the kids

these two are not the kids,

they are friends

(this irresistible photo appeared on facebook)

jeff and isis.

(last year when she was 89)

these folks are my neighborhood,

sadly neglected by me of late.

so is this my neighborhood,

time to make hay

if the weather holds.

(it's not) 

 and this mysterious new addition,

plunked neatly into a field.

i can only imagine...

 the newest neighborhood

down the road 15 miles or so,

my new place 
on an old farmstead

 had one foundation now buried

and bits of stone wall.

 (lots of deer flies)

 jean has written about love of tools--
 i find deep pleasure in making tools--

this is the big stump loom

with a whitetail deer

bone folder

doing double duty as a weaving stick

 weaver's sword
holding the shed
a placekeeper.

 just for fun

and utility.

weaving shifu pages

continues

as i wind down my final teaching year.

/one more class day/

/three days of exams for one student/

/a few more days after that/

/to put my room to rest/

this class is all done.
my class will disappear and not be replaced.
i find this to be surprisingly sad
for my students
who must find other placements.
i have had two retirement celebrations,
one with a pretty cake,
one with a cheesy certificate. 
i'm ready
and i will miss you know who you are,
i won't miss
what is happening now in public education.

big steps

i've been working

in special education for 21 years.

and my retirement is imminent.

special ed attracted me

because the students were different.

my preference has always been working with kids who have

emotional disabilities,

especially older middle and high school kids.

especiallly in alternative educational settings.

give me a wilderness site

or an old farm

or the woods

and i blossom as a teacher.

 the stairways to learning and growing and understanding are often

hidden away,

overgrown or tucked away.

and then sometimes a gift is given

 presented for the one given it

 gifts are like that. often given

not always taken.

this is the way it is.

sometimes i see

a deer, a mink, a turkey, a heron

great blue heron

 out the window at home

giving me the gift of beauty.

i've looked up to see

a kingfisher, a flicker, an eagle

 and at night i hear owls, many frogs, woodcock, and coyote

if i'm lucky.

around here 

this rural, impoverished north country,

there is so much loss

 buildings mark what was once

 what people have left behind.

or not run over on the road. 

this one i helped across the road. i hope

i hope she laid her eggs in the soft shoulder sand.

the other morning there were nine snappers laying eggs

along the roadside in a mile stretch, and then number 10

a bit further on.

 at home i am weaving shifu and here, below, 

is a failed bit of 

needle woven hemp.

 i'm just finding my way back into making

instead of teaching full time.

transitioning away from this path has been a surprise.

there have been two celebrations for me and other retirees.

amazing.

and sadness as i leave 

some very, very

special people.