Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.

Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art;

Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

- Charles Wesley

In this crazy season of Christmas may we not loose sight of the reason we celebrate. It's not the mall's holiday, it's our celebration, it's the climax of a story older than time...it's our hope, it's our story, and as my pastor said yesterday, we obviously haven't been telling it very well...Here's to a simpler Christmas, a remembrance of why we celebrate, a moment to pause and listen to the songs we sing at this time, many who have gone before us understood what Christmas was all about. That is my prayer for myself and my friends and family this year.

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"You are a leading lady, who is living her life as the best friend!"
- wise old man in "The Holiday"

Thanks Mom for taking me to Walgreens!

As you grow, you will need new shoes often,
and I would give you otherthings to stand on that are handsome and useful
and fit you well,
that are not all plastic,
that are real and knowable and leatherhard,
things that will move with you and breathe rain or air,
and wear well in all weather.

For beauty, I would buy a gem for you from the earth's heart
and a ring that is gold clear through
and clothes the colors of flowers.
I would cultivate in you a gentle spirit,
and curiosity,
and wonder in your eyes.
For use,
in your house I'd hang doors that are solid wood
without hidden panels of air,
set in walls built on brick more than one inch thick.
On your floors I'd stretch fleeces from black shee's backs
and for your sleep, sheets spun from fibers that grew, once,
on the flanks of the fields.
I'd mount for you on small,
clean mirror for a grinning glimpse of windows to the world,
with sashes and open hard,
but once lifted,
let in breath of pure sun,
the smell of day,
a taste of wold wind,
an earful of green music.

Now and always,
you will need to be nourished.
For your mind-poems and plays,
and words on the pages of thousands of books:
Beuteronomy, Dante and Donne,
Hosea and Hopkins,
L'Engle and Lewis.
For your spirit, mysteries and praise, sureties and prayer.
For your teeth and tongue,
real bread the color of grain at a feast,
baked and broken fresh each day,
apricots and raisins
cheese and olive oil and honey that live bees have brought from the orchard.
For drink I'd pour you wine that remembers
sun and shadow on the hillside where it grew,
and spring water wet enough to slake your forever thirst.

As you grow, the air around you
will be full of calls and strange directions.
Choices pulling at you and confusion of dreams.
And I would show you a true compass and how to use it,
and sun steady in its orbit and a way
through the woods by a path that will not peter out.

Soon you will know well the sound of love's voice
and you have, already, hands,
and a heart and a mouth that will answer.
And I would learn with you more
of how love gives and receives,
both, with both palms open.
I am standing here,
far enough away for you to stretch and breathe,
close enough to shield you from some of the chill
and to tell you of a comfort that is stronger,
more real,
that will come closer still.

- Luci Shaw

Magical Twilight!

There is something so enchanting about winter's twilight. As much as I love fall, these wintry colors as the sun sets make my eyes wide with wonder and my imagination soar. I find myself drawn to just staring at the colors and the way that the air looks, feels and smells. It's magical. I think when they talk about the fairy time in books, it's the winter twilight time that they mean.

This weekend I was at Twin Rocks and Saturday we went onto the beach for sunset...of course we had just missed it, but as we approached the water it was most remarkable. The tide was out, and the colors of the sunset were hanging there in the air...but because of the receding tide those light and shinning colors were reflected all over the wet sand, and in the ocean itself. It was so shiny, I wish there was a better word to use, but it was like the light was reflecting off of everything, not in a sparkely way, but just pure shiny light. I imagine it looks like a fragmant of the majesty of the Lord. It was exactly like Grandfather's Twilight, a book that was my favorite as a child...(and the second time I was reminded of it that weekend, Friday night the moon looked exactly like that pearl that grew and grew and grew in Grandfather Twilight's hand), the colors blended together: sky, ocean, wet sand, and created this palate of sheer twilight. I could only stand there in awe and stare. I couldn't pull my eyes away and I ended up gazing out until it was too dark to see the colors anymore. Before the light disappeared the waves crashed in the ocean along the shore, but because of the light all you could see was the foam from the cresting waves leaping against the colors every once in awhile. It was truly one of the most miraculous sights I have ever seen and I was once again humbled by the vastness of the ocean and the majesty of the Lord.

