FEBRUARY

      Can I just say that I love February? Every year in February, I take part in 2 letter writing events which always bring me a lot of wonderful mail from many of my penpals and some new friends as well. I'll tell you a little about each one in case you are interested in joining.

The Month of Letters Challenge- This is a challenge where people sign up to send a letter every day and to respond to any mail that comes in from the "Lettermo" challenge. Many of the participants have participated for years and have their profile on the Lettermo page. It's fun because you can search people with similar interests, have an understanding that you will get a reply from your mail and most likely connect with someone who really enjoys writing letters. I have exchanged letters with so many interesting people through this event. My first piece of mail for LetterMo is going to my penpal Alenka in Slovenia.

 

InCoWriMo- Similar idea. International Correspondence Writing Month- Send at least 1 piece of personal mail every day during the month of February. One of the differences with this challenge is that there's a list of participants but you don't know anything about them. If you want to write to your own penpals, you can do that too. One thing I like about this challenge is that I never know if I'm going to get any mail from this challenge- or who/where it will come from. It's just kind of adventurous for me. When I first participated in this challenge (3 years ago?), it was hosted by someone else and it changed hands last year. So, I think there are some changes, but I'm still glad to have the opportunity to write.  My first piece of mail for InCoWriMo is going to be sent to The Henlo Press, who is hosting the InCoWriMo group on Facebook- I think.... or are they hosting InCoWriMo? I will probably figure that out during the month!

 

       I know that snail mail and letter writing is pretty old-fashioned, but I LOVE it. As a child, my nana used to send me cards and notes through the mail all the time. The excitement I felt when finding that I had mail that I wasn't expecting was great. As I grew older, finding mail in my mailbox and recognizing the writing from a friend or family member always made me smile. (I am actually very sad that many teens right now don't know what their friends' handwriting looks like, or even some of their family.)  It was always nice to know that someone had been thinking about me and cared enough to send a little note to say hello. Nowadays, some of my penpals are my closest friends. We share joyful moments as well as struggles that we are going through. I find that letter writers usually take the time to write so their letters are not shallow or  for lack of a better way to say it, pointless. It takes effort to make time to write to someone. 

      I will try to write some posts about both of these challenges and what I'm sending/receiving for mail. If you are participating in either event and would like a letter, feel free to leave a comment or message me. If you're not participating in the challenge and you just want to catch up, I'd be glad to send you a piece of mail too if you tell me you'd like some. Sometimes I don't send mail to friends/family because some people think I'm odd for enjoying writing, but I think during this time of Covid, people have started to appreciate any kind of connection they can find. 

the letters

    In my last post, I wrote about 30 letters that I had found at a used bookshop.  Many people whom I've told about the letters have asked about the content of the letters. Here are some of the things that were written about in these letters:

      Bob seems to be the youngest son. He wrote 1 letter in this bundle. I know that he graduated from Annapolis in 1945, so I think that's why. His letter is a sweet letter written to his dad on his dad's 50th birthday. This letter was on stationery from the USS Lexington.
     Rick is the oldest, I think. He wrote a lot about rank in the Navy and his advancement plans. He was transferred a few times so there is information about multiple ships (and the pros and cons of each of them). I smiled everytime I read that he was taking some time to "cut you in on the straight dope" about what was going on in life. I enjoyed reading about what his bunks/ bunkmates were like, how he enjoyed the ship's library and that he felt a connection to their ship's mascot, a cute cocker spaniel named Squeegie. He wrote a lot about missing home and regretting not watching his little sister grow up in person. He was concerned about missing Bob's graduation and wedding and very concerned about how he was goign to obtain graduation and wedding gifts, despite the fact that he was looking everywhere he went for something that would be suitable. One letter told about a dream he had where his parents had sold their farm in New Hampshire. In the letter, he begged them to promise that they would not sell the farm until he and Bill were home from war because, even though both brothers tried not to say how much they truly missed their family, not only did they miss the people, but they also missed "home." One of the favorite things I read in his letters was that they had sailed very close to Catalina Island, which apparently had a bird sanctuary on it at the time. He mentioned that birds kept flying into the ship and were quite content there. They invaded the mess hall and the crews quarters. Many of the sailors would try to capture them to force the birds out but then they would fly right back in.  Rick mostly used plain, thin airmail paper, but used some cool USO stationery and YMCA stationery too.

   Bill is my favorite. He mostly used plain paper, but had one nice Navy stationery letter.

