Thanksgiving Reflections

La Familia Scribe added a wee touch of Martha Stewart to our holiday table yesterday. The hollowed-out gourds at each place setting hold votive candles. Saw this cute touch on TV~Kathy Lee & Hoda, I believe. Acquired the lillies & sunflowers at the local grocery store, on sale. The china & silverware are mine.

The antique spinning wheel in the corner, though, isn't a Scribe concoction at all. It's the real deal. Mr. Fairway's grandmother brought it all the way from Norway when she immigrated at the turn of the last century.

Of course, we ate too much & now our fridge is overflowing with food-stuffed Tupperware. If anyone has a couple of good recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers, please send them this way!

But for the Grace of God Go I...

Going freestyle today for Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. In honor of the holiday & all...

I've used this space as a platform, of sorts, over almost 2 years to speak about the homeless, to honor Yoshio & to remind readers about those less fortunate than we, who get their sustenance~for both body & soul~from non-profits such as Miriam's Kitchen in Downtown DC.

Today's Superior Snap was shot by Ella Numera Dos during a trip to see Miss Jo in San Francisco. The photo is entitled, "Man in the Mission."

Please take a moment on this day of gratitude & gorging to thank someone for making a meaningful difference in your life. And give serious consideration to helping those who can't help themselves. Click on the link below to find out how you can help. And have the Happiest of Thanksgivings, y'all!

Monsters, Inc.

Toy Story

Those who know Mrs. Scribe know that she can't possibly do her job until Room 215 is just right. Beatles posters on the walls. Crippy-crappy~including Green Bay Packers memorabilia~displayed on the shelves behind her desk. And speaking of desks, no real "teacher station" is necessary in Room 215. Give me a writing space~in the case of this year, one of the lab tables from a chemistry classroom~so I can stretch my long, long legs out. A 34-inch inseam, to be precise.

But the school year doesn't really start until the Happy Meal Toys come out to play. And this year, my 200+ collection of plastic paraphernalia didn't make an appearance until about 3 weeks ago.

Can you say "Stressed"? I prefer to say I'm "occupationally challenged." I have too many papers to grade. I have to dust & arrange my HMTs each Fall to make sure the presentation is original & well, happy. I can't do both the grading & the dusting at the same time. Of course, the toys had to be sacrificed to the God of All that is Holy at Our Humble High School~Grades.

Part of this, of course, is my fault. I added 2 Advanced Placement English classes to my schedule this year. And after a couple years off the AP treadmill, I'd forgotten about the sheer volume of student~and therefore, teacher~work. If you want to take the class seriously & if you want the kiddos to learn something, you've got to load them up. As in assignments. Which need to be graded. Lots & lots of A's, B's & mostly C's.

I've been at this teaching janx for going on 16 years. I've got 3 Journalism classes~Intro, Newspaper & Yearbook~on top of the AP gig. But one constant remains in my topsy-turvy schedule.

Students started bringing in Happy Meal Toys to add to my collection way back in the day. I have an expansive set of windows overlooking the senior parking lot, & had put a couple of tiny plastic figurines on the wide stretch of sill. My cherubs thought Winnie the Pooh & Tigger looked lonely, so they started adding contributions, 'til the perch beneath the windows was overflowing with McDonald's memorabilia.

So, something sadly was lacking during first quarter this year. I'd assign a timed essay~the bane of my existence as an AP teacher~and then glance out the window. Every time I looked through that wide expanse of casement windows, I'd remember. My toys still lingered in the closet. Locked up. Gathering dust.

I came in to school on a Saturday a while back. To dust, sort and re-arrange. Sully~he of "Monster's, Inc."~is one of my faves, but I didn't quite feel complete until I pulled Inspector Gadget from the box. At about 14 inches tall, he towers over the other plastic mementoes of Disney flicks, My Little Ponys & the original Pooh & Tigger. He came on the Happy Meal market in 2001, and had to be assembled, in 9 different parts. The good Inspector sported 2 right legs for quite some time. Extra credit to the young lad who stole Gadget's left prosthesis from his little brother's collection.