Graciously a friend of mine realized my moment and snaped a quick picture...it doesn't do the colors justice, but a piece of the magic is contained in the picture...at least for me.

Things That Intrigue Me and Draw Me In

Have you ever really truly looked at book titles? They are simply remarkable, and I always am floored and stop to think about the fact that someone or a group of someones sat and agonized for hours, days, weeks, months eve, over the perfect title for a book. A title is like an epitaph, it's supposed to magically encompass the content, and feel of the book in less than 10 words (usually!). Which is what we ask people to do on tombstones too...both seeming ridiculous to me. Sum up your best friend, or family member in 20 words or less go! It's the same thing with books...yet there are some that just draw you in...and the greatest thing to me is that what draws me in, doesn't necessarily draw another person in.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Holding up the Sky
Hot, Flat, and Crowded
Alphabet Juice
The River Home (so much potential)
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao
Indignation
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
(just a few titles that have intrigued me as of late)

And books, much like people are immediately intriguing, or they are not that intrguing, but then you hear about the book, and someone tells you what it is about, or that you need to read it, and suddenly that seemingly mundane title now is exciting to you.
And then there's my favorite...the title that as soon as you hear it draws up thoughts, feelings, memories, just with the words of the book's name:

Anne of Green Gables (Anne in general)*
Narnia :)*
The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane
Harry Potter
A New Coat For Anna*
The Polar Express*
The Hobbit*
The Brother's Grimm Fairy Tales*
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle*
Johhny Tremain
The Outsiders (Thank you Mrs. Belka)
Pride and Prejudice
Crime and Punnishment (Thank you Mr. Dolmatz)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Thank you Mrs. Snell)
The Secret Garden*

Just like good friends these titles conjure up a picture of something unique and special. Ah, for the love of books! :) (*Thanks Mom and Dad for introducing me to these treasures)

Little Known Fact!

Here's a little known fact for all you teacher people...if you don't cancel a sub before 8:00am, you can't do it at all! And if perhaps, the user of the technology device that schedules subs makes a mistake that you are unaware of until the morning, you still cannot cancel the sub...with that said, it's 12:36 and I'm sitting at Chapters, where I'm sure parents and teachers can see me and it will look like I'm playing hooky, which essentially I am...but forced hooky so it's not the same, at least that's what I think.

Here is a book that I saw today that intrigues me The Elegance of the Hedgehog. What a great title. I'm hooked and I want to read it, I'm half considering buying it so that I can read it at the beach, but then I'd have to stop reading 1984 which I was supposed to have done last weekend, Anne of Avonlea, and the Love and Logic classroom book that I'm also supposed to be done with. Not to mention the 3 others that I am in the middle of, but I keep taking "breaks" to finish other things.
Here's a book I haven't finished yet...The Bell Jar I haven't finished this because it's depressing...a fascinating kind of depressing, but depths of despair nontheless, and the last time I was reading it I suddenly found myself in this black and dark place emotionally...so I decided to take a break...that was 5 months ago...hmmmm

Decision 2008

(Just imagine that I spelled McCain correctly on the board!)

Turns out my class is full of geniuses! They predicted the outcome, how awesome is that? Here are some things I heard today and yesterday: - "Now mom's can kill babies." (heard this morning as we were discussing the election) - Cailin: I just feel really bad for John McCain Me: Why? Cailin: Because he lost! Me: Yes that is sad, but you know he's a senator, he still has a job, so it's not as bad. Cailin: Miss Whitaker he LOST, and that's sad, even if he has another job - "McCain is evil!" (thus ensuing a discussion about the difference between not being a good leader and not being a nice person...this was a long discussion!) - "Did you know some people don't vote?" (imagine a shocked voice, and my affirmation that this is a travesty!) - I wonder what everyone is going to do! Some people are happy, some people are sad...everyone is just so mixed up! (ah, the wisdom of 6 year olds)

Wondering

I wonder about many things...
what is happening with our country, can I impact my class, is that stupid spelling program actually working, how do cell phones work and microwaves, what exactly is a webbot, someday will I publish a book, is what I do making a difference, how did I luck out with these friends, why am I so anxious about life, how do ipods work, how do people live in places where the leaves don't change color, why is the sky blue even where there isn't water, who thought of putting leaves in water and then drinking it, and who tried out yougurt and cheese before the perfected the process, how in the world did someone figure out that using two sticks and some yarn and twisting it around would make something lovely, if I'm welsh does that mean I get a discount if I go to Wales, where does the ocean start and end, what does a star look like up close, who thought up the umbrella, what was with elizibethian necklines, macarena?

and most recenlty...I wonder about lines, and where they are and how far they go.