        I learned a lot from how the mail worked from Bill's letters. He wrote home almost daily. All of his letters were numbered and he seemed to ask his family to do the same for him.Almost all of his letters had been stamped by the censors and signed with his name and branch at the bottom of the page. He mentioned one time were it had been 6 weeks since they had received mail (and how he was one of the few sailors who had received ANYthing at all) and another time where the mail had come after a 50 day wait. So, he was often sitting and reading piles of mail. He cherished news from his family, especially news about home. The more news from home, the better and the faster he "devours" it. He was also sent some magazines from home. He did mention that the ships radiomen listened to the news sent over the wire and transcribed a short version of it. They "mimeographed" a few copies of the "Dots 'n Dashes" every morning for the sailors to read at breakfast. He seemed to send his pay home and was concerned about whether they received each check.
      He talked about his experiences with "the natives."  He mentioned houses (shacks) built on stilts to prevent them from sinking into the mud. He said that people and animals lived under the same roof and that people ran shops out of their homes. He mentioned that the children in these villages had little to no toys and he was curious as to how they play. One day, the sailors had a picnic on an island. He explored the jungle and saw some beautiful white birds (but no parrots or monkeys). The sailors ate and then stripped down for a swim in a lagoon. They met some natives who were "scantily clad, except for two boys who had sailor's hats like ours."  The natives were polygamous and they "looked healthy."  They mostly ate fish and coconut. The sailors gave them a hotdog.
     He liked to sleep above deck on the ship because it was too hot below deck. He had different systems for different weather. He spoke of not having Christmas Eve because they had crossed the international date line so they basically skipped a day.  Life on the ship was sometimes slow and he sometimes struggled to find news when he hadn't heard any news from home beforehand. He mentioned that if he was writing to a woman he could fill the page with mush, but that it wasn't really appropriate for his parents and sister. :) He wrote one really touching letter to his sister telling her how much he missed her and how he "met" a monkey on a beach one day and played with it for a few hours before it fell asleep on his shoulder. If he could've brought it for her as a pet, he would've. He also told her that he couldn't wait to hear her play "Starlight Waltz" on the piano when he got home. He promised to teach her to dance and to bring her out to a show and a soda.
       Bill was very expressive of his love and concern for his family. He mentioned all of his siblings, his grandparents, some friends and his parents. I'll close this with a bit of one of his letters. I love his writing. (It has inspired me to pull out my fountain pen for my next letter. (to Linn)

    I hope you can read it. It thanks his family for a branch that they sent him in a Christmas package. It says that it might seem silly, but the branch has become one of his most prized possessions. He mentioned that the smell of the branch reminds him of home (and describes home). He said that when he gets home, he would be happy with being able to explore the outdoors and that if he just had a good fly rod, sturdy shoes, a canoe and a camera, he'd be happy.
      
        Reading all of these letters, I kept thinking that it was a shame that these memories are not with their families. I have done some research and I think I found their families! Just last night I wrote a letter to Anne, the youngest sister, to ask if she would like these letters. I sent her my contact information so hopefully she will call or e-mail me.  I will update if the story continues.

Mail goals week 1

    If you've been on this blog for a while, you probably know that I started this blog to challenge myself to attempt to send (and hopefully receive) 1 piece of mail for each day of the year. (It was a leap year that year.) After failing for 2 years, I finally reached my goal of sending 366 pieces of mail on the 3rd year. Because I have not been as successful at giving myself some time each day to connect with people, I've decided to reattempt this goal.  I will try to post weekly to keep myself on track. These posts may be short and to the point.

Letters in my "respond pile:" 10? (I just noticed that some of my old letters got mixed in there. Ugh) Letter writers- do you always respond in the order received? I do. Here's my problem. I started writing a letter months ago in a notebook I was trying to use up and I LOST IT. I was quite a few pages in and would hate to start over, but this has been the hold up. Seriously, I'm really OCD about this stuff and my books. Some day I will have an organized life. Until then... my reply pile has ten letters.

Mail sent this week 1/1-1/6): 5 postcards, 1 card
Received this week: 1 postcard and 1 card from the Secret Christmas RR. (1 card that is pictured I received before the new year so I didn't count it in my log)

From Italy. This card also benefits Unicef. 

 From Russia- I really enjoyed this card. It was so elegant looking

From Belarus- I got this one right after the one from Russia. Very similar and pretty. There was a great snowman stamp on the back too.

