Yesterday I had a life lesson served up to me by a little tree frog. We’ve all been in his shoes…He was just minding his business, having a day, and he decided to sit down on a bench to rest. And then it started to rain. And then someone went and pulled the bench out from …
Distant Cousins
The dogs were barking up a racket last night. It was clear that there was something in the yard–they don’t bark like that when discussing territorial politics with the neighbor dogs–so we went out on the veranda with flashlights to investigate. We were so glad that we did! We had a late night visitor, and …
Stars in the Sky
My students were bickering over who had stars on the Awards Wall. One was proud of her achievements, but disgruntled that there were other students’ on her heels–soon to achieve the same thing she did. Negativity is not allowed in my English classes. I watched the dynamic for a minute, conjugated a few verbs in …
Be Careful What You Ask For
When I first arrived, it seemed to me that those crazy Brazilians sure liked to chop things down a lot. “That’s a gorgeous, living being!” I gasped. “Hah. It will grow back,” they said. Nowhere was the debate strongest than around the base of the huge tree in our back yard. Towering and shady, it …
Fotocrônica: A New Leaf
I got home the other evening and said to myself, “My, that’s new. I’ve never seen green leaves on that plant. Waittaminute….” Well played, my little friend, well played.
Fotocrônica: Name that Bug
Check out this cool bug. It seems to hatch out of and/or lay that fuzzy stuff there. We have no idea what its name is, or whether it’s a moth or a butterfly. Striking and photo-worthy, though, for sure. p.s., for the entomologists out there, I stumbled across this photo in my archives and realized …
Lorax Tree
This tree blooms twice a year. We love it. We want more. Today I looked out over the orchard at it and realized we had a spitting image of a Truffula Tree from Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax in our back yard. Now I love it even …
Día de matanza
By request, this post is a translation of a poem that appeared a few months ago. Susana, so sorry it has taken me so long! Also thanks to Sandra, who helped proofread my wilting Spanish. Junto ramas secas bajo un cielo de un gris color plomo. Buitres circulan sobre nuestras cabezas sobre el campo …
Fotocrônica: Flowerworks
This silly plant only flowers once a year with just one bloom per plant. But, oh, what an explosion! Crash! Bang! Flowerworks. It absolutely makes up for the year-long wait.
