Lately teaching has resembled wrestling with alligators more so than breaking baby horses. According to my Worst-Case Survival Handbook I am supposed to cover their eyes to make them more sedate. I can tell you right now that tip just plain won’t work on little alligators that have been kept in a pen for the last 6 months. Nope, that won’t work at all. To get inside the mind of an alligator you have to BECOME an alligator yourself. Yesterday I opened my great alligator jaws wide and hissed. All of the baby alligators’ eyes grew wide with fear. “Get out your Math Journals!” I commanded. Everyone scrambled to their desks and the search was on.
Then Emmanuel had to go and ruin the mama alligator routine I had going. As I was surveying the murky depths of the classroom looking for signs of disobediance Emmanuel crept up behind me and tapped me on the back. I whirled around prepared to hiss again. “Do you have a flashlight?” he asks me in a squeaky voice, “It will be easier to see inside my desk” Great peals of laughter slipped out of my reptilian throat and boomed across the room. Nothing in my Survival Handbook says to laugh in the face of chaos, but sometimes when you do it you feel a lot better.
Getting this in the mail from E.B. also made me feel better.
Italian ephemera and my own blue Amalfi Coast house made especially for me.
Pages from an old fretwork catalogue dated 1875 Oh boy! A new source of stencils to cut.
Aren’t these pretty?
Yes indeed. The lady of the lake at Wishbone Lane was very kind.
I don’t think I’ve sufficiently showed off my favorite new tool in my visual journal arsenal. These labels sent to me by Roben-Marie have endless uses. I need an Ironwoman like this to train me for the staircases in the Amalfi Coast.
Where is my sister getting these cool envelopes?
Don’t you love her latest self-portrait?
Oh! What’s this? A page in Visual Journal #7 from 2005. Yes. I really am constantly hatching escape plans.
And another…this from a couple of pages that will appear in Journal Revolution.
Okay Muchachos, that’s all she wrote for now. I’m off to Target to find a teeny tiny suitcase for Oregon and Italy. I’m taking traveling light to whole new heights.
Wait. I almost forgot to share the splendors of this blog I’ve recently discovered. COBALTIKA has some visual imagery that will knock your socks off.
AFter you poke around there, head over here to ALL OVER PRINT Get out your smelling salts. You’ll need to be revived after that trip. That is one seriously B E A U T I F U L blog.
Wow such fabulous eye candy, I had to read it twice to take it all in. I love your sister’s envelope.
Ro
xo
Well, Mama Alligator….
Laughter is most definitely the best medicine…. great story….
So many lovely photos!
and….how do you find these fabulous sites??
thank you for all the great links here!!!
What a LOAD of great stuff….I got to look through you Amalfi Coast dream home in person!!
OK and I LOVE the alligator handbook, just hysterical, like it that situation you could calmly think…hmmmmm, yes, cover it’s eyes…just like out here we are supposed to be BIG as possible if you encounter a bear, no wait, it’s big for a mt lion and small for a bear….oh, I can never keep them straight!
yup, them gaters is tricky. Watch yourself. Love sisters return addy. That is great.
I can always count on you for the best new Blog finds. It’s true, I had to fan myself whilst reading alloverprint. You sister’s self portrait is delightful. I hope that you scored an Issac M. suitcase at TARGET. Easy to find on the luggage turnstile: Screaming Pink….
ooxx
Lisa H.
As always I throughly enjoy reading your blog and viewing the wonderful eye candy you have, but I get the biggiest kick of all when you share your survival handbook too funny! Happy Creating!
Boone can’t wait to read your alligator training info – and I’m getting out my journal to siphon off some M.A. inspirational steam…
so love your dispatches – just spent the weekend with fab bloggy friends Leslie and Jack – surely you will be dispatching mail art from the blue Amalfi house… ?
sending cool fall love from wishbone lane…
xox – eb.
Hi My Dear,
What a wonderful surprise to find a comment from you this morning! You have so many goodies here!!–I love your visual journal pages–congratulations on getting published in Journal Revolution!!!–I can’t wait to see it!!!
I love you banner!
You are a traveling diva–have an incredible trip–can’t wait to see your beautiful pics!
Susan
xoxo
I do love your sister’s latest self portrait and the envelope! I have tagged you! Hope you can participate!
xoxoxox
diane @ http://www.rosajosies.com
Oh how I have missed reading your blog. I love your teacher attitude and you don’t fool us for one minute. We know you love your charges and teaching. The world needs you!
You’re going to Astoria and Italy…in the SAME TRIP?! I’m so hoping you say yes…’cause that would seriously ROCK. 😉 Love your journal pages.