Month: August 2018

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

~ rdicarne ~ Leave a comment
sol
#SOL18

The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.  ~ Mark Twain

By the time the dismissal bell rang on June 15th, I was definitely ready for summer vacation.  I was tired, and I need a break. So, what did I do with my 11 weeks “off” this summer?

  • Joined LA Fitness and began going to Aqua Fit classes two or three times a week with my sister to hopefully relieve some of the pain of osteoarthritis in my knees and my all over body aches from fibromyalgia.
  • Tutored one day a week at the local library.
  • Joined the Summer Reading Program at my local library
  • Read four adult books for pleasure (reading one more now)
  • Read two YA books for my middle school students (still have one to go)
  • Took a mini-class on podcasting at my local library
  • Sent out a couple of things for publication (no luck just yet)
  • Co-taught a PAWLP graduate class – Strategies for Teaching Writing at West Chester University.
  • Attended two book club meetings.
  • Had breakfast with friends and lunch with other friends
  • Intermittently babysat by grandchildren (always a joy)
  • Visited the Bucks County Children’s Museum with three of my four grandchildren
  • Had one grandson sleep over which included him being my sous chef. He was the “whisker” at breakfast as we made French toast, and the “dumper and pusher” as we made chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon.  He dumped all the ingredients into the bowl and pushed the batter off my spoon onto the baking sheet.
  • Read professional books
    • 180 Days by Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittles
    • The Unstoppable Writing Teacher by M Colleen Cruz
    • Writing Strategies by Jennifer Serravallo (not the entire book- but participated in the Summer writing camp.  (LOVED IT!)
  • Beginning to read Teaching the Core Skills of Listening and Speaking by Erik Palmer
  • Saw two movies and loved them both
    • Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
    • Crazy Rich Asians
  • Bought three new picture books, 30 notebooks, and some dollar store finds for my classroom (so far)
  • Got a couple of massages.
  • Caught up on a couple of doctors’ appointments.
  • Spent a long weekend at my brother and sister-in-law’s home (check out last week’s post) which we affectionately have dubbed “the spa”.  It is a place where you can enjoy a beautiful view from any room in the house and almost guaranteed to see a fawn in the backyard.
    • Viewed fireworks on the veranda with a glass of wine
    • Shopped for new sneakers with an incredibly patient sister-in-law
    • Ate delicious food, drank lots of wine, watched Phillies games, another movie (Ladybird) once we got the Netflix working, and just savored the time to talk and catch up with each other’s lives.
  • Spent three nights in Atlantic City.  
    • Played the slot machines – win some/lose some.
    • Met my husband’s brother’s family for lunch and a rendezvous at Historic Smithtown, NJ.  
    • Enjoyed a wonderful seafood buffet.
    • Relaxed by the pool and hot tub.
  • Did A LOT of thinking about how my classroom will be different in September. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two weeks from today I start back to school. I am ready (well almost).

As you can see by the bold items on my list, school was never far from my mind this summer.  I am sure that there a few things that I have forgotten to put on the list – both personally and professionally.  But, when I begin to think about all the things that were on my summer “to do” list that didn’t get done – most of them things around the house, I wouldn’t beat myself up or look back with regret on how I spent my time. There is not one thing on the above list that I would have been willing to cross off.

Happy start of school!

An Unexpected Extravaganza

~ rdicarne ~ 2 Comments
sol
#SOL18

  Cheese improves the flavor of life. ~ Unknown

This past Saturday evening I had a dining experience, not just dinner at a restaurant.  I had the good fortune of enjoying an evening with Rynn and Dave Caputo of Caputo Brothers Creamery in Spring Grove, PA. (Menu pictured below)

The evening began with an “Antipasti Misti Della Casa” served on beautiful artisan plates. My favorites on the plate were Brenda’s sweet green tomato pickles and the red pepper jelly, both made by Rynn’s mother.  

After our first course there was a rousing welcome from Rynn Caputo and a short video of the creamery’s  history. It gave a glimpse into the lives of our host and hostess from the time they decided to quit their corporate jobs and travel to Italy as a couple to attend culinary school to the namesakes of Caputo Brothers – their boys Giovanni and Matteo.

