Full Worm Moon

~ rdicarne ~ 9 Comments

This morning the full moon was gorgeous! I am sorry I wasn’t able to stop and pictures. I had to drop my car off for inspection and then be dropped off at school. If I were alone, I would have played amateur photographer with my iPhone. The full Worm Moon inspired the following haiku.

Moon Haiku

The full Worm Moon played
Hide-and-seek behind the trees
On the way to school

First, it was my guide
Then was over my shoulder
Last – in front once more

Round and low and large
So bright through barren branches
Spring brings Full Worm Moon

Musical Madness

~ rdicarne ~ 2 Comments

My feel-good story of the week has to be the story of the University of Idaho Marching Band stepping in to support Yale at the NCAA regional games in Spokane, Washington. Yale’s band could not make the trip from Connecticut because it was their spring break. Yale called on the University of Idaho to help them and play for them at the tournament.

“UI band director Spencer Martin and the 29-member ensemble dressed in Yale gear and colors after accepting the request earlier in the week.” (The Spokesman-Review)

I happened to see them as we watched 13th-seeded Yale upset 4th-seeded Auburn. It was an exciting game, and I usually find myself rooting for the underdog. How uplifting it was to hear about such a great story. The Vandals from UI practiced the Yale fight song and certainly helped lift Yale to their victory for sure. Don’t worry, Yale is picking up all the costs incurred by the UI music department.

After a couple of depressing weeks of watching the news and the increasing amount of gun violence in Philadelphia, this story was a reminder of how much good there is in the world, especially among young people. The band director and students of the University of Idaho are certainly adding to their legacy. Bravo!

54321

~ rdicarne ~ 4 Comments

Today’s slice is a 54321 Daily Reflection idea I found on https://www.hellobrio.com/blog/54321-journal.

5 Things On My Mind

  • Easter Break: There are only three school days next week, then six days (including the weekend) off.  I look forward to spending time with family and sleeping in a day or two. I would like to take care of some things on my “to-do” list while I am off.
  • New Air-Conditioning Unit: The contractor dropped off the units, now we wait and see if the weather cooperates with the installation plans. We’ve been saving for this for a while, and the time is finally here.  
  • Clutter: I am on a mission to declutter my life – my home, my classroom, my inbox, my mind.   I am taking baby steps, but each drawer, shelf, or closet cleaned out gets me closer to my goal. 
  • The State of the World: Watching local, national, and international news is brutal. I would love to put my head in the sand and ignore it all, but I can’t. It all makes me sad and worried about what the world will be like for my grandchildren. 
  • Tiredness:  I have been so tired lately. Maybe over the break, I can start a routine that will help me have more energy – like sleeping longer at night, exercising, meditation, or yoga.  

4 Things To Do Tomorrow

  • AquaFit:  I look forward to my weekly Saturday classes in the pool.  I can do so many things in the pool that my body can’t do on dry land. I feel invincible in the pool!
  • Read:  Trying to read at night during the week has not been working for me, so I am penciling in time during the day this weekend.  I am reading The Great Alone.
  • March Madness:  This time of year is always exciting yet frustrating if you have a bracket. (I don’t, but my husband has been yelling at the TV.).
  • Dinner at Capital Grille: My siblings are taking us to dinner to celebrate my husband’s retirement.  I have never been to this restaurant, but the menu looks delectable.

3 Things I’m Grateful For

  • Closet: I cleaned out a closet at school, and it feels so freeing. There were books in there that were here before I arrived 11 years ago.  Time to purge!
  • Easier lesson planning:  With only three days next week, planning was a breeze.
  • Comfy clothes:  Changing out of my work clothes into something more comfortable can change my whole mood – especially my slippers!

2 Things I Want Less Of

  • Scrolling:  I am trying, but my phone has me in its grips.  Too often in the evening, I find myself mindlessly scrolling social media.  Maybe that’s why I am not getting any reading in.
  • Clutter:  As you can see, it is REALLY on my mind and appearing twice.  

1 Soul Moment

  • Seeing my kids be there for each other whenever they can.

Morning Muse – Music

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“National Memory Day on March 21 is a day celebrating the brain as a function of the human body that helps us to recall events and retrieve experiences from the past.” https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day

This morning on my drive to work I was listening to WRTI classical music when I was suddenly transported back to college by the opening notes of Georges Bizet’s Farandole from L’Arlésienne, a piece I played as a member of the string bass section in the Chestnut Hill College orchestra. For the next four minutes I “sang” along with a “bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, badadadum” picturing in my mind’s eye the entrance of each section of the orchestra.

Although I haven’t been a member of an orchestra in over 44 years, I could close my eyes (which I didn’t because I was driving) and be on that stage – one small part of a wonderful ensemble. Music memories are some of the strongest and fondest in my memory diary.

For your listening pleasure!

A Safe Spot

~ rdicarne ~ 1 Comment

Tonight was the night I was going to write checks to pay my taxes. The money transfer was complete, and I was ready to go – or so I thought. When I went up to my desk at home, I couldn’t find the Federal Tax coupon or my real estate tax bill. I had purposely made sure that I brought them up to my home office and put them in a “safe spot.”

I didn’t actually forget where they were, but they were not easily found. Somehow in the time since I brought them up a couple of weeks ago and tonight, they managed to get separated from each other and ended up under some other “important” papers. Can I just say that I searched both desks in the office more than once before they were found? I am sure I must have touched them both while going through the piles of paperwork.

