tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12149693581950196512024-02-06T20:03:47.061-06:00Dr N's Blog"--Perfectly sound analysis, but I was hoping you'd go deeper" (Sherlock, BBC TV).Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-82231446485063483622020-03-17T21:36:00.002-05:002020-03-17T21:36:43.794-05:00A Message to the Class of 2020<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbr-kmQr5ozrKdW0gyMxOerCP5Spwwuq8474IcwbXNrml7TmAhCoZVJhyCylcVedHCrEE9FxxqQOo7zYVC-bm1mGobFG490HaJPq2g2CGS0eXqbi0epm-gmilsLf0SXPg6n8QVedHTK_u/s1600/IMG_1663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbr-kmQr5ozrKdW0gyMxOerCP5Spwwuq8474IcwbXNrml7TmAhCoZVJhyCylcVedHCrEE9FxxqQOo7zYVC-bm1mGobFG490HaJPq2g2CGS0eXqbi0epm-gmilsLf0SXPg6n8QVedHTK_u/s320/IMG_1663.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright sun & long shadows</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I haven't blogged in a long time, but now that we will be teaching our classes online during the <a href="https://www.marshallschool.org/our-school/covid-19-information" target="_blank">coronavirus closure</a>, maybe I'll have a little more time and motivation to get back into the habit. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Online classes begin tomorrow morning, and I feel fairly ready for the first day. I'm taking it one day at a time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As soon as I woke up this morning, I was thinking about how this nearly-nationwide school closure will affect the Class of 2020. Years from now, you all will be telling stories about COVID-19 and how you got through it. It will be an instant bond amongst folks who were graduating this year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What happens now will create </span><span style="font-size: large;">bright spots</span><b style="font-size: x-large;"> </b><span style="font-size: large;">in your memories, and how you respond to the challenges of the coming days will cast </span><span style="font-size: large;">long shadows</span><span style="font-size: large;"> into your future. Make sure that the stories you'll be telling are good ones--you have the choice and the ability to respond to these extraordinary circumstances in good ways, ways you can be proud of. I guarantee that your future self wants to be proud of how you responded to what's happening right now. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgmJwnCYDUg7FDo0TgS2RT79EUGQKhvGJ7dEE1be59yGxbH2NmXv03knHhp76U_04bFAZF0cPoD2E-3N-xr_bVVsM_wBQk3_WXXpsZku2GzjrL80AJ1X6vamYE2_L0vs8-6FNuLjG51Uw/s1600/IMG_1677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgmJwnCYDUg7FDo0TgS2RT79EUGQKhvGJ7dEE1be59yGxbH2NmXv03knHhp76U_04bFAZF0cPoD2E-3N-xr_bVVsM_wBQk3_WXXpsZku2GzjrL80AJ1X6vamYE2_L0vs8-6FNuLjG51Uw/s320/IMG_1677.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the bird's nest? </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just like the Class of 2002, that was at Camp Manitowish on 9/11 as seniors (or the Class of 2005 which was also at Camp as ninth graders when 9/11 happened), your class will have a way of connecting instantly with other folks from other schools who were also experiencing this. You'll trade anecdotes and memories; you'll compare and contrast your experiences with theirs. I hope you will be proud of the education you were still able to get during this time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I know you have lots of questions about the next few months, and no one has all the answers right now, so we all have to deal with the uncertainty. We all need to take good care of ourselves and each other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I spent a few hours hiking at Jay Cooke this morning. The State Parks are still open, as of today. (I really, really hope they don't close them to hikers.) I think getting out in the woods helped clear my head a bit. I recommend you get outdoors as much as you can during this ordeal. (Yeah, I thought #NaturehasNOTbeencancelled was a great hashtag--I'll probably think it's lame in about 5 minutes.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You'll be leaving the (family and Marshall) nest soon, so take this opportunity to learn some life skills. This would be a great time to learn how to cook, how to do laundry, to how clean, how to grocery shop, how to keep to a budget, how to do taxes, etc. Help your family out, if you're lucky enough to be living at home. Help out in the dorm, if you're living there. Practice being both independent and a good community member. Be creative. Make sure you spend time online with your friends. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nZQSKqD1XW7lX9_1DSQkJQplC6k0ltppfDwn4IDUKaaLb_GcsNEzskoyPjdan2WN3JlmUWE9tSWtMSJp_DeLjNbDatJw4ZtSyVfLoz0T-xC87xAEvg9jsPOZC8-c7A9qSy4anfH8GBcS/s1600/17009318049_0544b2399c_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nZQSKqD1XW7lX9_1DSQkJQplC6k0ltppfDwn4IDUKaaLb_GcsNEzskoyPjdan2WN3JlmUWE9tSWtMSJp_DeLjNbDatJw4ZtSyVfLoz0T-xC87xAEvg9jsPOZC8-c7A9qSy4anfH8GBcS/s320/17009318049_0544b2399c_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlet Cup fungi at JCSP, taken some years ago</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This time each spring, I hike some of the trails in the Park, looking for things that grow under the retreating snow. I keep my eye out for Scarlet Cup fungi. The last few years, they haven't really appeared until April, but I always start looking in mid-March as the snow begins to melt. They grow on fallen tree branches, and the cups start to form under the snow. I didn't see any today, but I have lots of photos from past years, so I'll include one in this post. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also saw a few exposed Hepatica leaves, and I made a short video about that. Like the Scarlet Cup, Hepatica thrives under snow-cover. Its leaves stay green all through the winter. It's really amazing that a little plant like Hepatica can survive our harsh winters. I think Hepatica is a good role model for these times--no matter how deep the snow or how cold the temperature, it flourishes and stays green, just waiting for its time to bloom, which will come soon enough, I promise. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvGwHJ0sJ67GKZi4R0s6N7wh9dSKeKVFKFXl1i0bmhJvbc8WThPeln_8wOy-6X5SUrdc39vOWII9SkfmX5e0I4o45e3Nvrep_sEKTTB3SCW-nQ6IqO38rfQnNvP4YGPyrIsnq7D-y0Kfi/s1600/34087051632_1a4609e440_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvGwHJ0sJ67GKZi4R0s6N7wh9dSKeKVFKFXl1i0bmhJvbc8WThPeln_8wOy-6X5SUrdc39vOWII9SkfmX5e0I4o45e3Nvrep_sEKTTB3SCW-nQ6IqO38rfQnNvP4YGPyrIsnq7D-y0Kfi/s640/34087051632_1a4609e440_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hepatica in bloom, taken last year</td></tr>
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<br />Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-38985583203426163422017-10-19T08:45:00.000-05:002019-10-10T11:27:28.187-05:00Where Are the Senior Project Guidelines?<span style="font-size: large;">See the screenshot below to navigate to the Senior Project page (it's a page, not a post) on my blog, where you'll find a link to the website with all the guidelines. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBjn3giNr9lN5p3PlTQwZ0dLVziYiipRwt78T1UaseYeDAciS1Wwp0_W9vIrZG0dkJSS0ZP0s9yw53hdT_qirwPHfvyDn38-Ata9X9k3GPUm5cBKrxFFuG26mq80bUreLQZGEI6u4fWzb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-10-10+at+11.21.32+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1171" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBjn3giNr9lN5p3PlTQwZ0dLVziYiipRwt78T1UaseYeDAciS1Wwp0_W9vIrZG0dkJSS0ZP0s9yw53hdT_qirwPHfvyDn38-Ata9X9k3GPUm5cBKrxFFuG26mq80bUreLQZGEI6u4fWzb/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-10-10+at+11.21.32+AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note that "Senior Projects" is a page on my blog, not a post.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-3242104314940370132017-05-26T12:00:00.010-05:002021-05-24T09:35:24.102-05:00The Quest For Calypso: A Rare Sight<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IIYt3ky21xxbigWlk3k2aklaG6x3-obiTLX0FyX6cCEAN8qq_80IW59f6diA_ISYnlyqpIl7yKmsvVbRKPUStgOOWr-3JoG3_cEXV3iGqOnpsrXBqs0AQqOKGjUikx5wjNdz9zbMsvZT/s1600/11392811_10153526305469728_2812652158258458249_n.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IIYt3ky21xxbigWlk3k2aklaG6x3-obiTLX0FyX6cCEAN8qq_80IW59f6diA_ISYnlyqpIl7yKmsvVbRKPUStgOOWr-3JoG3_cEXV3iGqOnpsrXBqs0AQqOKGjUikx5wjNdz9zbMsvZT/s320/11392811_10153526305469728_2812652158258458249_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ram's-Head Lady Slipper (Cypripedium arietinum), taken<br />
in May 2015, near Bemidji.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Over the last several years, I have been on a quest to see some of the most exotic and rare of Minnesota's wild orchids. On May 20th, I finally spotted one of the rarest of them in full bloom in my favorite bog, [which shall remain nameless, to protect it]. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There have always been three orchids at the top of my bucket list: the Ram's-Head Lady Slipper, the Dragon's Mouth Orchid, and the Calypso Orchid. When I started searching in earnest for these flowers some years ago, I thought it would take me much longer to find all of them. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4Pki5U34qNIoY_HDYwTUvJf66pAvuqd2Wbi6NhwuwhQLvFJeoLCNQGazkKfVIvxglk7fXS06mCCy-rtUhu4kF0JbSNoMDrMs8qsOXiWKencK6eRB1FYNYQBZ_tfZ6yBIYYWtNl2OVOKR/s1600/peering-into-the-dragons-mouth-arethusa-bulbosa_27864901965_o.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4Pki5U34qNIoY_HDYwTUvJf66pAvuqd2Wbi6NhwuwhQLvFJeoLCNQGazkKfVIvxglk7fXS06mCCy-rtUhu4kF0JbSNoMDrMs8qsOXiWKencK6eRB1FYNYQBZ_tfZ6yBIYYWtNl2OVOKR/s400/peering-into-the-dragons-mouth-arethusa-bulbosa_27864901965_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragon's Mouth Orchid (Arethusa bulbosa), taken<br />
June 2016, in the [X] Bog.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In my search for the Ram's-Head, I had some help, and you can read about <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2015/05/rattlesnakes-devils-and-rams-oh-my.html" target="_blank">that journey here.</a> I still haven't seen it within the confines of the [X] Bog, even though it is reported to grow there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 2015, I spotted the Dragon's Mouth Orchid in the bog, and I saw even more examples of it there last summer. (I have also seen it in Wisconsin, thanks to tips from Josh Horky.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, in 2017, I have finally seen my "holy grail," the <a href="http://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/species/calypso/bulbosa/" target="_blank">Calypso Orchid</a>. I found about 25 plants, though I only saw about 15 blossoms. I knew it was listed in the original survey of the [X] Bog, taken back in the 1970s (thanks to my friend Em W for helping me find the survey), but in the five years that I've been exploring this bog, I have never yet seen it until now. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKGgtW9wAtXOBSXlvehFB7pbsgKBw9COobMFm3uWuQuZpugZNgXaFbCYifsY5fz0TXn8_m5R5hyimxtQlE2S-zLzmYmxuGREiRag69SYqel4YKAya14gcz9v-20EsgvnKli_druW3xu2Q/s1600/pennington-june-22-2016_27788584161_o.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKGgtW9wAtXOBSXlvehFB7pbsgKBw9COobMFm3uWuQuZpugZNgXaFbCYifsY5fz0TXn8_m5R5hyimxtQlE2S-zLzmYmxuGREiRag69SYqel4YKAya14gcz9v-20EsgvnKli_druW3xu2Q/s400/pennington-june-22-2016_27788584161_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[X] Bog, taken June 2016.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The [X] Bog is 108 acres of heavily-wooded swampland. It looks like a forest right out of a fairytale, dark and dense, just a little spooky, and the Calypso Orchid is very tiny, growing no higher than 9 inches, with a flower no more than an inch long, so searching for such a small flower in such a relatively large area is very much like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZg4D4uurJ_pU94348d0_akllEYIhGWNDq3K_YiuWRlPQ5eVHRydoJ7OiFWYKQZ5zNoWlhJhpMjW1qAmJmFI0tkRLJWTfbttJuEWYBETaxkMrOztDcRg8lMMciEgwh-l0uU8zW81k7VSf6/s1600/34796002775_eb3255a287_o.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZg4D4uurJ_pU94348d0_akllEYIhGWNDq3K_YiuWRlPQ5eVHRydoJ7OiFWYKQZ5zNoWlhJhpMjW1qAmJmFI0tkRLJWTfbttJuEWYBETaxkMrOztDcRg8lMMciEgwh-l0uU8zW81k7VSf6/s400/34796002775_eb3255a287_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[X] Bog, last weekend, with Calypso Orchids<br />
marked.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've learned some things about orchid-hunting in the last few years. Sometimes, it's easiest to search for the plant or the foliage before you even start looking for the flowers. The Calypso Orchid is unusual, in that its single leaf stays green all winter, persisting under the snow. It dies off after the flower blooms and then sprouts again in the late summer. While the leaf is very small, only an inch or two long, it is very distinctive in appearance, featuring deep pleats along its length, as if it had been folded like a paper fan. I figured that if I started looking early enough in the season, right as the snow was melting, I might be able to spot some leaves, and then later, find the flower.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP6O6Nfxl086pMWuBRquGYgD_QimKSOpCLG8K735prlWbJm2PRcuqOs2Sk5mPTxk6xJT4TjeToa0ogiu0bRZZBHhw6Qt58lPQf-rcMZmR2TL3uJkgWcuPsJm505aMgumUt12VddbUZ-1H/s1600/34255667641_fce5e28ae5_o.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP6O6Nfxl086pMWuBRquGYgD_QimKSOpCLG8K735prlWbJm2PRcuqOs2Sk5mPTxk6xJT4TjeToa0ogiu0bRZZBHhw6Qt58lPQf-rcMZmR2TL3uJkgWcuPsJm505aMgumUt12VddbUZ-1H/s400/34255667641_fce5e28ae5_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calypso leaf, tiny and pleated, visible as the last of <br />
the snow melts. Note the beginnings of a stem!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This strategy proved to be a good one. I started searching for the leaves on April 29. </span><span style="font-size: large;">There was still some snow and ice in the bog, and I chose to search a section that I haven't focused on in the past. Because </span><span style="font-size: large;">Calypso likes old cedar trees, I decided to focus on the areas around the bases of such trees. </span><span style="font-size: large;">I spent five hours crisscrossing and meandering my way through the bog, always heading for cedars, and just as I was about to give up, I spotted two leaves, not far from each other. They were easy to spot against the snow, being even greener than the moss.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99M3TaT_94J7JTFBGtGI6u44bwNb6JBczQb1obHALO_sDSLhHvun8Ydi-uKTXem0m5ROqPhXBqte-JQZVPL8UdxHcwGAtefMf2FMFRvhWbJPu4l_egqkcs1g_m7zOq5zfEBFQ4RRUinGJ/s1600/34336584422_9dff83b47c_o.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99M3TaT_94J7JTFBGtGI6u44bwNb6JBczQb1obHALO_sDSLhHvun8Ydi-uKTXem0m5ROqPhXBqte-JQZVPL8UdxHcwGAtefMf2FMFRvhWbJPu4l_egqkcs1g_m7zOq5zfEBFQ4RRUinGJ/s320/34336584422_9dff83b47c_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calypso bud against a white handkerchief background,<br />
which helps the iPhone camera lens focus on<br />
something so tiny.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Excitedly, I noted the GPS coordinates (I use a GPS app on my phone), took some photos, and made plans to return in the coming weeks. The next time I visited the bog, I searched for the two plants for which I had coordinates. My $20 GPS app is accurate to about 50 feet, and sometimes it leads me in circles. While I didn't find the original two plants I spotted, I did find, and record coordinates for, some others, and they had buds. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Calypso buds are so small that my iPhone 6s camera lens had a lot of trouble focusing on them, especially against the complex background of the forest floor. I've learned to use a white or black handkerchief as a background when I'm photographing tiny flowers, so that helped me get a semi-decent shot or two of the buds. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYQlxc-eQOh5CnKWvuFKyvVQDKqAITB2xCfyiPh8nBvZYcZhfxplXCLKcg16mXEyfbYGMh7gQOSXB0BFZUfY0aEZawCMJxBVpMekAs23npTgnvTMxPSrsbMRMTpONLfmUT3oMOY_p_c3c/s1600/34408346020_bbb931d85e_o.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1172" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYQlxc-eQOh5CnKWvuFKyvVQDKqAITB2xCfyiPh8nBvZYcZhfxplXCLKcg16mXEyfbYGMh7gQOSXB0BFZUfY0aEZawCMJxBVpMekAs23npTgnvTMxPSrsbMRMTpONLfmUT3oMOY_p_c3c/s640/34408346020_bbb931d85e_o.jpg" width="468" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calypso Orchid flower not quite fully open yet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It's hard to convey just how tiny these orchids are, and how fragile and vulnerable. This bog is protected, and entry is allowed only with a permit, because of the rare and diverse plant life. One has to walk very carefully, checking each step to make sure one is not crushing a flower. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I did see some Calypso Orchid plants that had been nibbled on, and two flower stems that were bent, perhaps by some hungry deer. I also found a couple flowers that were already past their prime. (Calypso is one of the earliest-blooming orchids in our region.) I took a photo of one of those fading flowers, and had to lift its hanging head to get a good view of it. You can see how tiny it is in relation to my fingers.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWs9YE2L-F2_jaAm_6QZTJCwI-Uks6HQc6_kKlBgNO9Chg665T6fOhscyJ5BPXnrXpsxZBg9fzL2SyzKJPERi161lanBJkF_ttSNEk3VNNhoeS4KCo5tSX22SnVtyzA6Un_VC47HWBTeq/s1600/34755313356_667d32092d_o.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWs9YE2L-F2_jaAm_6QZTJCwI-Uks6HQc6_kKlBgNO9Chg665T6fOhscyJ5BPXnrXpsxZBg9fzL2SyzKJPERi161lanBJkF_ttSNEk3VNNhoeS4KCo5tSX22SnVtyzA6Un_VC47HWBTeq/s400/34755313356_667d32092d_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fading Calypso, with flower no bigger than my fingernail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My two-pronged strategy of searching early in the season and focusing on Cedar trees really paid off. --But there was also a lot of luck involved; after all, I randomly chose to focus on an unfamiliar quarter of the bog. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In any case, I am very happy to have found the Calypso. I hope to be able to see it bloom for many springs yet to come. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwYyFnR6RM6LzkCz8QCtllLm9PltkFgJydm4916Q6pI0iGLrLw-K-1oHNqB8XznmByNukWKSYMn-0x6fk4WgMVqhmrWQXvTMGk_WdG61gNTz1QaY7oPy-k44WuUirPh8vaZGWSPbSYbM-/s1600/34633759472_c4d4a23097_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwYyFnR6RM6LzkCz8QCtllLm9PltkFgJydm4916Q6pI0iGLrLw-K-1oHNqB8XznmByNukWKSYMn-0x6fk4WgMVqhmrWQXvTMGk_WdG61gNTz1QaY7oPy-k44WuUirPh8vaZGWSPbSYbM-/s640/34633759472_c4d4a23097_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pair of Calypso Orchids. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe1omWUZPYvEpL1uhHTyJMvYOP66kWoXm8nKpWW4M_3yq_qKDFO-VFK2RClY35-3BRK2_pSJE8i7gTcxqWs5u0hIlzOiAF_J8cfsl2pCuYExCElXypV_XosoZz4nMok68IaZCJo8f38-H/s1600/33956285384_f75a32c220_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe1omWUZPYvEpL1uhHTyJMvYOP66kWoXm8nKpWW4M_3yq_qKDFO-VFK2RClY35-3BRK2_pSJE8i7gTcxqWs5u0hIlzOiAF_J8cfsl2pCuYExCElXypV_XosoZz4nMok68IaZCJo8f38-H/s640/33956285384_f75a32c220_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yet another pair of Calypsos.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEa9FWS-Jos8Pjd_mx6WROn1uKz_Fn8c-H-jOBvpU_xcZmYJoUGaj6pLQeCeaA-9dmbRnzjyYy37Qrc-EOLebTD1eLLdK2rbm60EpPJoBUYxE4hzIJtor3WnzJrdv3UMm_MUfhbseiKc9/s1600/34799022485_78a681c653_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEa9FWS-Jos8Pjd_mx6WROn1uKz_Fn8c-H-jOBvpU_xcZmYJoUGaj6pLQeCeaA-9dmbRnzjyYy37Qrc-EOLebTD1eLLdK2rbm60EpPJoBUYxE4hzIJtor3WnzJrdv3UMm_MUfhbseiKc9/s640/34799022485_78a681c653_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here, you can see the pleated leaves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYQHo1NWKiNByYCWnedrTqNaVuHyDxl1AqHYWr_U9MbZXqGj_xy93BQSuwCNBmuxBaTgalb0H83neliSJ0tjNSYEtr9Gj-n1UuhVvD3tKQCuDdNBBDkCehrqUMR8Gdav7vW_pUReFvcvO/s1600/33953387814_78d6be4747_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYQHo1NWKiNByYCWnedrTqNaVuHyDxl1AqHYWr_U9MbZXqGj_xy93BQSuwCNBmuxBaTgalb0H83neliSJ0tjNSYEtr9Gj-n1UuhVvD3tKQCuDdNBBDkCehrqUMR8Gdav7vW_pUReFvcvO/s640/33953387814_78d6be4747_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A third pair--here, you get both a top and back view. To the right, you can see the yellow <br />
forked tongue hidden under the flower's lip.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOcO-nUe54n-NsUUuOlUp2c0ujMKP-DhZTAnaLaZkVyyMUCYs53Bp7U8Q8QpkSOLElF4V4QKLWm6u0R7RQgot0EFIemxpIbCcEARAdByHKzMpm55BpG3DCv6DTk8RQEgq0jZJWFVqldOj/s1600/34632800312_9408be9d25_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOcO-nUe54n-NsUUuOlUp2c0ujMKP-DhZTAnaLaZkVyyMUCYs53Bp7U8Q8QpkSOLElF4V4QKLWm6u0R7RQgot0EFIemxpIbCcEARAdByHKzMpm55BpG3DCv6DTk8RQEgq0jZJWFVqldOj/s640/34632800312_9408be9d25_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can really see the pleats in the leaf here. I had to use a diagonal orientation<br />
to fit the entire plant in the frame.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Calypso is an amazingly beautiful and intricate orchid--the deep purple or maroon stripes inside the labellum and the yellow bristles on its tongue combine with its bright purple headdress to make for a dazzling sight. The orchid is pollinated by bumble bee queens, who are attracted to this flower when they emerge from hibernation in the ground. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Enjoy the photos below--most folks never get to see this orchid!</span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-30186456561588217102017-05-16T08:00:00.000-05:002017-05-16T08:14:56.147-05:00Take-A-Look Tuesday: Spring Wildflower (& Fungi) Report<span style="font-size: large;">I haven't done a "Take-A-Look Tuesday" post in a long time, not since 2014, when I did a <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/05/take-look-tuesday-beautiful-things.html" target="_blank">couple</a> such <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/05/take-look-tuesday-start-of-spring.html" target="_blank">posts</a>. Nor have I posted any "<a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2015/05/spring-wildflower-report-early-edition.html" target="_blank">Spring Wildflower Reports</a>" lately. I managed <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2015/05/spring-wildflower-report-mid-season.html" target="_blank">two</a> in 2015. I hope this post will get me back on track. I always have more ideas and material than time...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I've been hiking the trails of Jay Cooke State Park all spring, watching as the wildflowers sprout, grow, and then bloom. The last couple weekends have been gorgeous, in terms of what's visible. Let's get right to the photos!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Pp0qLquxnoXfyXbn7ExKKb4HgsOAtN6fnhCQvXd26na5dCXIlUmf4b78VBQkvwmJUTyOS6yT9vpLNSvCxioerAY17wcE78QcPrkIF_n8DEYLWYtYsKezE-AStxQeox8gtLNdIgA6F7D4/s1600/33987872351_0341866fa1_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Pp0qLquxnoXfyXbn7ExKKb4HgsOAtN6fnhCQvXd26na5dCXIlUmf4b78VBQkvwmJUTyOS6yT9vpLNSvCxioerAY17wcE78QcPrkIF_n8DEYLWYtYsKezE-AStxQeox8gtLNdIgA6F7D4/s640/33987872351_0341866fa1_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlet cup fungus, JCSP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">One of the first things I look for is the Scarlet Cup Fungus. Obviously, this is not a wildflower, but it signals the very beginning of Spring for me. It starts growing under the snow, I think. I usually start seeing them in mid-March, but the first ones I saw this year appeared in early April. They're such a welcome burst of bright color in the bleak, dreary early-spring woods. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdNq22Lk0CS5L508BkU2Ei4E2JdtASu3yAVrPAtz2n7M2Te1YOetw1DNCiAwe71xnd6B-dwl5lPMLAC6mQ2hxDulJ2Ret6NI-szYNaRfdqnmR0DAXo5C33fTn6To9jpxGH7wk1bsHWXkJ/s1600/33806329362_d4ef4e358a_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdNq22Lk0CS5L508BkU2Ei4E2JdtASu3yAVrPAtz2n7M2Te1YOetw1DNCiAwe71xnd6B-dwl5lPMLAC6mQ2hxDulJ2Ret6NI-szYNaRfdqnmR0DAXo5C33fTn6To9jpxGH7wk1bsHWXkJ/s640/33806329362_d4ef4e358a_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare double? I haven't seen too many that are fused together like this one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Along with the Scarlet Cups, I also usually find a fair number of Black Cup fungus, known as <a href="http://www.mushroomexpert.com/urnula_craterium.html" target="_blank">Devil's Urn</a>, in the spring. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Devil's urn is one of my favorite fungi. I usually find some pretty large ones at Jay Cooke.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6De4-4SFqRZfM5c_97jMJG1Y8NWpltiiMTo8tTCmULNfmB08wQNcr3SGaQNa-gXDolRKHxRJRbp5f1_rvb_Wms-IK0mCLEdZ6epofaftqU6t5D1gFqyHrVyU2QQi2qASYvtFv96YGepn/s1600/34457063426_fe6f7ee7b2_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6De4-4SFqRZfM5c_97jMJG1Y8NWpltiiMTo8tTCmULNfmB08wQNcr3SGaQNa-gXDolRKHxRJRbp5f1_rvb_Wms-IK0mCLEdZ6epofaftqU6t5D1gFqyHrVyU2QQi2qASYvtFv96YGepn/s400/34457063426_fe6f7ee7b2_o.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devil's Urn at the base of an old cedar, <br />
Beltrami County.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0EVVPfKNjVyWUj7T6VrXKtlY2KSvv68B5qQT7jq3-HmVj8-su5Pga_n5P-TrCaj4g5hQsNqE5Yb6UYo2k1sR9OntJcDjD-zUzugL1r3gOoZMleNhNBYDvinbruC7H5Be9yXZU73D_HPO/s1600/33688275283_80423735fe_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0EVVPfKNjVyWUj7T6VrXKtlY2KSvv68B5qQT7jq3-HmVj8-su5Pga_n5P-TrCaj4g5hQsNqE5Yb6UYo2k1sR9OntJcDjD-zUzugL1r3gOoZMleNhNBYDvinbruC7H5Be9yXZU73D_HPO/s400/33688275283_80423735fe_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Devil's Urn on the floor of a Beltrami County bog.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqikGDL3v5B61S2NKzALZsMWK2hyphenhyphen70jrMJ7qXWaE3caSFcuR58OVEClmuvMh59zvl9fe7nAszjpstOnouLUJ3gRMRX9P2x48RflNpDzeFX7mhTkwHaWABlvhNt7cmeQH6_Vz2pkkGDzZb/s1600/34478738962_888693df54_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqikGDL3v5B61S2NKzALZsMWK2hyphenhyphen70jrMJ7qXWaE3caSFcuR58OVEClmuvMh59zvl9fe7nAszjpstOnouLUJ3gRMRX9P2x48RflNpDzeFX7mhTkwHaWABlvhNt7cmeQH6_Vz2pkkGDzZb/s640/34478738962_888693df54_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Devil's Urn specimens at Jay Cooke.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSHWHSjzdMFBnlCIvEXyWlxzjbBlHjGSTn68359pq89xyyP3-qAoRzZgS7Y3DzJbM8HpGAwAY2MSTHplj6OrZkXaUFiFGaL2hx4AU3aXDQFC_tFEpeLjDqiLGbqqA-FZjo5L8pTPtkovr/s1600/33987876881_01b294faec_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSHWHSjzdMFBnlCIvEXyWlxzjbBlHjGSTn68359pq89xyyP3-qAoRzZgS7Y3DzJbM8HpGAwAY2MSTHplj6OrZkXaUFiFGaL2hx4AU3aXDQFC_tFEpeLjDqiLGbqqA-FZjo5L8pTPtkovr/s320/33987876881_01b294faec_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloodroot sprout.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">One of the earliest wildflowers to bloom is Bloodroot. I caught it this year just as it was sprouting up out of the ground. The sprouts look a bit like caterpillars to me. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQaIe1nxFY5ZlNPcFk4GqKkQOMVWuYcd3qO82CNQG2wl8UitcyJykQ5V8auXxBvxZr9-W081pYk2vE3vLjptF7ON15VDntcXYEtfKIhvRzdDwzol7EpQtV9dl-FIJv90ux3FzsKG9IcU_/s1600/33961021312_6d53c62618_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQaIe1nxFY5ZlNPcFk4GqKkQOMVWuYcd3qO82CNQG2wl8UitcyJykQ5V8auXxBvxZr9-W081pYk2vE3vLjptF7ON15VDntcXYEtfKIhvRzdDwzol7EpQtV9dl-FIJv90ux3FzsKG9IcU_/s320/33961021312_6d53c62618_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloodroot colony</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The flowers are quite large, a cheerful sight in the spring. The flowers only last a few days, so I always feel lucky when I see them. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The leaves of the Bloodroot are almost as pretty as the flowers, deeply veined with many lobes.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLLOVDERjEis41in8jEmqAYN6oqjmnqMUMQ9nIspWdm8lzuxIieKVpix89GAsrRIrosGNIsa7zTk_3tEp5ktgFy7zEB_KEduDCx1dmGIdd1qYxJuC9XirBj2tCrQzi0NTnmxDfyUORwJP/s1600/34200767796_5dd5ecd08f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLLOVDERjEis41in8jEmqAYN6oqjmnqMUMQ9nIspWdm8lzuxIieKVpix89GAsrRIrosGNIsa7zTk_3tEp5ktgFy7zEB_KEduDCx1dmGIdd1qYxJuC9XirBj2tCrQzi0NTnmxDfyUORwJP/s640/34200767796_5dd5ecd08f_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of Bloodroot blossom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbF5l5RSbs_T2hmugMdt4qeOsSvKiL5UXLQd-w3sZmvYendH_JMJ0u9gfaLbUPYZbPmKBivOTDdWQBC5B0vCgHlHuwuzbHOuAHg-kL-LThs8OQ-1jAUklMMZVK0jWzQk2pGpGv_tG9AEkT/s1600/34359683732_6f85cf5bc6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbF5l5RSbs_T2hmugMdt4qeOsSvKiL5UXLQd-w3sZmvYendH_JMJ0u9gfaLbUPYZbPmKBivOTDdWQBC5B0vCgHlHuwuzbHOuAHg-kL-LThs8OQ-1jAUklMMZVK0jWzQk2pGpGv_tG9AEkT/s640/34359683732_6f85cf5bc6_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloodroot colony, with flowers opening up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJzIFRZwnFjjelOBCHC5zVNt1F_Y42bFA5EmUGLkMCPmygG4mZJ8wu4mCQDKOLAraKkeY9ufAuwP140FaVXq6yM6tet6E-Z6xk6kyKwC6qbMC_ipqoP9M8ziKMKwG5SegQYsJ5wUx5KEp/s1600/34200768766_77ff54a848_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJzIFRZwnFjjelOBCHC5zVNt1F_Y42bFA5EmUGLkMCPmygG4mZJ8wu4mCQDKOLAraKkeY9ufAuwP140FaVXq6yM6tet6E-Z6xk6kyKwC6qbMC_ipqoP9M8ziKMKwG5SegQYsJ5wUx5KEp/s400/34200768766_77ff54a848_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macro shot of a Bloodroot bud emerging <br />