Who Reads A Book At A Party?

That would be me (and Rory Gilmore of course)...Anne of Green Gables came with me to my Halloween party and then chatted with me when I was the quintessential unparty person. When did I turn into one of those people that doesn't want to hang out with new people at parties?
I kind of just froze with all the new people, and it was akward, and darkish, and black lights are creepy, millions of bobby pins were in my hair, and then Katie fell asleep, I died at video games one to many times, and everyone else I knew was playing a shot game or playing video games...so Anne of Green Gables came out of my bag, and the chastisement began...we'll see if I live this one down.
On a side note: the hair dye didn't work out for Anne, figures since she bought it from the peddlar on the road...another lesson in vanity for both Anne and I.

On another sidenote, our costume of "sorround sound" was a total hit! We are extremely creative! Which goes to show you that having long breakfasts with friends in Portland is very conducive to fabulous brainstorms! :) We won the costume contest, our skit was fabulous, we sparkled and it was lovely...our prize however was that Edgar takes us to a movie that we choose...not sure about the prize, I was hoping for a car, or 1,000 dollars...oh well!

Happy Halloween

...

New thoughts:

No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness, and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure- Emma Golmam

"They may forget what you said, But they will never forget how you made them feel."

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless. ~ Mother Teresa

The work can wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work. ~ Patricia Clafford

“Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson (see picture below! :)

New Musings on Teaching...

"Some of us are called to be teachers. We really did not have a choice. There are many ways to be a teacher..." - Bob Sorenson, Ph.D. "Creating Classrooms Where Teachers Love to Teach and Students Love to Learn" (isn't that truly the goal anyway?? :)

This statement intrigued me...I so often wonder, have I truly been called, or is it something that I just decided one day? I've been musing recently about this whole world of teaching, and what I've chosen to do with my life. Sometimes I'm not sure, sometimes I think it's perfect. But I've always had this deep rooted feeling, in someplace deep: some people call it your core, others your heart, your soul, I don't really know which it is...but I just don't "buy into" what these other people are doing sometimes. I've always had a hard time with the idea of rewarding kids for something that you expect them to do, like sitting in their chairs, etc.

There's always just been this piece of me that has really had a hard time with this. Point systems seem to do little, I've even often wondered what the point of the flip card charts are...which is something that everyone does, but I just have a hard time understanding what the point is.

All this to say that the counselor from Crater Elementary that used to be at Mabel Rush, emailed all of us to see if we wanted to take the Love and Logic course that she was teaching for free. I'm not really much of a joiner most of the time, but I've heard a lot about this, most specifically just by watching. Some people I know from college have the most well behaved children, not because they are perfect but because a high and loving standard are set for them. I've often asked what is it that makes these kids so fabulous and I've been answered with "we've been using Love and Logic, it really seems to work for them..." Enough said! So I thought, hey, why not? It's free right??

This course is blowing my mind, and making me laugh a lot! Turns out my parents are even more wonderful than I thought they were. They totally resonate with my gut feelings regardless of the program. I'm not saying by any means that this is the end all be all of everything, but I'm quite impressed by the theories. They seem sane to me and logical, and more than that, they feel right to me.

It's all about respecting the child, not getting into power struggles with them, loving them, trying to give them empathy, allowing them to make mistakes and learn from them now before the mistakes that they make have far graver consequences...it all seems so obvious. And it's the little things. Greeting your students at the door, leaving them at the door. Giving them hugs, dialoging with them, telling them that the next day will be better, etc. I've always striven to leave my kids at the door, but it never occurred to me to greet them at the door...I did it today and I can't tell you what a wonderful air it set over the classroom. So simple, who would have guessed.

