Seams Like a Story

October 23, 2023October 23, 2023

Ghosts of Halloween Past

Reflections of a former teacher

(Originally published in October 2021, this post has been updated and republished for your enjoyment)

It’s that time of year again. Pumpkin carving, trick-or-treaters, classroom parties. Being retired, I no longer have to plan and take part in classroom Halloween activities. But I’ve experienced my share of them during my 37 year career as a kindergarten, first-grade, and fourth-grade teacher. Here are my Ghosts of Halloween past:

The Kindergarten Years

One of my first Halloweens as a teacher…Jeans, straw hat, hubby’s flannel shirt…A Scarecrow? Spooky owls with egg carton eyes hang from the ceiling.

I started my teaching career as a kindergarten teacher in 1975. During that time kindergarten was a half-day program in public schools, if they even offered it at all. In one sense, the half-day time frame was a great setup for Halloween. The students came to school dressed in costume and we played some games (Guess who’s under the mask, Halloween Bingo, maybe a simple art activity.) A school-wide parade would follow. Kindergarteners always led the way, and we picked up the other-grade classes as we wound our way around the school. By the end of the morning, we had a snack–homemade and extra sugary–brought in by parents. If you were lucky enough to reserve one of the school’s video projectors, you could end the session with Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin. By then, it was time to send the little goblins home on a sugar high for the parents to deal with.

Half-day Kindergarten teachers had one disadvantage, however. After a quick lunch break, during which I cleaned the classroom and reset my activities, I had to get ready to party all over again with the afternoon session, pretending that I was equally enthused the second time around.

First Grade

Sometime during my years as a first grade teacher, things began to change. The first wave of social consciousness and health awareness hit the school scene and altered our holiday celebrations. Some parents objected to Halloween on religious grounds and did not want their children to dress up in objectionable costumes such as witches or devils. In some years, we banned the word “Halloween” and called the celebration at the end of October “Harvest Festival”. Students could dress in costume if they came as a book character. (“But Mrs. VanDeventer…. Spiderman is in a book!”)

…who arrived to tame Miss Nelson’s unruly class in this James Marshall book

During this era, school officials wanted to focus on health. Sugary treats were banned in favor of “healthy snacks” and teachers scrambled to come up with ways to make carrot sticks and cheese look like fun. (I remember making spiders out of Ritz Cracker-and-peanut butter bodies with pretzel-stick legs and raisin eyes. Yum..)

Fourth Grade

During my last three years of teaching (2015-2018) I was a fourth-grade teacher. Halloween was back and costumes were allowed. However, you had many, many state standards to cover and couldn’t afford to “take a day off” to party. Movies were not allowed unless there was a specific ‘tie-in” with the curriculum. Sorry Charlie (Brown.) Students rotated through Halloween themed math, science, and language arts activities throughout the day, keeping everyone engaged until the end-of-the-day snack. Unhealthy treats were allowed in moderation… except now everyone has allergies. No peanuts, gluten, dairy, tree nuts…..

Retired

It’s fun to think about those days and sometimes, I really do miss the kids, the excitement, the fun. But now I’m happy to say that I celebrate Halloween with pictures of my grandchildren in their costumes and by sitting in my driveway on a warm Arizona night handing out candy to the neighborhood kids.

And when the candy runs out I turn off the lights and retreat to the quiet of my living room where I put the Great Pumpkin DVD in the player (yes, I still have one…my adult children make fun of me) and savor the handful of Snickers I’ve held back for the occasion.

Threads of Thought

What are some of your ghosts of Halloween Past?

How will you celebrate this year?

Favorite candy?( you know, the ones you sneak before the trick-or-treaters come?)

Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

October 13, 2023October 13, 2023

Wine Snobs

“Embrace your inner wine snob…go ahead and say ‘this Tempranillo tastes faintly of leather saddle,’ but don’t expects anyone else to know what you’re talking about…after all, they didn’t go saddle licking with you last weekend.” -from the website of Wine Snob winery in Glen Ellen, California.

Who would go on a road trip to California without a stop in wine country? Not us! But would we fit in with the wine snobs? We worried about this because we are not wine snobs. (At least I’m pretty sure we are not based on the fact that, though we appreciate a good glass of wine, we buy most of our bottles at Trader Joe’s) We quickly learned we had nothing to fear!

Ed and I , along with good friends and travel buddies D & L booked a lovely Airbnb in Kenwood, right in the heart of Sonoma Wine Country. The “Sonoma Valley Getaway” exceeded our expectations. The hosts left a bottle of wine and a personal note to welcome us. Not snobby at all! Best of all, the home was within walking distance of several wineries, so no need worry about who would be the designated driver. As long as we all remained in walkable condition, we were good!

Expect to pay between $25-40 a person for wine tastings in Sonoma Valley, but don’t despair! We found it perfectly acceptable to skip the tasting, buy a glass of wine, and go out to the patio under the trees and enjoy!