from its leafy cocoon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYQhn1FLLgRMG9sbryeWep-gosGWX6DeliTbfk_rL8pMGiLzxwVUoBpNrh-U66DsK9ZiX-HmLSVbU8WN0NFa2T2hMUOM-YGryjGjX93rrdB-Z2XUq5wYJ9yJnK6qRQbIgi1d_8mc4vVq-/s1600/34479029386_d3dca2cc9c_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYQhn1FLLgRMG9sbryeWep-gosGWX6DeliTbfk_rL8pMGiLzxwVUoBpNrh-U66DsK9ZiX-HmLSVbU8WN0NFa2T2hMUOM-YGryjGjX93rrdB-Z2XUq5wYJ9yJnK6qRQbIgi1d_8mc4vVq-/s320/34479029386_d3dca2cc9c_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blodroot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Another very early flower that I try really hard to catch is Dutchman's Breeches, so named because the flowers look like pants hung on a clothesline. The leaves are quite distinctive, feathery in appearance, with a slightly bluish cast.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnCOblvuCmLwwiEV5qsTHhVpbSIk0ex3TpYavAq5PIgs4Lcrhot4xlcRW6cnlNVgk3mFL6vQeYDrS38RtS_qkc0suFZXZNkm3ru0xNj9Y3Trv7yaYqXcA6npK1E76Za8ia9CiMLZpr3__/s1600/34391237791_0e7483c7db_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnCOblvuCmLwwiEV5qsTHhVpbSIk0ex3TpYavAq5PIgs4Lcrhot4xlcRW6cnlNVgk3mFL6vQeYDrS38RtS_qkc0suFZXZNkm3ru0xNj9Y3Trv7yaYqXcA6npK1E76Za8ia9CiMLZpr3__/s640/34391237791_0e7483c7db_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my best shots of Dutchman's Breeches this year.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvLjylfRQIKEoZh1ok90rl-nAqrzzpuc_dTTKyf5OJnWywIcT4cEhsq3lmcflf2feeBCHI0MhLPEbJ5r6uK1tv1sI6VfFNNpRZhfo3iCgh52kUEpDX8Xdx6fB4kptmHovm8p_5NpmZEGi/s1600/33579961013_b733216fe1_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvLjylfRQIKEoZh1ok90rl-nAqrzzpuc_dTTKyf5OJnWywIcT4cEhsq3lmcflf2feeBCHI0MhLPEbJ5r6uK1tv1sI6VfFNNpRZhfo3iCgh52kUEpDX8Xdx6fB4kptmHovm8p_5NpmZEGi/s320/33579961013_b733216fe1_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trout Lily with bud</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DJmmS9EELlUHZMNG9rrlYSQQBnAtZ2ces_3fWy8Pjrt90N8Ozp9Mh5UvDPiFara3HuqwnLEq913i03Kp9cF9GuDeye5M0jdbwFZbPyFl3mmiXfOGEGvIFG5QAuW8kEqAwfU-jsFYsCQz/s1600/34640734355_521ef09733_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DJmmS9EELlUHZMNG9rrlYSQQBnAtZ2ces_3fWy8Pjrt90N8Ozp9Mh5UvDPiFara3HuqwnLEq913i03Kp9cF9GuDeye5M0jdbwFZbPyFl3mmiXfOGEGvIFG5QAuW8kEqAwfU-jsFYsCQz/s320/34640734355_521ef09733_o.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such lovely leaves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Trout Lilies are also a great favorite. They get their name from the mottled pattern on their leaves, reminiscent of trout-skin. Jay Cooke is filled with these flowers. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTROU7jFfZTu-8tpzrEfotyaFcRS8V82YS96qONunew0DN6k1Q3xnrIMA2PC7IxyMYOTky3yS-hk1fRToeNLFcufNXFvhQpiLrL-ZPTmWXX8AdiXDx6rmnvgsgppFxeAibd8Qmk0vOX5Nx/s1600/34508519681_aede106550_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTROU7jFfZTu-8tpzrEfotyaFcRS8V82YS96qONunew0DN6k1Q3xnrIMA2PC7IxyMYOTky3yS-hk1fRToeNLFcufNXFvhQpiLrL-ZPTmWXX8AdiXDx6rmnvgsgppFxeAibd8Qmk0vOX5Nx/s640/34508519681_aede106550_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trout Lilies amidst a sea of Spring Beauties at Jay Cooke.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuY-WMxoK1ghVmKy6PHlX8bvgvT0PUzCNa132nvs0oEbMvGGH9aSUWCBDvOg2hz6SxkLFKkdYOmoQ4hd993QChQeC8cblj3KxsX8uj2ZPaRj_kUA9EMg06D_LpoQlsvrX9S5Kd1tWbf6M/s1600/34528801781_753d723fb8_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuY-WMxoK1ghVmKy6PHlX8bvgvT0PUzCNa132nvs0oEbMvGGH9aSUWCBDvOg2hz6SxkLFKkdYOmoQ4hd993QChQeC8cblj3KxsX8uj2ZPaRj_kUA9EMg06D_LpoQlsvrX9S5Kd1tWbf6M/s640/34528801781_753d723fb8_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of yellow Trouts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLpPhT0vVK8lA0FYyq_ilSVXgcvjoxYmOfYM832FI3UVD1-ba4SWAHVW2Imxo7Y0YkBgHcKGQh0HmuB1HfW4I3qxidqnIFZAWgZRtM7kyAeFTf75H4UCGMPo4B8SwzxcdOo8D6W7NoKu0/s1600/33796275094_9174ae9ef9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLpPhT0vVK8lA0FYyq_ilSVXgcvjoxYmOfYM832FI3UVD1-ba4SWAHVW2Imxo7Y0YkBgHcKGQh0HmuB1HfW4I3qxidqnIFZAWgZRtM7kyAeFTf75H4UCGMPo4B8SwzxcdOo8D6W7NoKu0/s400/33796275094_9174ae9ef9_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfect pair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5sSuy5IOqCiuVRr5GAk42mb2bwo4icSOnBzko9rNVEK3kgkixFjTKj-O0_ojit1uykDj3Nx4FGEAxbJs9129pduc7n3Si9lVgbl8t7kgkgMZIhn8HXiliP9ZZbWZPkSzwNtvku_ZfNUO/s1600/33796771544_5f744a9093_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5sSuy5IOqCiuVRr5GAk42mb2bwo4icSOnBzko9rNVEK3kgkixFjTKj-O0_ojit1uykDj3Nx4FGEAxbJs9129pduc7n3Si9lVgbl8t7kgkgMZIhn8HXiliP9ZZbWZPkSzwNtvku_ZfNUO/s400/33796771544_5f744a9093_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow Trout Lily with bee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Trout Lilies also come in white, but for some reason, I find the white ones harder to photograph. I haven't yet taken a really good photo of the white ones this year...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Trout Lilies grow in the same area as the Spring Beauties, a small pink and white striped flower, also found in vast numbers at Jay Cooke. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUNLP64_czjRG1y5m0MAiRMLa8PZmECC3el5Qj1TQV859iR1v1HtZyaxuwMqYUdmG5-5OL33nOE_C_3neqnITV95DMdpi3EeorhrEWGzlKggPEoemrDL-w-i9TLe5fFdRhw8wS28knBrN/s1600/33709407533_a8b9be660a_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUNLP64_czjRG1y5m0MAiRMLa8PZmECC3el5Qj1TQV859iR1v1HtZyaxuwMqYUdmG5-5OL33nOE_C_3neqnITV95DMdpi3EeorhrEWGzlKggPEoemrDL-w-i9TLe5fFdRhw8wS28knBrN/s640/33709407533_a8b9be660a_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring Beauties: very small</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">It wouldn't be a Spring Wildflower Report without a shot or two of Wild Ginger and Trillium, so here are some photos of those old favorites.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisauH6Y2pLDPzzPRbuszmIrg6lK5kNHxsRwlzXbfcNQKhF8yLI28K5UpL7pX4oH6Sp0NKgM2GWrxbbJZbeKqqSuthkL5JqRbqzb2l3Hb9pOJL_b7Dj-pAisMtYJI6roElYVD91AtIZeM8X/s1600/34255580660_245290d7a4_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisauH6Y2pLDPzzPRbuszmIrg6lK5kNHxsRwlzXbfcNQKhF8yLI28K5UpL7pX4oH6Sp0NKgM2GWrxbbJZbeKqqSuthkL5JqRbqzb2l3Hb9pOJL_b7Dj-pAisMtYJI6roElYVD91AtIZeM8X/s640/34255580660_245290d7a4_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the Trilliums I've seen so far haven't opened fully yet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizF1biUyyL0-NYJYAiqISBNSRTo_fErP4NEMbJ9eQwIuLk3-GSPF3L2Z-mwZ24_Bcufpm1FkIzEXuXHkdJTj4TJ-nCwN9KkPZQplQqAiFOOsNYWxNwwosqMDZkwEeH1i1YcIPURRhe6awD/s1600/34391434001_f06cbc2a79_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizF1biUyyL0-NYJYAiqISBNSRTo_fErP4NEMbJ9eQwIuLk3-GSPF3L2Z-mwZ24_Bcufpm1FkIzEXuXHkdJTj4TJ-nCwN9KkPZQplQqAiFOOsNYWxNwwosqMDZkwEeH1i1YcIPURRhe6awD/s640/34391434001_f06cbc2a79_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Ginger's amazing flower rests on the ground.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaR4oVhJZNFu9eSX7HWtUlmFPNeYyHREKW0H9a3XaTmyz46-6ogq0hsV4n-PC46oT9aPpZgoXOikp3c3CKhlIJl6sjZYon7By3ivpaNQKTdnMbFQp0jACzT5vyvBCpJbVQjZfhJ28waU8B/s1600/33798205724_9078a9c789_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaR4oVhJZNFu9eSX7HWtUlmFPNeYyHREKW0H9a3XaTmyz46-6ogq0hsV4n-PC46oT9aPpZgoXOikp3c3CKhlIJl6sjZYon7By3ivpaNQKTdnMbFQp0jACzT5vyvBCpJbVQjZfhJ28waU8B/s400/33798205724_9078a9c789_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack-in-the-Pulpit, just starting to bloom, Munger Trail.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJ3CqQdyoMX1QGMxaUmjIzGJPPdXvh3_CCU8vbNCkWi0IzrOx6AKqsUutTiIWoGIj8xIQsOX-aOz-4lSU-6vDCYJCZ3OFH2t-E1ziseFhnoUUl1z5k1k9zH3egMMHoyCJTTDY2s_8Lam1/s1600/34255629610_170c4b7fc0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJ3CqQdyoMX1QGMxaUmjIzGJPPdXvh3_CCU8vbNCkWi0IzrOx6AKqsUutTiIWoGIj8xIQsOX-aOz-4lSU-6vDCYJCZ3OFH2t-E1ziseFhnoUUl1z5k1k9zH3egMMHoyCJTTDY2s_8Lam1/s400/34255629610_170c4b7fc0_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An older Jack</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was afraid I might miss Jack-in-the-Pulpit this year, but they're just coming up now in our area. They are so much fun to see. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimonjqtIS4GeS6tFBdSzNa1-sNmRlDhC2lryejV_BmKzt7K3SJLykzylHVQXV-wKFyhgr1AXFSnRmCnk-6uMFmUx1k3MQrGn3SJ2ubDJxFe8HbobmgvNu3jk1fZomtEMhpqxp0PBhplskC/s1600/34255413280_4cc201be8e_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimonjqtIS4GeS6tFBdSzNa1-sNmRlDhC2lryejV_BmKzt7K3SJLykzylHVQXV-wKFyhgr1AXFSnRmCnk-6uMFmUx1k3MQrGn3SJ2ubDJxFe8HbobmgvNu3jk1fZomtEMhpqxp0PBhplskC/s640/34255413280_4cc201be8e_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking for Jack inside the Pulpit</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you have time to get out to Jay Cooke in the near future, you should check out all the flowers along Summer Trail. It's a great place to see many of these flowers. During my last two trips there, I've run into other wildflower photographers, some of whom come from the Twin Cities area to see the beautiful array of wildflowers Jay Cooke has to offer.</span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-84141603125209287412017-04-17T20:40:00.001-05:002017-05-15T08:19:49.044-05:00Helping a Friend Move: An Orchid Rescue Team Adventure<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYBsAVbl4gPMH5QPgcKH4lIczGkKU7eCX3z_-E6u-Buy42iMjJS7m_93GKOGEEQGVxaqaxeRy9kj49o3zmTlbgn77328EJyo-buSNXG4S7GO889DABSAwYODrG0-mZQhtX3YKVcfrF2ay/s1600/munger-62416_27927171746_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYBsAVbl4gPMH5QPgcKH4lIczGkKU7eCX3z_-E6u-Buy42iMjJS7m_93GKOGEEQGVxaqaxeRy9kj49o3zmTlbgn77328EJyo-buSNXG4S7GO889DABSAwYODrG0-mZQhtX3YKVcfrF2ay/s320/munger-62416_27927171746_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
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View of the Munger Trail, not far from where </div>
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my friend lived.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the morning of Saturday, April 15, 2017, my colleague Mr Tom Diener and I helped a friend move. Her house was condemned and her neighborhood slated to be bulldozed, so as to make room for bigger and better things. She had been rather isolated, living on her own, and the heavy traffic through her neighborhood put her at great risk of physical harm, and even of kidnapping. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Although I hated to see her leave her birthplace, there was nothing else to be done. She had to move.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vxWx4D49WcbFTTtEAyZWshwW7bGEV8WBUh-av0lhLEDD0mX8p6b5DMcabipfY5EXEqfBh8vUIdVM2buiSkAAO_iGr13-1yhMh9MPX6VGJdu85l8sa9TXz2TRH_ccL0g5V5sIda925uPO/s1600/13412161383_ea5ee5f3ce_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vxWx4D49WcbFTTtEAyZWshwW7bGEV8WBUh-av0lhLEDD0mX8p6b5DMcabipfY5EXEqfBh8vUIdVM2buiSkAAO_iGr13-1yhMh9MPX6VGJdu85l8sa9TXz2TRH_ccL0g5V5sIda925uPO/s400/13412161383_ea5ee5f3ce_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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My first photo of my friend, taken September, 2012. Seed pods are visible<br />
at the top of her stems.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I first met her back in September of 2012, some months after the big flood that left so much of our region damaged. I was biking along th</span><span style="font-size: large;">e <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/willard_munger/index.html" target="_blank">Willard Munger State Trail</a>--the parts of it that were p</span><span style="font-size: large;">assable--and I saw her: tall, dressed in pale brownish rags, more than a little past her prime. She was standing just off the edge of the Trail, at the base of a wooded slope near the high rock walls that tower over the trail along portions of the Duluth section. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I might have missed her, if I hadn’t already had such Ladies on my mind. As you can see, I’m not talking about a person but a flower, and not just any flower, but </span><span style="font-size: large;">our <a href="https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/symbols" target="_blank">State flower</a>, the Showy Lady Slipper (<i><a href="http://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/species/cypripedium/reginae/" target="_blank">Cypripedium reginae</a></i>). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1480LNiTS-CuiT1iWUnMRvBcZtam-Dq9mIU5DyqD4crsFv3aiBpjlY856MPqolXfsqweDzbwSjM_FY_0jd2S4SNIyqMYvN7rnO_z4h6JeC5vNxSVB8yn_Y3m2qVBXyq7sp_lQivGCGQO/s1600/14075487469_56ce94d688_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1480LNiTS-CuiT1iWUnMRvBcZtam-Dq9mIU5DyqD4crsFv3aiBpjlY856MPqolXfsqweDzbwSjM_FY_0jd2S4SNIyqMYvN7rnO_z4h6JeC5vNxSVB8yn_Y3m2qVBXyq7sp_lQivGCGQO/s320/14075487469_56ce94d688_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Munger Showy sprouting in the spring.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That September day in 2012, I was thinking about the Yellow Slippers (<i><a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/greater-yellow-ladys-slipper" target="_blank">Cypripedium parviflorum</a></i>) that I had been photographing along the Trail since about 2010, when I first started spending time on the Munger. I was worried that the flood might have washed away some of their habitat (they survived pretty well, as it turned out). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81eEbdao0wUxoJxf6-0m6uK2eYiCHwo3hJeGXxknHmwryCkTGWjcRGBFxnMbXpEU0udviL19k-ma56YIzPjCfRV_ei-R3FsX6AGCWw0fkXNGyvhhIXcGv5Y3a9-eKLE6hrmtvx-SEZLbs/s1600/14398243761_517b72f3c3_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81eEbdao0wUxoJxf6-0m6uK2eYiCHwo3hJeGXxknHmwryCkTGWjcRGBFxnMbXpEU0udviL19k-ma56YIzPjCfRV_ei-R3FsX6AGCWw0fkXNGyvhhIXcGv5Y3a9-eKLE6hrmtvx-SEZLbs/s320/14398243761_517b72f3c3_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showy sprouts getting bigger.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had been reading Welby Smith’s <i><a href="http://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/native-orchids-of-minnesota" target="_blank">Native Orchids of Minnesota</a></i>, so I knew something about the appearance of the foliage and the size of the Showy Slipper plants. I was hoping I might see a Showy someday, but I hadn’t expected to come across the remains of one on the Munger in September. I snapped a photo and began the long process of waiting until July of 2013 to see her in bloom.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6EJtHDYbnzww25gU8x8mLscnTU83cuJ4JK9Z0f1Qpi0cs5CeEZwivL9WhznfBaX2StU9G7dBvCymAeJKnkX0tveaEKnK2XtuLdP1t4-h6hPJWGWK5LCZlxivNaygJk7i4Hqz6rMqen9B/s1600/15389789714_b4a2135269_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6EJtHDYbnzww25gU8x8mLscnTU83cuJ4JK9Z0f1Qpi0cs5CeEZwivL9WhznfBaX2StU9G7dBvCymAeJKnkX0tveaEKnK2XtuLdP1t4-h6hPJWGWK5LCZlxivNaygJk7i4Hqz6rMqen9B/s640/15389789714_b4a2135269_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Munger Showy, July 2013, with a butterfly caught in her slipper.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showy seed pods, visible in the winter.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since then, I have been visiting and photographing this orchid at all stages of her life cycle and in all seasons. I have come to think of her as a friend. When I heard that her portion of the Munger Trail was going to be <a href="http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/2017/03/27/willard-munger-state-trail-to-be-reconstructed-near-duluth/" target="_blank">closed for resurfacing and reconstruction</a>, I worried about her safety. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1PC5cnT-v3yTnicXF6uMPPSgI6FXF_UDgVP3Kht3cI8LnD4Do8GrcT_MIsarmy-VA0g9y0Uov-W9NJLImDh4QYHQnwfP1XAddTW5iogwKU8ogCWsuIUyfohq-16B8ZKDZMlp0dZPadjJ/s1600/IMG_1269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1PC5cnT-v3yTnicXF6uMPPSgI6FXF_UDgVP3Kht3cI8LnD4Do8GrcT_MIsarmy-VA0g9y0Uov-W9NJLImDh4QYHQnwfP1XAddTW5iogwKU8ogCWsuIUyfohq-16B8ZKDZMlp0dZPadjJ/s400/IMG_1269.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Truck full of rescued Showys that Mr Diener helped save (note the reflection </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So I contacted Martin Torgerson, the DNR Moose Lake Area Supervisor, to ask for permission to move her to Jay Cooke State Park, where Mr Diener works in the summer and where some other Showy Slippers grow. A couple days later, he put me in touch with Tyler Gangelhoff, the Assistant Manager of the Park, and he gave his permission for Mr Diener and me to transplant her. The Park Naturalist, Kristine Hiller, marked a spot for us near some of the other Showys at Jay Cooke, and Mr Diener and I then went about the business of planning the Rescue Operation. Mr Diener said Easter weekend seemed like an appropriate time for such an endeavor.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYWobZxFICvuFs4xpRSuT3mChdOwa-3Gs0GEUGnX5AT8XcZp-5YrGD33kzbGWFF16C9b_suGxGLWKovLO1hyxCgnmPLNdO8bk5iPJqS9Rc5vZ1HZgFsvntfuxRnrRyU3d6cIL92vTNOrA/s1600/13483358_10154464037274728_4863985674442411905_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYWobZxFICvuFs4xpRSuT3mChdOwa-3Gs0GEUGnX5AT8XcZp-5YrGD33kzbGWFF16C9b_suGxGLWKovLO1hyxCgnmPLNdO8bk5iPJqS9Rc5vZ1HZgFsvntfuxRnrRyU3d6cIL92vTNOrA/s320/13483358_10154464037274728_4863985674442411905_o.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
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Diener's rescued Showys, blooming in the Park. They'll be the </div>
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Munger Showy's companions.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mr Diener already had some experience with rescuing the State flower. A couple years ago, he helped dig some up at a construction site along the Nemadji River and then re-planted them at the Park. Those Showys made the transition very nicely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On Saturday, then, Mr Diener and I met at the Becks Road trailhead and biked to the Slipper. Mr Diener had a trailer attached to his bike, perfect for transporting the flower and our lunch. Although the day was overcast, the rain held off until well after we finished the Operation. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRcM349gt9CMxSuFngyCPiXrVG4bZEAZZoacFrQ0wrzjo4ltDy6Hk7Ux0BKUMFwPOrEStsXTNqqEwEe320sEOVzxhhJqnJpOhXeZUP8_D7g5O228Qu-06tdTMC1cejPlhgBHT1gNE_APg/s1600/IMG_3842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRcM349gt9CMxSuFngyCPiXrVG4bZEAZZoacFrQ0wrzjo4ltDy6Hk7Ux0BKUMFwPOrEStsXTNqqEwEe320sEOVzxhhJqnJpOhXeZUP8_D7g5O228Qu-06tdTMC1cejPlhgBHT1gNE_APg/s320/IMG_3842.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Mr Diener inspects the above-ground portion </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of the plant.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived at the Slipper's home on the Trail, and Mr Diener began to dig. The ground was extremely rocky, which made getting her out of the earth much harder than I'd anticipated. I even broke off the tip of my garden trowel. I had brought along a small-but-serious shovel, which, combined with Mr Diener's strength, did the job nicely. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzMpt1eJOAopJsDZ9qdUwdM3H1LHZVYbIEmZqjTrkSzdcl6Do0WYkFyhwJiUfXpQopHJtA5mGfdnpDp-Y-fxgEii-7x4jSUChLeWU89FcDPjBLWTWamqrWC6reYdeDs2tdLBH4vmC62ke/s1600/IMG_3857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzMpt1eJOAopJsDZ9qdUwdM3H1LHZVYbIEmZqjTrkSzdcl6Do0WYkFyhwJiUfXpQopHJtA5mGfdnpDp-Y-fxgEii-7x4jSUChLeWU89FcDPjBLWTWamqrWC6reYdeDs2tdLBH4vmC62ke/s320/IMG_3857.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Mr Diener did all the hard work--I just led him to the right </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
spot and supplied the shovel! Note the ballast rocks around the </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
edge of the hole.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Munger Trail runs along an old railway line, and Mr Diener knows a lot about rocks and old railroads. He said all the rocks in the soil were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_ballast" target="_blank">track ballast</a> for the <a href="http://tldrify.com/mw9" target="_blank">old rail line</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As we were digging up the Showy, lots of people passed by. I was expecting that someone would question us, and I had printed out Mr Gangelhoff's official statement of permission, just in case someone wanted to know what we were doing. But no one seemed to pay any attention to us, except one man walking his dog, but he came by before we started digging. Mr Diener told him we were testing out some camping equipment, and the man seemed to believe us, but Mr Diener felt guilty later about making up that story.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoXS5ptfLUPZyzLhZPWVj5tIVVMkhPHjLqFKS4BfboOls6Hd6K9L5-zzltmaoLgJlbj0JDoa0WFkjCB0pZL42A-P2X6KbJcAN_MLq11mldOZ4RZdy7rIEYuWq3dV2nrDvuUs6anSPhINe/s1600/IMG_3874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoXS5ptfLUPZyzLhZPWVj5tIVVMkhPHjLqFKS4BfboOls6Hd6K9L5-zzltmaoLgJlbj0JDoa0WFkjCB0pZL42A-P2X6KbJcAN_MLq11mldOZ4RZdy7rIEYuWq3dV2nrDvuUs6anSPhINe/s320/IMG_3874.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mr Diener securing the Showy (in the gray tub) & the </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">shovel </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">on his nifty bike trailer. You can see, in the </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">background, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">that we filled in the hole pretty well. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mr Diener assures me </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">that his trailer will be available </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">for other Orchid Rescue Team </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(ORT) Adventures, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">should the need arise.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Once we had the Showy loaded into Mr Diener's trailer, we biked all the way to Jay Cooke, where I put Mr Diener to work again, digging a hole at the designated spot (the ground was still somewhat frozen, which made his job difficult). Mr Gangelhoff met us there and watched as we put her back in the earth. I wish Kristine Hiller had been there, too, to see us add another Showy to the Park, but she was working at another State Park that day. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rwuPz6C5ELcuYqor0Iwjv5g_WpHaK_CmTKZT4sBkrJX3ErghXtG2UR2PAm-5Ww9QdZcMQs9yKiUVWhhpdNoR2-01iBmafKYZalQpWHB-Y-773961TPs83Xbl8GgcItE2bKtwYZuI1-fW/s1600/IMG_3880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rwuPz6C5ELcuYqor0Iwjv5g_WpHaK_CmTKZT4sBkrJX3ErghXtG2UR2PAm-5Ww9QdZcMQs9yKiUVWhhpdNoR2-01iBmafKYZalQpWHB-Y-773961TPs83Xbl8GgcItE2bKtwYZuI1-fW/s320/IMG_3880.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mr Diener digs a hole for the Slipper's new</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">home, in the spot chosen by Kris Hiller.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Mr Diener and I ate our lunch in the River Inn Interpretive Center and then biked back to our cars. I let Mr Diener go on ahead of me: he's not only a much, much faster and stronger biker than I am, but I also wanted to stop along the Trail on my way back to check on some <a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/bloodroot" target="_blank">Bloodroot</a> that I hoped would be blooming (it was!). As I moseyed back along the Trail, I wondered how many colonies of our State flower are lost to construction projects...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSiSyPNUvEtUeQ07njCYchF3sZ60YyBAqt3zk15PU4a_tQWTSVobagf_H7mPCmjevfteW-YNS_mDlVQtcWabthT-LQ1f1ywZn9xuy_lz45Q636Y3ephAllx4gbMP8CIdJiwWo2dLEX-gN/s1600/IMG_3903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSiSyPNUvEtUeQ07njCYchF3sZ60YyBAqt3zk15PU4a_tQWTSVobagf_H7mPCmjevfteW-YNS_mDlVQtcWabthT-LQ1f1ywZn9xuy_lz45Q636Y3ephAllx4gbMP8CIdJiwWo2dLEX-gN/s200/IMG_3903.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bloodroot blooming along </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">the Munger.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">There must be other Trail users out there who loved and admired this magnificent orchid as they biked or jogged past her. I hope at least some of them will see this post and learn that their familiar friend was not destroyed in the construction, nor was she poached, as our wild orchids sometimes are, but rather she was moved to a safer house, where she can live with relatives. And she now has the </span><span style="font-size: large;">best of neighbors, ones who will protect her, according to <a href="http://tldrify.com/mwa" target="_blank">their stated mission</a>. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6KacFJt5E_aF4lXDzH7PvFuoIle4I_IUKS0MGUwbYce9Z9pe7lDa-STJxfJA2PppM-Z85kjhVvkUdepuq2QVwB8KNzfKlYu5vJ0g3PVPQkG-DOa0GirEmrfwhu0xvBeF8cvTvMqeactw/s1600/19371636338_3bdf9999ff_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6KacFJt5E_aF4lXDzH7PvFuoIle4I_IUKS0MGUwbYce9Z9pe7lDa-STJxfJA2PppM-Z85kjhVvkUdepuq2QVwB8KNzfKlYu5vJ0g3PVPQkG-DOa0GirEmrfwhu0xvBeF8cvTvMqeactw/s640/19371636338_3bdf9999ff_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Munger Showy with the sun shining right through her blossoms.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">From now on, every time I pass her old spot along the Trail, I'll miss her presence, but I look forward to seeing her bloom in the Park this summer--long may she live there in comfort and health, multiplying in beauty, year after year.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymTWr2FM9y7jhxWnIAYmfODtgEzGn0hXmGRo7Q7bexVzKBXw2h61GrgTvLSAARgfTQe5xj9HCXIluHVRe7CRHed_1bnbQB1Zkb5iJT3hx5gfxVU8awhMoxIrXpDdH_47h_9nEMSvuB5wG/s1600/three-queens-cypripedium-reginae_27975212636_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymTWr2FM9y7jhxWnIAYmfODtgEzGn0hXmGRo7Q7bexVzKBXw2h61GrgTvLSAARgfTQe5xj9HCXIluHVRe7CRHed_1bnbQB1Zkb5iJT3hx5gfxVU8awhMoxIrXpDdH_47h_9nEMSvuB5wG/s640/three-queens-cypripedium-reginae_27975212636_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Another portrait of my friend, taken in July of 2016, the last time she bloomed on the </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Munger Trail.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Update: </b>Mr Diener checked on our friend on May 13, and found that she had sprouted up out of the ground in her new home. He sent me this photo.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFZb7Ez4mcXgFAzwRr4ORvsMe0zP0XLP8mQ_cm2SqzvYTKquTFhf802H71LSVVAVPYngZpPX2R8bvKJtgMKpB5rZL9hyphenhyphenNqjvZXAprcUGlwqHX5AqT6FcAwOIHsUITWhC_zpkRvxy3hY63/s1600/IMG_2437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFZb7Ez4mcXgFAzwRr4ORvsMe0zP0XLP8mQ_cm2SqzvYTKquTFhf802H71LSVVAVPYngZpPX2R8bvKJtgMKpB5rZL9hyphenhyphenNqjvZXAprcUGlwqHX5AqT6FcAwOIHsUITWhC_zpkRvxy3hY63/s640/IMG_2437.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by T. Diener. The Munger Showy sprouted in Jay Cooke State Park! <br />Taken May 13, 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">With three stems coming up, she looks like she's well on her way.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b>(All photos, unless otherwise indicated, were taken by S. Nygaard with an iPhone 5 or 6s.)</b>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-37978408444942668572017-01-30T09:14:00.000-06:002017-02-09T08:09:13.364-06:00Christmas Bird Count 2016: Porcupines, Pileated Peckers, Peanut Brittle, Patchouli, and Poetry[You can read about my previous experiences with the <a href="http://www.audubon.org/join-christmas-bird-count" target="_blank">National Audubon Society</a>'s Christmas Bird Count <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2015/12/christmas-bird-count-2015-pterodactyls.html" target="_blank">here</a> (2015), <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/12/bird-count-2014-ill-have-some-coffee.html" target="_blank">here</a> (2014), and <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2013/12/no-really-its-all-about-birds.html" target="_blank">here</a> (2013).]<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On December 30, 2016, I participated in my fourth Christmas Bird Count, organized by the National Audubon Society. It's an event I look forward to each year. Even though I'm not a good birder, I enjoy meandering through Carlton County with my more experienced companions. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXmeOaSpPvhdWa6cDqrpEY_enC0b3sHfNwg3krBhCUPEEts0x3Oz1jkFTx3FHTYwqdSGHXuT2xTGoQdCtE__iC2fIchdveNTcL3uLuhMG-DG1TL9d3ihAPOQH3GcLXXFV_0xr9l-SfXWh/s1600/32052490495_e5a3ea9891_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXmeOaSpPvhdWa6cDqrpEY_enC0b3sHfNwg3krBhCUPEEts0x3Oz1jkFTx3FHTYwqdSGHXuT2xTGoQdCtE__iC2fIchdveNTcL3uLuhMG-DG1TL9d3ihAPOQH3GcLXXFV_0xr9l-SfXWh/s640/32052490495_e5a3ea9891_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun comes up through "pink venetian blinds" as we begin<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">It was only 12F at 8:32 am when we started on Friday, December 30, 2016. There was a lovely sunrise, which Ms Hermes said reminded her of "pink venetian blinds." </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIDO-EiE6-KoRFFD5f3N-ebF1PGaFVdkKrclA7TSou7XuXozVaovW1ErtNfif84YoytVzWPkvAoEVUdyZqHeStfrQIjCPyvhQvrc28EHusyWShpenWoZ6raE_C3nNXcTGoNAW7XjEdc5u/s1600/31165063514_258deb25d5_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIDO-EiE6-KoRFFD5f3N-ebF1PGaFVdkKrclA7TSou7XuXozVaovW1ErtNfif84YoytVzWPkvAoEVUdyZqHeStfrQIjCPyvhQvrc28EHusyWShpenWoZ6raE_C3nNXcTGoNAW7XjEdc5u/s640/31165063514_258deb25d5_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the River Inn on the morning of December 30, 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">By the time we reached Carlton County, the sun was a tad higher in the sky, and it was attempting, largely unsuccessfully, to burn its way through the clouds. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This year, of course, was the first of my CBC experiences without Ms Ball, who is now retired and living in Hawaii (more about Ms Ball below). But 2016 was also what I hope is only the first year of many with <a href="https://libarchive.d.umn.edu/index.php?p=creators/creator&id=984" target="_blank">Nancy Nelson</a>. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxtjQCmu5zWDAEsxl_aOYdurEvsSlznttUqYceL37A1Zfh7Hj_jVUqcjwuDf9oR8UcxVkMzmAMsha_CVmRcHubvTKQQs_MSLZ3OY3C8jFz7h1bwXfMWAeeLW_7UHTDaH05LaeZpErKjgc/s1600/31237212124_494aeae1eb_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxtjQCmu5zWDAEsxl_aOYdurEvsSlznttUqYceL37A1Zfh7Hj_jVUqcjwuDf9oR8UcxVkMzmAMsha_CVmRcHubvTKQQs_MSLZ3OY3C8jFz7h1bwXfMWAeeLW_7UHTDaH05LaeZpErKjgc/s320/31237212124_494aeae1eb_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nancy talking about the Oldenburg Memorial stone, <br />
