November 6, 2014 Photo (310/365): "Tree Deconstructed"
"Some see nature all ridicule and deformity and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of one with imagination, nature is imagination itself." - William Blake
Its fallen leaves float upon the placid surface of the lake. Its sturdy trunk is but a reflection in the murky flotsam. Yet, despite its deconstruction, the essence of the tree remains.
November 5, 2014 Photo (309/365): "Apples"
To me, autumn tastes like apples (though I'm sure some would argue for pumpkin). Although I enjoy some of the new "designer apples" -- Honey Crisp, Sweet Tango, etc. -- my go-to apple has always been the Macintosh (insert obvious tech coach Apple reference here). My dad would always bring home bags of crisp Macs in early fall and later in the season, bushels of "windfalls" -- imperfect Cortlands for baking. Our garage was perfumed with apples from late September throughout the holidays. Aromas of tart apples and cinnamon often wafted from the kitchen as my mom made steaming cups of hot apple cider, gallons of apple sauce, and her weekly apple pie. Fact: My mom makes the best pie crust in the world! I really need to sit down with her someday soon and try to inherit her skill (although I'm not much of a baker).
When I spotted this bushel basket full of apples in the PHS Foods room today, it immediately reminded me of a song that my Grandma Dodo used to sing to me, "I love you a bushel and a peck!" The sight, smell, and taste of these apples, combined with the memory of that song created the perfect Proustian sensory memory for me this morning -- a feeling of warmth and happiness, love and home.
November 4, 2014 Photo (308/365): "Delight"
"Pink sky at night, sailor's delight!" I'm storing every pink sky in memory until we're sailing again...
November 3, 2014 Photo (307/365): « Faites comme l'arbre, changer les les feuilles et garder les racines. Alors changez vos idées et gardez vos principes. » - Victor Hugo
"Be like a tree, change your leaves, but keep your roots intact. So change your ideas and keep your principles." After a day of discussing best practices in education at the CESA #1 Convening on Personalized Learning and listening to Alfie Kohn's riveting and controversial keynote (follow my tweets @melindamlarson #PLconf14), Hugo's words ring even truer. Regardless of the approach to personalized learning, the focus must always be on authentic student learning. To extend the metaphor, Aristotle said that "the roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet."
November 2, 2014 Photo (306/365): "Ripples"
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." ~ Mother Teresa
November 1, 2014 Photo: (305/365): "Resilient"
"It's not the strongest of the species that survive, but the ones most responsive to change." - Darwin
Yesterday's blustery winds blew the rest of the leaves off the trees, so this morning, we set about the annual ritual of pruning the dead perennials and preparing the garden for winter. Amid the withered hostas and brown leaves, one perfect, resilient daisy has survived to greet November.