Allergy Season in Full Swing

I know that my friends and family in other parts of the country are waiting and waiting for spring. I remember that feeling. March is just dreadfully long and it seems as though warm weather will never appear. However, right now, I am ready to spend 2-3 days somewhere where there is no PollenCast like these ones I just saw on weather.com right now. I am taking Claritin every day, and while my eyes don't itch and water, my sinuses are acting up. 

Significant Rain

Some reports declared that Claremont had 1.28 inches of rain. I do not know if that was just Friday's storm, or the whole few days of rain. At the library on Friday, you could see some of the mess that the rain made, but I am not complaining. We need it. 

You can see some other photos of rain damage on my friend's blog here.

The 10-day forecast shows no rain for Claremont, but I am hoping for another few storms, or more, this winter.

Colby Fire

With our drought in Southern California and high temps with Santa Ana winds, we woke this morning to the news of the Colby Fire in Glendora, about 11 miles west of Claremont. Obviously this fire is a great disaster for many reasons, but it also creates some amazing opportunities for photography. Unfortunately for me, whenever I was out and about and could see the smoke cloud or beautiful colors, I did not have a camera on me. Then, when I went looking for photos, my views were obscured either by buildings or the fact that it was just hazy.

Therefore, the photos in this post come courtesy of my friends. These two photos were taken by a firefighter who is married to one of my friends. He was at the fire early in the morning and managed to post them. I'm sure he will be very busy for a few days. Over a holiday weekend, no less.

This photo is from another friend of mine which looks like a photo I might have taken if I'd had my camera earlier today.

Why It's So Cold

What's wrong with this photo? My friends and family in the rest of the country might first say that the frigid temps are what's wrong.

But I say that an apostrophe has gone missing. Really, people, let's learn to use apostrophes correctly!!!

Why It's So Cold. If you don't know the difference between its and it's, then take some time to learn it and and then use it correctly.

This rant brought to you on the "most depressing day of the year."

Preschool Conversation

Preschool Art

Earlier this week before the rain started, I was out sweeping the walkway to the music room at school. I do this just about every day because if I don't, the kids will track in all kinds of stuff to the room, and then the rug is not nearly as pleasant to sit upon.

The music room is in a portable next door to the state preschool, and some of the children have taken an interest in what happens in and who comes to the music room. While I was sweeping yesterday, I had this little conversation with Charlie after he discovered that their broom had been hiding behind a little bench and he got it out to sweep with me.

Charlie: You are good at sweeping.
Me: I've had a lot of practice.
Charlie: That's because you are old.
Me: Yup.
Charlie: And then you'll die.
Me: Not for a long time.
Charlie: That's because you don't have white hair yet.
Me: Not yet.

For the Record

This year, we turned on the furnace on October 29, a few days before my arbitrary goal of November 1. It will warm up later this week, but since I have people coming over to play instruments today, I didn't want to chill them (and me) out.

Cloudy Monday in Claremont

For your viewing pleasure, pictures of our luscious cumulous clouds from throughout the day.

The Season's First Rain

There is nothing like being inside, listening to the rain (which we always need) after coming home from teaching. It is especially great since it didn't happen to be raining whenever I was outside with all my music stuff!

Soup for dinner tonight!

Santa Ana Winds

The Santa Ana Winds do not come from  Santa Ana, but they ARE very windy. 

Here's a little example of the blustery out at Victoria Gardens earlier today.

Tall Ships Festival

Today was a perfect day to escape the heat of the Inland Empire and go to Dana Point to partake of the Tall Ships Festival.  The Brig Pilgrim, docked at the Dana Point Harbor, is a replica of the ship from Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast. Some of the tall ships in the harbor are used by school groups for 3-5 day living history and oceanography learning. You can read about those opportunities here. 

During our four hours at the festival, we toured through about 6 tall ships, watched a little play on board the Pilgrim, people-watched (lots of people dressed up as pirates, a few as mermaids), saw some aquariums, watched a parrot show, saw some hula dancing and watched a demonstration of sailors climbing the rigging to let out a sail. 

This was a very popular event with many, many people. It continues on Sunday. Here are a few of the many, many pics I took (as usual).

A very cute pirate

Some grown-up pirates.

Part of the Royal Marine Corps in the play

Royal Marines firing away

Pirates getting ready to board the Pilgrim to free the captive, Jean Lafitte

Jean Lafitte in need of rescuing

Pirates vs. Royal Marines

Climbing in the rigging. Not what I want to do.

A pirate and his parrots

Kids with parrots

Music Assemblies

What better thing to do on one of the hottest days of the summer, but to take the CHS band and orchestra as well as the color guard, the elementary instrumental music teachers, assorted parents and staff, and travel to all 7 elementary schools to promote the music program with outdoor assemblies. With a well-planned schedule, four of the teachers split into two groups and leap-frogged between the schools so they could set up and tear down music stands and stay after the presentation to explain registration to the 4th-6th graders and answer questions.

