Gleaning Facebook: Jungle Mowing

 

With my mower out of commission the yard has become a jungle, so on this day a five word Facebook status:

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Comments

Jane Baird Lathem

Me Jane.....but I don't mow!!!!

Rhonda Ingram Bramlette
One word.....GOAT!!

Terrell Shaw
My old "Lawn General" is back in the shop, so I rented a John Deere three wheel, 48", front deck tractor: I am in love. Great power, unbelievable manueverability... my jungle was tamed quickly.

Sunday Concert: Memorial

On this Memorial Day I pause to honor the Americans who have risked their lives or even lost them for their country since the early 1770s.

The angry protestors at Boston,
the young farmers at Lexington and Concord,
my ancestor, shot by Tories in front of his wife and baby,
the weary, cold crossers of the Delaware,
the jubilant victors at Yorktown,

the stalwart defenders of Fort McHenry,
the backwoods boys of Andy Jackson at New Orleans -- who didn't know the treaty had already been signed,

the valient, hopeless, occupants of the Alamo,

the heroes of Buena Vista and Vera Cruz,

the boys in blue and the boys in gray -- both convinced they were risking their lives for freedom my ancestors Lt. William Baird of the 53rd Georgia Infantry shot through the shoulder as he crossed a fence along a plank road at the Wilderness, and teenaged Private Nathan Wood riding far from home with the First Georgia Cavalry.

the doughboys of 1918 in muddy trenches,

the GIs of the fourties clawing their way up the boot of Italy,
sloshing ashore at Iwo Jima or Normandy under unyeiding fire,
marching at bayonet point before Japanese captors,
my father walking the beaches of the Ulithi atoll among dead Japanese, wondering if he'd be called upon to invade Japan,

the freezing American soldiers conducting the police action on the Korean peninsula,

Galen Foster and Butch Moreland and John Kerry and John McCain and all those other contemporaries of mine who found themselves in a jungle half a world away fighting for their lives while I and most of their fellow citizens went to class or work pretty much unaffected by the blood in Vietnam,

Time Machine: Mr. Shaw's Stars, May 2009

From my Facebook, May 24, 2017

These sweet kids are graduating from high school this week. Looking through the Rome News graduation special section, this sentimental ol' fool gets right moisty-eyed to see those nine-year-olds all grown-up looking. 2008-2009 was one of those highlight years. I was privileged to have, once again, a wonderful student teacher, and this time she was from Berry College, Brittany Smith.

Berry's student teaching program is the best. They put the prospective teachers into the classroom the week before school starts to see how the teacher prepares for the year, then for the first week of school to understand how to establish routines, discipline, relationships for the year. Then they revisit the classroom off-and-on through the year until they finally do their fulltime student teaching. Berry student teachers build relationships with students and teachers and get to more completely understand what a year of teaching is like.

I'm also glad that my West Rome classmate, Donna Brown, is included in the picture. Donna was a great help to the AES staff, and in 2008-2009 a particular help in my classroom.

I didn't see all of these kids in the paper, of course. Some have moved away. I know Tiffany Chen and Charlotte Davis moved away and Porter Law ended up at Calhoun High. I'd love to hear from any of these kids, so if any of my FB friends know the whereabouts of the ones who have moved, let me know! And feel free to tag any of these kids who are your facebook friends. Also feel free to tag the picture if you are FB friends with any of these folks. 

Melanie Collette Babb
Sam got a little moisty eyed looking at the Coosa grads this morning too.

Cindy Daitz
great memories. great photo

Terrell Shaw
Cindy Daitz: one of the great classroom mamas of all time. I remember you working in the hot sun, outside our classroom courtyard door, till soaked in sweat and stained with soil, getting our classroom garden into shape. I think I have pics somewhere. For a price I will not post them. 

Cindy Daitz
IT was a pleasure volunteering in your clasroom. It is very strange to substitute in your old classroom now. I expect you and my kids to come around the corner any minute

Cindy Hullender Bachman
That was a great year for Belle, and you were a great teacher!!

Terrell Shaw
Another great mama with TWO Stars

Obama Says That Under Bush We Forgot Who We Are

President Obama in his speech this morning reminded Americans that America, prior to Bush, did not torture. Obama said that America was the country that opposed torture and that closed down torture camps and established a rule of law. “That is who we are,” he said.

