My Fisherman

Drummer Boy

This second child of mine was given a drum set and the story began.  He joined the middle school band, marched with the high school band as an 8th grader and became the head of the drum line while at high school.  He entertained the idea of marching for a college drum line, but ultimately decided that he was not that dedicated to eat, sleep and breathe drumming all the time.

He went to another college, transferred to yet another school and finally got his degree in Automotive. Then he went to  a festival and connected with a local band. This group was a small three piece ensemble that had no drummer. They were looking to change things up and he was looking to play again. He still helped with the local high school drum line and was encouraging his youngest brother to play percussion also.

This group began playing frequently around this end of the state and a few months in they went in the studio to record. He laid down all his tracks in one day, in his typical perfectionist way. And they continued doing shows. He was also working a full time job.

The band got a sponsor, differences developed and he eventually parted ways with them but on good terms. After all, the music scene is relatively small. He has since been contacted by another group and has joined them. They have recorded and the album should be released this fall. Music is an important part of who he is. It's funny because his playlist runs from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, to Broadway, to Boston, Foreigner, Johnny Cash, Ben Rector, Sturgill Simpson and St. Paul and the broken bones.  Like in life , he is all over the place.

This is one of my favorite pictures of #2. It was made at one of the photo shoots for the first band.

Planting

Today was rainy and I don't mean a gentle sprinkle. I mean rain that sounds like a monsoon, where the lights flicker and the wind howls as the rain pelts the windows and you are grateful for shelter. Days like these are challenges to teachers of little ones. When you are in the same small room, with the same people and the same toys, you get a bit antsy. So we decided to plant flowers!

 We filled a dishpan with potting soil, a small bucket with seeds and a cup with water. We practiced using our scooping and counting skills. 1 scoop of dirt, a pinch of seeds and three tablespoons of water in our plastic cups. Slow and steady we got all 14 cups ready for spring. Now we get to wait and see what happens. Patience is not easy when you are 4, though. Next week we will work on the raised flower beds outside our classroom door and plant some vegetables.

Love is simple

We call this little girl our assistant teacher. She has such a heart for the special needs children in our class. I caught this great picture of her 'reading' to such a peer. She is always aware of where he is in the class and if he needs help or not, sometimes even before we do. I would love to see what she does with these skills as she gets older. We try and try to teach kindness, acceptance, self-regulation, compassion and caring for others, but for some, we don't have to. Some of us are already there, have been since birth and require just some fine tuning. For some the world is uncomplicated and simple...just love.   Why do we have to grow up?