with its missing plaque</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Nancy used to teach geology at the college level, and she is often known as <a href="http://tldrify.com/lhc" target="_blank">Duluth's "Tree Lady,"</a> for her work in saving the Spirit Mountain old-growth forest from development. She also ran for city council once and was the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripsaw" target="_blank">Ripsaw</a></i>'s Person of the Year in 2002. She is a very accomplished <a href="http://zenithcity.com/author/nanel/" target="_blank">writer of local history</a>, with a book coming out soon on the history of Duluth's park system. She was one of the founding members of Duluth's famed but semi-secret <a href="https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/content/best-kept-secrets-city-chickens" target="_blank">Zenith City Chicken Liberation Front</a>, who, along with former City Councilor Sharla Gardner, got the <a href="http://www.duluthcitychickens.org/law" target="_blank">Duluth Chicken Ordinance</a> passed. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFo-ySaObfPL-TDeX95BHAIHJ87iRT3eHPYpIi3UoLEncUfr91auKuzDAU26VRQ6KhX6a6Muqk79SV6Wbcxi9OaBt0SxWOlxsfLs7ML4w7AHoCPChIinDCPWK2PsRGhrdzIJ2nzZsPadPA/s1600/32039565306_a18f9b0fe1_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFo-ySaObfPL-TDeX95BHAIHJ87iRT3eHPYpIi3UoLEncUfr91auKuzDAU26VRQ6KhX6a6Muqk79SV6Wbcxi9OaBt0SxWOlxsfLs7ML4w7AHoCPChIinDCPWK2PsRGhrdzIJ2nzZsPadPA/s320/32039565306_a18f9b0fe1_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of the granite rock, full of minerals<br />
like quartz.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, as Ms Hermes says, <b>we traded a Grouse Walker </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>for a Rock Talker</b>. </span><span style="font-size: large;">(See </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tldrify.com/lhd" target="_blank">last year's post for a video</a> </span><span style="font-size: large;">of Ms Ball doing the "grouse walk." You won't regret it) And we did talk about rocks: we always stop to count birds at Oldenburg point, where there's a short trail and a nice big overlook above the St Louis River. We stopped to take a look at the <a href="http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=dfa9d1e1-8990-4bbb-8bf6-55a37c109663&lat=46.653583&lon=-92.351983&t=6" target="_blank">Oldenburg Memorial stone</a> and Nancy started talking about the rock--it's a big piece of pink granite, which is not common here. She asked if we knew the difference between minerals and rocks, and since we didn't, she explained it. I recorded her as she spoke. I had never even thought about this before, and I thought her explanation was very clear. You can listen to what she said here: </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://vocaroo.com/i/s09eh1STKmO7" target="_blank">Part 1</a> and </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://vocaroo.com/i/s15cveBE9AVP" target="_blank">Part 2</a>.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We have no idea what happened to the plaque, by the way. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Inspired by all the geology terminology, Ms Hermes invented and performed a brief rap song about this big stone, but I wasn't quick enough with my phone to capture her inimitable skills as a spontaneous rapper.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_7on_Tin6O_u2TBoP7xPIAljqWlcorCfQeZcFmmV3k3fMDAesRpB5aQ98JVB09AM482ErwalPObWzcYqhL-8wmWjZyPgtC_rjzE2b2SE0rFFUYF9_RmFRXXX5uHV1R-7gwWmxjcwWmgn/s1600/31886519842_a9789281a5_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_7on_Tin6O_u2TBoP7xPIAljqWlcorCfQeZcFmmV3k3fMDAesRpB5aQ98JVB09AM482ErwalPObWzcYqhL-8wmWjZyPgtC_rjzE2b2SE0rFFUYF9_RmFRXXX5uHV1R-7gwWmxjcwWmgn/s200/31886519842_a9789281a5_o.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nelson & Hermes (in Ball's<br />
hat) checking another part<br />
of the river for waterfowl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVUjrnPYPvoZlAitj-hslsw0Kh3lbtQbMUnAEZD82L41zMPyEyHOwdQS2K-2SQpA48VW9YfRxgt8JwwNIhw-NPvs8_nAUsMEpS3_v7STUoX2vpHDvCfKSZzeojrYQw3LzTuyU10uUvqIf/s1600/31211622564_f630a6dbbf_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVUjrnPYPvoZlAitj-hslsw0Kh3lbtQbMUnAEZD82L41zMPyEyHOwdQS2K-2SQpA48VW9YfRxgt8JwwNIhw-NPvs8_nAUsMEpS3_v7STUoX2vpHDvCfKSZzeojrYQw3LzTuyU10uUvqIf/s320/31211622564_f630a6dbbf_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermes (in Ball's hat) looking for waterfowl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">At some point, as we were driving through the tiny community of Thomson, I asked Nancy to explain the geology of the <a href="http://pages.citebite.com/j5a6x7t5p5yul" target="_blank">Thomson Formation</a>, and she wrote some very detailed, if simplified, notes on the subject. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixipwR7x37Wfv3HdedTOqAacbC5oFziBlR2QNcvXv7HYJS_SrMT7mzExrC44Bw879syo5sJq2GgyjVcVByN7NrR5kcR1ypGNuqy0q-KkJTHhk3GFtt6xr8Rs7xRnbnjk-whctoRipXmaoH/s1600/32184974192_632e70c89d_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixipwR7x37Wfv3HdedTOqAacbC5oFziBlR2QNcvXv7HYJS_SrMT7mzExrC44Bw879syo5sJq2GgyjVcVByN7NrR5kcR1ypGNuqy0q-KkJTHhk3GFtt6xr8Rs7xRnbnjk-whctoRipXmaoH/s320/32184974192_632e70c89d_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of Nancy's simplified explanation of the Thomson<br />
Formation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">If you've been to this area, you've probably noticed the striking rock out-croppings, and of course, the river ravine is very impressive. So we talked a lot about time, pressure, clay, and metamorphosing. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfuRW2u3DfYMT1AjoMr45pPgPaLh518vsV1Ni3EbLl5jhav2KqZmeAC1XvZxtLy6WmyGKRbosXi5C7at7TM-7wdTKJ-BXPfgj8ml4eTpUuIn3pcW0NdBvPzx1NWM4TWzlQiZly_f86Hen/s1600/31492962054_2b90472f48_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfuRW2u3DfYMT1AjoMr45pPgPaLh518vsV1Ni3EbLl5jhav2KqZmeAC1XvZxtLy6WmyGKRbosXi5C7at7TM-7wdTKJ-BXPfgj8ml4eTpUuIn3pcW0NdBvPzx1NWM4TWzlQiZly_f86Hen/s320/31492962054_2b90472f48_o.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of Nancy's notes, simplified for the<br />
geologically-unschooled</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">The other highlight of our stop at Oldenburg was spotting a <b>porcupine</b> up in a tree. It was a pretty cold day, but the porcupine seemed not be bothered by the cold, or us, or anything, really. Porcupines are pretty secure critters; they know that their quills provide a near-perfect defense against all predators.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgu9oW0l5OCqyyESVHxblE__5opxl9r7kethwXuUg2EE9rGPAHLVaGDpdaLNZH6N2yNiGFmlB62V1bY6JclHSrraPFzFhtp6rT07JZCnQnZSSFM29ihx5jqP9AgqW8XppWa-zMw9fD_NT/s1600/31251882403_9aef7f509d_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgu9oW0l5OCqyyESVHxblE__5opxl9r7kethwXuUg2EE9rGPAHLVaGDpdaLNZH6N2yNiGFmlB62V1bY6JclHSrraPFzFhtp6rT07JZCnQnZSSFM29ihx5jqP9AgqW8XppWa-zMw9fD_NT/s200/31251882403_9aef7f509d_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Oldenburg porcupine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Since the Bird Count, I've encountered one other porcupine, along the Munger Trail. I managed to get a bit of video as it started climbing down a tree. It waddled very slowly, backwards, down the tree and headed deeper into the woods. I was impressed by its lack of concern for the cold (the quills must provide some insulation) and the thinness of the branch it was perched on.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="515" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LoFZih3MTGw" width="760"></iframe>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As for actual birds, we accumulated a pretty typical listing, with lots of chickadees, blue jays, crows, and some woodpeckers, including a nice big <b>pileated</b> pecker which I was able to photograph at the State Park interpretive center. Although I managed to get pretty close, I still couldn't get a really clear shot with my iPhone. A day later, my brother caught a good view of a pileated and sent me this shot, taken with a "real" camera (see below). We discussed whether the word "pileated" should be pronounced "PILL-ee-ay-ted" or "PY-lee-ay-ted" and decided since Duluth's most famous birder, <a href="http://www.lauraerickson.com/radio/program/10371/pileated-woodpecker/" target="_blank">Laura Erickson</a>, says it the latter way, the long "i" sound is probably correct. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51grXkXVVKgLJAje2eRWFQ0yHh30mBp0IQJet9rOtYbClUdNCJfsAok2bNIWbxTarlNK28cxjqpzrlmPVrmnXrgoGsu7pzY3HVXGs0YRA0UWvk9fLhP2itgwhMQydibAOPBK5ZZ6LRXa5/s1600/31950279442_b7463d6ef3_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51grXkXVVKgLJAje2eRWFQ0yHh30mBp0IQJet9rOtYbClUdNCJfsAok2bNIWbxTarlNK28cxjqpzrlmPVrmnXrgoGsu7pzY3HVXGs0YRA0UWvk9fLhP2itgwhMQydibAOPBK5ZZ6LRXa5/s320/31950279442_b7463d6ef3_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pileated pecker, eating suet at the Jay Cooke State Park<br />
River Inn Interpretive Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJCKg2ONSZJQK8qT9pT3g2pABZrQv_Gzc6xKtdwdF2l3cteXOtScQud6HpAIYdMzfRs9g0KhdLInl0JP4aKwXVEdJtPLfmZChyKuvYgU3jgpcIOJFqPS_audYtXDtnCLJxcFobtF0FJ9m/s1600/FullSizeRender-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJCKg2ONSZJQK8qT9pT3g2pABZrQv_Gzc6xKtdwdF2l3cteXOtScQud6HpAIYdMzfRs9g0KhdLInl0JP4aKwXVEdJtPLfmZChyKuvYgU3jgpcIOJFqPS_audYtXDtnCLJxcFobtF0FJ9m/s320/FullSizeRender-5.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother's photo, taken December 31, 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">As we wandered through Carlton County, we stopped occasionally to look and listen for birds. It was a very cold, cloudy, and quiet day. In one spot, I got a bit distracted by the lichen--I focus on lichen in the winter months--it's often the only source of color in the winter landscape. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSoZAAPhya5sxdYhTHFMNchHIMshnPufyO8tPFP_S_VagB_ftc9-1ISrIb2HOmwH0CDPnI3iNDQvlMoCyUwQJuSmyj4QZKoBo8Q4RbMO8BCli3z77GkbUNZ7aZqLET-cVRveb5sBSi1Oc/s1600/31934905731_9b09d857fe_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSoZAAPhya5sxdYhTHFMNchHIMshnPufyO8tPFP_S_VagB_ftc9-1ISrIb2HOmwH0CDPnI3iNDQvlMoCyUwQJuSmyj4QZKoBo8Q4RbMO8BCli3z77GkbUNZ7aZqLET-cVRveb5sBSi1Oc/s320/31934905731_9b09d857fe_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some golden lichen on a branch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I take way too many lichen photos each winter--I'm sure people get sick of seeing them on Facebook and Flickr, but it's a way to keep my photography skills sharp during the flowerless months...</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyq9kJcySd-aJjKEfBK-_8plaj1A9hoK3vZeyGCiG94D2FCbU3mLzl0g_Mj7fGs6FpdyQAkim6JZwXSqJFWHHjHAPxw0MBuQN7PJUhIuXbjM2QfGrGqWfbcLsHNDyUu89cxxtOKPERW0nf/s1600/32013120826_0bbfd0f22c_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyq9kJcySd-aJjKEfBK-_8plaj1A9hoK3vZeyGCiG94D2FCbU3mLzl0g_Mj7fGs6FpdyQAkim6JZwXSqJFWHHjHAPxw0MBuQN7PJUhIuXbjM2QfGrGqWfbcLsHNDyUu89cxxtOKPERW0nf/s400/32013120826_0bbfd0f22c_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lichen on stump, along the St Louis River.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">After making most of our regular stops, we ended up at the Interpretive Center to eat our lunch. As usual, we had way too much food. Because Ms</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Ball used to make a sprouted lentil salad, I decided I would make my own version in honor of her. Sprouting lentils is very easy to do; it only takes a couple days.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4nisbDjVZ1xq3QGoSWtAMK56AV0C6EtU0rrSafjP5fXW-zMM28ukYWclYuUiWkcT7l8VaBTTDLUTrUggPxHPgHmrIU5mWoO8bEvKpPLdbXKJgfmAluYltYUjdSY0LTrJJcXl5wAQn03kD/s1600/31175503664_3147da1b0b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4nisbDjVZ1xq3QGoSWtAMK56AV0C6EtU0rrSafjP5fXW-zMM28ukYWclYuUiWkcT7l8VaBTTDLUTrUggPxHPgHmrIU5mWoO8bEvKpPLdbXKJgfmAluYltYUjdSY0LTrJJcXl5wAQn03kD/s320/31175503664_3147da1b0b_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sprouted lentils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You soak them for 24 hours in plenty of water, and then you just rinse and drain them a few times each day until they sprout. They can then be eaten without any pre-cooking--they are pleasantly crunchy and full of nutrients! I added celery, parsley, cooked wild rice, dried cranberries, pecans, and a orange-ginger dressing that I made. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I also added a bunch of pickled peppers for some zing, but I don't think I added enough. I also brought a panettone, and Ms Hermes brought some bread, cheese, spicy olives, pickled red peppers, <b>peanut brittle </b>(more about this later),<b> </b>and Italian cookies. Nancy brought some cheese, apples, and chocolate-covered peanut clusters. Overall, we had far more than we needed.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXk1Gk04F8ewtnhnpGjFKUobIgXtTHWPgfFjBXKkmwJZiTlJGbvGN96fsMmSc2U3mMvCMTwGowyDDmMSyNEHjiTWK3ZlOZ2pBpy9wFNYAID0p881ZFyslzEL8FU11n4XlKgv7xHabbn1Yt/s1600/31267980403_0f16df64bd_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXk1Gk04F8ewtnhnpGjFKUobIgXtTHWPgfFjBXKkmwJZiTlJGbvGN96fsMmSc2U3mMvCMTwGowyDDmMSyNEHjiTWK3ZlOZ2pBpy9wFNYAID0p881ZFyslzEL8FU11n4XlKgv7xHabbn1Yt/s200/31267980403_0f16df64bd_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nancy's fire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVwdy2nYZUwX-yrFMUruN8VV9y-XXYjWrjelJbqdUQNuAi8VdNoZp0K2kNUJKZGmx5bzDq9BDVR5TenTDtX-s317epzulFBzVEd8WPzfteqznUqUbXhi7YfKV7LFySkCrDpoNcdy0CyP5/s1600/31706032960_209a0252ac_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVwdy2nYZUwX-yrFMUruN8VV9y-XXYjWrjelJbqdUQNuAi8VdNoZp0K2kNUJKZGmx5bzDq9BDVR5TenTDtX-s317epzulFBzVEd8WPzfteqznUqUbXhi7YfKV7LFySkCrDpoNcdy0CyP5/s320/31706032960_209a0252ac_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole spread, including San Pellegrino in two flavors!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Nancy built a rip-roaring fire while we laid out the food. Ms Hermes brought plates with chickadees on them. I can't remember the story behind those plates, but they certainly were appropriate. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPY4WjN9Vbhf3DpeDQuFnGIFWYAQ3g5Ry7wTuwXVZivB4vuI-8D1IhWXvn0jvgFtOslkyrJ5zgzDenc_DC4rRhOgfd5XALYA33S1CT4PTXCvzHmZJRZSbV-naSQlRte_fr4IRLQhxprcKB/s1600/31963742411_42c7e131f0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPY4WjN9Vbhf3DpeDQuFnGIFWYAQ3g5Ry7wTuwXVZivB4vuI-8D1IhWXvn0jvgFtOslkyrJ5zgzDenc_DC4rRhOgfd5XALYA33S1CT4PTXCvzHmZJRZSbV-naSQlRte_fr4IRLQhxprcKB/s200/31963742411_42c7e131f0_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chickadee plates</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">The <b>peanut brittle</b>, from Gannucci's Italian Market, was particularly evocative, as we had felt all day as if we were walking on peanut brittle: there was a thin ice crust on all the snow, and we kept falling through it as we walked. We also compared this experience to walking on crème brûlée, falling through the burnt-sugar crust into the soft custard below.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After lunch, we called Ms Ball and FaceTimed with her--it was good to hear her laughter! I took some screenshots during the session. We talked about the birds that she was seeing in Hawaii, and she showed us one of her new bird books. We made sure that she noticed that Ms Hermes was wearing Ms Ball's old birding hat (yes, it smells of <b>patchouli</b>). </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6C0VtVwGCqIb6XxumydY6U9Q8fTk_rKejr12fT7NgGG9ZydfLDgz38HT1KcvhrmnWwQXxVwR6xkKm3M_mY2vYZ2I0h5VlWo8zGitqXC4SAE0bS9bMEJcH1kzfeFf3xcQo0GVrES0HwKtj/s1600/31241873654_5b82e538a7_o.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6C0VtVwGCqIb6XxumydY6U9Q8fTk_rKejr12fT7NgGG9ZydfLDgz38HT1KcvhrmnWwQXxVwR6xkKm3M_mY2vYZ2I0h5VlWo8zGitqXC4SAE0bS9bMEJcH1kzfeFf3xcQo0GVrES0HwKtj/s400/31241873654_5b82e538a7_o.png" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermes showing Ball the hat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7jfRMt82siyLU4F27xbZVBojQteWtjeomYm1CYQk5P85wRayHYrYffFz8U-ZyOq4V3n415-BZPisK8wBmpYV87E9kaqX0HTFFhBiUQG0lmYzyPcqFUp1W7wtzioZstwLfW297B5dyuBy/s1600/31241874614_0ebf1c8987_o.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7jfRMt82siyLU4F27xbZVBojQteWtjeomYm1CYQk5P85wRayHYrYffFz8U-ZyOq4V3n415-BZPisK8wBmpYV87E9kaqX0HTFFhBiUQG0lmYzyPcqFUp1W7wtzioZstwLfW297B5dyuBy/s400/31241874614_0ebf1c8987_o.png" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ball showing Hermes the book</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After that, we walked through the Jay Cooke campground, and it started snowing. We noticed that the red squirrels had been building food caches under the ice-crust. They were busy lining those spaces with cedar branches. I wanted to get some good photos of them but my phone battery died because of the cold. I only got a couple shots. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZiXM33kf7fTNn2OE-woq1MGwnRfcrLUHs7N8uxqTmIUWGEXuB_Gvw4zD0w9cMtuplUOWCjXWTOFA2x1PL5UcAVh28mSQBbET3udU1evyg95ZRr1kAjKtTfdREngkDV-IW7d2V1ZC0mS5/s1600/31181653493_e020880cbc_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZiXM33kf7fTNn2OE-woq1MGwnRfcrLUHs7N8uxqTmIUWGEXuB_Gvw4zD0w9cMtuplUOWCjXWTOFA2x1PL5UcAVh28mSQBbET3udU1evyg95ZRr1kAjKtTfdREngkDV-IW7d2V1ZC0mS5/s320/31181653493_e020880cbc_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the red squirrels, busily stashing food<br />
beneath the ice crust.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FqcgLRFabnfyP9sT390AX9_KG_LtjSQJAq20W8KgyX9m-XRCvTEvgQPIPZBiacYWxD8OEJmC81dOCMEDQgljlAyJOIZFYN_ZdtHYWeqwfmnTUCsjVv7tjt6Po7qZFVqoMgRwFjvMkvrz/s1600/31730730070_740a15c4db_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FqcgLRFabnfyP9sT390AX9_KG_LtjSQJAq20W8KgyX9m-XRCvTEvgQPIPZBiacYWxD8OEJmC81dOCMEDQgljlAyJOIZFYN_ZdtHYWeqwfmnTUCsjVv7tjt6Po7qZFVqoMgRwFjvMkvrz/s320/31730730070_740a15c4db_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another shot of the squirrels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">At some point during the day, we started counting Nativity scenes in people's yards, and we noticed the irony of some of the street names. There were no birds singing along "Serenity Way," for example, which seemed very sad to me. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It has been Ms Ball's habit to write a <b>poem</b> each year, based on her bird count experience. She wrote a poem again this year, about her own personal Hawaii bird count (she hasn't been able to connect with an Audubon group there yet). I've included a photo of it below. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhskOpqr6dcemU3ISocYkjdHhB6FbzahKoO-p9RCKbIGQuyV0POOyWNxbEd3Ykr99LBnKrz1obvH_JqkXc7VvJxj25bw_GUkX437qzCusPdtRE-ecuE_FKwfkDHwVwHl8DzZjWDWTrIyz3/s1600/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhskOpqr6dcemU3ISocYkjdHhB6FbzahKoO-p9RCKbIGQuyV0POOyWNxbEd3Ykr99LBnKrz1obvH_JqkXc7VvJxj25bw_GUkX437qzCusPdtRE-ecuE_FKwfkDHwVwHl8DzZjWDWTrIyz3/s640/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" width="463" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Ball's poem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Ms Ball sent me a photo of the Falij pheasant she mentions in the poem--it looks like a beautiful bird. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEls72nW-Oj5StbQPxv0EX-jE96bDmxY6fLsW7OTRsnqv55wSUwQXu38xZcHFS8yPiM5jsBJyB2AnwOKdL-4hPGEqHkvZUpvHefF74yR7CYFPczLJ1GYo6Cv8R3-oLysT8E53BZ95tfTO/s1600/photo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEls72nW-Oj5StbQPxv0EX-jE96bDmxY6fLsW7OTRsnqv55wSUwQXu38xZcHFS8yPiM5jsBJyB2AnwOKdL-4hPGEqHkvZUpvHefF74yR7CYFPczLJ1GYo6Cv8R3-oLysT8E53BZ95tfTO/s1600/photo+1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Falij pheasant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Nancy Nelson and Ms Hermes say it'll be my task next year to write the official bird count poem. We'll see...</span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-10777726365904443922016-11-15T14:20:00.001-06:002016-11-20T12:58:14.583-06:00Assignment for Seniors: Who Are You?<span style="font-size: large;">Well, that's a scary question, isn't it? It's one you've had to answer on your college and scholarship apps, and it's one you'll have to answer some day on job applications, too. It's a question that never goes away, really. And your answer will change over time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Your Advisors and I have been asking you to ponder versions of that question over the last couple of weeks. We made a game of it with the "14 Truths & 3 Lies" and the "Sherlock Holmes Mad Libs" games we've played, and then we've tried to get you think a bit more seriously with the "7 Serious Truths" exercise. Now, I want you to dig even deeper. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Some folks say that </span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You are what you love</b>: what do you love (to do, to learn, etc)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You are what you do</b>: what do you do (when you're not studying, eating, sleeping, or netflixing, etc)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You are what you care most about</b> (what is it that makes you happy? what makes you mad? what break your heart?)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You are the sum of your past actions</b> (what have you accomplished up to now?)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You are your hopes and dreams</b> (who do you want to be? how do you envision your future self?)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You are your Google searches</b> (maybe your search history will provide a clue? what are the most interesting websites you've visited recently?)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">Write a blog post based on one or more of your answers to the "7 Serious Truths" exercise. It should be at least 500 words long, with at least one photo, taken by you or a family member. It should contain lots of detailed descriptions and interesting examples from your past experiences. It should contain at least one relevant link. Proofread it carefully--and get someone's feedback on it along the way. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Publish it between Tuesday, November 22, and November 30. There's a rubric in Schoology. </b></span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-26362688971140081112016-11-14T09:07:00.000-06:002017-11-17T07:30:00.239-06:00Flashback: "A Monstrous Manifesto"<span style="font-size: large;">A little more than three years ago, my AP Lit class read Catherine Valente's poem "<a href="http://catvalente.livejournal.com/610889.html" target="_blank">A Monstrous Manifesto</a>" and then decided to perform it for the Upper School at morning assembly. I was glad to help them get ready to do that, and I eagerly agreed to put aside our scheduled curriculum for a few days so they could practice. Their performance was very powerful, and I am still extremely proud of them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="415" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-FLjgHhTftw" width="660"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I think the poem is still very relevant today, and you can read about the students' process and their rationale for performing the poem <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2013/10/so-this-happened-today.html" target="_blank">here</a>. They also performed it for the Middle School, which you can read about <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2013/10/and-then-this-happened.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="415" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yjb1o6zSikA" width="660"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What can you do to help others, to be a good friend, to make everyone feel included? </span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-1439094706322378872016-09-26T07:54:00.000-05:002016-09-29T13:48:25.231-05:00Walt Whitman and Frankenstein's Creature Walk Into a Classroom...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCevalZ-DcrEjIXGFbWSk5n55gc3vij-JDBKFs9pWZdHEWAbnE-ilzKkUUagV-UPTDSYQgFlnpxvqhj9wMKUv6lx8P7BKLXq-fgEdM_OvCzELlEAqVlqQXcUPh1gxYegg5mkxVKV9q9r4/s1600/3338425908_3bb12e3a00_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCevalZ-DcrEjIXGFbWSk5n55gc3vij-JDBKFs9pWZdHEWAbnE-ilzKkUUagV-UPTDSYQgFlnpxvqhj9wMKUv6lx8P7BKLXq-fgEdM_OvCzELlEAqVlqQXcUPh1gxYegg5mkxVKV9q9r4/s400/3338425908_3bb12e3a00_b.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Walt Whitman. Photo credit: </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcelonoah/3338425908/" style="text-align: start;">marcelo noah</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">via </span><a href="http://foter.com/" style="text-align: start;">Foter.com</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> / </span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" style="text-align: start;">CC BY</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">My AP students are reading Mary Shelley's <i>Frankenstein</i> right now, and, as in <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2013/10/frankenstein-why-do-film-versions-of.html" target="_blank">previous</a> <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2015/10/ap-lit-comp-elgin-mushrooms.html" target="_blank">years</a>, the students' responses to the appearance of Victor Frankenstein's Creature have me thinking. This year, I'm thinking about a poem by Walt Whitman called "<a href="http://www.bartleby.com/142/159.html" target="_blank">This Compost</a>" (published originally with the more evocative title "Poem of Wonder at the Resurrection of the Wheat"). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In the poem, Whitman marvels at the Earth's ability to transform dead organic matter (including human corpses) into new life. "What chemistry!" he exclaims, "that blackberries are so flavorous and juicy," even though they grow up out of "those strata of sour dead" (lines 31, 37, and 30). The Earth "grows such sweet things out of such corruptions," and "the resurrection of the wheat appears with pale visage out of its graves" (lines 43 and 23). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbxwhGbQpykKO8IZheOpBNMULFYvNmiHIDnbNRPcV_kYPnbizcDHxfdjAchR-50czJhoWSdP8m6WMC-x3zCgIXac6eApXHoiLoOVPHnYVXI_6LBn6EosEjRhGt7YvNVI1HhaiylMuuroZ/s1600/12948234434_978b6c11b5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbxwhGbQpykKO8IZheOpBNMULFYvNmiHIDnbNRPcV_kYPnbizcDHxfdjAchR-50czJhoWSdP8m6WMC-x3zCgIXac6eApXHoiLoOVPHnYVXI_6LBn6EosEjRhGt7YvNVI1HhaiylMuuroZ/s400/12948234434_978b6c11b5.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Boris Karloff as Victor's "beautiful" <br />and "hideous" creation (42-3).<br />Photo credit: </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tom-margie/1538953234/" style="text-align: start;">twm1340</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> via </span><a href="http://foter.com/" style="text-align: start;">Foter.com</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> / </span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" style="text-align: start;">CC BY-SA</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Victor Frankenstein's act of creation is much different. Although Victor says he had "selected [the Creature's] features as beautiful" from the "charnel-houses," "the dissecting room[,] and the slaughter-house," the result was nevertheless "hideous" (37, 39, 43). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So what makes one act of transformation (the production of Life from Death) wondrous and sweet, while the other is horrific and disgusting? I think Uncle Walt might have been able to tell poor Victor where he went wrong. </span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Hey, Vic, old buddy, it doesn't matter what bits and pieces you chose to cobble together--your project was doomed from the beginning. Let me tell you why..." </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>AP Lit students: Read Whitman's poem and tell me in a comment what you think Walt would have said next! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And then read, or listen to, this <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/09/22/494591738/breaking-taboo-swedish-scientist-seeks-to-edit-dna-of-healthy-human-embryos" target="_blank">NPR report</a> about a very recent experiment in human DNA editing, which I think <b>Muna I</b> made reference to in discussion. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Someone, I can't remember who (remind me in a comment) brought up the Creature's vegetarianism, which is discussed at length in Carol Adam's book <i>The Sexual Politics of Meat</i>. You all should read the <a href="http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Articles/adams.html" target="_blank">relevant chapter</a>. [Update (9/29): Take a look at <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/humans-are-unusually-violent-mammals-but-averagely-violent-primates/501935/" target="_blank">this article</a>, too, as it touches on a topic we discussed yesterday!]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We had a great discussion on Friday--let's keep that trend going!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYIYFE-Y2Zw6-Rehp4uHBEKiO-r3_LKA8ziU063fwnxTPNeXmvFpnUWidmrUFSy1RHlFFEUZ-ymuIpro-NzsfAyeaahCWRm2-wthZx75WAcFvfJWjCW1LiIxgIQIIel0C_UPOTr-A6Zo_/s1600/FullSizeRender-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYIYFE-Y2Zw6-Rehp4uHBEKiO-r3_LKA8ziU063fwnxTPNeXmvFpnUWidmrUFSy1RHlFFEUZ-ymuIpro-NzsfAyeaahCWRm2-wthZx75WAcFvfJWjCW1LiIxgIQIIel0C_UPOTr-A6Zo_/s640/FullSizeRender-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all those hands up! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-69782939760064461952016-09-16T14:03:00.003-05:002016-09-16T14:03:26.106-05:00(E11) "Stone Walls Do Not A Prison Make"<span style="font-size: large;">This year's English 11 class dramatized the poem "To Althea, From Prison" by Richard Lovelace, as an introduction to our unit on Stephen King's <i>Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption</i>. Here is the video of their performance. They worked hard on choreographing everything smoothly. If you wish, you can compare their interpretation to that of <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2016/01/e11-bookending-shawshank-redemption.html" target="_blank">last year's class</a>.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EEjdn8qqIi0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EEjdn8qqIi0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I think they did a really good job! Their next task is to imagine how they would deal with being in prison...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-65572272524217922362016-06-12T22:03:00.001-05:002016-06-12T22:03:34.793-05:00"Seeking Wild Orchids" with Ms Ball, Mr Diener, and Mrs Birnbaum<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This post is dedicated to Ms Julie Ball, who is now retired.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Thanks also to Tom Diener, Wanda Birnbaum, and Larry Weber.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Once upon a time, former Marshall science teacher Larry Weber used to take some of his colleagues (Ms Ball, Mr Diener, and former science teacher Mrs Birnbaum) on a little expedition to visit a secret patch of Pink Lady Slippers (<a href="http://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/species/cypripedium/acaule/" target="_blank">Cypripedium acaule</a>) right after the graduation ceremony. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I have heard these tales. Long have I wished to know the location of these Pink Ladies. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">A couple weeks ago, I bumped into Mrs Birnbaum, and she said that we should go see the Slippers, that she was sure she could remember where they were. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I contacted Ms Ball and Mr Diener, and we all settled on a date. I tried to get Mr Weber to lead us, but he couldn't make it. He did, however, check the spot and tell us that the elusive beauties were, in fact, blooming. If we waited until after graduation, they might well be past their prime. </span><span style="font-size: large;">So, on June 7th, after school, Ms Ball, Mrs Birnbaum, Mr Diener, and I made our way to the location.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExF0kd74B9I7UPhKX5a5ziopuaLwnJVp3r1GB2OfFGhZKhb0ESTt5AhL4s2Wrsz-794339T6r4wXHfKDDS7XR44E1XY6gEzDA1PdcGSw-yPmR94cD_zjvaxe3dvECQLb4GGZDBkBxZyR7/s1600/IMG_1653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExF0kd74B9I7UPhKX5a5ziopuaLwnJVp3r1GB2OfFGhZKhb0ESTt5AhL4s2Wrsz-794339T6r4wXHfKDDS7XR44E1XY6gEzDA1PdcGSw-yPmR94cD_zjvaxe3dvECQLb4GGZDBkBxZyR7/s640/IMG_1653.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tucking pants in socks<br />
To keep out ticks that lurk in<br />
The tall June grass.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">As we walked through the woods, we searched the undergrowth. One of the first interesting plants we saw was the <a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/jack-in-the-pulpit" target="_blank">Jack-in-the-Pulpit</a>. We ended up seeing many of them.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV12FO1h0QmkEtTrOPpoiCXWZSl5caNi_0D7CHdbvwXY7DK70-FFw8HKVoFJz48bK-QchKVmE1lA64WxMt8jvprX60kKoalBmBCluXvxrdeYe9lsx2ELn5Ak2Lu8Et1MjMvWrTWKgfvjGl/s1600/IMG_1655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV12FO1h0QmkEtTrOPpoiCXWZSl5caNi_0D7CHdbvwXY7DK70-FFw8HKVoFJz48bK-QchKVmE1lA64WxMt8jvprX60kKoalBmBCluXvxrdeYe9lsx2ELn5Ak2Lu8Et1MjMvWrTWKgfvjGl/s640/IMG_1655.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack-in-the-Pulpit<br />
Preaches to dead trees:<br />
How are the mighty fallen!<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As we moved deeper into the woods, each of my colleagues wracked their brains, trying to remember where Mr Weber had taken them so long ago.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SA0Xkh_cru00_3lW5y5h3XehyM1lE9xcD2HlYq1QoeucLD9Ep8nSx-wdKnJVimGZfPvCspxHGCt4dpV73yLDeBbXPnNOeGPg40bSW-iX-KmCX6BPP5n9kH_i00V0rZES4tNsaEm1ZmXc/s1600/IMG_1677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SA0Xkh_cru00_3lW5y5h3XehyM1lE9xcD2HlYq1QoeucLD9Ep8nSx-wdKnJVimGZfPvCspxHGCt4dpV73yLDeBbXPnNOeGPg40bSW-iX-KmCX6BPP5n9kH_i00V0rZES4tNsaEm1ZmXc/s640/IMG_1677.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading for the cedars,<br />
Mrs Birnbaum searches<br />
For Pink Ladies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_nrqlECl7iYMgtUs0IaZnSmYPZ52wzF4c48h2tjB-8Bw5mT6XA8DShmG2d9Htpuj_H1FHzNuLzjpuiVpem4OOT3NWzKzkCZLOY0hky388VZp9RR6CfpDIa0vxnhgcyDCn2t99RDgkY5y/s1600/IMG_1679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_nrqlECl7iYMgtUs0IaZnSmYPZ52wzF4c48h2tjB-8Bw5mT6XA8DShmG2d9Htpuj_H1FHzNuLzjpuiVpem4OOT3NWzKzkCZLOY0hky388VZp9RR6CfpDIa0vxnhgcyDCn2t99RDgkY5y/s640/IMG_1679.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing forest colors,<br />
Ms Ball peers into<br />
Memory's deep woods.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PHARyMMtCDb3vepXmwtaiQ2oMc9nPM1aygksjyPoQU9LK1Thyphenhyphen_BDHdHi5HXnSJ9S6MAGw1SI00lSTQrerzQ-RQgKNZmx69N1aVnoWoEbwSKh3P0BGSTGyD_7Wl7Ot5tJvZQTK-LE-SoN/s1600/IMG_1684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PHARyMMtCDb3vepXmwtaiQ2oMc9nPM1aygksjyPoQU9LK1Thyphenhyphen_BDHdHi5HXnSJ9S6MAGw1SI00lSTQrerzQ-RQgKNZmx69N1aVnoWoEbwSKh3P0BGSTGyD_7Wl7Ot5tJvZQTK-LE-SoN/s640/IMG_1684.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nimble-footed, green-caped,<br />
Mr Diener scans<br />
The undergrowth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td div="" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">And then, we found them, in among some cedars and (what I think are) black spruce trees.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXm3m3TwwcetzbSLkIrWi1pqogVb2JijgiTawU8Q4kCEoqPlNGZ2p_70azOwBdI-VLHKO12LP5pikRlUVfon92jzTf6ICkArG3XMOQ9VJNPQOQvR71FOKOQ5qysyQpJCVN9FERHGXG1up/s1600/IMG_1705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXm3m3TwwcetzbSLkIrWi1pqogVb2JijgiTawU8Q4kCEoqPlNGZ2p_70azOwBdI-VLHKO12LP5pikRlUVfon92jzTf6ICkArG3XMOQ9VJNPQOQvR71FOKOQ5qysyQpJCVN9FERHGXG1up/s640/IMG_1705.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Tall Pink Lady, with</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Slender wings and parasol--</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Angel of the bog.</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">As soon as we spotted one, we saw others, and then even more...</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w2Iqp_iHf489fGDTPKdjPS9IqOgWBen_6IW_EkSgP7sGpw5Re_txeaGl4xIcPuu46ACR7NWKyaH-s-E76PRDJxDQlubcO9EfkZvb4Pse79S83ADVZ3phG125_qcU2AgP3TnBqWA3-sp5/s1600/IMG_1733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w2Iqp_iHf489fGDTPKdjPS9IqOgWBen_6IW_EkSgP7sGpw5Re_txeaGl4xIcPuu46ACR7NWKyaH-s-E76PRDJxDQlubcO9EfkZvb4Pse79S83ADVZ3phG125_qcU2AgP3TnBqWA3-sp5/s640/IMG_1733.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fragile as paper<br />
Lanterns, these beacons shine,<br />
Leading us onward.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">As my wise elders walked on into the woods, trading memories and stories of the past, I paused to take photos of some of the many Slippers we saw.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGwY8Gyu8AfjqLuAkdKB-C_LOYhExkKDGRFAdM2Ws1kY2ZldjKSu61G6n2AbnitGr2jX0aXE_nNxTmrePl-tRc2Qtg4cvoWnvPnd_9GTNw6ahT2QHNS5KRj1Ygv5HsudnFEu3gvemnBon/s1600/IMG_1774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGwY8Gyu8AfjqLuAkdKB-C_LOYhExkKDGRFAdM2Ws1kY2ZldjKSu61G6n2AbnitGr2jX0aXE_nNxTmrePl-tRc2Qtg4cvoWnvPnd_9GTNw6ahT2QHNS5KRj1Ygv5HsudnFEu3gvemnBon/s640/IMG_1774.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ghostly girl, your color <br />
Will deepen each day<br />
Until you, too, fall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">The soggy ground was littered with fallen trees and branches, making it hard to walk at times. I slipped once--but I'm used to getting my feet wet while hunting orchids. We saw lots of Slipper plants that looked damaged, perhaps by rain. We had to be careful not to step on any of them. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">My three guides through the woods finally led me to a cluster of Pink Slippers, some a deep pink, some still pale and newly-opened. We counted more than a dozen.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7Ra7dzF6xP9jMPGdr6K9h5sncyR61eLoya1mbhl3M40CL8HD2edGyO_URUelW6Dhm50cAGsS3zaCBdJzkY1aKzyYGPP6Poukw3D34IVUYsUZjGgYwCI-QmPVGlL9KSbGHShGuTNpVCbk/s1600/IMG_1791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7Ra7dzF6xP9jMPGdr6K9h5sncyR61eLoya1mbhl3M40CL8HD2edGyO_URUelW6Dhm50cAGsS3zaCBdJzkY1aKzyYGPP6Poukw3D34IVUYsUZjGgYwCI-QmPVGlL9KSbGHShGuTNpVCbk/s640/IMG_1791.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party of 14,<br />
Mothers and daughters,<br />
Dancing all afternoon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">As we explored the area, Mr Diener was naming the other wildflowers we encountered: </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/starflower" target="_blank">starflower</a> and <a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/bunchberry" target="_blank">bunchberry</a>, while Mrs Birnbaum pointed out a clump of <a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/fern/maidenhair-fern" target="_blank">maidenhair ferns</a>. Ms Ball called my attention to a dark hole beneath a tree, a perfect lair for a bog monster.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWTKV3Lo_CtxKlxFEYhULTzT3Bxx_eRSocTCe1AcVvpQbPHwm3XgOtuPPZBkGNH4rG29dOQuEar8Klu_2hYwC6N8i28fgcmOaAwanON8GwrbMSBSKmIXi8pfxnlW-GpnQdQCGGVUXsOPX/s1600/IMG_1843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWTKV3Lo_CtxKlxFEYhULTzT3Bxx_eRSocTCe1AcVvpQbPHwm3XgOtuPPZBkGNH4rG29dOQuEar8Klu_2hYwC6N8i28fgcmOaAwanON8GwrbMSBSKmIXi8pfxnlW-GpnQdQCGGVUXsOPX/s640/IMG_1843.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady in the sun,<br />
Showing off for the bees.<br />
--Jack disapproves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Snapping photos, I started to think about the distant past, about how many orchids must once have grown in places where now there are only roads, buildings, and parking lots. I am always amazed that these gorgeous flowers have survived what we humans have done to their habitat. </span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11ytZTbjLwoiVjdktJi69Ce296qtpzbW2R6XKqumXmbhst-xG2xReeHX37dUOHVE2t1LJfAjpvuoeWWkRSdMOmPLvhWTBO0DW9VqywTQN_EaO8PNDG5oOcPaOvNjfkaqdEBCl7Y0yGU7g/s1600/IMG_1861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11ytZTbjLwoiVjdktJi69Ce296qtpzbW2R6XKqumXmbhst-xG2xReeHX37dUOHVE2t1LJfAjpvuoeWWkRSdMOmPLvhWTBO0DW9VqywTQN_EaO8PNDG5oOcPaOvNjfkaqdEBCl7Y0yGU7g/s640/IMG_1861.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nodding just a little<br />
Under the ferns:<br />
Afternoon nap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">I also started to think of the future: what will Marshall be like, without Mrs Ball? A year from now, will we gather again in this spot, to visit the Ladies, to trade stories and share secrets?</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe73ERU3B5yZu4t842eMhJIY7smS4sIRjC7faVQOwNuJvK9tp8GZHe9IHcum0NqWPBUfzXSg16n_pzdhDBG7bCHy0v59s_cDcg47OmCdYZkplu5nae1_gIH96c_sStyBRYgsOprWKFpFl/s1600/IMG_1867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe73ERU3B5yZu4t842eMhJIY7smS4sIRjC7faVQOwNuJvK9tp8GZHe9IHcum0NqWPBUfzXSg16n_pzdhDBG7bCHy0v59s_cDcg47OmCdYZkplu5nae1_gIH96c_sStyBRYgsOprWKFpFl/s640/IMG_1867.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A warning to all<br />
Who enter this bog:<br />
Keep our secrets, or else!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">I know I am very grateful that my colleagues (current and former) agreed to show me this special place. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I suggested that we should all write haikus to accompany this post. (Perhaps Mr Diener and Mrs Birnbaum will add some poetic comments?) Mrs Ball wrote a poem, and I took a photo of it. (I'll hang the original in my room.) </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlrbp0kqTKdPWajef6fO1P-pnq07XaZA9OS8g5ruf3LnWlMr9TTC3VzQB3hhYrLZBTML2WRPsb3kN_8Q31nSaEtv_8sp5wt-Wc1q3w4LCIZCj3Nl6SVrL7gMGCEcZ1ZOLa4_vjEZwOIye/s1600/IMG_1877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlrbp0kqTKdPWajef6fO1P-pnq07XaZA9OS8g5ruf3LnWlMr9TTC3VzQB3hhYrLZBTML2WRPsb3kN_8Q31nSaEtv_8sp5wt-Wc1q3w4LCIZCj3Nl6SVrL7gMGCEcZ1ZOLa4_vjEZwOIye/s640/IMG_1877.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Ball's poem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">For this sweet afternoon,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Much thanks, Ms Ball.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">May there be many more.</span></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 33px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 3478px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 33px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 3478px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-69529668207875005232016-03-13T11:15:00.003-05:002016-03-23T08:11:10.293-05:00SoundCite: Wait Till Mr Mattson Learns About This!<link href="//cdn.knightlab.com/libs/soundcite/latest/css/player.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link><script src="//cdn.knightlab.com/libs/soundcite/latest/js/soundcite.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<link href="//cdn.knightlab.com/libs/soundcite/latest/css/player.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link><script src="//cdn.knightlab.com/libs/soundcite/latest/js/soundcite.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<span style="font-size: large;">--Actually, I think <a href="https://soundcite.knightlab.com/" target="_blank">SoundCite</a> is pretty cool, too. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">All of my students are working on projects now (E11 students are working on reforming <a href="http://shawshankreformers.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Shawshank State Prison</a>, while <a href="http://f109m.weebly.com/ap-lit-project-guidelines.html" target="_blank">AP Lit students</a> and <a href="http://f109m.weebly.com/english-12-guidelines.html" target="_blank">E12 students</a> are creating websites based on their study of Tim O'Brien's <i>The Things They Carried</i>). <b>And y</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>ou all should try to use a SoundCite clip in your projects.</b> Below is an example of a SoundCite I created. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of my many favorite poems by the WWI poet Wilfred Owen is "<a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176831" target="_blank">Anthem for Doomed Youth</a>." The poem has been set to music many times, and a group called <a href="http://www.little-machine.com/" target="_blank">LiTTLe MACHiNe</a> (they specialize in setting poetry to music) included the poem, along with one by Siegfried Sassoon, in a nice piece you can hear on <a href="https://soundcloud.com/little-machine/the-dug-out-sassoon-anthem-for" target="_blank">SoundCloud</a>. </span><span style="font-size: large;">
<span class="soundcite" data-end="45000" data-id="65637774" data-plays="1" data-start="35000">Listen to the first lines. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">(Just click on that "play" icon.) Isn't that smooth? Give SoundCite a try in your project. [Also take a look at <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-future-of-documenting-research.html" target="_blank">this post</a> for similar tools you can use with your projects.]</span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-24345222210540918572016-02-28T15:12:00.002-06:002016-02-29T07:49:24.961-06:00This is What a Mission-Based Student-Centered School Culture Looks Like<span style="font-size: large;">To quote Max H and his Student Council Meeting notes of last week, "You may have heard of the 'Note.'" If you were in Ms Stiles' class last week, or in Mr Mattson's, or in Doc Weaver's, or in Senor Woodward's, then you may have discussed it. --And, of course, Riley H (or the Artist, as Max calls her) posted a great response to it on Schoology. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5MmpJUBTlug8GBZD0yFhbWLVVUr-JXQSeD-A7XzJ094z6Fzxk7-hUiQyUE5sQiUNK_1HhWdm7GoI8-ZYAXHqfWxdoru8Lwy7R4OW1MY4_SXzLQwWIzINDJDfOdPLQXCYSVbx2w3KXbBf/s1600/IMG_4459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5MmpJUBTlug8GBZD0yFhbWLVVUr-JXQSeD-A7XzJ094z6Fzxk7-hUiQyUE5sQiUNK_1HhWdm7GoI8-ZYAXHqfWxdoru8Lwy7R4OW1MY4_SXzLQwWIzINDJDfOdPLQXCYSVbx2w3KXbBf/s640/IMG_4459.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riley's artwork, created in response to Senor Woodward's assignment.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAZBc-GkeF9kO8wlUsqZ8bZKpR8C8WWecVR7NRLN_7Meh35n7F11FvF-yd4o7uDJ9SmWDFZLmkPgtiqPz_JJnrCxzXf4zJuCdaQQ3m_ZG8kV5tAXb0baRt9Uf1y2uOvIg8vtxfL2V0KKs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-28+at+1.48.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAZBc-GkeF9kO8wlUsqZ8bZKpR8C8WWecVR7NRLN_7Meh35n7F11FvF-yd4o7uDJ9SmWDFZLmkPgtiqPz_JJnrCxzXf4zJuCdaQQ3m_ZG8kV5tAXb0baRt9Uf1y2uOvIg8vtxfL2V0KKs/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-02-28+at+1.48.57+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senor Woodward's description of the assignment</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As Senor says, Riley's work proved without a doubt that art challenges cultural perspectives. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxLVw20KEKfMrEFTuazTvPHfc8542tYoj8ApdPkWB6vfoCr9sFYzEKaYQL1MgeB4xSGGG3Zp7NcmnQykqkc5zeNr0Y7_VYUSaWyG26W0QU-xY5__tJECPywF-KoPyKfeeuxvOy6SF2A9u/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+7.47.02+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxLVw20KEKfMrEFTuazTvPHfc8542tYoj8ApdPkWB6vfoCr9sFYzEKaYQL1MgeB4xSGGG3Zp7NcmnQykqkc5zeNr0Y7_VYUSaWyG26W0QU-xY5__tJECPywF-KoPyKfeeuxvOy6SF2A9u/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+7.47.02+AM.jpg" width="552" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riley's response to the note-writer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The responses on Schoology, as of this morning.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When the Administration tells you that it wants Marshall students to "own" the school's culture, this is what they're talking about. When something happens that is inconsistent with our Mission, they want you to call it out, as Riley did. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The writer of the "Note" was neither respectful, nor self-disciplined, nor compassionate. There is little integrity in an anonymous note. There might have been some intellectual curiosity in the "Note," but that curiosity was unlikely to be satisfied by leaving such a note. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NdKckqmMHxx02VyKXG7vX8cx4ag2hXQb3QOgRjTJTJHt2RfRJTFbVwxtqjOB7ncOETpC9Ii6cKnmW3NujPmpJHJU7MzWYlmE90ewklKrBWIZlnTiNH6V6WR_1h4I5_3-M2RypYQeLrjL/s1600/IMG_3821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NdKckqmMHxx02VyKXG7vX8cx4ag2hXQb3QOgRjTJTJHt2RfRJTFbVwxtqjOB7ncOETpC9Ii6cKnmW3NujPmpJHJU7MzWYlmE90ewklKrBWIZlnTiNH6V6WR_1h4I5_3-M2RypYQeLrjL/s200/IMG_3821.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Note."</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The ideas and events that inspired Riley's artwork are important and worthy of civil discussion. And disagreement about those ideas is possible, though there are <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-owens/4-problematic-statements-white-people-make-about-race_b_9212864.html" target="_blank">logical flaws</a> with the note-writer's argument, flaws I hope that most students can identify. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The popular media of our country does not have the same values that our school does. The Mission asks us to stand against the tide of disrespectful and intellectually-impoverished pseudo-ideas we encounter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">No one who dies, in any way, is just a "drop in the ocean." Let's all try to be more compassionate and build a better school culture. In fact, I challenge my students, especially my seniors, to think and discuss with me this week how they can be true leaders, leaders who help create a more Mission-based student-centered school culture.</span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-39077714032187444172016-02-26T09:19:00.001-06:002016-02-26T09:19:38.147-06:00Old Alfred is Probably Rolling in His Grave....<span style="font-size: large;">..While perhaps clever George is chuckling?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once again, in AP Lit, as we start working on a <a href="http://f109m.weebly.com/ap-lit-project-guidelines.html" target="_blank">revised version</a> of the World War I Poetry project (this year combined with Tim O'Brien's <i>The Things They Carried), </i>we began by reading some pre-20thC poetry. I asked two students, Andrew J & Hana A, to choose some additional students to work with them on finding a way to perform two poems: "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and "The Destruction of Sennacherib" by George Gordon, Lord Byron. The aim was to emphasize the rhythm. After about half an hour's practice, here's what the two groups came up with. (I think the experience has scarred Riley H, Azalea G, and Ryan S for life, so be gentle with them.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-8152182934303845642016-02-01T14:52:00.000-06:002016-09-19T10:55:56.504-05:00Case Almost Closed: The Middle of the End of The Case of the Lady Slipper Stalker<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">[This is the Middle of the End of The Case of the Lady Slipper Stalker. See also </span><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Parts </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/will-real-lady-slipper-stalker-please.html" style="background-color: #e5c8a7; color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">One</a><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-plot-thickens.html" style="background-color: #e5c8a7; color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Two</a><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/red-herrings.html" style="background-color: #e5c8a7; color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Three</a><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/disturbing-developments-part-four-of.html" style="background-color: #e5c8a7; color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Four</a><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/an-evidentiary-interlude-part-four-and.html" style="background-color: #e5c8a7; color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Four-and-a-Half</a><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/nightmare-redux-part-four-and-three.html" style="background-color: #e5c8a7; color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Four-and-Three-Quarters</a><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/suggestions-for-my-readers-two-new-blog.html" style="background-color: #e5c8a7; color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Suggestions for My Dear Readers</a><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/guest-post-note-from-mrs-hudson.html" style="background-color: #e5c8a7; color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A Note from Mrs Hudson</a><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-two-pie-problem-part-five-of-case.html" style="color: #0041b7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Five</a>, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-plea-for-help.html" style="color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A Plea For Help</a><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><span style="background-color: #e5c8a7; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/red-herrings-squared-part-six-of-case.html" style="color: #0041b7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Six</a>,</span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/humble-pie-part-seven-of-case-of-lady.html" style="color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Seven</a><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/confession-from-copy-cat-part-seven-and.html" style="color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Seven-and-a Half</a><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/another-confession-part-seven-and-three.html" style="color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Seven-and-Three-Quarters</a><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/10/deciphered-part-eight-of-case-of-lady.html" style="color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Eight</a><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/10/guest-post-most-ingenious-theory.html" style="color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A Most Ingenious Theory</a><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/10/another-plea-for-help-part-nine-of-case.html" style="color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Nine</a><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-conspirator-is-revealed-part-ten-of.html" style="color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ten</a><span style="font-family: "cambria";"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, </span></span><a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2015/03/an-evidentiary-update-part-ten-and-half.html" style="color: #0041b7; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ten-and-a-Half</a><span style="font-family: "cambria";"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, and <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-most-surprising-encounter-beginning.html" target="_blank">The Beginning of the End</a>.]</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blake & Elana</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dear, Dear Readers! After nearly an entire year of dreary inactivity, during which I have been subject to the most intolerable boredom, The Case of the Lady Slipper Stalker has, by happenstance, been resuscitated! Chance has breathed just enough life into its fearsome nostrils that it might expel its last fiery breaths before expiring once and for all. (I knew, Dear Readers, that my patience and perseverance would be well-rewarded one day...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was visited last Friday, the 29th of January, by young Master Blake Goldschmidt and his constant companion, the lovely Elana Neve. During the course of a pleasant conversation about their collegiate exploits, Blake astounded me by asking if I would like, finally, to know the identity of the Stalker! Shocked and surprised, I spluttered out a vehement affirmative, and the young man proceeded to reveal the long-sought-after moniker of the Culprit. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iXDw_joCAdJyDiIcBkfeE9o3odOWvFWxWRZrETt7ZXRMZEmyhdl371JGb5xsrwquUBVpFbtV1oiuqQmiHCnd1_3_QHWsau6pONyocM1J75J8WWnDPjXGueeLdLYHTlKMHJq4EOZyNhVT/s1600/IMG_5213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iXDw_joCAdJyDiIcBkfeE9o3odOWvFWxWRZrETt7ZXRMZEmyhdl371JGb5xsrwquUBVpFbtV1oiuqQmiHCnd1_3_QHWsau6pONyocM1J75J8WWnDPjXGueeLdLYHTlKMHJq4EOZyNhVT/s320/IMG_5213.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many bumper stickers in my classroom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">But before I share this most delicious information with you, my Dear Readers, I must reveal an aspect of The Case which I have heretofore hidden from you. Yes, I withheld from you a most disturbing element of the mystery. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Back in March and April of 2015, the curious Case of the Lady Slipper Stalker moved into the ether of Cyber-Space. This realm of electronic communication was new to me, and I found it both terrifying and mystifying. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I was being taunted by a Person known only by the curious Electronic-Mail address of </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>thedragonhasnotwon@gmail.com</b>. Why would he use such a strange address? A</span><span style="font-size: large;">s many of my Readers know, my students--for varied and fairly-obvious reasons--sometimes refer to me as the Draagyn. My classroom is littered with dragon-related items, some of which are treasured gifts from former students. </span><br />