It wasn’t until I gave up for a bit, ate dinner, and then climbed back up to the “safe spot” to search again did I find them. I am sure the entire time I was looking my husband was praying to St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things.

As soon as I hit publish on this post, I am going to write those checks, put stamps on the envelopes, and put payments on the curio by the front door. Now I just hope I remember to put them in the mailbox tomorrow! 🙂

The Feast of St. Joseph

~ rdicarne ~ 3 Comments

Today is the day that the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph. St. Joseph is known for being the foster father of Jesus Christ and the patron saint of workers. (I learned today that he is also the patron saint of pastry chefs!) The feast day is not celebrated in church with special services, but if you’re Italian, it is definitely celebrated with a special dessert.

There are different stories surrounding how St. Joseph became associated with pastries, but I am always willing to celebrate with a St. Joseph Cake (aka Zeppole). Traditionally, they consist of fried dough (think of a French cruller) filled with ricotta cheese filling, much like cannolis, including little chunks of citron, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a cherry. Other varieties include vanilla custard or whipped cream fillings. I always choose ricotta.

Termini’s Bakery, Philadelphia

My husband introduced me to St. Joseph Cakes. They were a yearly tradition in his South Philadelphia home on March 19th. He loves this day because his middle name is Joseph, so he considers it another one of his feast days. (To Italians, feast days were/are as important as birthdays.) So tonight I will celebrate this special tradition with my husband and enjoy a St. Joseph Day treat.

The Piano Man

~ rdicarne ~ 3 Comments

I have been a Billy Joel fan since high school in the 70s. Some of his music is melancholy and moody which gels well with teenage angst. Joel is a classically trained pianist and has amazing keyboard chops. The piano player in me dreamed of being able to play his “Root Beer Rag” but it was much too complicated, and I gave up. While I love Billy’s piano playing, the storytelling in his lyrics draws me in and moves me.

One night last week I was up too late and caught Billy Joel on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. After some small talk, Colbert noted that Billy Joel’s iconic and signature song, “Piano Man” was 50 years old. “Piano Man” was released on November 3, 1973. How can that be 50 years ago? I was a sophomore in high school!

Billy took a job playing piano at a bar called The Executive Lounge, under his first and middle name, Billy Martin in Los Angeles in 1972 to pay the bills. “Piano Man” is a memoir of sorts. Colbert asked Joel if he knew that “Piano Man” would be such a fan favorite, and Joel responded that he didn’t even think the song was that good. It was in waltz time (3/4) and the lyrics were like limericks. Limericks? How did I miss that?

Limerick Format

“And the piano, it sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar / and put bread in my jar
And say, ‘Man, what are you doin’ here?'”

“Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he’s quick with a joke / or to light up your smoke
But there’s someplace that he’d rather be.”

Well I’ll be darn, many verses are in limerick format! Maybe it’s not just his musicianship and storytelling that makes me such a huge fan. Maybe it’s because he is a poet.

This Was a First

~ rdicarne ~ 7 Comments

And the answer is…last night!

Yesterday we spent the evening with our granddaughters and left our son’s house around 11:45 PM to come home. Our drive is about 30 minutes at that time of the night and is usually uneventful.

We were about halfway home when my husband noticed a lot of police lights about a half mile up the road. By this time it was after 12:00 AM, and I had my head buried in my Connections puzzle. I gave it a quick glance and thought there must be an accident. You may have guessed where this is going, but I am too naive sometimes. 🙂

As we got closer, traffic slowed to a halt, and we realized that it was a sobriety checkpoint. There were at least 10 -12 police vehicles with their lights flashing, and I had to shield my eyes because my biggest fear was getting a migraine from all the flashing lights.

Finally, it was our turn to stop and be questioned by the police officers. There was an officer on either side of the SUV, so we both rolled our windows down. They were very nice and asked us where we were coming from and the ages of our grandchildren, and they engaged us in other small talk. Apparently, babysitting was very popular last night because the woman in front of us had been watching her four-month-old grandchild. After a quick flashlight check of the front seats, we were on our way.

While the checkpoint was a minor inconvenience, and it delayed our arrival home by about 10-15 minutes, I am grateful to the law enforcement officers for doing what they could to make driving safer for everyone.

I guess there really is a first time for everything!

Saturday Night Fun

~ rdicarne ~ 2 Comments

I will be having sweet dreams of my granddaughters and our evening of fun. We made a leprechaun trap and played school. I, of course, was the student who kept forgetting to raise her hand! 😂

They made Irish potatoes with Pops after eating a wonderful dinner he made for us. Nona was on cleanup duty which was fine by me – the easier job for sure.

Pops and Nona will sleep well tonight! 😴

Breathing into the Weekend

~ rdicarne ~ 3 Comments

This week felt very long, and a list of things was hanging over my head – permission slips for two different trips, making up work with absent students, last-minute grading, and grades due at 8:00 AM this morning. The last thing on my list was Stations of the Cross.

Each Friday during Lent a different grade leads the Stations of the Cross devotion for the entire school community. The 7th-grade students had been working on their parts for a week and felt prepared. I, on the other hand, was feeling a bit stressed. Stations of the Cross is very solemn, and I knew they would do a wonderful job, but they are in middle school, and sometimes laughing happens when nerves rear their ugly head. Well, my stress was for naught. The students rose to the occasion and gave the school community a reverent time for reflection.

Deep Breath

Deep Breath

Deep Breath

Leaving school with an empty backpack feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I am going home with plans for comfy clothes, a wonderful dinner prepared by my chef-husband, and curling up with my newest read to help me breathe into my weekend.