Lately

      This school year has been busy- a mix of feeling a bit overscheduled and personally doing a lot of things.  I anticipate my schedule getting  a lot crazier over the next few weeks, but it should be fine if I'm conscientious about my scheduling (and if everybody allows me to be a control freak regarding time. lol Sorry in advance.). At least there are some holidays in the mix so there is some planned relaxation too.
      Here are some recent endeavors of mine.
School:
    On the negative side, I usually see all of the students for the same amount of days per rotation. This year has made 5th/6th end together, 7th ends a different day and 8th grade ends yet another time. I have found that this change is throwing me off a lot it's taking a lot of adjustment.  Hopefully, after a bunch of correcting tonight, I will be caught up and be able to keep up from there.
     On a positive note, I have started my Thanksgiving tree project. These are some  background pages that I made from watercolor paints that will eventually be cut into leaf shapes that I will write my notes on. I really like the bottom one.  My sister-in-law, Sarah, graciously offered to use her Cricut to help me with a making leaves out of some gelli-printed paper. Thanks again, Sarah!

Personally:
     This past week was full of some fun events. I got to remind my kids that we are blessed enough to help others by donating to a local toy drive. While we were there, we were given tickets to go see The Pentatonix! (For those near Boston, this was Karson, Kennedy and Salt from Mix 104.1)

We saw Abi, who was not our taste in music, but she seemed like a nice girl. Then we got to see Us the Duo, who we loved. I had never seen or heard them before. Here is a song they wrote for their wedding. They performed it live and I really enjoyed it. Both of them are extremely talented musicians and I was impressed with the different styles that they performed.

   If you don't know the Pentatonix, shame on you... here is a link to their music too! Here is a cover of an Imogen Heap song they did. Again, incredible musicians.

Oh, and while I'm spreading incredible musicianship around, did I mention Kevin, known as the beatboxer of Pentatonix? Woah..

   Then, we had Veteran's Day off. (Thanks if you are a veteran who is reading this!) I brought the kids up to Maine to visit my parents.  It was a nice time, relaxing.

   When we came home on Saturday, Tim's team won their flag football championship:

     Then we went to Boston to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday! I also got to meet my newest niece, Naomi.


Penpalling:
    I received quite a few letters over the past few weeks, including a few secret letters from the Penpalling & Letters Secret Letter Event. I am sending this one out tomorrow. Then I have a lot of writing to do!!!

Now what?
     Next week I will start working on the musical. I am also auditioning kids for a few opportunities. It is a lot of work. I'm hoping for a week free of negative parent e-mails. 
      If you celebrate Thanksgiving, do you have any special plans or traditions? The week of Thanksgiving we do a really fun volleyball tournament with the students. It's a blast!

Finally a great mail day

    Today was the first day back to school after February school vacation. Although it was a great day of teaching and the students were really good considering they have had a week off, I ended my day with a rehearsal of my "elite" group. Unfortunately, we were missing a bunch of them and 2 of the boys were lacking any self-control. I ended my day feeling frustrated and disgruntled (and curious about what I should do about the 2 boys. It's hard to balance caring and merciful with having clear expectations after giving ample opportunities to fix behavior.) What I'm getting at is that it was delightful to trudge out to my mailbox expecting at least 1 piece of mail and finding 4 unexpected pieces. I also got a magazine and 2 (really inexpensive bills.)  Sorry for the low quality, we're having issues with our camera.

   The postcard on the left is a Postcrossing card from Iowa, which I visited for the first time this summer. It is from a woman named Nancy.  The card shows a lithograph by the artist Grant Wood (1891-1942)


     The postcard on the right was a surprise from Saskia in The Netherlands. She belongs to Penpalling & Letters with me. We could sign up for a New Years event where you sent at least 1 person wishes for a happy new year. You may or may not get any cards back. I was really appreciative to receive this. It also reminded me that I need to clean my apartment. I wish I looked that happy when I tidy up!
      The 2 envelopes under the postcards I received from Lettermo participants. These are both introduction letters. I have had a few people on Interpals ask to write lately so I was expecting a few intro letters there but I wasn't expecting any from Lettermo. These women are from Texas and Virginia. I am looking forward to writing back. They both sounded really interesting and kind. Marilyn also sent me the most adorable bookmark that she made. Thanks!

      All this good mail has inspired me to go write a few letters tonight and get creative with them. I also have to bake a cake for a small party I'm having tomorrow at school.

Road Trip 2: Wisconsin

    I think my time in Wisconsin was my favorite part of our vacation. The ride to NY to WI was LONG but we had some fun along the way. 

Here are the men at a random rest stop in Ohio:

 Have you ever heard of mammatus clouds? I hadn't until about a week before our vacation. They are fascinating looking. We had driven through a really cloudy area and I looked up and saw these in the distance. Check out this Google image page to see really good pictures of them.By the time we had stopped they had kind of morphed back closer to clouds that I am used to seeing. I know I am a nerd for being really excited about clouds but it's okay.