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTB4LNa9jQqyC5wOe6XI_AZDKOsdCccn0yTcMjq7X5XRSe23w892NiX5KoDWx18SM5dw6WzvlGyWRzoiymB7ehtp6nvGC7ehTgCNC2MKJFt8onB0HvXWkH7yCcTaKkJy_w-uqs_lwiY2U/s1600/IMG_5219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTB4LNa9jQqyC5wOe6XI_AZDKOsdCccn0yTcMjq7X5XRSe23w892NiX5KoDWx18SM5dw6WzvlGyWRzoiymB7ehtp6nvGC7ehTgCNC2MKJFt8onB0HvXWkH7yCcTaKkJy_w-uqs_lwiY2U/s320/IMG_5219.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blue Dragon from Mr Zastrow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">For instance, the esteemed Mr <a href="http://markzastrow.com/" target="_blank">Mark Zastrow</a> gave me this lovely Blue Dragon Statue when he graduated in 2005. </span><span style="font-size: large;">He, along with two of his peers, wrote a haiku about their fear of the Draagyn, which I copied and taped to my Rocking Chair.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiw2Cum_OMuUt7BDzRRXci-HjdkPkAHlJoBY1MXL7ZnODNlsVE1s8_baBy3aXW5NeDTaGy2Ah5wAasbw76R0mteLP2zW_lttFvP-sepx7rLFU1cZUQy4FkYmG-DYZseGeRrN8pqgk_TZu/s1600/IMG_5226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiw2Cum_OMuUt7BDzRRXci-HjdkPkAHlJoBY1MXL7ZnODNlsVE1s8_baBy3aXW5NeDTaGy2Ah5wAasbw76R0mteLP2zW_lttFvP-sepx7rLFU1cZUQy4FkYmG-DYZseGeRrN8pqgk_TZu/s400/IMG_5226.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rocking-Chair Haiku</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sadly, I don't use my Rocking Chair much anymore, but as the Chair itself was also a gift from students, I would never get rid of it. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Students entering my room are greeted, of course, by the Street Sign bearing my name, placed in the Transom. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The sign showed up on my doorstep one fine summer morning many years ago, still partly-attached to the pole from which I struggled for hours to remove it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I later discovered that Katrina Wood (also, class of 2005) had removed it from its proper place and stealthily deposited it upon my stoop. Nygaard Road runs between Highway 2 and the St Louis River, not far from Floodwood, MN. I pass it all the time on my orchid-hunting expeditions into the north-central portions of the state.</span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAELO70q8HJ1WTDfrbx4NIag_9xcaqkGD0FfWLUzraxu8lSgxM4ewOLZYQAffgxv-Ecra5Fl41oAipVHd6_1koFvZrVkaavoAfN5HauSwTGz3pSClGj8qi5EXyyzIQiR6h3l1VJEJptnUK/s1600/IMG_5227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAELO70q8HJ1WTDfrbx4NIag_9xcaqkGD0FfWLUzraxu8lSgxM4ewOLZYQAffgxv-Ecra5Fl41oAipVHd6_1koFvZrVkaavoAfN5HauSwTGz3pSClGj8qi5EXyyzIQiR6h3l1VJEJptnUK/s200/IMG_5227.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Street Sign in the Transom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">And then, there was the Incident of the Rambunctious Brazilian: I used to have a dragon statue on a table in my room, but dur</span><span style="font-size: large;">ing a <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/04/random-acts-of-shakespeare.html" target="_blank">Random Acts of Shakespeare</a> practi</span><span style="font-size: large;">ce-session, a rowdy international student by the name of Italo Clemente knocked it off the table. The only identifiable piece now hangs from the ceiling next to a copy of a haiku the Rambunctious Brazilian wrote about this event.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExNIsHFws4tGviztt0FZdGCdbq5L6JP0004gV-2sPshsbA70rLjze6XyL_zbAHpFPRxgJ0XtCj1ZzOondDDODj_wqi8XxlgcWyOqXaMPh3XnRWK0565ofvX0g3gMEweEOyPrmPgKzcBn-/s1600/IMG_5214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExNIsHFws4tGviztt0FZdGCdbq5L6JP0004gV-2sPshsbA70rLjze6XyL_zbAHpFPRxgJ0XtCj1ZzOondDDODj_wqi8XxlgcWyOqXaMPh3XnRWK0565ofvX0g3gMEweEOyPrmPgKzcBn-/s320/IMG_5214.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that's left of a broken dragon statue, along with a<br />
haiku written by the Rambunctious Brazilian.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But I digress, my Dear Readers... </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Let me resume my tale. The Cyber-Stalker was clearly craving my attention, for he emailed me upon a number of occasions. We embarked upon a lengthy war of words, an exhausting duel of demands and denials. I submit, for your perusal, several Screenshots of our electronic conversation.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMdgRlGiRHy7gmwGvWDPsEkVNu6DNt4cMDCXePUWpvmDfsqsNDwMdKMOiBl9dTpN4pHV25iWmYoQ-ZXu6mUyMM7ie-lcOmcC9D9wlunIiExzY8s3SqipYD0k2kBd6o09Pj08HQxMejDh6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-29+at+7.17.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMdgRlGiRHy7gmwGvWDPsEkVNu6DNt4cMDCXePUWpvmDfsqsNDwMdKMOiBl9dTpN4pHV25iWmYoQ-ZXu6mUyMM7ie-lcOmcC9D9wlunIiExzY8s3SqipYD0k2kBd6o09Pj08HQxMejDh6/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-01-29+at+7.17.50+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first set of messages from Cyber-Stalker. Note the lack of question marks in his last message.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinedXN8HwDP2I1FgEMowpiRVQHQaqPMaKoWRVlkG6ro9RkSKEz2vVAQ5Yo5-VVujlHtXvWilCLxErtzmTR4Q7DFPsNESzz_sH2Q5PnP7e9uxVxaVmv-9g8LBMziZiPhu6bZluc_vYz3IXP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-29+at+7.18.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinedXN8HwDP2I1FgEMowpiRVQHQaqPMaKoWRVlkG6ro9RkSKEz2vVAQ5Yo5-VVujlHtXvWilCLxErtzmTR4Q7DFPsNESzz_sH2Q5PnP7e9uxVxaVmv-9g8LBMziZiPhu6bZluc_vYz3IXP/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-01-29+at+7.18.00+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second set of messages. My frustration increases.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmAQPTomLoUQbb2xOeHJCDDa9BjWLw4FERKrbouR-d9mZbbp5mbmzZJVNvIjW3cGdD6C8t-9s0Pkc5HH6ImxRiXNKb7paMWsUzHeL_1faA0YKNqUdl09O6l19Aan4ciRHyIdbR8vUBPSq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-29+at+7.18.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmAQPTomLoUQbb2xOeHJCDDa9BjWLw4FERKrbouR-d9mZbbp5mbmzZJVNvIjW3cGdD6C8t-9s0Pkc5HH6ImxRiXNKb7paMWsUzHeL_1faA0YKNqUdl09O6l19Aan4ciRHyIdbR8vUBPSq/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-01-29+at+7.18.11+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The third set of messages, in which the Cyber-Stalker reveals his identity as a student.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">As you can plainly see, Dear Readers, the Cyber-Stalker clearly wanted me to speak and write about this new element of the case, but I denied him that pleasure. Instead, because he had identified himself clearly as a student in one of my classes, I became ever more suspicious. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I enlisted the help of Luke Braafladt, an enterprising young Cyber-Entrepreneur, and Mr Benjamin Gagne, also known by the confusing title of the Techie-Trekkie, to try and track down the identity and location of the Cyber-Stalker. Unfortunately, neither of these esteemed gentlemen were able to help me. After some time, I gave up. I despaired of ever knowing his name...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">...Until, that is, young Blake decided to give him up. Much to my surprise, Blake told me that Sean Spencer (of the notorious Spencer clan) was the Lady Slipper Stalker!</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvwtp4ZIVMrTBnRUsWdy6XzyoFTK-_ex4VaQ0mT7-M69EsTbbF2z9Osoc0Yg0y1XhPFbr-TBwUE-0s3SG2aS19yW7Uwew10fvB-ByAW-uV9FQ17VbkADKPMSFnJ-Op4gdGtfFZNpLFX7-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-01+at+12.33.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvwtp4ZIVMrTBnRUsWdy6XzyoFTK-_ex4VaQ0mT7-M69EsTbbF2z9Osoc0Yg0y1XhPFbr-TBwUE-0s3SG2aS19yW7Uwew10fvB-ByAW-uV9FQ17VbkADKPMSFnJ-Op4gdGtfFZNpLFX7-/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-02-01+at+12.33.51+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does the search above count as a variation of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googlewhack" target="_blank">Googlewhack</a>?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Taking up my trusty magnifying glass, I ventured out into the thick fog of Cyber-Space, searching again and again for the lair of the villainous Spencer Clan. I had no luck until I searched through the curiously-named Book of Face. There, among the treacherous Clickbait and the unceasing flow of trivial Status Updates, recycled Links, and ego-bolstering pseudo-Quizzes, I finally located the Culprit!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmUUwkNHhczFpUt6Gd4XX9UAYGu8r2AcAV8jsrRGSYCwk6sRcCXQ6pKAQN_x5gIQfOJuomVm9XQtj_xahSFPetxrXSIEWdDFvjQ4r8zl160ADI-xSeUetwlJCrwGl4KPrwvykFa-GCUMz/s1600/4095208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmUUwkNHhczFpUt6Gd4XX9UAYGu8r2AcAV8jsrRGSYCwk6sRcCXQ6pKAQN_x5gIQfOJuomVm9XQtj_xahSFPetxrXSIEWdDFvjQ4r8zl160ADI-xSeUetwlJCrwGl4KPrwvykFa-GCUMz/s640/4095208.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I made that! One must always acquire new skillz.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">I snuck up on the Villain, and out of the blue, I posed him a question, translating my famous Death-Glare into Cyber-Speak:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPZ0-Q1QjtbS_LsoyH8QPhpNNBrCjW5bAnMYunOWvRnRwFxhCJeXW81FqO14TJLqdiS0PRc93cBKuHMqHFBkx_mOMkvkyzMqN_wwf3W8f4TNlU3dl-_9lO6bFFztxU13-Zdw7np4khdg_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-01+at+12.37.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPZ0-Q1QjtbS_LsoyH8QPhpNNBrCjW5bAnMYunOWvRnRwFxhCJeXW81FqO14TJLqdiS0PRc93cBKuHMqHFBkx_mOMkvkyzMqN_wwf3W8f4TNlU3dl-_9lO6bFFztxU13-Zdw7np4khdg_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-01+at+12.37.41+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A confession at last!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">There you have it, Dear Readers, a long-awaited confession from the Culprit himself, the Lady Slipper Stalker! I even emailed <b>thedragonhasnotwon@gmail.com</b> one last time to see if the villain would reply, and he did. He even took what he called a Selfie with an item he had intended to leave upon my vehicle but never got around to depositing there. As you can see, the young villain takes much delight in having "stumped" me.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wj2URiHgI3bPVSoBmysjqBN6xDsKSizQPeZprg8KulgoyOgRBh8FsPqjvNBdQviRYncYQKqthEJ7dF1KFBMs8iIFLW2WxMd9gGfaOsyAtKajSg1LssvR3aiUlyKQC2De3hy-1sfM0DRU/s1600/12647268_1022934307766930_755143733815270649_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wj2URiHgI3bPVSoBmysjqBN6xDsKSizQPeZprg8KulgoyOgRBh8FsPqjvNBdQviRYncYQKqthEJ7dF1KFBMs8iIFLW2WxMd9gGfaOsyAtKajSg1LssvR3aiUlyKQC2De3hy-1sfM0DRU/s640/12647268_1022934307766930_755143733815270649_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last, undelivered "gift" of the Lady Slipper Stalker.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">While this would seem to bring the Case to a long-overdue close, there remain just a few more loose ends. I myself made an appeal for further information on the Book of Face, in the hopes of binding all the threads together into one tidy weave, but I have as yet received no additional confessions.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm2VPywpBl-BN_0X8VaYeXqZ8vOBiV6osP9smbcxC5_EbtCHMOGPrIFZ0bcsvxdGOuAjyTfld6oeUdEU1frkpaVHrBdb0NasCJDq2UN21pirXRThLYZnp0WoJOoQZZfS6i0ZOLLw_ufno/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-01+at+1.24.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm2VPywpBl-BN_0X8VaYeXqZ8vOBiV6osP9smbcxC5_EbtCHMOGPrIFZ0bcsvxdGOuAjyTfld6oeUdEU1frkpaVHrBdb0NasCJDq2UN21pirXRThLYZnp0WoJOoQZZfS6i0ZOLLw_ufno/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-01+at+1.24.34+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A final plea for information--the items underlined in white remain unsolved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">According to Spencer, no other student was involved, so I must remain suspicious of my colleagues where the Photoshopped Image, the Unobtrusive Magnet, the Postal Card, and the Delicate Creation are concerned... </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDLEAvt6R8F-0txfZRKMokUjnMGwzp9PoQqSAX33ZWHLouY4DmqHrlKbIi-2qSjxzp59Q9OkHQ4wziDs9FpeOO0Fd9v0Senr1vwM3vh-GkCe7SgKRRbNvD5NZGQRzq6l-j53ohNfB4eOU/s1600/IMG_4108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDLEAvt6R8F-0txfZRKMokUjnMGwzp9PoQqSAX33ZWHLouY4DmqHrlKbIi-2qSjxzp59Q9OkHQ4wziDs9FpeOO0Fd9v0Senr1vwM3vh-GkCe7SgKRRbNvD5NZGQRzq6l-j53ohNfB4eOU/s320/IMG_4108.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Magnet & Card</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z-kkBUEeLL9jf8O9FdHD24ozhdSBBEJOI0nrqMIj6bgQ65kSM6dewemmWCOZiDIK-Y2c3lVc0LvLYJ2_cRgPG8nFQlwG98AQgOYIQT_OD6xzcAEfj2teqkIFA5ZZUayp1K7SnMB2LUhz/s1600/IMG_4775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z-kkBUEeLL9jf8O9FdHD24ozhdSBBEJOI0nrqMIj6bgQ65kSM6dewemmWCOZiDIK-Y2c3lVc0LvLYJ2_cRgPG8nFQlwG98AQgOYIQT_OD6xzcAEfj2teqkIFA5ZZUayp1K7SnMB2LUhz/s320/IMG_4775.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Delicate Creation</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Young Spencer claims that he was the Ghostly Anonymous Commenter(s), but I'm not quite sure I believe him. If any of you, my Dear Readers, would like to confess to this or any other involvement, please do leave a comment on this post. I hope I will not have to wait another year to pen the next installment of this most strange Case.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4qZ48PNJC1VjSVwCWtm5erxzQoEPeLNMMhfx33EjJBaOPdr7dTLlfhyxucHRmVh3R4mNkOUWFooGsoRcCMrIRLdJNFfkOeQmy0ifZIauD9Oc1fd7rpp_ZC95H8tIyL_AAsjbyDGA-n9m/s1600/12196032_1190425437640221_1423718999100840578_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4qZ48PNJC1VjSVwCWtm5erxzQoEPeLNMMhfx33EjJBaOPdr7dTLlfhyxucHRmVh3R4mNkOUWFooGsoRcCMrIRLdJNFfkOeQmy0ifZIauD9Oc1fd7rpp_ZC95H8tIyL_AAsjbyDGA-n9m/s640/12196032_1190425437640221_1423718999100840578_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partners in crime?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">[Update: On the 8th of September, 2016, Ms Kiero (a mathematical mentor to Middle School students) confessed on the social media website, the Book of Face, that she had produced the Delicate Creation! I am so relieved to know of this fact, Dear Readers, and if any of the rest of you wish to confess to further involvement, I welcome your revelations.]</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKOA9TzaZmRIsMxLrs8ftJdPI-hLgLAXLjyYD3VozSdFrMfbPjD_bBcfCtychu2f46Ob2Su0b4EYpDh5so2fdZ9Bc86kFX9FrKwLwYz7ogvrZzqewsaTCzLZgBAn92tFbnmZhZvNYMYGd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-19+at+10.43.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKOA9TzaZmRIsMxLrs8ftJdPI-hLgLAXLjyYD3VozSdFrMfbPjD_bBcfCtychu2f46Ob2Su0b4EYpDh5so2fdZ9Bc86kFX9FrKwLwYz7ogvrZzqewsaTCzLZgBAn92tFbnmZhZvNYMYGd/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-09-19+at+10.43.10+AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Kiero 'fesses up!</td></tr>
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Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-5969452000262210862016-01-29T09:29:00.000-06:002016-01-29T09:29:13.126-06:00Revision & Metacognition: Some Recent Experiments<span style="font-size: large;">Based on some conversations with my colleagues in the English Department, I've been experimenting with how I ask students in all my classes to revise and reflect on their writing. I recently put up an infographic in my classroom, which I made with <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a> (perhaps the most user-friendly free infographic maker available right now). [Teachers, feel free to download & print a copy, if you like.]</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gNYcFa4ijjP2VtXPdkk7Zo5X6ZmyE0CzBdp4NXWPLUhRFRJUOYiuZZQs3jkyXBflQEDdrLQPQekCMFN0ZLjuOuXZryeWsFudugEwjebUgPit_lAKJzYGeXtdsWKoRBLzpUA0WCjKiZvx/s1600/Cognition+versus+Metacognition.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gNYcFa4ijjP2VtXPdkk7Zo5X6ZmyE0CzBdp4NXWPLUhRFRJUOYiuZZQs3jkyXBflQEDdrLQPQekCMFN0ZLjuOuXZryeWsFudugEwjebUgPit_lAKJzYGeXtdsWKoRBLzpUA0WCjKiZvx/s640/Cognition+versus+Metacognition.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made with <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Upper School English teachers have been talking a lot this year about how to help students understand the reasons teachers do what they do. (I know we just seem crazy most of the time, but there IS a method to our madness!) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I've always asked students to revise their writing, especially for formal papers, and I've often asked students to reflect on what they've learned, especially after research projects (here are some examples of such reflections from this year by students in my English 12 classes: </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mckaylaa2016.blogspot.com/2015/12/sand-creek-massacre-project.html" target="_blank">McKayla A</a>, <a href="http://farleyh.blogspot.com/2016/01/project-reflection.html" target="_blank">Farley H</a>, <a href="http://jonhmarshall.blogspot.com/2015/12/what-we-still-dont-know-about-pine-ridge.html" target="_blank">Jon H</a>, </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://gracemmarshall.blogspot.com/2016/01/pine-ridge-project-reflection.html" target="_blank">Grace M</a>, <a href="http://hmatthews14.blogspot.com/2015/12/reflecting-on-battle-of-little-bighorn.html" target="_blank">Hannah M</a>, </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://makeelam.blogspot.com/2015/12/project-reflection.html" target="_blank">Makeela M</a>, and </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://morganomarshall.blogspot.com/2016/01/project-reflection-sitting-bull.html" target="_blank">Morgan O</a>).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">What's new this year is that I'm asking students to reflect on <i>unfinished</i> work and that I'm starting to play around with the idea (very common in some schools now) of grading the "process, not the product." I've done this a bit already in English 11, and I'm just starting to use a similar strategy in my senior classes. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Here are a few reflections on the value of reflection from some of my current junio</span><span style="font-size: large;">rs: <a href="http://coltenm.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Colten M</a>, <a href="http://john4532.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Conner J</a>, <a href="http://joeypmarshall.blogspot.com/2016/01/reflecting-on-past-revisions.html" target="_blank">Joey P</a>, and <a href="http://brycebmarshall.blogspot.com/2016/01/something-you-learned-about-revisions.html" target="_blank">Bryce H</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm going to continue experimenting with this, asking students to reflect on their writing and to reflect on what they're learning. The whole point of education is not just to think, but to think about thinking (yours & others'). You haven't really learned something until you can articulate it, until you can put it into words. It's all about becoming more conscious of your thought processes and your learning processes. Reflection is an important part of a <a href="http://edglossary.org/growth-mindset/" target="_blank">growth mindset</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Cognition is great, but metacognition is better! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So, don't just think/write/learn, be MORE META!</span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-11366079011584018722016-01-25T11:41:00.002-06:002016-01-25T11:44:15.290-06:00(E11) Bookending *Shawshank Redemption* with Performance, Part 1 <span style="font-size: large;">Whenever I teach Stephen King's <i>Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption</i>, I always start with Richard Lovelace's poem "To Althea, From Prison," an old poem from the 1600s which includes the famous phrase "stone walls do not a prison make." It's a poem that highlights one of the major themes of the novella. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I always ask the students to dramatize the poem. I divide the class into four groups, one for each stanza, and they have to decide how to act out the meaning of their portion of the poem. We then practice choreographing the progression from one stanza to another. Since each group uses various props and furniture-elements in the classroom, this can be a bit tricky. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My current group of juniors did an excellent job with making their performance a smooth one. I was especially impressed with the efforts of Matt G, Bryce H, Nic S, and Garrett J. They spent a lot of time practicing their recitation and movements. (I think they'll do a good job with Random Acts of Shakespeare next year...) I always film the performance, so here's the video of the full poem:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MCW9hl63jOQ" width="640"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After we finish the novella, the students will work on a research project that will result in another (much more complex) performance in which groups of students (representing the interests of Andy, Red, and the prison Wardens) try to persuade a committee of Maine State Legislators to fund their proposed projects to reform or improve Shawshank Prison. I hope to film that performance, too, so stay tuned. </span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-76343161496782546932015-12-31T14:08:00.000-06:002015-12-31T14:08:09.185-06:00Christmas Bird Count 2015: Pterodactyls & Werewolves & Larvets! Oh My![You can read about my previous experiences with the <a href="http://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count" target="_blank">National Audubon Society</a>'s Christmas Bird Count <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2013/12/no-really-its-all-about-birds.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/12/bird-count-2014-ill-have-some-coffee.html" target="_blank">here</a>.]<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSs24-LN4T1VBt-qBPlsh0QUz0NKTNYC7n5ByhW5n9mrzPf8Me8-X7cdq7vQ1vbzboWnIzjeUQDp801umo-iooFRaAkQRoEKpVvDkymjZpWB-QJfA0-3JHAim1CGooGD9_SCqvz8YPs8V/s1600/23914347126_6eb6db6dc4_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSs24-LN4T1VBt-qBPlsh0QUz0NKTNYC7n5ByhW5n9mrzPf8Me8-X7cdq7vQ1vbzboWnIzjeUQDp801umo-iooFRaAkQRoEKpVvDkymjZpWB-QJfA0-3JHAim1CGooGD9_SCqvz8YPs8V/s320/23914347126_6eb6db6dc4_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Louis River: no visible waterfowl.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the 20th of December, 2015, I accompanied Ms Ball and (former Marshall Biology teacher) Ms Hermes on their annual Christmas Bird Count adventure. This was my third Count (Ball and Hermes have been doing it since 1997). It's one of my favorite events of the year--I get to spend some time out in the woods with some of my favorite people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We drove all around Carlton County, making stops here and there to look and listen for birds, Ms Ball keeping a careful record all the while.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">She passes our data on to (former Marshall science teacher) Larry Weber who coordinates this count. She also uses her notes from the day as inspiration for a Holiday poem that she sends to friends and family. I have included quotations from her 2015 poem throughout this post and a photo of the entire poem at the very end. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjpx5cM8zArJXadKoT3KD4N6PgF5JmKa8OqncNQ6uuj0jrHoeOd8ZsZqQOcLysyoqQI3X4HKmamDLwhzZ01-6082nQneA2KDmVazgplJKCgF7QLA2y8kpIir563xd_CtODaHSwh05ImpfI/s1600/23706571849_d017ccdfb6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjpx5cM8zArJXadKoT3KD4N6PgF5JmKa8OqncNQ6uuj0jrHoeOd8ZsZqQOcLysyoqQI3X4HKmamDLwhzZ01-6082nQneA2KDmVazgplJKCgF7QLA2y8kpIir563xd_CtODaHSwh05ImpfI/s400/23706571849_d017ccdfb6_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Ms Ball's poem: <br />
"we are escorted from Widdes Feeds by a security cat<br />
who leads us from the hay barn to the exit drive" </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We always stop along the St Louis River to check for waterfowl, but we didn't see any. </span><span style="font-size: large;">We also typically stop to count pigeons at the <a href="http://www.widdesfeed.com/" target="_blank">Widdes Feed & Farm Supply</a> in Esko. This year, we encountered a couple of very friendly barn cats there. At one point, one of them ran under my idling car, and Ms Ball had to get out and lure it back into the barn. It only stayed there a few minutes, and then Ms Hermes had to get out and do some cat-herding, too.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXdl8fAlYppJolzzZFdhqVusPfLWpky7XhP-OSgeB6FH4R0Bve5q3FAKX1aDevLF1mgvRVCtH0S8VEUS_LDpVlC-Ba5308dv8UCh8r3v85v0CcH6CITElkO4mVQlwTLu4fySYt6Qf8Ev7/s1600/23908261356_5472890b77_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXdl8fAlYppJolzzZFdhqVusPfLWpky7XhP-OSgeB6FH4R0Bve5q3FAKX1aDevLF1mgvRVCtH0S8VEUS_LDpVlC-Ba5308dv8UCh8r3v85v0CcH6CITElkO4mVQlwTLu4fySYt6Qf8Ev7/s320/23908261356_5472890b77_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Hermes herding cats--reminiscent <br />