I'm encouraged, enthused and rejuvenated. It was a release to be excused from getting angry. To be told not to get angry, to be excused from having an answer at the drop of a hat, and always having to have the right response right away. I'm refreshed that there are consequences available that make sense for the mistake, instead of arbitrary punishment...whose bright idea was it to hold kids in during recess? Really?? The kids that you're taking it away from are the ones who need it the most anyway! And humiliating kids in the middle of their classroom, there's a genius idea for breeding mutual respect and a free flow of ideas.

So with all this said, I'm excited...thank you Mom and Dad for giving me a foundation where things didn't "feel" right to me. You obviously set the stage for me to not be an overbearing tyrant, and to see the humor in the silliness of children, to love them through their mistakes and to take joy in their daily triumphs, be it learning to keep their hands out of their desks, reading sight words, or simply learning that they are smart and worth every effort that I have.

Thoughts in Autumn

"A glorious October, all red and gold, with mellow mornings when the valleys were filled with delicate mists as if the spirit of autumn had poured them in for the sun to grain- amethyst, pearl, silver, rose and smoke-blue. The dews were so heavy that the fields glistened like cloth of silver and there were such heaps of rustling leaves in the hallows of many-stemmed woods to run crisply through. The Birch Path was a canopy of yellow and the ferns were sear and brown and all along it. There was a tang in the very air that inspired the hearts of small maidens tripping, unlike snails, swiftly and willingly to school." - L.M. Montgomery- "Anne of Green Gables"

I find something magical about Lucy Maud Montgomery. When I read her stories I feel like they are speaking to my soul. I know that sounds very strange, but I feel my heart catch in my throat when I read her descriptions. I want to live in her world where everything looks like this. I want to be Miss Stacy and love Anne and be friends with her. I want to have known Matthew and hug Marilla even though she comes off as prickly. Even more than that I would love to be loved by Gilbert, someone who loves Anne to the depth and core of who she is. What a magical story. No matter how many times I read it I am entranced by the words. That is the kind of author and woman I long to be...like Anne, who's world is always full of life. Even when she is in the "depth of despair" there is always hope, and a sense that she knows who she is and is willing to accept that, even if others do not. Where does that confidence come from? And how can you get it?

I guess I come from the generation that thinks that a class or book or forum will magically change my attitude on things. It's a quick fix that we're all looking for, something that I can purchase and suddenly be Anne. Can't you purchase her fragrance somewhere and then be suddenly be her?? Taking life slowly and being content seems like an easy thing to do, and something that I can tackle and handle when I'm sitting here in The Cottage listening to big band music and sipping a soy latte...but in the middle of class tomorrow, and at night when I haven't finished what I need to finish, and as people around me are purchasing new cars and houses, it's harder to be content....I know that there's an answer to this question, but I don't know how to utilize that or even begin to tap into that power/answer. There wasn't a class for that at Fox. I find the older I get that I actually have no idea who I am. I have fleeting inklings that linger and whisper into my ear of who I want to be, and what kind of woman I want to be, but nothing tangible. And just when I think I've mastered something, a curve ball comes in and I suddenly act and react like I'm 12...and it's back to the drawing board. I marvel at women I know who seem to be so comfortable in their skin. I feel like I"m getting closer, but then I look at Zoe, who is 16, and already at home in her body and mind. What a remarkable thing to know who you are at 16 and to have the courage not to change based on those around you. If only she could teach a class!

There are so many things that I want to do, and so many things that I want to be involved in, and yet so much that I don't do because I am afraid or I feel like I can't. Is it possible to feel isolated in an unlonely way? I am surrounded by a fabulous support system, yet I often feel so isolated, not lonely, just kind of out there...when does that change? Or am I asking too much for that to be something that changes?

Life is a funny thing! I don't think I will ever grasp the parts that I need to. Yet I find many pieces to this puzzle in Anne of Green Gables. Anne and L.M. are increasingly wise I think:

"The trouble with you Anne, is that you're thinking too much about yourself!" -Marilla
"Do you never imagine things different from what they really are?" asked Anne wide-eyed. "No." "Oh!" Anne drew a long breath, "Oh Marilla, how much you miss!" - Anne

And I close with this thought from the all wise Anne, as I ponder this for myself as well, Anne you are wise beyond your years, may you continue to touch the hearts of readers:
"Somehow," she told Dianna, "when I'm going through here I don't really care whether Gil- whether anybody gets ahead of me in class or not. But when I'm up in school it's all different and I care as much as ever. There's such a lot of different Anne's in me. I sometime think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If i was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, then then it wouldn't be half so interesting."
- Anne (with an e)

The perefect kind of beginning...