On that Saturday, at least, the papers, my cherubs, Our Humble High School, could wait. I had something happier on my agenda.

The Packers' Pied Piper...and a PIE!

The Green Bay Packers didn't disappoint yesterday afternoon. Well, they tried to, but San Francisco only clawed its way within 6 points. The Pack won, and is on a 2-game winning streak! But there's always Turkey Day, for those of us cynical Packer Backers who are looking for our 6-4 team to live up to negative expectations. We play Detroit on Thursday. And since we shut the Lions out in October, maybe we can stuff them again on Thanksgiving, huh?

I prefer to look on the bright side. Always have been a glass half-full gal, after all. The Packers have the best fans in the NFL, as evidenced by the spirited sousaphonist, above. Yeah, I know all y'all call that horn a tuba, but you're wrong-O!

Ella Numera Dos' last photo project before breaking for Thanksgiving involved a Green Bay Packers' theme. Entitled "Hometown Pride," her portfolio included 19 Superior Snaps such as this one, featuring what she terms "the craziness" of being a Green Bay Packers' fan. "Yes, some of the fans are a little ridiculous, but that is why they are so fun," Ella Dos points out. The fellow featured here is just the tip of the iceberg known as Lambeau Field & environs. More than one former high school band nerd dusts off an ancient instrument to toot at tailgates & in the stadium every Sunday, for sure!

Please check out Ella Numera Dos' Packer Pride all this week at her photoblog, MOO. The Superior Snap she's showcasing today is a quirky little capture of my SIL's MIL. You'll love it!

Didn't want to let you get away for the holidays without another pie recipe. This one's a tradition...in taste, in calories & in cholesterol. Not for the timid, that's for durn tootin'!

Susie Clark's Pecan Pie

1 cup Karo Syrup

1 tbs. butter

1 cup pecans, broken in pieces

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Pillsbury Pie Crust (you know, I always cheat on this part!)

Beat eggs well; mix with sugar. Add remaining ingredients (except the crust, of course), mix real well and pour into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. We like our pecan pie with vanilla ice cream on top. Enjoy!

Not the Brightest Crayons in the Box

No, Mrs. Scribe doesn't really mean that. But the headline seemed to fit the image, somehow. And if you want to know how they got their hair to stand up like that~water bottles, twisties & a whole heckuva lot of hairspray...

You know what to do, correctamundo? Take a gander at this Superior Snap, which was shot the Friday before Halloween at Our Humble High School. Then, conjur a caption for said snap. Tippy-type that caption, real quick-like, in the comments section of this post.

And there you have it, Scribe Fans! You'll win nothing tangible for all your toil & tribulation. Just the knowledge that you gave all of us a good giggle. And what could be better than that?

Stick a Fork in Me...I'm Done

Looking forward to stuffing myself Thursday!

Meet The Couch. I've written about her before. She resided in my Journalism Office (the classroom that adjoins my classroom, which serves as an annex, oasis & general sanctuary to ne'er-do-wells) from 2001 to 2006.

I think she was born sometime around the mid-'70s. I'm just guessing, because of her hideous plaid pattern. I inherited The Couch after someone else in the building had already had more than their way with her.

The Class of 2007 adored The Couch. So much so that I think they hold a tiny bit of enmity toward Mrs. Scribe for exiling this oozing pile of springs & stuffing to the dump after their junior year. No couch to sit on in 2006-2007. Instead, the kids sat around in a circle on plastic classsroom chairs. Looked like they were fixin' to sing Kumbaya. If someone had pulled out a pitch-pipe, they probably would have. In 4-part harmony, too boot.

My contribution to today's 6-Word Saturday alludes to getting away~from students, from parents, from grading papers. My chicas are coming home soon~one today, one next week. We (the gals in La Familia Scribe, anyway) always sit around in our PJs on Turkey Day. All blessed day long.

No dogs allowed.

Ah, bliss!