What I particularly enjoyed was seeing my former students now as high schoolers (and getting hugs!) and then hearing how their playing has progressed over the years. It's so great when students continue their music education and clearly enjoy the music as well as the camaraderie with fellow musicians. 

After five schools, everyone enjoyed a lunch break under the trees at Memorial Park. We even had a visit by the Claremont PD because someone had called them saying that a "suspicious-looking" pickup was parked on 10th St. The suspicious items? Drum cases. They only make musical explosions.... 

I have distorted the photos on purpose since I do not know which students have permission to have their photos posted.

The CHS Marching Band

The Color Guard

Elementary students seeking shade during the performance

Grass was a welcome relief at some of the sites over blacktop at others.

The CHS Orchestra

Signs of Summer and Fall at the Same Time

Signs of Fall:
First Day of School for CUSD today (lots of Facebook photos to enjoy!)
More Students at the Colleges / More Students at the CMC gym
My music schedule for Vista arrived today
Working on Lesson Plans

Signs of Summer:
It is HOT (and even muggy!)

Salad Days

The weather has turned hot - really hot yesterday at about 100 degrees. Time to have a salad for dinner every night. Time to find new recipes. I have been following a local blogger (see Blogs I Follow and find What's For Meat?) who sprinkles stories from her life at home with three little girls with recipes. The other day I looked through her salad recipes and copied a bunch and have tried two so far.

Tonight we had Butternut Squash with Lentils and Goat Cheese. We will have it again, and next time I will make sure we have enough mint leaves in the pot in the yard. Since I just knew we had a whole bunch, I didn't look before I went shopping, and when I went out with the scissors tonight, I harvested about a teaspoonful. 

Winter to Spring

My mom sent me this photo taken in Fort Collins two days ago - in APRIL. Spring is having a hard time coming through the door in Colorado right now.

During our winter, when we do actually get below freezing for short periods at a time, our bougainvillea appeared to have succumbed to the frost. (The green in the photo is the invasive asparagus fern that I can't seem to eradicate.) I took this photo in February

This is the same bougainvillea, photographed a few days ago, showing that spring is definitely coming to Claremont. 

* * *

Day 18 - Clutter Cleanse: A VHS entitled "Isaac Asimov Presents a Musical Video Voyage in Outer Space: Voyage to the Outer Planets and Beyond." This video shows images from JPL and NASA of the planets set to Gustav Holst's The Planets. I think I showed the video once to students years ago, and it was pretty slow going for them. I'm sure that if I want to play students any of this music, I can find a different way to introduce it. Donated.

Uncle Keith

This past weekend we received a call from H's family that his uncle who lived in Missouri had been out plowing snow with his tractor when it flipped over and killed him. It hardly seems possible that something like this can happen, perhaps because it is so unexpected and sudden.

H wanted to go to the funeral which was yesterday, and he found some flights that would allow him to miss as little of school as possible, but the more we looked at the weather map, the more it seemed unlikely that any flights would make it into Kansas City. He decided not to risk the trip. (Living in So. Cal., it is sometimes hard to remember that the rest of the world has such hazardous weather.)

Tonight while talking to his mom, H discovered that she had not been able to drive to the funeral either. The roads from Des Moines were difficult to traverse due to the continuing storm, so after 11 miles, she and H's sister turned around and went home.

Hail!

In sympathy with the massive storm hitting the east coast today, Claremont has some hail.

Winter Garden

In Southern California, most of the vegetables grow in the winter months. The heat is best for tomatoes, squash and peppers. Right now we have lettuce, broccoli, snap peas, brussels sprouts and cucumbers in our little garden.

The broccoli is doing well.

The cucumbers succumbed to the night freezes. Poor things.

We've never before grown brussels sprouts, and we are rather excited by what we see!

January Weather

What a difference a few days make. 

Tuesday late afternoon - 71 degrees

Yesterday late afternoon - 48 degrees

Annual Chemistry Study Break

The Claremont Colleges are on a late schedule this year, so it felt much colder walking to the annual Chemistry Dept. study break last night. Well, it really was colder than it has been in the past. As usual, the students enjoyed treats prepared by their profs and then commenced to decorate cookies to get prizes. 

Students working very hard. As usual.

All the entries on top of the piano.

This one won one of the prizes and was my favorite.

This one was pretty.

This was one of the ones with a chemistry theme.

Rainy Friday

I love a rainy Friday when I can stay inside and get things done, including read, although this does not give me much blog fodder for today.

However, a week ago I spied this woman who was enjoying the fall colors on our street by taking all kinds of photos. The trees are now less than half-full of leaves. Winter, such as it is here, is on the way.