Waking up to an alarm, not because I have somewhere to be right at 7:45, but because I'd like to leisurely wake up and have part of my day left. Sleeping past the alarm, and deciding to get up when I want to get up because it's time and I'm not exhausted anymore. :)

The whole apartment is quiet, not sure where my roommate went, but the silence is lovely on a morning that I just feel like being by myself. I blast the music, Ingrid Michaelson of course, very fallish, and get ready...doing what I normally do, but for some reason it takes me 45 minutes today instead of 15, probably just because I can!

Bundle up on my way out the door, because someone obviously didn't get the memo that it's October, not November...but at least the sun is out...and the best part of my morning so far? Grabbing my antique Anne of Green Gables book, a 1908 copy to read leisurely at the Coffee Cottage where I am headed. And yes later I will end up in my classroom for a bit, if for no other reason than it would be nice to be ready on Monday...but for now, I'm headed to relax and just be.

Driving around Yamhill county in the fall is pretty much one of the most beautiful things. The grapes (which are everywhere, I apparently moved to wine country, which is great as I've discovered a great affinity for wine) cascade over the hills, and their leaves are just starting to turn. I didn't believe that there was anything more beautiful than the leaves changing, but grape vine leaves, when they switch over for the season, are a sight to behold. Yellows and oranges, and depending on the variety, sometimes red flood over the rolling hills...beautiful! The trees are all starting to change, but there's enough green to make it still a novelty, and the air is crisp and the sky is blue and it's just a beautiful day.

Arriving at The Cottage I see people I've met through Fox and teaching in this district for the last 3 years...including student teaching...and I am recommended plum baked french toast, which I decline politely for something that I've had my eye on for awhile...a yogurt pancake. I order my coffee, chat with a couple of people in the front while I wait and then settle in at a table by the window, right next to my favorite twisty tree, who I'm sure would have a remarkable story to tell if he only spoke English...Soy lattes with cinnamon are one of life's great pleasures I'm sure. And now my pancake arrives...given by this amazing and down to earth chef that the cottage hired semi-recently from the Portland culinary school I think. She's fabulous and her food is incredible. I have no idea how this pancake is made, but it is scrumptious. It isn't heavy, and it's a bit understatingly tart (because of the yogurt) but I swear there's almond paste in it because it tastes like shortbread...but not as rich. And on the top is a HUGE mound of sliced apples and plums with shaved almonds and some sort of very light honey syrup just drippled over a bit. And now I sit with my breakfast and my coffee ready for a very relaxing morning, and soon I will turn off this piece of technology and pull out my favorite of all books and get lost in Anne's world just for a bit...and when I have to renter my own, I will be just a little bit sad, but then there's the remarkable thing about books, I can go back whenever I want...

If only all of my days started just like this, I think I would be a far better teacher, or at least more relaxed...I wonder if there's anyway I could convince the school district to buy me coffee and breakfast every morning, hmmm....maybe there's a grant for serenity of mind or relaxing classrooms sponsored by Anne of Green Gables...what would Miss Stacy do?

Beauty by Khalil Gebran

Beauty

And a poet said, "Speak to us of beauty."
Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide?
And how shall you speak of her ecept she be the weaver of your speech?
The aggrieved and the injured say,
"Beauty is kind and gentle. Like a young mother half-shy of her own glory she walks among us."
And the passionate say,
"Nay, beauty is a thing of might and dread. Like the tempest she shakes the earth beneath us and the sky above us."
The tired and the weary say,
"We have heard her shouting among the mountains, And with her cries came the sound of hoofs, and the beating of wings and the roaring of lions."
At night the watchmen of the city say,
"Beauty shall rise with the dawn from the east."
And at noontide the toilers and the wayfarers say,
"We have seen her leaning over the earth from the windows of the sunset."
In winter say the snow-bound,
"She shall come with the spring leaping upon the hills."
And in the summer heat the reapers say,
"We have seen her dancing with the autumn leaves, and we saw a drift of snow in her hair."
All these things have you said of beauty.
Yet in truth you spoke not of her bot of needs unsatisfied,
And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.
It is not a mouth thirsting not an empty hand stretched forth, But rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted.
It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear, But rather an image you see though you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears.
It is not the sap within the furrowed bark, nor a wing attached to a claw, But rather a garden forever in bloom and a flock of angles for ever in flight.
People of Orphalese, beauty is life when life unveils her hold face.
But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
But you are eternity and you are the mirror.