A glass of red win with a vineyard in the background — A lovely glass of zinfandel at St. Anne’s Crossing Winery (mostly gone before I remembered to take a picture)

We met several sommeliers ( a wine snob term for one who pours your wine-whoo hoo, listen to me now!) and found them to be knowledgeable and very friendly. One of our favorites poured herself a small sample of each wine we wanted to try before filling our glasses, then she announced “Oh, this one is good today!” Later she confessed “I’m a retired high school teacher. This is the best job I’ve ever had. “

It was 10:30 in the morning. I’m a former kindergarten teacher. I could relate.

The Wine Snob Winery (featured at the beginning of this post) advertises $15 tastings. Wine Snob is owned and operated by a fascinating young couple who are following their dream. They work with several vineyards to gather grapes, then make and bottle their own wine, design the labels, market their business, and run the showroom. Their motto is “you don’t have to be a wine snob to enjoy wine. You don’t need to use words like “velvety tannins” and “hint of lychee on the nose” to describe a wine. Your taste buds. Your rules. So don’t let the wine snobs get you down!”

My sentiments exactly! Cheers!

PS: If you happen to be a wine snob, no worries. You will be welcomed too.

A glass of white wine — A beautiful Chardonnay and a doggie friend at VJB Cellars

Threads of Thought

Have you been to California Wine country? What was your experience?

Do you have a favorite wine?

For the record: each wine we tasted in Sonoma Valley was excellent. Definitely a step above our Trader Joe bargains. This region of California is excellent for growing grapes and the winemakers here know what they are doing. Still not a snob, but I’ve been enlightened.

out of the crayon box book and wine glass

To find out how Debra (former teacher) became an author, blogger, traveler, and not a wine snob, get a copy of Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

(Pairs well with a bold red.)

September 27, 2023September 26, 2023

The Golden Gate Bridge. Who knew?

The author and her husband stand in front of the Golden Gate Bridge — We crossed that bridge (the Golden Gate) when we came to it.

The Golden Gate Bridge was one of my “must sees” for our California Road trip. I couldn’t wait to get there and was delighted when we went across three times before leaving San Francisco.

What makes this bridge so special? See how many of these facts you know!

Who knew the Golden Gate Bridge is the most photographed bridge in the world and is featured in many motion pictures?

When your wife is a blogger, you get used to her directing photo shoots, often yelling at the last minute or making you stop so she can get out of the car for the perfect shot. The first time we crossed, I kept telling Ed to slow down so I could get a picture. Fortunately, we found parking at the Vista Point parking lot just as we crossed over and the morning fog had lifted. If you go to San Francisco you MUST get your picture taken here or at some of the other vantage points.

Did you know when the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937 it was the longest (1.7 miles) and tallest suspension bridge in the world?

So when I first saw the bridge I thought, “Oh, it’s smaller than I expected.” It looks so much larger in photos. But, there is only one Golden Gate Bridge and it is San Francisco, and once I learned a little more, I love it! There are bike and pedestrian paths along both sides and as you move along, you feel as if you are part of something significant. I got goose bumps.

Who knew the Golden Gate Bridge’s signature color (International Orange) was made by Sherwin Williams?

The bridge is constantly being repainted to keep it glowing. The bright orange color is one of the things that makes the bridge iconic, and it helps the structure stand out on foggy days. I wonder how they get it painted? While we were crossing, we saw a worker walking on the catwalk way, way, up high. Whoa! By the way, you can get a can of International Orange at Sherwin Williams. Just for fun you should go to your local store, ask for a swatch of International Orange and tell them you are going to touch-up a bridge.

crossing the Golden Gate Bride — Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge

You have to pay to go across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Electronic tolls are collected in one direction only-in the southbound direction into San Francisco (you can check in anytime you like-but you can never leave?) At the time of this writing our car will cost $9.75 and an invoice will be sent based on our license plate. Well worth the money and not even the cost of a gallon of paint.

Do you know how the Golden Gate Bridge got its name?

Nope, not for the area’s association with the Gold Rush. The name actually comes from the water, The Golden Gate Strait, that runs beneath it.

So there you have it. I’ll leave you with this:

“The morning fog will chill the air, I don’t care. My love waits there in San Francisco. Above the blue and windy sea. When I come home to you, San Francisco. Your golden sun(bridge) will shine for me!” (Music by George Cory, lyrics by Douglass Cross, sung by Tony Bennett)

Threads of Thought

Have you been to San Francisco?

What are your memories or what would you like to see there?

Read more from Debra! Get your copy of Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

September 5, 2023September 5, 2023

Creativity Blocked? Paint a Room

A ladder, cans of paint, and a white room

This week, the painters came. It was time. When we moved into our home we inherited the previous owner’s color scheme–beige with a dark red accent wall and a foyer that was sponge-painted with sparkly gold paint. It’s only paint, we rationalized. We can change it. Eleven years went by, other things took priority, and I did my best to decorate around it. This week, the painters came!

Before they arrived, we had to decide on colors.

“What do you think?” Ed asked.

“White, ” I said.

“White?”

“White.”

