Day 165 (200 more to go!)

Scratch and Sniff
Common Milkweed bursting into blossom.

Each stage of the pink bud opening is portrayed in this image, these beautiful scented flower-globes. They are little five-cornered gifts being unwrapped, unfurled.

What a bright start to the morning, and it was a good day today.  Except that my husband left for Texas for a week.

There was a little spider eating what looked like a mosquito - Go little spider go!

Public speaking is not my forte.  I am fine in front of a class full of my students, but in a large hall of parents, I tremble with anxiety -  What am I going to say? How are they going to perceive me? Will I suddenly become inarticulate? 

At the annual awards ceremony I have to present the award for excellence in Visual Arts, and one year I practiced my speech too many times, which resulted in a ridiculously nervous woman standing on stage tongue-tied and trembling. 

So today I decided not to even think about what I would say.  I just enjoyed the whole event. The beautiful children singing.   The beautiful childrens' singing (what is it about children singing that is so evocative? I suppose one harks back to one's own childhood).  The happiness on the faces of just about everyone, not just those who received awards.  The sweetness of all these youngsters, aged 11 - 14, still babies really.   And when it came time for me I just went up and spoke, and it was EASY.  It just flowed out of me and people even laughed when I wanted them to.  Tomorrow night I have to do it all over again at the 12th grade graduation, so this method is definitely worth trying again!

Last year I chaperoned a trip to Six Flags Roller-Coaster Park, which is ridiculous really because I am pathetic when I see roller-coasters and find that I have no desire whatsoever to go on one. 

The students scattered excitedly, so I just saw a few fleeting glimpses of them throughout the day, they could all have caught a plane to the Bahamas for all I knew.   I sat and drew, which was a pleasant way to spend the day, but I didn't really have to go all the way there (3 hours on the bus) in order to do that.   This is one of my images from that day. 

I am going to Canobie Lake Park with the grade 6's and 7's on Wednesday, which is a much tamer roller-coaster park, and there is a dragon ride there that I love, for very small children and me!