Where the silence soaks into you, starting in your ears and ending in your toes; and then calmly seeps into your soul. Where your heart pauses to listen, to feel and to connect back to the creator. Loons glide among the waves, seeming to fly across the water. Salty and sweet tickles your nose. The moment you take a deep breath in, you are completely at rest. The chill in the air filling up your lungs and lingering even as you breath out, to remind you of where you are, and what your business here is. The voices of others playing, laughing, talking down on the rocky beach slowly drift away as the sun prepares to wrap itself in the mist and dip below the horizon to sleep and rest and prepare for another new day. Gently pink and salmon creep out above the sea blue water, always changing like the ocean’s facial expression…a small window into the depth below. My eyes are this way, another connection to this special place. Lavender and lilac slide out after the pink, morphing almost so quickly you can't catch it to orange and then to the lightest of yellows, deepening into a yellow that cannot be described with words...finally falling abruptly to a twilight blue, that can only truly be appreciated with a heart that belongs in part to the sea.

I really am so much more normal than I have any right to be...in a good way I suppose! Yesterday I sat down at my favorite park in Bellingham with my crazy parents (I say lovingly) with all the other crazies in Bellingham watching something so insanely odd, but so normal to me. I listened as my Dad sung along to the songs and shouted out answers and clapped and cheered...and people wonder why I get a kick out of parades, and English comedy!
The 9/10 objects of Terror that were death-defyingly juggled by the Flying Karamatsu brothers were as follows:
1. Dog tenderizer (meat cleaver) sharpened to "kill" the cultural symbol of destruction (a big mac).
2. An exact replica of Yo Yo Ma's 1st cello (a ukalale)
3. A tiny french skill (skillet)
4. An egg (or ouef if you're speaking Spanish?...strange circus I attended)
5. The enemy of all those with high blood pressure of which we are constantly assaulted...a salt shaker.
6. A fire stick (aka torch)
7. A noble carp feigning from the waters of Bellingham, dying of natural causes of course.
8. A small build your own chicken kit.
9. Frozen CO2 whose natural habitat includes ice cream trucks and rock videos...on one was harmed in the removal of this speciman.
10. A living and terrifying time bomb...Andre the Beer of Champagn...shaken of course!

I also met Captain Splashy Pants whose pants are the ocean and his vessel the Moist Cravass...unfortunately infested with crabs. And the holder of his mast, Admiral Fancy pants with her skipper Goldie, who is of course a live goldfish. I saw the fairies of Bellingham dance to a song by the one and only Fiesty Mama...and witnessed the double quadruple lap dance of doom performed by perfect strangers. I met golden nosed clowns, who have received this highest honor from France...who thankfully taught clowns to be entertaining, not horrifying...and apparently did how them the magic of technology or microphones. The Women of the Future performed a social commentary about fish, eyelashes and men and women. Noodleini and his band of little noodles performed a rather unorthodox juggling act. Raven Scarlett Rose performed an Earth Day Rap that she equated with a cross between Queen Latifah, John Lennon and a rubber plant...which was oddly disturbing and not remotely talent based. The Tune stranglers were anything but that, but had a tribute to chickens which all present felt was appropriate given Bellingham's extreme love of poultry. Our one and only Kevin Murphy read some of his poetry including his successful and failed versions of his ABC poem...hilarity was had by all...minus the children who either did not understand the large words or who had obviously failed the WASL :) And then finally the Terror of the Flying Karamatsu brothers followed of course by their anthem, the Teddy Bear's picnic...
just another normal day in Bellingham...oh don't forget your fairy wings on the way out of the park please!