 Then we arrived in Wisconsin. Timmy was pretty funny. It was warm and breezy and he stated "Wow, the wind blows warm in Wisconsin."

      We got to our hotel at about 9:30 pm, which kind of stunk. We stayed at a large hotel that had a water park inside and it closed at 10. So, of course, the boys frantically hurried, got their suits on and enjoyed the water park for about 15 minutes. Our room was nice and large. I had read mixed reviews about this hotel so I was a little nervous about this one place. (It was great except for mosquitoes in our room. We bordered some woods on the edge of the Wisconsin River and we had a little balcony with seats. There was a screen door that I'm assuming someone left cracked open. Other than that, the place was great.)
      The next morning we woke up and had a giant buffet breakfast. I love breakfast. I had an omelette with spinach, cheese and mushrooms, a piece of toast, sausage and bacon. I felt like everyone here was really polite. People used manners when they were in line waiting for food and actually said "thank you" to the man who was masterfully making 6 omelettes at a time. In New England I feel that people can often be rude. (Not everyone, but the rude ones are normally more noticeable.)
      After breakfast, we had planned to meet a penpal of mine and her family. I was very excited. I had never met any of my penpals before. I felt really honored that her husband took the day off and their family drove a few hours just to meet us. I was also really nervous in case she hated me. Matt was stretched outside his comfort zone too since I'm usually the "chatty" one. (Aka. NOT the anti-social one. ha ha) We had decided to go to explore The Cave of the Mounds in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. This place was pretty cool. There was "mining" for the kids (a little panning area, which my boys loved), a cave tour, beautiful gardens and a gift shop which featured lots of rocks that Timmy was very interested in.
     The only negative part of the day was that we were a little messed up by traveling through to the next time zone. We had looked up directions and thought it would take a certain amount of time to get there. When we plugged it into the GPS, the arrival time was 30 minutes later than what we had planned. Ashley didn't have a cell phone so I couldn't contact her. Anybody who knows me well knows that my biggest pet peeve is when people are late (consistently or just disrespectful with people's time). So, of course I freaked out the whole way there and worried that I would seem really discourteous. Driving there was really pretty and the landscape (the mounds especially) was very different from MA.  Luckily, Ashley and her whole family are wonderful and were really gracious. Here are some pictures from the afternoon.
The visitor center. There are some really pretty gardens in front and to the right side of this building.

 The cave. We had lots of pictures but I just grabbed a few since it all started looking the same if you weren't there.

 Me and Ashley and her family. Sorry it's so dark, Oh, since we were touring at their 75 anniversary we got to experience the cave in a slightly different way. They wanted to show visitors what it must've been like for the prospectors who just discovered the cave, so the first part of the tour was done by the light of some flashlights they passed out.

 Stalactites and stalagmites. They kind of meet each other at this spot in the cave.

 There were also these cool spots that you couldn't walk through but you could see from the walkway.

 Look how clear the water is. The kids had some great questions about the water- "How cold is it?" "Would water be warmer here since it's closer to the center of the Earth?" "Does is freeze in the winter since it's underground?" I love how kids think. Our poor tour guide had a million questions and comments from Timmy.

 Our families <3

 Ashley and I. (Ashley, I think I will giggle every time I look at this picture because of Jed. All the visitor center pictures made me smirk a little too.)

 The boys.

     After we went to the cave, we went to lunch at Culvert's. We don't have those in Ma so it was a nice treat. I had a butter burger. I also had frozen custard and fried cheese curds for the first time. Yum! It was so nice to chat with everybody while sharing a meal. I don't know why we didn't take some pictures there too. (Sorry) Although my kids started getting a bit crazy by the end of the afternoon, it was fun to watch the kids playing together. I hope that we can get together again sometime in the future! In the meantime, I'll enjoy continuing to write. (Speaking of the mail- Ashley mailed my boys a glow in the dark Wis"cow"sin frisbee. They were confused and surprised to find it in the mail box. They love it! Thanks.)
      The Culvert's we went to was in Mount Horeb, which is known as "the troll capital of the world."  There are a bunch of carved trolls placed around the town. I kind of wish Matt and I had driven around a bit after lunch and looked at more of them. There was one at the restaurant and one next door so we did see a few.
     After we got back to the hotel we had many hours of fun at the indoor water park. There were small pools, water slides, a water coaster? (sort of like a roller coaster) and a lazy river. As I mentioned before, I'm not much of a water person- so I just enjoyed reading and watching the kids.  We ended the day with a super late dinner (since we were still stuffed from breakfast and lunch!) and a little television before headed to bed.  It was an exhausting yet exhilarating day for me.