Monthly Archives: March 2012

Magnolias Here and There

Standard

English: Looking north across Lafayette Avenue...

This past week I was on spring break from school, and I went to Shreveport, LA. with my daughter and grand-baby.  They were looking for a house in which to live since my son-in-law was transferred there in his job.  We saw some beautiful homes as well as beautiful country.  The green grass was a foot high in places, and the pine trees and rolling hills were stunning.  We saw lots of magnolia trees in the yards of the homes that we were viewing.  The area was pleasant and interesting.

The  magnolia on my mind at the moment is our high school UIL competition cutting of Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling.  We’ve been working on the production for a little over two months, and now it is time for our public performance.  The students will present their play to the public tomorrow, Sunday, March 18th, at 1:30 p.m.  They will host a fish fry lunch prior to the performance of the play.  The luncheon will be from noon until 1:30.  The director (me!) is a nervous wreck because the students have all been on spring break for a week, and we have not had a rehearsal or even given a thought to the play.  I’m just hoping and praying that they haven’t forgotten everything we have learned.  The six young ladies in the cast are, indeed, beautiful magnolias and steel ones at that.  They have been the most congenial group of girls I’ve ever directed.  There is no diva.  The girls all have adversity in their lives, and they are all strong and intelligent young women.  I’m proud to be involved in a small moment of their lives.

Advertisement

First Bluebonnets of 2012

Standard

  This past Friday, I took my high school one-act play students to Bandera, TX.  On the way there, we saw bluebonnets in bloom between Llano and Fredericksburg.  I thought that those blooms were way ahead of our personal bluebonnets, but no, not at all.  Saturday afternoon, we drove around the Mountain Pasture, and there they were, just beginning to peak their little blue bonnets out of the green plants.  Above and below are photos of the first ones of the year here at our place in Central Texas.  We welcome you, bluebonnets and spring! 

Gardening–Intensive Care Unit

Standard

I think I’m a failure at growing early tomato plants from seeds.  I finally took my two trays of spindly plants into town to the school.  The agriculture teacher has a green-house full of many beautiful plants.  The 5th and 6th graders have beautiful, large tomato plants growing out there.  Yes, 5th and 6th graders!  Today at lunch, the Ag teacher told me he had my plants in the “plant intensive care unit” of the green-house!  Oh No!!!  I knew they looked sickly, but that bad?!  My son will be most aggravated if I waste those seeds from his League of Nations garden!

Today was one of those days when I wonder why so many little things that go wrong get me down!  Ever have those days?  I’m a school teacher.  One of the play’s important props went missing, students wanted their grade averages and I don’t have them ready, the cast forgot their lines tonight at the dress rehearsal, some students were disrespectful and wanted to show their “power” and “bullyness”, and the furniture store who owes me a new, matching sofa and loveseat that are already paid for emailed that they are closing.  Well!  what an end to a perfect day!  Whine, whine, whine.  Spring break can’t come fast enough for students and teachers alike!  For sure I can’t go into full-time gardening for a living since my plants are in intensive care, so I guess I’ll suck it up and go forward as a teacher.

How lucky and fortunate I am to know an Ag teacher who will take in my ailing plants and nurture them and to know I have students who will rise to the occasion tomorrow when they perform for a critic in Bandera, Texas.