Many Shades of White

Interestingly enough, it’s a bold choice. Most folks opt for some color. (Is white a color? Is it the absence of color?) Anyway, I was taking my inspiration from “Desert Modern” décor. Look it up. It’s a thing, and since we live in the desert it captured my imagination.

“Walls the color of white-washed adobe are the perfect backdrop for warm desert colors,” the Pinterest post promised.

Of course, what they don’t tell you is there are hundreds, maybe thousands of shades of white at the local paint store, and not one is named White-Washed Adobe. After squinting at paint swatches taped around our living room for several days, I finally narrowed it down to two.

“Deb, just pick one,” Ed pleaded.

“Ok, here, ” I said as I squinted one last time and grabbed a sample off the wall hoping it was white-washy enough.

The Big Reveal

During the painting process, our home was like a construction zone. A team of professionals swooped in, taped, primed, and painted. I stayed my office/studio venturing out to take a peek now and then. From what I could tell, I was going to like the new look. After a two-day flurry, the painters packed up and left. I stood in the middle of the living room.

“It’s a lot of white.” I said.

“That’s what you wanted, ” Ed said. “Think of it as blank slate. Now we can start creating the look you want.”

Enter Creativity

“I Walk into a White Room…”

That’s the title of the first chapter of Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit. This is how she starts each of her choreography-design sessions. She walks into the empty white studio and begins the creative process of bringing music to life.

I’m not a dancer, I’m a writer, but the creative process is the same. My brain begins to re-arrange bits and pieces of my room. Could the sofa move here? This picture looks better there. We need a pop of color over here. A plant perhaps?

It’s like moving dancers around on a stage or words on a page. Playing with color, texture, and shape in this way stimulates a burst of creativity that’s bound to spill over into my work as a writer.

Work in Progress

a rusty -brown saguaro lawn ornament in a green pot makes an art installment

It’s a work in progress. Our original sofa and chair was repurposed with a hand-knitted throw and some new accent pillows. A rusty-brown saguaro lawn ornamant in a green pot makes for an interesting art installation. Some thrifted pieces have added interest.

Fixing things up, moving bits around, adding in some new elements. Yeah, I’m working on my manuscript.

Threads of Thought

What experiences with paint colors or painting a room have you had?

What do you do when you are blocked creatively?

Don’t you wonder who comes up with the names for paint colors? What’s the funniest one you’ve come across? (And if you find White-Washed Adobe let me know)

A bright blue book with a border of crayons across the bottom and the title OUt of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life

Grab a copy of my book Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

August 28, 2023August 26, 2023

It’s About Time

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot. -Michael Altshuler

I’m a clock watcher. This is a natural consequence of having been a teacher. I can think of few other professions where a minute here or there makes a difference. Take your kids to the music class five minutes late and you’re done. Lesson finished three minutes before recess? Better have a ‘time filler’ or two up your sleeve.

The habit of clock watching followed me into retirement. I have a digital clock in my writing/sewing studio. Many days, I’m not on any particular schedule, and if I’m involved in a project I lose track of time. Yet, for the most part, knowing where I am in time and space seems to ground me.

“Time moves slowly, but passes quickly,” -Alice Walker, The Color Purple

This week, the numbers on the clock in my writing studio began to fade . Once Ed replaced the battery, the clock had to be reset. Ed was able to figure out how to do the minutes, seconds, and date, but neither of us could figure out how to set the day of the week. A small thing perhaps, yet I knew this would drive me crazy. If, for instance it was Friday,August 25 but my clock said August 25 was Tuesday, I would maybe start to obsess about it and then I wouldn’t get any writing done and then my time would be wasted and then I would worry that I’d wasted my time.

After much fiddling around, I discovered that one must set the year (which isn’t displayed) in order for the clock to align the current date with the correct day or the week. To my surprise, the date had been set for 2018, the year I had purchased the clock. It had been marking my minutes, days and years for five years. This was a revealation to me. Five years. That’s 1,825 days or 43,800 hours, or 2,628,000 minutes. Where did they go?

“There’s only one thing more precious than time and that’s who you spend it on.”- Leo Christopher

I’ve been thinking about the passage of time this week as I approach my birthday. Yeah, it’s one of those with a zero attached to it. I’ve never been one to let chronological age define me, yet this one seems monumental. But now, I’m thinking (because my mind works this way) maybe I’ll just put in a new battery, a new outlook, reset myself, and continue on- renewed and refreshed and ready for whatever comes next. One of my favorite lines comes from a scene in The Best Exotic Marygold Hotel where Judi Dench says as she contemplates starting a late-in -life career , “How many lives can one have? As many as one chooses.” To put it another way:

“Is it possible for you to contemplate that in a very real way this may actually be the best season, the best moment of your life?”-Jon Kabat-Zinn

My best season, my best moment. Now. I think this is my favorite way to look at time.

(PS…Lest you think I’m becoming too philosophical in my new decade, I’ll leave you with this last quote because I think it’s really funny and its almost my birthday, so humor me.)

“Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.”

Threads of Thought

Are you a clock-watcher?

If you had more time, what would you do?

When does time move quickly or slowly for you?