of teaching? Note the pile of deer pelts.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Thomson and Carlton, we stopped at several houses where folks have bird feeders, but we didn't really see that many birds at the feeders this year. Some feeders were empty of seed, and there were no deer pelts hanging from the trees at a house where we usually see birds feeding off them. We wondered if some of the hard-core bird-feeding folks had moved away or gone South for the winter. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The kind of bird we saw most often throughout the day was the <a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/blue-jay" target="_blank">Blue Jay</a>, but the highlight of the day was a pair of <a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/pileated-woodpecker" target="_blank">Pileated Woodpeckers</a>, whom we eventually named Woody and Wanda. We saw them in Thomson near a homestead that Ms Ball always refers to as "the Refuge for Fake Animals," which reminds me of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SH1j1luFOw" target="_blank">"Island of Misfit Toys"</a> from the old <i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</i> TV special. This spot features a stream lined with old trees, and the Pileateds were drilling into them for insects. I was shooting photos from inside the car, so my shots are not great, but maybe you can spot the Woodpecker in the photo below.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiltJaQzFso9ZVH7AbGPqzebn4jWz0IKX-EPTJqv4DOeg_VxNEBoY0vFvpjrETw02pypUDA6hW90C_Nt6H0I-12zZGPy92SEh1c6twk9v4pTktZALLZLtvUm2DqPwUHxdYskxhYLYMo4c/s1600/23824683152_02d56fbd5f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiltJaQzFso9ZVH7AbGPqzebn4jWz0IKX-EPTJqv4DOeg_VxNEBoY0vFvpjrETw02pypUDA6hW90C_Nt6H0I-12zZGPy92SEh1c6twk9v4pTktZALLZLtvUm2DqPwUHxdYskxhYLYMo4c/s640/23824683152_02d56fbd5f_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real Pileated Woodpecker among Fake Animals: Bear, Wolf, Owl. Makes me think<br />
of Marianne Moore's "<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/poem/2009/06/marianne_moores_poetry.html" target="_blank">imaginary gardens with real toads in them</a>."</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Throughout the morning, we kept coming back to the "Refuge for Fake Animals" to see if the Woodpeckers were still there. They did not disappoint. They clearly felt at home in this spot. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">While we watched the Pileateds cavorting amongst their false friends, I shot some video. In the video below, Ms Hermes pretends to be the great <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough" target="_blank">David Attenborough</a>, narrator of many a nature program. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I think she does a great imitation! Her accent and phrasing are excellent. If you look closely in the video, you'll see the Woodpecker at the base of the tree directly ahead of us. And the Pileated Peckers do, in fact,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://cwf-fcf.org/en/discover-wildlife/flora-fauna/fauna/birds/pileated-woodpecker.html" target="_blank">resemble little Pterodactyls</a>.</span><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JBBOOhvJc4I/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JBBOOhvJc4I?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In our travels, we also spotted a horned and long-haired goat who stared ominously at us as we passed his home. At one point, we turned onto Kangas Road, and Ms Ball and I both thought we saw a wolf cross the road behind us. His body was very dark, leaner and longer than most dogs... Mr Weber says it was quite possibly a wolf. We even doubled back to see if we could glimpse it again, but no such luck.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIqvBm0AoOds5Z1Ju2d-rFy1v8TeHlZ6EeAA1cUTaTc_3AUArDFplFujO7og7Llzm0JEU8PyRXT24PNNHb_9mFXk-xROz_37oURVASUBiAJen1_qzAh4zJuPvSwBTELzwsug2zHuyYbSU/s1600/23573052199_9e38666eb0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIqvBm0AoOds5Z1Ju2d-rFy1v8TeHlZ6EeAA1cUTaTc_3AUArDFplFujO7og7Llzm0JEU8PyRXT24PNNHb_9mFXk-xROz_37oURVASUBiAJen1_qzAh4zJuPvSwBTELzwsug2zHuyYbSU/s640/23573052199_9e38666eb0_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">One more shot of the "Refuge for Fake Animals." From Ms Ball's poem:<br />
"back to the refuge for fake animals who live in eternal disproportion<br />
black bears and cubs smaller than the bald eagle with few feathers<br />
huge plastic frogs and a faithful crossing guard"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">This incident caused us to imagine a possible reality-TV show--<i>The Werewolves of Carlton County--</i>It also made me think of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gytrash" target="_blank">gytrash</a> from <i>Jane Eyre</i>. When we arrived at the Jay Cooke State Park Interpretive Center for brunc</span><span style="font-size: large;">h, I compared our sighting to the stuffed wolf on display there. Ours looked very similar, in color especially. In the days after the Count, I searched for some information about wolves and how important they are to an ecosystem. I came across this <a href="http://www.howlingforwolves.org/lordsofnature" target="_blank">really interesting video</a>. I highly </span><span style="font-size: large;">recommend it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56AukDGSial4bWYImVdJU2oaBgzLurNQwH2idfTk3oqgKxbJ6j2NjV2q4FBEFKkQiNaW0gIHdspGhq7QIm1znspuSTkQ27Cz3U5WN4CJRgzsKDtceK3yvfj-PIhVooxy5uLfLq3dccUX1/s1600/23573679839_59aa1f1af2_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56AukDGSial4bWYImVdJU2oaBgzLurNQwH2idfTk3oqgKxbJ6j2NjV2q4FBEFKkQiNaW0gIHdspGhq7QIm1znspuSTkQ27Cz3U5WN4CJRgzsKDtceK3yvfj-PIhVooxy5uLfLq3dccUX1/s640/23573679839_59aa1f1af2_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Ms Ball's poem:<br />
as fast as only the side of our eyes can see<br />
we glimpse a long black wolf crossing Kangas Road"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">As usual, we had packed up a ton of food for our brunch at Jay Cooke State Park. Ms Ball changed up her usual routine this year: instead of her traditional focaccia, she made some lovely cinnamon bread as well as a big batch of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanakopita" target="_blank">Spanakopita</a>, the</span><span style="font-size: large;"> famous Greek spinach and cheese pastry. It's usually made with feta cheese, but Ms Ball forgot to buy any, so she made it with cottage cheese. It was just as good this way. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fKTA9Hpd1rUU-xqqpZerxY2r9Hd8UsuH5BhvLFBbjww3bFOpYBK8lcrBb_3n2IbgZpg4cUn9t_fpBaymRx9YreNH6N48pemPhyphenhyphen8fLoxNddsLPqbrQpgbxp7AbXTnt_l5V01lMEnucPvd/s1600/23858765831_9a0c6a0fa9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fKTA9Hpd1rUU-xqqpZerxY2r9Hd8UsuH5BhvLFBbjww3bFOpYBK8lcrBb_3n2IbgZpg4cUn9t_fpBaymRx9YreNH6N48pemPhyphenhyphen8fLoxNddsLPqbrQpgbxp7AbXTnt_l5V01lMEnucPvd/s640/23858765831_9a0c6a0fa9_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of food, as usual. Note the batch of Spanakopita in the foreground.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrZ1DzKhOQMlM3DXRRUGJfG2CR9XrD6HqDHwzhP_A-BEGb_eND6nqZpAOTWrO9s_bzHcliqZ2RvyI10MAdNLF4z-ae-9rv87YpnKInnoJ5HatryqSbgY5C03xLHCa58x7LKG_jo6GxckK/s1600/23858909431_7dd0c24829_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrZ1DzKhOQMlM3DXRRUGJfG2CR9XrD6HqDHwzhP_A-BEGb_eND6nqZpAOTWrO9s_bzHcliqZ2RvyI10MAdNLF4z-ae-9rv87YpnKInnoJ5HatryqSbgY5C03xLHCa58x7LKG_jo6GxckK/s320/23858909431_7dd0c24829_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The obligatory "playing with our food" shot.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In addition to forgetting the feta, Ms Ball forgot to bring coffee cups, cream, and sugar for her thermos of coffee. And no one remembered to bring garlic-stuffed olives, either, but Ms Hermes brought some especially tasty <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalamata_olive" target="_blank">Kalamata</a> olives, along with some roasted red peppers, sliced Mozzarella, fancy crackers, peanut brittle, and a lovely assortment of Italian cookies. I provided a wild rice salad, cranberry sauce, walnut Brie, and some jam for the bread. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ILVhR3nrYJK-5j1rci78xqdSj4FEFosCXOBqHPaub8RLpa4Yl5zVr0uRdX-fZ1BE3XczhX8uXzxjPBNNtxxodZeqYWps-sS5dsCqo1JTBeZb64CJCNaHlc-nkGpRF-22pd5lT100i8JH/s1600/23823648022_e4762ab62f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ILVhR3nrYJK-5j1rci78xqdSj4FEFosCXOBqHPaub8RLpa4Yl5zVr0uRdX-fZ1BE3XczhX8uXzxjPBNNtxxodZeqYWps-sS5dsCqo1JTBeZb64CJCNaHlc-nkGpRF-22pd5lT100i8JH/s200/23823648022_e4762ab62f_o.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cranberry sauce in the making</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />After our meal, we walked around the Park a bit; up at Oldenburg Point, we had great view of the river, and down at the Campground, we checked for grouse. We had seen several grouse there last year, but this year, the only grouse I saw was a spontaneous imitation of one by the one-and-only Ms Ball. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On our way out of the Park, Ms Ball and Ms Hermes did a little Holiday shopping in the Park Headquarters. Ms Ball purchased several packets of spicy </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://hotlix.com/candy/index.php?route=product/product&path=96&product_id=97" target="_blank">Larvets</a> for her family. Whenever I come across any mention of eating insects, I always think of a former student, Marina Mednik-Vaksman from the class of 2001, and her work on the <a href="http://www.marshallschool.org/page.cfm?p=1603&eid=9652" target="_blank">future of sustainable food systems</a></span><span style="font-size: large;">. I think I'll stick to Spanakopita and cranberry sauce, for now, at least!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemA6GcapSWVxNpiGX3UnWKpIOFvI6yMaWNcRZQ8kSY4CEker-4YcErFyE_0lplPO5PQI91WpwIcreMDxqOyMCnXDPffUw7I6UhSP9U8_I_aBZWiA-47hFwAOIAZVj8OKJHHnLC1R_NaVk/s1600/23574105939_97c02376c8_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemA6GcapSWVxNpiGX3UnWKpIOFvI6yMaWNcRZQ8kSY4CEker-4YcErFyE_0lplPO5PQI91WpwIcreMDxqOyMCnXDPffUw7I6UhSP9U8_I_aBZWiA-47hFwAOIAZVj8OKJHHnLC1R_NaVk/s640/23574105939_97c02376c8_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Larvets come in three flavors: BBQ, Mexican Spice, and Cheddar Cheese. YUM!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All in all, it was another great Bird Count, full of real and imaginary adventures through the darkest part of the year. Once again, I invited Ms Ball and Ms Hermes to come orchid-hunting with me in the spring. So far, I've taken <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2015/10/reading-bog-with-ms-ball.html" target="_blank">Ms Ball into the bog once</a>, but not during blooming season. Maybe 2016 will be the year when they both come with me on an orchid adventure...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'll end this post with a view of the St Louis River and a photo of Ms Ball's poem.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV_zhRB_dlYvu6jzOB4jFK6NOkPmJLqrRMsHUlKz_59aTgtnAGELpOo0ta8l-rJT1O5Di1XVR0pvyNgrxgDlO_jDiq_YnhzHP93pCOAsUT8gh_geup9EdAgONy0cS5hby-Z-utc3uzK7c/s1600/23315250743_10a4022a5e_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV_zhRB_dlYvu6jzOB4jFK6NOkPmJLqrRMsHUlKz_59aTgtnAGELpOo0ta8l-rJT1O5Di1XVR0pvyNgrxgDlO_jDiq_YnhzHP93pCOAsUT8gh_geup9EdAgONy0cS5hby-Z-utc3uzK7c/s640/23315250743_10a4022a5e_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the River from Oldenburg,</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTFNz6zpH9BVfrJQgqFHGiPhWWDNpmlyOt0OrjrHwUIquIXUW3HYh2jPeqeGAWt-n7Kpoi81UCrBnGDkQ18tpF-b0AZc-5Sb5mq_IpoClVD77Ol8Y19PrvCKqkBrJgDDlCpHhqRGzc_P2/s1600/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTFNz6zpH9BVfrJQgqFHGiPhWWDNpmlyOt0OrjrHwUIquIXUW3HYh2jPeqeGAWt-n7Kpoi81UCrBnGDkQ18tpF-b0AZc-5Sb5mq_IpoClVD77Ol8Y19PrvCKqkBrJgDDlCpHhqRGzc_P2/s640/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" width="506" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Ball's poem, in its entirety.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's wishing us all a Happy New Year! May 2016 be bright, happy, and healthy.</span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-51440647779130098112015-10-28T06:44:00.000-05:002015-10-28T13:21:01.636-05:00The Wood Lily<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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[I'm taking some risks with this post: I've never shared any of my poetry, other than a few haiku, with the Marshall community before, but taking risks is part of learning, part of becoming more resilient, which, as you know, is one of the qualities from "<a href="http://www.marshallschool.org/page.cfm?p=1381" target="_blank">The Portrait of a Hilltopper</a>."]<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In the last year, a lot of folks in the Marshall community have experienced the death of loved ones. Last winter, I <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/2014/12/frozen-flowers-living-poems.html" target="_blank">wrote</a> about how <i>reading </i>poetry can help one deal with death (and I hope to return to that subject). But <i>writing</i> poetry can also help. Grieving is a lengthy, chaotic process, and writing poetry about it helps give shape and form to confusing and conflicting feelings. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">On October 28, 2014, my teacher, mentor, and friend John Dings died of complications from a fall down a flight of stairs. He'd been dealing with <a href="http://www.pdf.org/about_pd" target="_blank">Parkinson's</a> <a href="http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/parkinsons_disease/parkinsons_disease.htm" target="_blank">Disease </a>for a long time. I'd known him since I started teaching almost 30 years ago. Much of what I know about writing, about literature, and about teaching in general, I learned from him. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Beyond our common interests in education and literature, we shared a love of hiking and wildflowers. He taught for many years at the University at Buffalo, NY, where I earned my MA and Ph.D. When he retired, he moved back to his home state of Colorado and lived in Boulder until he died. I visited him a few times there, and we hiked in the mountains, staying at the Dings family cabin. I remember the delight he took in </span><span style="font-size: large;">the wildflowers, especially the miniature alpine versions that grow at high altitude. He and his wife came to Duluth once to visit me, and we spent a day hiking at various places up the North Shore.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Ever since his death, I've been working on a sonnet-series about a wildflower that was an important part of his life and that I saw for the first time in our region last year, only a short time before he died. I never had the chance to talk to him about it...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UI5Jzwn9RoBZq4UsYIIlC6sWhPUxcuupl7iRL4xaSucUOsOET-XRn935sm9hioBBG2iZPd9yO98l37h2vuzEIGCZGrp2_vo_uUMGUiA4mtLneCLl_xiUgv_hZhoIcpndvwPI9-19uI49/s1600/_3A_0010+-+Version+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UI5Jzwn9RoBZq4UsYIIlC6sWhPUxcuupl7iRL4xaSucUOsOET-XRn935sm9hioBBG2iZPd9yO98l37h2vuzEIGCZGrp2_vo_uUMGUiA4mtLneCLl_xiUgv_hZhoIcpndvwPI9-19uI49/s640/_3A_0010+-+Version+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Dings on Ouzel Creek Bridge, Wild Basin, Rocky Mountain National<br />
Park, taken in the late 1990's and digitized last year.</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Wood Lily</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">in
memory of John Dings (1939—2014)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Drink and be whole again beyond confusion. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Robert Frost, "<a href="http://genius.com/Robert-frost-directive-annotated" target="_blank">Directive</a>"</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Years ago, I was sore and tired from hiking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You were proud of having worn me out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Pulling off the road, you said I could stay in the car. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wish now that I hadn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You wanted to see if the Wood Lily was blooming <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And walked off into the Colorado woods. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I saw a hint of scarlet through the trees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Gone only for a moment, you came back smiling,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Said your summer was complete. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’d forgotten the Wood Lily, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Until I found it here, last summer, on a cliff above the Lake.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’d meant to ask, next time I called, if you remembered, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But by then, all your summers were complete, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And you were gone for good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUHBbVeOmtx0RwFNryNfJIeKhYs1c1KUDgyKNSnwN3HsOrvS4xVmJjXvB-4KVHiCjtSDp34V_0KzYeNCe_kJzrILWQTtl53dPzZdygSa_eUdIKTOl7Owf57H2MMRLWlC90ykd3pFAGOxA/s1600/IMG_3766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUHBbVeOmtx0RwFNryNfJIeKhYs1c1KUDgyKNSnwN3HsOrvS4xVmJjXvB-4KVHiCjtSDp34V_0KzYeNCe_kJzrILWQTtl53dPzZdygSa_eUdIKTOl7Owf57H2MMRLWlC90ykd3pFAGOxA/s640/IMG_3766.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Lily, Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, July, 2015. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSvL4o5zbtj3LgTj_8dP93J5oRdtho1qVM2eCCYPVBR1yjY9OX0DZrt9cijU85Nce2movzxJsRt8YAENS35X-Plltrin63rQ2aY2WQRw7NBiBWME0itwOuC09wRYkjccVutliD91yE5Lc/s1600/__4_0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSvL4o5zbtj3LgTj_8dP93J5oRdtho1qVM2eCCYPVBR1yjY9OX0DZrt9cijU85Nce2movzxJsRt8YAENS35X-Plltrin63rQ2aY2WQRw7NBiBWME0itwOuC09wRYkjccVutliD91yE5Lc/s640/__4_0015.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother Bill showing John a deep crevice in the rocks on Palisade Head, <br />
taken sometime in the 1990s, I think, and digitized last year.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">2. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Each year, you searched for it, except your last,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">When it was perhaps beyond you, a climb too steep, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Or maybe already far behind you, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">A lantern left burning in a distant cabin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Would it have been there, had you gone looking? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I never thought I'd see it here a</span><span style="font-size: large;">long the Lake, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Its flame leading me off the trail, o</span><span style="font-size: large;">ut onto a ledge </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Where once you laid your length along the
Earth,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As if fallen forward, to see more clearly the depths below.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">But there it stood, burning and unblinking in the sun, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Where you would never find it, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">And it told me nothing of your coming death, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Gave no hint of summer’s ending</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Or impending fall.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJ4i-CWNePlovwHVN_LbMFiskOUiWC-yccmvPwssw_H17aX9_Y8JKxQHPJu3Ee6DpMszuqXbY9Iv5Tkzt8s-7XOIr6vtPJL870hJF1RELTJ6Fxr0_9WbOwSub3mkFvzG4CdjmGXOsyqlH/s1600/IMG_4114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJ4i-CWNePlovwHVN_LbMFiskOUiWC-yccmvPwssw_H17aX9_Y8JKxQHPJu3Ee6DpMszuqXbY9Iv5Tkzt8s-7XOIr6vtPJL870hJF1RELTJ6Fxr0_9WbOwSub3mkFvzG4CdjmGXOsyqlH/s640/IMG_4114.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Lily on Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, taken on August 1, 2014. This<br />
is one of the first photos I ever took of this flower; my iPhone camera had trouble<br />
processing the color contrast. I had much better luck this last summer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNSVBNI0kYH0ZzleeV2kcx8JLJeD3q2UPebfK3lAKBCAwh-gmUuZ6xifbWUd3-_DmFOFfJXN2NhZDJn-LhLptvQ8BhRLciK5L2cXhaUW1_NjuLyw7u6cYqQ9FTsmJjzBd-gK6JzWJgVDm/s1600/__8_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNSVBNI0kYH0ZzleeV2kcx8JLJeD3q2UPebfK3lAKBCAwh-gmUuZ6xifbWUd3-_DmFOFfJXN2NhZDJn-LhLptvQ8BhRLciK5L2cXhaUW1_NjuLyw7u6cYqQ9FTsmJjzBd-gK6JzWJgVDm/s640/__8_0007.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
John on Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, taken in the 1990s and digitized last year.<br />
If I remember correctly, John was diagnosed with Parkinson's not long after this visit to<br />
Minnesota. I told him later that I thought I could see in this photo the effects of<br />
Parkinson's in his face. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">3. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You’d have been glad to know I’d seen it, and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the very spot we’d spent a summer day, all those years
ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You might’ve laughed, to think your Lily came to visit me <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">When you could not because of the disease that, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Even then, that day, had shown itself in you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We’d have traded memories of its signs:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The fearful strangeness in your face, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The halting hesitation in your step… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">But then, you’d have told me stories of your Lily:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">When you found it first, how each summer’s search became a
quest, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">What it meant to you, and how its meaning changed, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Shifting slightly over time, how from its jeweled cup<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You still drank deeply of the past,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All your rich history and its bright wine.</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FZeIBByZzo0RHzf7aEjnSoQM-JDzIy8HBxBJIsSB9AUkan5G3JxSMvoSxVBUgI3upVep9y8GAKRNH-fuE7i7pbRytL_k_S8lcPp1y-8nmrQIX5Z56ou3oKctxtLMRSu8mStVQJhiPOH8/s1600/IMG_3728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FZeIBByZzo0RHzf7aEjnSoQM-JDzIy8HBxBJIsSB9AUkan5G3JxSMvoSxVBUgI3upVep9y8GAKRNH-fuE7i7pbRytL_k_S8lcPp1y-8nmrQIX5Z56ou3oKctxtLMRSu8mStVQJhiPOH8/s640/IMG_3728.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Lily on Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, July 15, 2015.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHEVM8z6H4Rpxb8XGBECYuQIzHxvsxg7Y9AYqTQgbKJRMf2Ugxy5yN95Kw0iYohnjDLpfQTRthNq57Fc8bOcxb4ILakaPW_c5uEs5eN35JYgP-Ov45nv3SBnCxPYJaYc0njiz5mFCHYBY/s1600/IMG_3956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHEVM8z6H4Rpxb8XGBECYuQIzHxvsxg7Y9AYqTQgbKJRMf2Ugxy5yN95Kw0iYohnjDLpfQTRthNq57Fc8bOcxb4ILakaPW_c5uEs5eN35JYgP-Ov45nv3SBnCxPYJaYc0njiz5mFCHYBY/s640/IMG_3956.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Lilies, triple blossom, on Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, July 15, 2015.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">4. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It’s tall and shameless--flaming--w</span><span style="font-size: large;">ith three </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Huge blossoms on one stalk, c</span><span style="font-size: large;">ompletely unabashed </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">By its incongruous opulence o</span><span style="font-size: large;">n this glacier-scrubbed cliff.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Even the camera is bewildered by its blaring brightness, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Unable, at first, to process such scarlet heat against the <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Deep-green cedar and the cooler, bluish spruce. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I’m tempted now to think you sent it, that its bold display,
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">So unlike you, was yet your way of saying goodbye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">All it would take--to be true--is for a few </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Green atoms a</span><span style="font-size: large;">nd grains of thought </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To hop and skip through space and
time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Isn’t this what the poets always say of death? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">From fickle memory and a few wildflowers, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We manufacture hope, tease a hollow solace out of chance.</span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpih0Y5dK9nVy0gTeXleAgl0NliGhkoEVLOHaCv9jH1Dd2Ox3Ne5nyct0JODr6W5PFpOkGwbsRp1fd4_O_H02MNU2uA85bkBpVzHGGvHWKQSVdjCWqN1ifoiGhIq7wXipwBqGKgkWFabJv/s1600/IMG_3754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpih0Y5dK9nVy0gTeXleAgl0NliGhkoEVLOHaCv9jH1Dd2Ox3Ne5nyct0JODr6W5PFpOkGwbsRp1fd4_O_H02MNU2uA85bkBpVzHGGvHWKQSVdjCWqN1ifoiGhIq7wXipwBqGKgkWFabJv/s640/IMG_3754.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, July 15, 2015.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVQUOAHyy9bGWj0F9giuIFbKeNF-mKiGXw1_c6ZTqsMEBKMdqN1ZmdAj7aWEsmCcOmT9Ob01y8NRU5sdLzZfj-OesU95jljllE8lfu5JxcO3Yg6f-mDLz_ddJ9fF7Fs-tceIj6VOgL-HP/s1600/IMG_3907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVQUOAHyy9bGWj0F9giuIFbKeNF-mKiGXw1_c6ZTqsMEBKMdqN1ZmdAj7aWEsmCcOmT9Ob01y8NRU5sdLzZfj-OesU95jljllE8lfu5JxcO3Yg6f-mDLz_ddJ9fF7Fs-tceIj6VOgL-HP/s640/IMG_3907.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Lilies on Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, July 15, 2015. I must've caught them at their<br />
peak--they were everywhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">5. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">A year later, I stand on the cliff, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Looking out across the endless Lake, the empty sky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I inch along the ledge to where the lichen’s black. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Bright Lilies reach up from rock and shallow soil</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">To cup the soft light, the still air. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I stare for hours into spotted, scarlet depths, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Focusing, framing each shot, not<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thinking of you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I don't need to think.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My hand is red with pollen</span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The water I pour through my cupped fingers <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Lifts some of the crimson from my skin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Before falling on dry Earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I lick the last drops from my palm.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwygg0_Wq-bLZjTqUDQ7lzkcqXcU-4Ta8fkMrfm5vfzVx_QqO9EaVEsr8QYI2FxYIlr976nrx4kLyEqvxEQwmPX07OOqrq8tOsJ6sD1dli4qOcFquavzFFyh4VghfFb7W4sBi7aosGxOI/s1600/IMG_3684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwygg0_Wq-bLZjTqUDQ7lzkcqXcU-4Ta8fkMrfm5vfzVx_QqO9EaVEsr8QYI2FxYIlr976nrx4kLyEqvxEQwmPX07OOqrq8tOsJ6sD1dli4qOcFquavzFFyh4VghfFb7W4sBi7aosGxOI/s640/IMG_3684.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Lily on Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, July 15, 2015.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BktNh-TzZeQyprLb1f_b6QLDANJHmICgI7sqpLBK8p6DkNp-4gl97A2NBmQUeFOwfWkE1dJPapAfUJk1JW6PLIb3vVf-D1k81FO44SRKq5GgGsxOoJ4Itr7I-Em6oFnI7fQZE-I4Rv2V/s1600/IMG_4070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BktNh-TzZeQyprLb1f_b6QLDANJHmICgI7sqpLBK8p6DkNp-4gl97A2NBmQUeFOwfWkE1dJPapAfUJk1JW6PLIb3vVf-D1k81FO44SRKq5GgGsxOoJ4Itr7I-Em6oFnI7fQZE-I4Rv2V/s640/IMG_4070.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Lily pollen on my clothes, July 15, 2015. I didn't know then that I'd be writing<br />
