This is especially so since no one…
This morning I spent a little time investigating possibilities for choosing my one little word for this year. Although I have never done this before, the idea intrigues me. I am a self-proclaimed lover of words and believe in the power of well-chosen and extensive vocabulary. My friend and fellow blogger wrote on this subject…
Occasionally, it is beneficial to look at one’s blog stats to see how it is performing. I’ve been writing The Apples in My Orchard for almost three years now. My writing continues to grow followers and regular readers from all over the world! I am humbled by the comments I receive as well as the…
Yesterday, I had coffee with a friend. This is something I do with some regularity with a few close friends. But, yesterday was different. I had not seen this friend in several years. This person is one of those people with whom I am very fortunate to be able to pick right up where we…
Last Thursday I was lucky enough to go on a field trip to the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul with my son’s art class. The high school anatomy class students were also in tow. For about 45 kids, mostly in grades 11-12, there were three teachers and two parent chaperones. I had not…
On a recent trip back East to see my parents, my mom disappeared into her bedroom, claiming she had to go get something for me. She returned, with a bracelet in hand, saying my “Uncle” Bob had given it to her when he returned from serving the US Armed Forces in Thailand, many decades ago….
A lot of memories flooded my head when I was home last week visiting my parents in Western New York. This is the area in which I grew up – outside of Rochester, New York. My parents no longer live in the town where I went to high school but rather in an adjacent town,…
Today I learned via social media that a person had been hired to replace me in the position from which I resigned in early October. It came on the heels of seeing a press release that included a grant I had written and obtained for this same organization – a piece of independent work and…
Recently, my son bought an iPad for his artwork. It was part of a deal we made when he agreed to create a mural on the outside wall of a business as a school project this fall. As the mural was completed, he asked again about the iPad. So, last Monday night we went out…