“That is who we are.” We are a nation that does not torture. That seems a good starting point. How could we forget something so important? Obama says that under Bush we were guided by emotion, “fear,” rather than guided by good judgment, “foresight.”

Gleaning Facebook: First Day at McHenry

The stamp on this pic is Feb 72, but it was taken before school started in August 71 - I think my very first day in the room. Notice the radiators. We were first on the raditor flow. By January, in order to keep classes toward the end of the line reasonably warm, our room was a sauna. We opened the windows even on very cold days. Notice the house directly across the driveway behind me. That is where the janitors, Nellie (Not Edith!) and Earl Hill lived - on campus.

Notice the partition built around the light fixture. Mrs. Nancy Helser, the Title I Reading teacher, taught across the partition - one light switch. We each heard every word spoken in the other room.

Tight quarters for a fifth grade class. I think I had about 25, but I'll have to see if I can find a count.

Sheila probably took this. I had been married one week.

I don't think I have any FB friends I taught in this room in 1971, 1972, and 1973. I still see Wayne Morgan, occasionally. I run into Nancy Edwards' brother now and then.

Comments

Frank Logue
Thanks for sharing.

Terrell Shaw

I am so embarrassed!! Edith Hill was a teacher I hadn't met yet when this pic was taken. Nellie Hill was the janitor.

Edith Hill taught at Pepperell Elementary. The last time I saw Edith Hill was at Kroger during the last year or two. She was past 100 years old. 

Nellie Hill died of cancer about twenty years ago. She was a sweet, sweet lady who was very conscientious. Neither Nellie nor Earl had much education at all, but Earl could hold his own at checkers with anyone. He'd occasionally challenge me on one of our recess checkerboards after school. He usually humiliated me.

Terrell Shaw

Hi Frank! Thanks for stopping by.

Alice Jeffries Keel
From 9 to 5:
I have a Facebook friend I taught in 1971 - 72, fourth grade Social studies at Beulah Elem. - Hey Kim Holland Shepherd if you are following this! My first year there.
Olley and I married the next year Aug. 26. Pre planning was I think ?Tuesday the 29th. Wish we still started school so late!
My open classroom experience had come earlier in Phenix City in 69 - 70 teaching second grade. I may have given my right arm for 2 more good walls that year! I think the title one person used a lrge closet there at Central.
I don't recall the heat but definitely NO AIR! You know I never had one child who chopped off their finger in a fan and now we would be in serious trouble if we brought one of those old fans, I guess! Thank goodness for those fans! Heck we are discouraged from even opening our windows!
Thanks for the blast from the past!

Tracy S Lawler
I remember Edith Hill! Didn't she teach 5th grade?

Terrell Shaw
Ms. Hill taught 2nd in 1978. Matthew Smart, fb friend, was in that class acc. to the yearbook I have here. Of course she may have taught other grades other years.

Tony Pope
Terrell, any McH pix you have (like the one above), would you burn to a CD for me? I try to keep a file of our school history. We are going to have a McHenry Homecoming ONE DAY! Ha...

Tony Pope
Where was this building in relation to the current building? is that the house on the hill near the "old" school? I remember Earl coming to one of our retirement luncheons back in the early 1990s, he lived near the school...though don't think it was this same house. Mrs. Packer also came...she lived across the road from the school.

Terrell Shaw

On the hill across the old drive and up the steps from the gym. The little clapboard house the Hills lived in faced the windows of my room and the driveway ran between it and my room.

Yes Mrs. Packer lived directly across the street from the school. Her son lived in the trailor next door. I taught his daughter Sharon.

Matthew Smart
Yes, Mrs. Hill, 2nd grade at PES. She taught me to write cursive and kept us in line!

Rita Lawler
We need more pictures taken of people in their environments. This is a powerful portrait.

Gleaning Facebook: Senior Adult Sunday

My sister Debi and brother (in-law) Gregg put two pots of flowers in the sanctuary today in memory of my Dad, Charles Shaw, and Gregg's Dad, Ralph Lewis. So I thought I'd take some pics....

...and share them with my FB friends....

...The four banners are relatively new and helped to emphasize...

... the pastor's sermon themes of the last few weeks.

The oldest stained glasses in our church are the "Pansy Windows" at the front...

They were placed there as a project of a group of young girls before 1900...