all these poems, so I didn't get a picture of the pollen on my hand, but I took this shot<br />
because I was surprised to find I had pollen all over my clothes, too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPY0NYSMnLW77J9h-E-IUWOn_1fxeSFJ5JPeauQgdxNAEhOxdLCPOfCsqFF1Wfm_fp0xpOkYcjVfCL2Y2Yalc4KtBxmxGhZDyWk3qHinr2UuHt8SpF_vYQ0F4AFjb7wWnNuogSm_dGT9u/s1600/IMG_3946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPY0NYSMnLW77J9h-E-IUWOn_1fxeSFJ5JPeauQgdxNAEhOxdLCPOfCsqFF1Wfm_fp0xpOkYcjVfCL2Y2Yalc4KtBxmxGhZDyWk3qHinr2UuHt8SpF_vYQ0F4AFjb7wWnNuogSm_dGT9u/s640/IMG_3946.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Lily, triple blossom, on Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, July 15, 2015.<br />
(Note the seed-pods from last year's flowers behind it--I didn't see them when I took the photo. I'm pretty sure<br />
I took a photo last year of this now-dead plant when it was in bloom.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">6. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I saw the spider clinging to a petal, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Even spotted the ant among the stamens, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">But I didn’t see you, silver with age, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Bleached to invisibility by the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Your current incarnation, scarlet in its prime,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Blazed before me, commanding my full attention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The camera, my third and better eye, saw through the glare,
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Beyond the blood-red beauty, catching what I missed:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You, less tall than I remembered, paper-thin and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Brittle-boned, your three heads burst wide open, shattered, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">All your brains now long-since scattered on the wind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Fixed in the frame, where I found them later, were your<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Patient bones, still standing behind the living Lily</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">To which you gave your ghost.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_R4xJC5UDFwPkqhDK05yJPHzES_LxsEPZZRrwf7ZxikEjwMYh0uw1OQf-5IUUCFqlheP9KSSxHZmQzKWrvvMJiOwgjcdcbcPrivlB9qfpzA2JmkafYIrVtOXJ3c5N2LQbvbTeuSlSBXM/s1600/IMG_3710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_R4xJC5UDFwPkqhDK05yJPHzES_LxsEPZZRrwf7ZxikEjwMYh0uw1OQf-5IUUCFqlheP9KSSxHZmQzKWrvvMJiOwgjcdcbcPrivlB9qfpzA2JmkafYIrVtOXJ3c5N2LQbvbTeuSlSBXM/s640/IMG_3710.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spider on Wood Lily, Shovel Point, Tettegouche State Park, July 15, 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdceQU8Z_l6GCm5jQQ1VEB7wl7yjtXj-lXa0PHJ6x07ROQvQ9QFMQsU9bbTaGlHalcdX1Ps5y65PwbHfOZT_TdN4dfcdckDavA_BQuACPCCpC7oh68C34wvjo5iW5BkK-csOQP6XZeV8Y/s1600/IMG_3805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdceQU8Z_l6GCm5jQQ1VEB7wl7yjtXj-lXa0PHJ6x07ROQvQ9QFMQsU9bbTaGlHalcdX1Ps5y65PwbHfOZT_TdN4dfcdckDavA_BQuACPCCpC7oh68C34wvjo5iW5BkK-csOQP6XZeV8Y/s640/IMG_3805.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ant among the stamens" (look closely!), Wood Lily, Shovel Point, Tettegouche State<br />
Park, July 15, 2015.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">7. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">On a Minnesota mountain that is not a mountain, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In soil that is not soil so much as lichen-masticated rock,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">There grows a cup-like flower that is no more a scarlet cup <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Than it is an empty hand reaching up to meet the sun,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">But you could say it is and take real comfort from the lie:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Feel the broken fingers of the year cohere into a spotted
goblet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">And drink your fill, in season, for as long as you can climb<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This little mountain that is not a mountain;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Then lat</span><span style="font-size: large;">er, when you are no longer able, move in memory</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Through time and space to a moment and a place <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Upon a mountain that is a mountain true<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">When he grasped your hand before you knew <br />You were about to fall, having slipped on soil</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">That was not soil but dusty Colorado gravel.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ck8Ahq1ARi4Vm2EIFTXZRkoa2LZa4asjARRyw-12wbZM_ZmAKmX1PG38COotlcwcgCzWfz16E2rI0oBGRtZa6Sl8zPiMXPlrOTNrnAvSUk5_lYK9OfYC-AHH18jioNgCfKIATNgTUP28/s1600/21A_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ck8Ahq1ARi4Vm2EIFTXZRkoa2LZa4asjARRyw-12wbZM_ZmAKmX1PG38COotlcwcgCzWfz16E2rI0oBGRtZa6Sl8zPiMXPlrOTNrnAvSUk5_lYK9OfYC-AHH18jioNgCfKIATNgTUP28/s640/21A_0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"A mountain that is a mountain true." Both photos, above & below, were taken in Colorado in the '90's<br />
while I was hiking with John and digitized later.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8jWQsWrrl47cJ3s5qUL_WsNGSNmiKlSbcXCHZRKGTid-FH7IZfSL7BKgTPbs_O0JKj7HJ0EbQBhrTKhJAhyphenhyphen2yA-USZ3I3OaKxo-wrrx1uPNfmnsVAo1n_kZzGFRgKD_Rw866E5nag2el/s1600/john%2526kathy+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8jWQsWrrl47cJ3s5qUL_WsNGSNmiKlSbcXCHZRKGTid-FH7IZfSL7BKgTPbs_O0JKj7HJ0EbQBhrTKhJAhyphenhyphen2yA-USZ3I3OaKxo-wrrx1uPNfmnsVAo1n_kZzGFRgKD_Rw866E5nag2el/s640/john%2526kathy+006.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of mountains from the Dings family cabin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Some notes: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">*John laughed once at my reference to the</span><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawtooth_Mountains_(Minnesota)" target="_blank">Sawtooth Mountains</a> of Minnesota, which by Colorado standards are not, of course, real mountains. Both full of state pride, we argued once about whether the sky was bluer in Minnesota or Colorado...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">*Unless you read Robert Frost's long and difficult "<a href="http://genius.com/Robert-frost-directive-annotated" target="_blank">Directive</a>," a poem John loved and was fond of quoting, and which I quote in the epigraph to these poems, you won't understand Sonnet #7. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">*I thought very carefully about how I organized each sonnet, where I ended each line, and how I grouped lines into stanzas (there's a reason #7 is one stanza). I also tried to repeat and develop certain motifs (climbing and falling, losing and finding, forgetting and remembering, brokenness and wholeness), images (hands, cups, the sun) and colors (red and green) throughout the series.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">*I don't always experience the wholeness I felt back in July among the Wood Lilies, but it's a memory of peace and clarity that I try to hold onto.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">*Every time I think this series is finished, I end up starting another poem, so maybe there'll be a Part Two...</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EDm7HX26J1B3cuVEFvn6MCSbPMi4m0wLq4D3GPXMMYZb8UoFzOTfVCD3c-Uzr9Fk2kUS7j5dz-Ythy9RoltVW_BVxnTery96aXhmZ91a1y2hMaRgBOavRzt5ljThVAD_DJrnLYyTic0Y/s1600/IMG_0696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EDm7HX26J1B3cuVEFvn6MCSbPMi4m0wLq4D3GPXMMYZb8UoFzOTfVCD3c-Uzr9Fk2kUS7j5dz-Ythy9RoltVW_BVxnTery96aXhmZ91a1y2hMaRgBOavRzt5ljThVAD_DJrnLYyTic0Y/s640/IMG_0696.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two triple-blossom Lilies, both now gone to seed. Taken 10/11/15.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdraft.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1214969358195019651%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D5144064777913009811%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-S6nhSUq2LQI%2FVaxMBO4yf7I%2FAAAAAAAADOs%2Fvk_JeTAPjiA%2Fs640%2FIMG_3684.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=w2nCLA4GrgfB&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 9021px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdraft.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1214969358195019651%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D5144064777913009811%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-S6nhSUq2LQI%2FVaxMBO4yf7I%2FAAAAAAAADOs%2Fvk_JeTAPjiA%2Fs640%2FIMG_3684.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=w2nCLA4GrgfB&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 9021px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1214969358195019651" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1214969358195019651" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-78960061022643501482015-10-22T20:56:00.002-05:002021-05-24T09:21:30.554-05:00Reading the Bog with Ms Ball<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80wKm9JKdzgsHAQj3ODGdiYvgpkI8dya9vFHK9PhAN9XRDHwgqAe2-1imaAKjyO12EeiiyWvXBaM7a1OKYLMEWb5H-g-ockGETAhu5az72H6mKmB69MVbPffGqxa69vyZOGBrrui4HOqV/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80wKm9JKdzgsHAQj3ODGdiYvgpkI8dya9vFHK9PhAN9XRDHwgqAe2-1imaAKjyO12EeiiyWvXBaM7a1OKYLMEWb5H-g-ockGETAhu5az72H6mKmB69MVbPffGqxa69vyZOGBrrui4HOqV/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Ball's notes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">When I go bog-walking, I'm usually alone. I love the peace and solitude. But I've been trying to get Ms Ball to go orchid-hunting, or at least bog-walking, with me for some time now because I know she'd enjoy it. We were finally able to make it work last Saturday, the 17th. Ms Ball borrowed some waterproof boots, and we both packed our lunches. When we hit the road at 7 am to drive up Highway 2 towards Bemidji, it was a chilly 29 degrees, and there were patches of frost on the ground. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">While I drove, I gave Ms Ball the task of keeping track of the birds and the road-kill we spotted. She dutifully took notes in her perfect handwriting. Among the highlights of the day were 7 bald eagles, 2 eagles nests, a pair of swans, 1 dead deer, and several dead porcupines. (I was hoping we'd beat my record of seeing 9 eagles on this trip.) All along the way, we admired the colors of the autumn leaves, especially the deep mahogany of the red oaks.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We made our first stop at the <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/detail.html?id=sna02013" target="_blank">Wawina Bog SNA</a> (Scientific and Natural Area). I have often wanted to explore this bog, but usually I just drive right by it. Unfortunately, after attempting to cross the </span><span style="font-size: large;">ditch on the side of the highway, Ms B and I decided our boots were not up to the task. We needed waders to go any farther. Sadly, we never even got close to the Wawina Bog... Another time, perhaps.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiej4pCnBedQcmQcGsY-7z15WSp3PUSPmUufxjWsvReYKxlTg2s1wmO81SPQyDJN-KJZS4Bc50oXpvOeacTrLp_2HD3aM9gLr2Tl6w2A2_0SKASwi-MXu7G-hV03B0rpAMfHQEEJkMKIQ1j/s1600/22105484518_67abdca86c_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiej4pCnBedQcmQcGsY-7z15WSp3PUSPmUufxjWsvReYKxlTg2s1wmO81SPQyDJN-KJZS4Bc50oXpvOeacTrLp_2HD3aM9gLr2Tl6w2A2_0SKASwi-MXu7G-hV03B0rpAMfHQEEJkMKIQ1j/s640/22105484518_67abdca86c_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Bog.<br />
<b>Small hills and valleys</b><br />
<b> of moss: beneath, a tangled</b><br />
<b> web of broken bones (SN)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We hopped back in the car and made for the [X] Bog SNA [name protected], which I have visited many times before. I've never yet needed waders there. One does need a permit, however, to enter the bog, and the permit clearly states that visitors are not to damage the vegetation. The goal is to move through the bog without leaving a trace. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Before we began, I gave Ms Ball a few tips about walking through the bog: </span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step lightly at first!</b> Always test the solidity of the ground before putting your full weight upon it. (I use my trusty monopod for this purpose.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Keep to the low, wet ground rather than the high mounds of moss</b>. This seems counter-intuitive, but the moss often covers treacherous tangles of fallen branches, beneath which water collects, whereas the lower spots are usually more solid. This may not be true in all bogs, but it seems to be true of this bog. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Never step on a log without testing it</b>, as it may be soft and rotten; similarly, never rely on a tree trunk or branch to help keep your balance--it, too, may be weak with rot or brittle with age (just like us--right, Ms Ball?).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"> <b>S</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>tay far enough behind me to avoid backlash</b> from the tree branches I push through. Nobody wants a slap in the face!</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirq3uFBbtvQfDMvUZoIsP_tL769bvz8MrSkVjHldq_3LBEK0_lNRT4ykXlRn2TenEFUa4AsNjsB7j0gz1XrfmoX9T8XqE6GuEbaiv9A-u0Svdr9faMOKB1R5LUjDWJfXDeoNsnyGSfWsd5/s1600/22095336129_21064d9f24_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirq3uFBbtvQfDMvUZoIsP_tL769bvz8MrSkVjHldq_3LBEK0_lNRT4ykXlRn2TenEFUa4AsNjsB7j0gz1XrfmoX9T8XqE6GuEbaiv9A-u0Svdr9faMOKB1R5LUjDWJfXDeoNsnyGSfWsd5/s640/22095336129_21064d9f24_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beneath those lumps of luscious moss lie tangled roots and branches or maybe small pools of water.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b> I read the pattern</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b> in the carpet of moss and</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b> leaves: life, death entwined (SN)</b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Most of the time, I led the way, but a couple of times, Ms Ball did the bush-whacking. </span><span style="font-size: large;">We spent a few hours walking around, following what looked like deer trails, stopping to admire the mushrooms and the last traces of the season's orchids. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOIjfOgpCnFOCkMZf7Iz5wCQDFyH1ic57UAreT-sTbxG5YR9fcD8p6YlPUlkD_3RpaurZw-ae-k41FKzkv1zNXF90vuELgXTlN-HG9CTmVZH_3QfTeWRFAnca_hR6c2UZuESBEwUGq1es/s1600/22103410779_834a4e46f2_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOIjfOgpCnFOCkMZf7Iz5wCQDFyH1ic57UAreT-sTbxG5YR9fcD8p6YlPUlkD_3RpaurZw-ae-k41FKzkv1zNXF90vuELgXTlN-HG9CTmVZH_3QfTeWRFAnca_hR6c2UZuESBEwUGq1es/s640/22103410779_834a4e46f2_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Ball takes a turn at leading the way through the bog.<br />
<b>walk softly, carry</b><br />
<b> a bog stick to check for depth</b><br />
<b> and hidden secrets (JB)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eLXLarE48PPyhfAZLP14FKU7omof6jkn0em3-UdXx8Oo72PKA2TZGtcwUWoNWUi3qWLiX5TaCul3MPO9RiIFSHy9k4hmospxWQehtLdtUSKUXn39Dl2erwXQPqn5IgAC9X-e8QrR9yp_/s1600/22263056086_7f2c98029e_o.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eLXLarE48PPyhfAZLP14FKU7omof6jkn0em3-UdXx8Oo72PKA2TZGtcwUWoNWUi3qWLiX5TaCul3MPO9RiIFSHy9k4hmospxWQehtLdtUSKUXn39Dl2erwXQPqn5IgAC9X-e8QrR9yp_/s400/22263056086_7f2c98029e_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the more colorful fungi we saw.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0lddvaTTWGkJnoVHRfh23l40sfg2rXWFxvSr1hkkbd1HDJ73EBkESkmtNdEUjgnZcn2KtwVtf850Dw4H7XP2Ucbm04Q3QO2wjnk9WoX2e_WgxQoQku_HU9TL5TyykOgZbvxuzrce7rk9/s1600/IMG_1077.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0lddvaTTWGkJnoVHRfh23l40sfg2rXWFxvSr1hkkbd1HDJ73EBkESkmtNdEUjgnZcn2KtwVtf850Dw4H7XP2Ucbm04Q3QO2wjnk9WoX2e_WgxQoQku_HU9TL5TyykOgZbvxuzrce7rk9/s400/IMG_1077.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown cup fungus.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We came across a patch of Showy Lady Slippers, now dead and brown, but sporting nice big seedpods. I marked the orchid-cluster on my GPS app so that I might find it in bloom next summer.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJ_-AjqyriqCRgBSWNOt8iAID8hWdDI5Ue-PIyKCJKDN7MT-h16qA7Hd4KOnVoBjgk2i2GOBxSWNGguO59aYDwgDgbi5gB_mJCXOsf4OWRKGEqPuo5ThBYNoHyD-DEz4UQBm75gYIdG8J/s1600/22099568790_41dd131de0_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJ_-AjqyriqCRgBSWNOt8iAID8hWdDI5Ue-PIyKCJKDN7MT-h16qA7Hd4KOnVoBjgk2i2GOBxSWNGguO59aYDwgDgbi5gB_mJCXOsf4OWRKGEqPuo5ThBYNoHyD-DEz4UQBm75gYIdG8J/s640/22099568790_41dd131de0_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Showy Slipper seedpods.<br />
<b> Dead orchid-mother,</b><br />
<b> full of seed-babies: let them</b><br />
<b> go now--let them go (SN)</b><br />
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</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">I was happy to see the remains of another orchid, one I have yet to see in full bloom. I'm not sure exactly what variety it is, but it's some kind of bog orchid. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsDq_oXy-Q6ZcwRHpn6iy04Eh13JMjM1w5KssDI-RIWkMkNvreXYDSfB3NkT3LmksO3byHtmT6XGHe3DWJhLuUFlwRu_wWFpnI15sy9Fi7U6qKs3te-yJ7avkxM75zW6IeLYWHJ2Zz0ci/s1600/22262027956_b7388890ed_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsDq_oXy-Q6ZcwRHpn6iy04Eh13JMjM1w5KssDI-RIWkMkNvreXYDSfB3NkT3LmksO3byHtmT6XGHe3DWJhLuUFlwRu_wWFpnI15sy9Fi7U6qKs3te-yJ7avkxM75zW6IeLYWHJ2Zz0ci/s640/22262027956_b7388890ed_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orchid stem with seedpods</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I think Ms Ball was really impressed with the beauty of the moss. She told me the other day that she could still see in her mind's eye the feathery fronds of one particular variety of moss (I don't know its name). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSW-D37EEhHxqZXz-HJYx2HvdbYBe7k3WQM1R22NP-i_isaClQjgzqGk-JrCxELCaS2purP1wzdv8CjR6neDcmr5OruY66FcMwFdRlSYFmvNuc4agoAn4w6U7GpqdidZjFci0lfsDL_wV8/s1600/22275388712_01d21b0427_o.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSW-D37EEhHxqZXz-HJYx2HvdbYBe7k3WQM1R22NP-i_isaClQjgzqGk-JrCxELCaS2purP1wzdv8CjR6neDcmr5OruY66FcMwFdRlSYFmvNuc4agoAn4w6U7GpqdidZjFci0lfsDL_wV8/s400/22275388712_01d21b0427_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feathery fronds of moss.<br />
<b>old gnarly roots nurse</b><br />
<b> tiny mushrooms and fern moss</b><br />
<b> bog water sponges (JB)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4ilFilRfK3XYdw9HD_XydOOVMdCuAZJxMLHLFTURMAXy6I4_urWPUorJ3Avh8uQEOqcsfrOfuSoISxW36f8R1LtE86q1trIlCo0Er7TnkvR1OardPWmHpvG6PLl7_BHVPSWEXLOdDA2n/s1600/22100078548_8f60a01775_o.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4ilFilRfK3XYdw9HD_XydOOVMdCuAZJxMLHLFTURMAXy6I4_urWPUorJ3Avh8uQEOqcsfrOfuSoISxW36f8R1LtE86q1trIlCo0Er7TnkvR1OardPWmHpvG6PLl7_BHVPSWEXLOdDA2n/s320/22100078548_8f60a01775_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reindeer Moss (which is actually lichen).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I always keep an eye out for the Reindeer Moss, which is actually a kind of lichen. I often see big patches of it in the bog. It always makes me think of the last stanza of <a href="https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/fall-rome" target="_blank">this</a> poem. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I made sure to show Ms Ball some of the deep, dark scary parts of the bog, places where she imagined a "Bog Creature" might live. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9HvXKrUrbP34Fo1QZNsKi82PBl6ByCmvBK0cphPJyQSJNmOJYxnFOAwY12XTYo_6lqeTxbHVqOVUJVBwFiSDwcepJv5rv4ZGcLfN9L527WT-yEiK8x9iA2msn9JJtLxB7kkZ75ToI_lg/s1600/IMG_1090.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9HvXKrUrbP34Fo1QZNsKi82PBl6ByCmvBK0cphPJyQSJNmOJYxnFOAwY12XTYo_6lqeTxbHVqOVUJVBwFiSDwcepJv5rv4ZGcLfN9L527WT-yEiK8x9iA2msn9JJtLxB7kkZ75ToI_lg/s640/IMG_1090.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home of the Bog Creature...<br />
<b>bog creatures survive</b><br />
<b> hidden under fallen trees</b><br />
<b> waiting for rebirth (JB)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After we left the Bog, we stopped at a secret spot where some Ram's Head Lady Slippers grow. I wanted to see their seedpods. The Ram's Head is a very tiny and rather rare Lady Slipper. It's difficult to photograph because of its small size. We found the seedpods, and I asked Ms Ball to put her hands behind them, to shield them from the breeze and to provide a simpler background for my iPhone camera to focus on. It helped! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDsP7qStfbsbb8G0SZL7Kute9UOfmVtVluD_myoRN8MUuGZRBpa82d94XeV1B1K57ctpwceBP9YDCnx7VTVFXIfFURU7_fvV-lCKwjKrX91NwXgt37VhtXMAhFqhTt9SLxDSGvkyH4zgA/s1600/22270366406_397b8ba2cd_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDsP7qStfbsbb8G0SZL7Kute9UOfmVtVluD_myoRN8MUuGZRBpa82d94XeV1B1K57ctpwceBP9YDCnx7VTVFXIfFURU7_fvV-lCKwjKrX91NwXgt37VhtXMAhFqhTt9SLxDSGvkyH4zgA/s640/22270366406_397b8ba2cd_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Ball's hands provide a good background for the tiny Ram's Head seedpods. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After that, we drove over</span><span style="font-size: large;"> to <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/lake_bemidji/index.html" target="_blank">Lake Bemidji State Park</a> wh</span><span style="font-size: large;">ere there's a "Bog Walk" Trail, complete with a boardwalk and informative signs. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiersfL6GK_Dmr22a5LTMT22NpFbEztKBwsHX6IBuBxB7v9p2MPPghSgKNJdTPwHD9M_P4dc2eHtG3yxClDwh3K9e22mh5s9HnvEqbLysr4ab9Za-izgQhqNhiKC-g9I52pWnnzN9ohUTYG/s1600/22111974659_d8321af6c8_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiersfL6GK_Dmr22a5LTMT22NpFbEztKBwsHX6IBuBxB7v9p2MPPghSgKNJdTPwHD9M_P4dc2eHtG3yxClDwh3K9e22mh5s9HnvEqbLysr4ab9Za-izgQhqNhiKC-g9I52pWnnzN9ohUTYG/s640/22111974659_d8321af6c8_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Ball on the "Bog Walk" at Lake Bemidji State Park.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had to wear bright colors (Ms Ball wore her Football Chain Gang vest) because there was a special program in the Park that day for young hunters. (We encountered one young hunter, nervously gripping his gun, but we never heard any shots.) </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQkisvSZI1bkBGEwdGbUxsaqGsLuHxFJn0VjFB4G7WKP3Xo6YOrk4-XOym6eiBpvqipoSoVRz-DevTBKfxSAEmMt4hH10W42wEvNSXd_f1vO2B_8PVl1sHk3SRcY2vcSznPmHQ9mOUn6C/s1600/21675177644_3e5c69b456_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQkisvSZI1bkBGEwdGbUxsaqGsLuHxFJn0VjFB4G7WKP3Xo6YOrk4-XOym6eiBpvqipoSoVRz-DevTBKfxSAEmMt4hH10W42wEvNSXd_f1vO2B_8PVl1sHk3SRcY2vcSznPmHQ9mOUn6C/s640/21675177644_3e5c69b456_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the edge of the Bog as it meets a small lake. All the tamarack trees were golden.<br />
<b>above tamarack,</b><br />
<b> crooked black spruce canopy,</b><br />
<b> and bogs, eagles soar (JB)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After completing the Bog Walk, we got back in the car and headed for home. Along the way, we talked about many things, among them how archaeologists have often discovered well-preserved ancient bodies in bogs. I mentioned one of my favorite books on the subject, P. V. Glob's <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bog_People" target="_blank">The Bog People</a>. </i>Ms Ball was intrigued, so I told her I would lend the book to her. I'll be interested to hear what she thinks of it. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQTr7qAqMxJdzsldT6q4_-nbFmBotQCadkG4Co56nw5HKp7oGz99EW2O4hSVCWrUYLffj6tT4TBcDeVonYlJkcamZwI_sHHDcwapvso0SnRXmfbp-7Y5FhpWgt-k4wneR88DtIwp3rxKt/s1600/IMG_1302.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQTr7qAqMxJdzsldT6q4_-nbFmBotQCadkG4Co56nw5HKp7oGz99EW2O4hSVCWrUYLffj6tT4TBcDeVonYlJkcamZwI_sHHDcwapvso0SnRXmfbp-7Y5FhpWgt-k4wneR88DtIwp3rxKt/s320/IMG_1302.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The book I lent to Ms Ball.<br />
<b>What shall we offer </b><br />
<b> to the bog? It will remain</b><br />
<b> there a thousand years (SN)</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Part of the reason I love bogs, I think, is that they bring life and death so close together.</b> They remind me that, as <a href="http://io9.com/we-are-all-living-among-the-dead-1646333767" target="_blank">this article reminds us all</a>, "we are all living among the dead." The bog is full of life--all that luscious moss, all those mushrooms--and yet it's built on death, the death of trees and the decomposition of all kinds of vegetable matter. The moss and the mushrooms feed on the death of other plants, creating a rich, wonderful atmosphere of beauty and (if not terror, then at least) uneasiness...</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQhMSbySMPfSi5FzbJOBZMpN4tJuWOc5WyQ_0k-2QKWVkAC7_gO3oS1NSX0BFKrC2IRxxh72TqwBZ1IgXmqRzEoBqufkhw3SNKfiCQ2tyl2FLc4j1OWjp09rxGRCG6D4ECrwgXeewyvDL/s1600/22310348711_344eaedc08_o.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQhMSbySMPfSi5FzbJOBZMpN4tJuWOc5WyQ_0k-2QKWVkAC7_gO3oS1NSX0BFKrC2IRxxh72TqwBZ1IgXmqRzEoBqufkhw3SNKfiCQ2tyl2FLc4j1OWjp09rxGRCG6D4ECrwgXeewyvDL/s320/22310348711_344eaedc08_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Mississippi from the Pokegama Dam.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All day, Ms Ball was really impressed with the physical atmosphere, the noticeably fresh and clean air. All the lichen in the bog <a href="http://www.air-quality.org.uk/19.php" target="_blank">indicates the cleanliness of the air</a>, as lichens are not present where the air is polluted. I asked Ms Ball to sum up the day in a few words, and this is what she said: <b>it was a day of </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"clean breathing, soft walking, [and] close reading."</b> I like that. We were indeed reading the bog as closely as we might read a poem, navigating our way through confusing thickets, following false trails, turning back at times to re-read previously-travelled ground, all the while searching for meaningful patterns, vivid images, unexpected insights.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF94CiJ4cqC8vAzVagjroNC2xbUQU2R64c0DpMYG86LwsMHzF2-iWEAy6j6iRbnl0Q33nSAQLHnS2c43X_MU8SdpuNOqek1hAEza7q8lrEqW1j4pULO3RX65Fi-quG3En_mEgEZh-H7bNH/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF94CiJ4cqC8vAzVagjroNC2xbUQU2R64c0DpMYG86LwsMHzF2-iWEAy6j6iRbnl0Q33nSAQLHnS2c43X_MU8SdpuNOqek1hAEza7q8lrEqW1j4pULO3RX65Fi-quG3En_mEgEZh-H7bNH/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The red dragonfly. Photo heavily edited with Snapseed. <br />
<b> A fallen leaf? No!</b><br />
<b> A red dragonfly, resting</b><br />
<b> before its last flight (SN)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">On the way home, we stopped briefly at the <a href="http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/PokegamaRecreationArea.aspx" target="_blank">Pokegama Dam Recreation Area</a> outside Grand Rapids. It's a good spot to get close to the Mississippi River. You can walk across the Dam, and so we did. I spotted a small red dragonfly on the concrete steps and took a photo. I don't think I've ever seen a red dragonfly before.