After the second course, Rynn demonstrated the cheese making process and explained how their cheese was different from any other cheese you can buy in the grocery store. Caputo Brothers’ claim to fame is having the ONLY fresh mozzarella curds in the United States that do not contain citric acid. If you are like me, you a probably wondering what’s the big deal.  Well, after Rynn’s very engaging explanation of the cheese making process, I am now a convert. There are no words to describe the rich buttery flavor of the mozzarella she made for us.

All the food was delicious, but one of the highlights of the evening was the “Spaghetti Alla Pesca” made with ripe peaches from the Caputo’s own garden.  (Rynn’s mom is the gardener/farmer who attends to the acre and a half garden.) It puts a whole new spin on “mac and cheese.”

Every morsel of food was better than the one before it.  My only regret is that I forgot to take pictures of each course as it came out because not only was each one delicious, it was also a work of art.

Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law who treated us to this delectable dinner and a “show.”

You can learn more about Caputo Brothers Creamery below.

Caputos

caputo-brothers-creamery-horizontal
#CapoMozz

https://caputobrotherscreamery.com/

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

~ rdicarne ~ 3 Comments

sol#SOL18Gal_fredrogers

Spontaneity, the hallmark of childhood, is well worth cultivating to counteract the rigidity that may otherwise set in as we grow older. ~Gail Sheehy

A couple of weeks ago, I was having breakfast with my dear friend, Diane.  Diane comes to my classroom once a week during the school year from her “real job” at Penn Mutual Insurance to “tutor” my ELA students.  She has done a variety of things over the years – revising, editing, helping with oral presentations and such, but the most important thing she does for/with my students is to listen to them.  The few minutes they get to spend with her are a treasured time. The kids always ask me, “Is Mrs. Check coming this week?” It is definitely the highlight of their week.

As we chatted over our breakfast skillets, Diane told me she was planning to see Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, the Mr. Rogers documentary, with her sister at 1:30.  I was so bummed. I had been wanting to see the documentary for a while, but didn’t know who would be a good person to ask to go with me.  Unfortunately, I had an appointment to get my haircut at 2:00.

Long story short, after a few texts to her sister, Diane had rearranged her day so that she could go to the 11:15 show with me instead.  I felt a little guilty that she ditched her sister, but I was so happy to going to the movie! Diane, thank you for your spontaneity!

As we got ourselves settled in our seats, I noticed that there were about eight other people in the theater – not bad for a morning show.  Being the nerd that I am, I promptly got out my little notebook that is always in my purse and patiently waited for the previews to be over.  For the next 90 minutes, I was in childlike wonder of this awesome man of faith and love. I tried to write down as many bits of wisdom as I could. Every once in awhile, Diane would hit my arm and say, “Write this down!”  It isn’t easy in a darkened room to figure out exactly where I was writing, but I did OK. I only wrote over something once.

What follows are my favorites of the notes I took that morning.  I would love to see it again to catch all the things I missed.

  • Love or the lack of it is at the root of everything.
  • There was a lot of slow space in his show but no wasted space.  Silence is one of the greatest gifts we have.
  • The outside world of children’s lives have changed, but their insides haven’t changed.
  • Love is what keeps us together and afloat.
  • Those who try to make you feel less than you are are the greatest evil.
  • Best learning – accept and expect mistakes and deal with them.
  • It’s not so easy to quiet a doubt.
  • You don’t have to special or sensational things to have people love you.
  • No matter our job – we are all called to be repairers of creation
  • Be true to the best you within.
  • Let’s make goodness attractive

Fred Rogers was a man who always saw the best in people.  He was making social statements without hitting people over the head with them.  He loved children, and they loved him back.

I highly recommend that anyone who has children, teaches children, or loves children see this documentary for yourself.  It has made me think about how I want to be when I go back to school. Not only do I want to teach my students, but I want to see the world through their eyes and remember that all that any of us want is to love and be loved in return.