There was a mission Methodist congregation on East 9th street between the old Post Office and Turner-McCall...

...called Pansy Chapel Methodist Church..

I have speculated that the windows may have come from there...

... but that is only speculation...

... they are lovely though, aren't they?...

Before a major sanctuary renovation in the 1970s the big round windows had a geometric stained glass pattern. Those windows now belong the Mike Burton, who has used them in his house on the Booger Hollow Road. We now have three beautiful scenes in the sanctuary (this one plus Jesus knocking at a door, and Jesus with children. Recently a fourth stain glass scene was added at the back of Mobley Hall, the Good Shepherd.

Today was Senior Adult Sunday. I was asked to sing at the 8:30 service. I sang Amazing Grace a cappella, as it turned out -- my tape misfired. Trinity's former Rev. Floyd Tenney, now retired spoke.

Floyd greets Wint Barton.

Floyd's new wife, Betty, is at the left, as Floyd greets another former parishioner.

At the 9:45 service Rev. Scobie Branson spoke. It was great to hear Scobie again. He was our pastor in the eighties and he was a rock for us during the time of my father's death.

Trinity's former pastor, Rev. Scobie Branson.

Trinity's former pastor, Rev. Scobie Branson. with his wife Kathy.

To the left is our current pastor, Rev. Dr. David Campbell. To the right is Marlene Ransom, widow of Rev. Jim Ransom who entered the ministry from our congregation and who, after his partial retirement, served as an associate pastor at Trinity.

Scobie, Kathy, and Marlene

 

Gleaning Facebook: Magnolias and River Views

What magnificent flowers. From our upstairs back porch we can reach out and touch Magnolia blossums. Aren't they pretty? Now imagine the scent.

 

The clouds roll in...

...dark, menacing...

...minutes ago...

...fade to black.

Tony Pope

Cool! What did you take this with?

Terrell Shaw
My Canon EOS Rebel xsi. Weird sky.

Gleaning Facebook: Shedding Shoes form Good Behavior

For our end-of-year good behavior incentive good little boys and girls at our school were treated to an hour of bouncing around on those giant inflatables that everyone is familiar with. I can't show you the gleeful children, but here are their shoes!

 

Gleaning Facebook: AES Lifeforms

seven spot ladybug beetle, Coccinella septempunctata
An import from Europe.

ladybird beetle, Coccinella septempunctata

Dryocampa rubicunda - Rosy Maple Moth
My Charlotte brought this guy from home.

Dryocampa rubicunda - Rosy Maple Moth
Moths have antennae that look like feathers, usually. Butterflies have clubbed antennae.

When these buds open they will make one of the oddest, but most gorgeous little flowers you will see.

Turkey Tail Fungus, Trametes versicolor, I think. The same brackett fungus found all over the woods on rotting limbs and logs. See the pine cones? They help you understand the size of this big clump. It is more than a foot in diameter.

I'm 'sposed to know this, but I forget.

Carol Shaw Johnston
We have these flowers all over our woods. Let me know when you figure out what they are.

 

Gleaning Facebook: Inflatable Day for AES

We are not allowed to upload pics of our students on Facebook.

 

I wish I could show their joyful faces as they celebrated on the inflatable play structures that rose from our school courtyard today.

Here is an elder reveler.

Whee...

...eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Gleaning Facebook: Six

 

Here is a silly Facebook post to share. I posted one word...

... and my fellow teacher and West Rome High School classmate Allice Jeffries Keel was puzzled:

Alice

Pick up sticks? What?

Terrell

Alice, I am a teacher. I have one of the great groups of children of all time. I love my job (except that the powers-that-be have made a foolish decision about next school year that has put a serious damper on my enthusiasm.) But it is that time of year when one can not help but count down. Six.

Alice

Alice goes, "duh!" but we have 10 - I think, plus 2 - that's officially - it's a marathon

The Flora and Fauna of Nature's Classroom

Here are couple of dozen pics of the Flora and Fauna of Nature's Classroom near Mentone, Alabama on Lookout Mountain. I snapped these last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday during our annual fourth-grade trip. As one critic has noted I am a little skimpy on Fauna, the bashful beasts.