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<span style="font-size: large;">As it got darker, we talked some more of life and death. I told Ms Ball about how I imagine writing a murder mystery about an orchid-hunting English teacher who discovers a body in the bog and then sets out to solve the mystery... Maybe we'll write it together some day--who knows? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After we got home, I asked Ms Ball if she would like to write a guest post about her day in the bog, but she declined... She did agree, however, to write some haiku with me to accompany this post. I'd like to thank her for that, and for her company on that lovely day.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdraft.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1214969358195019651%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D7896006102264350148%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D1%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-WNx5GTtDHgE%2FVibocu78OaI%2FAAAAAAAADdc%2FBSeXeq0-KDs%2Fs640%2F22095336129_21064d9f24_o.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=9hnDJf72jJ3r&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2171px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdraft.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1214969358195019651%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D7896006102264350148%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D1%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-WNx5GTtDHgE%2FVibocu78OaI%2FAAAAAAAADdc%2FBSeXeq0-KDs%2Fs640%2F22095336129_21064d9f24_o.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=9hnDJf72jJ3r&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2171px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-38871657839879002412015-10-07T08:43:00.000-05:002015-10-07T08:44:06.588-05:00Senior Blogs Links<span style="font-size: large;">The links to the <a href="http://marshallf109blog.blogspot.com/p/senior-blogs.html" target="_blank">Senior Blogs</a> are now up on my blog and on the US student page on Schoology (in the Resources section). See the screenshots below for help navigating to these places. Feel free to read the blogs and post comments. Good comments ask questions, offer helpful feedback, make references to specific passages in a post, offer encouragement, and create lively intellectual conversation. Good comments are always school-appropriate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-81355159133540017352015-10-06T12:34:00.000-05:002015-10-06T12:35:37.142-05:00Try This App!<span style="font-size: large;">The Hemingway Editor (<a href="http://hemingwayapp.com/">hemingwayapp.com</a><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.699999988079071px; line-height: 28.80000114440918px;">) claims that it will "make your writing bold and clear." Well, nothing but effort and practice will improve your writing, but this app might help a bit. Some of the sentences it marks as "hard to read" are just fine, and simpler prose isn't </span></span></span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.699999988079071px; line-height: 28.80000114440918px;">always better; sometimes, complex thoughts need complex sentence structures. This app does do a decent job of detecting when the passive voice is used, and that's important. Stick to the active voice as often as possible. This app was featured <a href="http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/10/hemingway-helps-students-analyze-their.html#.VhP7b0KTQeM" target="_blank">here</a>, and students should feel free to use the free web version. See the image below for how it marked up a draft of this post.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoRvgXr7qsaDoNbFkK8GYBjnK4LV9pjXnHcsz5EKOZSOXqUlM-ybN9cs1kjLBUgGs5E-UxQM2p5_Z4KiMAUr6t1ZUyHhL7LZpv1Oqr9FOSahHXQsFewdSdn40yw_mXgFTUM6yTbxxTCkL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-10-06+at+11.53.47+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoRvgXr7qsaDoNbFkK8GYBjnK4LV9pjXnHcsz5EKOZSOXqUlM-ybN9cs1kjLBUgGs5E-UxQM2p5_Z4KiMAUr6t1ZUyHhL7LZpv1Oqr9FOSahHXQsFewdSdn40yw_mXgFTUM6yTbxxTCkL/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-10-06+at+11.53.47+AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot of the app in action.</td></tr>
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Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-50025689719962234112015-10-01T13:24:00.002-05:002015-10-02T11:50:38.047-05:00(AP Lit & Comp) The Elgin Mushrooms<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyY0jrfU0qPDXeSe16wQm20cV7FdlJFXbIj_9qkUPeFLXfQnQE-C-Cz3C5ZDu2ipFuqx1Z4J7cfBuOn1aXNWSFIsI0mTtNnCN6mtMJiTVGebBjTGh5VEub2o7YTyeSkpczjIChO9ES7o0/s1600/11942304_10153756581624728_7031848445821538619_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyY0jrfU0qPDXeSe16wQm20cV7FdlJFXbIj_9qkUPeFLXfQnQE-C-Cz3C5ZDu2ipFuqx1Z4J7cfBuOn1aXNWSFIsI0mTtNnCN6mtMJiTVGebBjTGh5VEub2o7YTyeSkpczjIChO9ES7o0/s400/11942304_10153756581624728_7031848445821538619_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elfin Saddle mushroom on Munger Trail. I like the<br />
freckles on this one.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love it when my interests in literary history and natural history coincide. During the last couple weeks, I've been taking pictures of mushrooms on the Munger Trail, now that wildflower-season has come to an end. One of the less common species of fungi is</span><span style="font-size: large;"> <i>Helvella crispa, </i>also known as Elfin Saddles. These tiny mushrooms, with their marble color and fleshy texture but wildly irregular and seemingly-truncated shapes, always make me think of the <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/articles/w/what_are_the_elgin_marbles.aspx" target="_blank">Elgin Marbles</a>, which Mary Shelley saw in London at the time she was writing her most famous novel <i>Frankenstein</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Why do these mushrooms make me think of a bunch of ancient Greek sculpture fragments? Well, they look semi-human, like little ears sprouting up from the ground, or like little limbless torsos. --And if you change the "f" in Elfin to a "g," you're there!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizT0Xn1NKfbT6B56ruXMBsMt_Rb1uoSTPARE7clBp4MVgr2Or1J7bMChEgWRstzqGd3poD6xso_bWeXhVOjNTcHphvyVr_VJ9j7qkpw3UPKpcBRnYWIlTO6sZEWcS-teInQzf29XeXND2A/s1600/2629792735_f6b6559443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizT0Xn1NKfbT6B56ruXMBsMt_Rb1uoSTPARE7clBp4MVgr2Or1J7bMChEgWRstzqGd3poD6xso_bWeXhVOjNTcHphvyVr_VJ9j7qkpw3UPKpcBRnYWIlTO6sZEWcS-teInQzf29XeXND2A/s400/2629792735_f6b6559443.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 9px; text-align: start;">One of the Marbles. </span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 9px; text-align: start;">Photo credit:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdevers/2629792735/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #b31212; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Chris Devers</a> / <a href="http://foter.com/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #b31212; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Foter</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #b31212; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">CC BY-NC-ND</a></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I think of the Elgin Marbles, I think not so </span><span style="font-size: large;">much of <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/183997" target="_blank">Keats' famous sonnet</a>, not so much of the <a href="http://www.andrewgrahamdixon.com/archive/readArticle/301" target="_blank">on-going</a> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/parthenon_debate_01.shtml" target="_blank">debate</a> about whether they should be returned to Greece, but rather about the painter <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/benjamin-robert-haydon" target="_blank">Benjamin Robert Haydon</a>'s first </span><span style="font-size: large;">response to seeing them. </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">"The first thing I fixed my eyes on was the wrist of a figure in one of the female groups, in which were visible, though in a feminine form, the radius and ulna. I was astonished, for I had never seen them hinted at in any female wrist in the antique. I darted my eye to the elbow, and saw the outer condyle visibly affecting the shape as in nature. [...] My heart beat! [...] and here was I [...] perfectly comprehending the hint at the skin by knowing well what was underneath it!" (qtd in Jennings, 129) </span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mq_j7L79qR7jHn-MT8T47LGFEgj6eJT6I8s8f2KIKPxRdISBEaeHTwBxU34XkquY3k-vjDQhlH2qs5J4FtbSF_cyq6BlpZ5AzIZIlKIB13ZAb1UYyGNmsoyZa7KIPAhaLh4_n8fD3wjR/s1600/11143733_10153756561649728_5581822154390227288_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mq_j7L79qR7jHn-MT8T47LGFEgj6eJT6I8s8f2KIKPxRdISBEaeHTwBxU34XkquY3k-vjDQhlH2qs5J4FtbSF_cyq6BlpZ5AzIZIlKIB13ZAb1UYyGNmsoyZa7KIPAhaLh4_n8fD3wjR/s400/11143733_10153756561649728_5581822154390227288_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Like little limbless torsos." </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This passage got lodged in my memory back in grad school, perhaps because I was impressed with the passion of Haydon's excitement. </span><span style="font-size: large;">He </span><span style="font-size: large;">believed the ancient Greeks had studied anatomy and their careful observation of the human body made them great sculptors. Seeing the Marbles confirmed his suspicions. </span><span style="font-size: large;">He felt that the artists of his day needed a better knowledge of musculoskeletal reality, that they needed to observe more closely the actual human form; otherwise, their work would be idealized and unrealistic. I think the intensity of his response also comes from his pleasure at being able to connect what he <i>knew</i> with what he <i>saw</i>. Even a little knowledge can mitigate the strangeness of the unfamiliar...</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEDdU_85ARJ2xPxpb0qIaGjFfjeD6Az8LufY7NIeS0ps8SyiKqb1qdCE3V-WDzlQ8g9vxfriJUDDOb29UUOYiiXGGPbGn7h0ePBGI3H_CwJP83OQvXzL-i1q4fjx8DM3CyXABSfXqG_B6/s1600/11952971_10153756569014728_8939982295779375575_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEDdU_85ARJ2xPxpb0qIaGjFfjeD6Az8LufY7NIeS0ps8SyiKqb1qdCE3V-WDzlQ8g9vxfriJUDDOb29UUOYiiXGGPbGn7h0ePBGI3H_CwJP83OQvXzL-i1q4fjx8DM3CyXABSfXqG_B6/s400/11952971_10153756569014728_8939982295779375575_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Like little ears, sprouting up from the ground."</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the British public first saw the Marbles, people argued about whether they were beautiful or not. Folks were either fascinated or repelled by the fragments, expecting or fearing that they might somehow spring to life, so well equipped were they with bones, muscles, veins, and sinews. Accustomed to much more idealized images of human bodies, people were pleased or shocked by the ancient yet novel realism of the Marbles. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We readers react in a similar way to Frankenstein's Creature, himself a collection of human fragments. Is the Creature truly ugly, or is he merely a larger, and therefore shockingly real, human? Is he just one being, or is he an angry mob, moving and acting with one vengeful purpose? Does Victor find him repulsive because he knows too well what's under the Creature's skin? Victor claims that the Creature's parts, viewed separately, were beautiful, but once assembled and animated, became horrific. Perhaps some folks prefer their art broken into harmless bits, into ancient, ruined fragments, never to be reconstituted...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5bjc2GsE5klyAjqWJ9WyNm9XuT387nTiDpGFIth-WbSfUIUGaDEWk4mVobmFdu-FeEQ7gEdypxPgTpGnRVokXtCdLXXOOILn6firBsF-Lz4wZsPBAjdBgY4uM0f1vqI8SYBtb3IcNZng/s1600/14679203222_1ed222cfc5_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5bjc2GsE5klyAjqWJ9WyNm9XuT387nTiDpGFIth-WbSfUIUGaDEWk4mVobmFdu-FeEQ7gEdypxPgTpGnRVokXtCdLXXOOILn6firBsF-Lz4wZsPBAjdBgY4uM0f1vqI8SYBtb3IcNZng/s1600/14679203222_1ed222cfc5_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 9px; text-align: start;">I can see the resemblance--can you? </span><br />
<b style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 9px; text-align: start;">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/33278601@N00/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #b31212; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">5telios</a> / <a href="http://foter.com/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #b31212; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Foter</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #b31212; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">CC BY-NC-SA</a></b></td></tr>
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Certainly, the Romantics were fascinated by ruins, but perhaps mainly by the <i>idea</i> of ruins, the idea of once-great works subject to the ravages of time. It may well be that the sight of <i>real</i> ruins, like the Elgin Marbles, exposed too well the shocking effects of time and of man's mishandling of the past. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In any case, my Elgin Mushrooms are, for the most part, harmless (folks argue about whether they are edible or not) and charming, a pleasure to see and to photograph, not frightening at all, though admittedly a little strange. I hope to see a few more before winter comes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjKkj8rYK06Qr_am5D-_lj8bdUcXkimE63UAZuaDAw3j39Pogh2XSy_H4iAApqocgftmp5QtBIac5jMYK4orJydCo7HaWxXqz5Q8O_F0klz-AORClkPW0UsXasL4SSA8EB-QlE9kcLFRT/s1600/12000844_10153803699294728_6095454192852226452_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjKkj8rYK06Qr_am5D-_lj8bdUcXkimE63UAZuaDAw3j39Pogh2XSy_H4iAApqocgftmp5QtBIac5jMYK4orJydCo7HaWxXqz5Q8O_F0klz-AORClkPW0UsXasL4SSA8EB-QlE9kcLFRT/s640/12000844_10153803699294728_6095454192852226452_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't notice the tiny snail on this one until I was editing the photo!</td></tr>
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Work Cited</div>
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Jennings, Humphrey, Mary-Lou Jennings and Charles Madge (eds). <i>Pandaemonium: The Coming of </i><br />
<i> the </i><i>Machine as Seen by Contemporary Observers, 1660-1886</i>. New York: Free, 1985. Print.<br />
(This citation was created with <a href="http://www.easybib.com/" target="_blank">EasyBib</a>.)<br />
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Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-290955084053709062015-09-22T12:54:00.002-05:002015-09-22T12:55:41.875-05:00(E11) Saturday Nights and Snow-Days: Time for Pizza (Part 1?)<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UUgCKhtwOyGLcCItC6NGk1CGFcTF4ckhJeJgOlHXAAO2jzZo2R7HbeF2_xwGLB_Ye376jHkgfDU7sHtOwBy5aFaNIf6NmzOoDuvW_w4XDo92j3cmDow2-gniLixygKPrdnJSceXzExyR/s1600/18080315163_5124fab9fa_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UUgCKhtwOyGLcCItC6NGk1CGFcTF4ckhJeJgOlHXAAO2jzZo2R7HbeF2_xwGLB_Ye376jHkgfDU7sHtOwBy5aFaNIf6NmzOoDuvW_w4XDo92j3cmDow2-gniLixygKPrdnJSceXzExyR/s400/18080315163_5124fab9fa_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacquie and her son Tommy making pizza.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Say you’re asked to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">write
about your favorite food</b><span class="gmw_">. Your first instinct might be to ask <i>“How can I write a whole essay about pizza?! I like pizza. Pizza is great. I wish I had some right now. Done! How is that an essay?"</i> Well, asking yourself some questions and writing some simple sentences in response is a good way to start. It's how I'll start. But then, as you'll see, I'll work on making my sentences more descriptive and more complex.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pizza:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Favorite Food</b> (not a great title, but
it’ll do for now)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I like pizza</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This is a simple, declarative sentence, but
it doesn’t explain <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i>, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how much</i>, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what kind</i>.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I like pizza with
mushrooms, black olives, and green peppers.</b> (This is better, for it provides
a few details that let the reader know what kind of pizza I like, but it still
doesn’t explain <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why I like pizza, or how
much I like pizza</i>, and I could still add even more details: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homemade? Delivered? If so, from where? Thin or thick crust? Red or
white sauce? Why not green olives and red peppers?</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I like Pizza Luce’s
“Fresh Veggie” pizza, with its thick crust covered with red sauce
and lots of mozzarella, and its classic selection of vegetable toppings: mushrooms, black olives, and green
peppers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>(Okay, this adds some more details, so that’s better. Notice how the grammar of this sentence is now more
complex. But it still doesn’t answer the more difficult questions of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how much </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I like pizza.</span> Answering those questions takes more thinking.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I like Pizza Luce’s
“Fresh Veggie” pizza because it’s the best “classic” vegetarian pizza in Duluth
with its thick crust covered with red sauce and lots of mozzarella, and its vegetable toppings: mushrooms, black olives, and green peppers. I like it so much that,
even though I wish I could have it all the time, I only order it on special
occasions, like an impending snow day. </b>(This is even better yet, now, as it
provides some reason for my fondness, debatable though that reason may be, and
indicates something about the intensity of my liking: it’s reserved
for special occasions. My one sentence is now two, but I really just seem to be adding information onto the original sentence, as if attaching more cars to a toy
train. This short passage is still pretty simple, and it’s not really very
memorable—maybe the most interesting part is the bit about snow days, because
that sticks out as odd. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Isn’t it time to
let go of the original concept and really revise, really rethink this? </i>Clearly,
I have some experience and history with pizza, and this food plays a definite
role in my life, so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why don’t I discuss
that? </i>Notice how as the passage gets better, I have to ask myself tougher
questions in order to improve it further.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pizza has always been
a special-occasion food in my life. When I was a kid, my mom would make pizza
on Saturday nights, and only on Saturday nights. She would buy the Chef
Boyardee Pizza Kit, which contained a dough mix, a can of sauce, a packet of
cheese, and a smaller packet of seasonings, which my dad always referred to as “kirbies”—I
have no idea why. She would add extra cheese, grated on an ancient and treacherously sharp box-grater, as well as some browned hamburger, or occasionally some browned Italian sausage or sliced pepperoni. </b>(Now this
sounds like the beginning of an essay! Sometimes, you just have to throw out
everything you’ve written and start fresh. But look at how the sentences have
gotten shorter and simpler again. This isn’t necessarily bad—it probably
reflects the sudden return of memories as I begin to contemplate my history
with pizza. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Are there ways to combine or
rearrange these short sentences into longer ones?</i>)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6E2JfSiuHw-1HznU_nA0RkIIZ4L44vidMJDnL_MmI69JaHqJq6GZG2SuWd0QDvOW-SpvBE_Nl2tl8M_VR9EtCaOFpMgPA-Z6kOucFGAtq1Qu-yKpjl1gog_-OcTT5_MI82eVNt_Ayy4C0/s1600/18525068920_5b2af31ed4_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6E2JfSiuHw-1HznU_nA0RkIIZ4L44vidMJDnL_MmI69JaHqJq6GZG2SuWd0QDvOW-SpvBE_Nl2tl8M_VR9EtCaOFpMgPA-Z6kOucFGAtq1Qu-yKpjl1gog_-OcTT5_MI82eVNt_Ayy4C0/s400/18525068920_5b2af31ed4_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My attempt at making pizza with Jacquie's crust recipe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ever since I was a
little kid, when, on Saturday nights, my mom would open up the Chef Boyardee “Pizza
Kit,” a red box containing a can of sauce, a packet of dough mix, a packet of
cheese, and a much smaller packet of seasonings, and proceed to brown up some hamburger
and grate some additional mozzarella, pizza has been a special-occasion food in
my life. I can still remember my mom pushing the dough into the corners of the
jelly-roll pan in which she always baked the pizza and then spreading the sauce
over it with the back of a large wooden spoon. As soon as I was old enough to help,
she’d let me sprinkle on the cheese—“don’t miss a spot!”—and sometimes I was
allowed to sprinkle on the “kirbies,” too, as my dad called the seasonings,
imitating my infantile attempts to say “herbs.” </b>(See? Now we’re getting
somewhere! Four sentences have become three, but they're longer and more complex, and a phone-call to my brother
confirms that my dad called the seasonings “kirbies” because my toddler-self
had trouble saying the word “herbs.” Sometimes you have to do a little
research. <i>I wonder if they still make the Pizza kit</i>. If they do, I should include a <a href="http://www.chefboyardee.com/pastas/pizza-kits-and-sauce" target="_blank">link to the product page</a>. And who was <a href="http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=BH10" target="_blank">Chef Boyardee</a>, anyway? And there’s so much more
material to explore now: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why were
Saturday nights special? Remember how Dad warmed up the leftover pizza? How did you get from Chef
Boyardee to <a href="http://pizzaluce.com/" target="_blank">Pizza Luce</a>? Remember when you first tasted fresh mushrooms? You didn’t
like olives as a child—you love them now—how did that happen? The same was true
of peppers, with a different journey from hate to love: can you fit that in?
Remember the seven years or so when you never, ever, had pizza? Remember eating
English-muffin pizzas for breakfast in Buffalo? Remember eating pizza and wings
in Buffalo?</i> Your all-time favorite pizza is actually Luce’s Heirloom Tomato
Summer Special pizza, <i>so why don't you mention that?</i> You also love the Athena pizza. Then there’s the amazing pizzas Chef
Korach sometimes makes for the faculty on professional
development days! You gotta write about that! </span><span style="font-size: large;">And the pizza crust</span><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2014/02/2-ingredient-pizza-dough-recipe.html" target="_blank">recipe</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"> from
Jacquie (Dawson) Van Guilder (class of ‘02) that you want to try! Ask her if you can mention her in this post! [Update: I did ask. She said yes.] And you have
to explain the snow-day thing! See, there’s a whole essay here, in response to
that simple prompt:</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">write about your
favorite food.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maybe a better title would
be “Saturday Nights and Snow Days: Time for Pizza, My Favorite Food”? </i>The</span><span style="font-size: large;">
fact that I have so many memories and so much history connected to pizza is
what will make this a good essay. If you don’t have lots of memories to recount
or stories to tell about your subject, then obviously you haven’t chosen the
right topic for this assignment! Think for a bit and then give it shot. Write some sentences, ask yourself questions, and write even more! Get started now!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
[I hope I'll have time to finish all the stories I've started here, but I don't have the time now!]<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214969358195019651.post-45854387028361104732015-09-11T08:54:00.000-05:002015-09-11T08:54:00.846-05:00Where Do I Find College Essay Advice?<span style="font-size: large;">If you're looking for my advice about College Essays, please note that I have published a page (a page, not a post) which contains all the info and advice I have to give on the subject, as well as a sample essay. The image below should help you navigate to that page.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWYjYGANdaZPCl2AAbkH7-8S5-FJmrxlMIFt-dNYVx6oV0DuQfVJKhi4KpCn0d0i5Tkyy_BMabdrlYpx1UMMnshVMnJUqBKCLdujfOEtSxhnP7VXiHxSDqqVh8RGrTCECO6qNEydBEUvN/s1600/blog+navigation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWYjYGANdaZPCl2AAbkH7-8S5-FJmrxlMIFt-dNYVx6oV0DuQfVJKhi4KpCn0d0i5Tkyy_BMabdrlYpx1UMMnshVMnJUqBKCLdujfOEtSxhnP7VXiHxSDqqVh8RGrTCECO6qNEydBEUvN/s640/blog+navigation.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;">Look above, to the top of my blog, and click on "College Essays" in the gray bar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dr Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383677073551266005noreply@blogger.com0