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Later---

From my Facebook:

I'm sorry I couldn't catch a shot of the skunk that a few of us watched drift through the cabin circle Thursday night. Here are a few other natural wonders I snapped during our trip to Nature's Classroom. I'll label to the best of my ability and edit as my more botanically or zoologically astute friends nudge me.

Tony Pope
Is this bull thistle? You know that's what they (the Cherokee) use to make the "fuzzy" part of their blow darts.
Terrell
Yes, Tony. I learned that from Steve McCarty who does such a great weapons demonstration for our fourth-graders every year at Etowah Mounds.

Lichen

Sassafras 
Sassafras albidum 
You can see the three leaf-types of Sassafras - pitchfork, mitten, and spade. Sassafras roots are used to flavor many things, including root beer and medicines. The cleaned roots boiled with a little sugar make Sassafras tea.

Whorled Loosestrife 
Lysimachia quadrifolia

Lots of these deerberries or blueberries or huckleberries or whatever were blooming. I suppose this is a vaccinium species. I'm guessing Vaccinium stamineum, Deerberry.

Vaccinium stamineum, Deerberry

Maple-leaf Viburnum, 
Viburnum acerifolium

The parasite responsible for this particular gall is the maggot larvae of the ocellate (or maple eyespot) gall midge. The bull's eye is formed by substances secreted by these maggots. Once they mature they'll drop to the ground below and burrow into the soil where they'll eventually rise as adults. 
http://naturejournals.blogspot.com/.../maple-eyespot-gall... 

Maple Eyespot Galls Recently Spotted 
The maple eyespot gall midge, Acericecis ocellaris, is also called the maple leafspot gall midge. The word ocellaris comes from the Latin word ocellus meaning eye (hence the name eyespot gall). An official common name does not exist for this insect. Maple eyespot gall midges emerge in early spring and lay their eggs on the newly-expanding leaves. As the maggots hatch and feed on the tender leaf growth, they secrete substances which cause the leaves to form dimples around the maggots (resulting in striking yellow and red circles around the gall). The maggots soon mature and drop to the soil surface where they evidently dig into the soil to spend the rest of the summer, fall and winter. Another generation of midges will emerge the next year. Insect populations vary from year to year due to weather, predation, diseases and additional factors; thus, the maple eyespot galls may be much less noticeable next year. Because they do negligible damage, their management is not necessary. 
http://ipm.ncsu.edu/curr.../98PestNews/98News3/ornament.html

Hawthorn 
Crataegus spp

Hawthorn 
Crataegus spp

Granny Graybeard 
or Fringe tree 
Chionanthus virginicus

Hawthorn 
Crataegus spp

Hawthorn 
Crataegus spp

DYC 
"D@*# Yellow Composite"

Rhododendron sp.

Rhododendron sp.

Mountain Laurel 
Kalmia latifolia 

Galax
Galax urceolata

I suppose this could be the same one we have on our campus at Armuchee:
Piedmont Azalea 
Rhododendron canescens?

Vaccinium stamineum, Deerberry 

A different Vaccinium species? Or just closer to fruiting?

Centipede in the shower. Centi shouldn't do that.

This looks like a "House Centipede"

Scutigera coleoptrata 
Wikipedia says: "
Scutigera coleoptrata (one of several species commonly known as the house centipede), is a yellowish-grey centipede with 15 pairs of legs. Originally endemic to the Mediterranean region, the species has spread to other parts of the world, where it usually lives in human homes. It is an insectivore; it kills and eats arthropods such as insects and arachnids
S. coleoptrata is 25 mm (0.98 in) to 50 mm (2.0 in) in length and has up to 15 pairs of remarkably long legs. These delicate legs are attached to a rigid body. This enables it to reach surprising speeds of up to 406 mm (16.0 in) per second[1] running across floors, up walls and along ceilings. Its body is yellowish-grey and has three dark-colored dorsal stripes running down its length; the legs also have dark stripes. Unlike most other centipedes, house centipedes and their close relatives have well-developed, faceted eyes. S. coleoptrata has developed automimicry in that its hind legs present the appearance of antennae. While it is at rest it is not easy to tell its front from its back."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutigera_coleoptrata

Eumeces fasciatus 
Five-lined Skink

There are three Five-lined Skinks in the southeast. I'll guess this one.

Bluets (Quaker Ladies)

Phlox

Fence Lizard

Indian Physic
Gillenia trifoliata

Sweet Shrub