Remember Halloween, the ultimate day of pretend? Well, I'm sad to say that schools and other organizations are deleting that bit of fun from the childhoods of many kids out there. I know, there's the dicey history of the holiday, and there's the scare factor. I just really want there to be a day when kids get to dress up and pretend to be whoever-or whatever- they want to be. We value creativity in society today--as adults, in the REAL world, it's those who can generate ideas who make ideal team members. If we want our children to succeed, we need to show them how to practice creativity. It's NOT at all hard to do: just IMAGINE! Let those little imaginations shine! My point: Halloween is an opportunity to use your imaginations.

However, imaginations always shine at Tecumseh. Here's the crew in our costumes for dress-up day fun!

Going Green

Summer 2008 is going to be a little greener! The 2008 Summer Reading Program is going green: environmentally friendly. We will be using artwork from children's book illustrator Harry Bliss (Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider...) and working to use recycled items, prizes that won't end up in landfills, and programs that encourage environmentally-conscious thinking. I'm psyched for this, and so glad to be a part of this planning committee. Many kudos to Heather A., our fearless chairperson for her inspiring ideas.

What's my dog gonna wear for Halloween?

We call him Sir Mac, the Dark Knight!
Mac is a sweet, gentle lab, who at first, was not truly happy about wearing the costume. But after trying it on a few times, he seemed to tolerate it. Finally, when we pulled out the camera, he pranced around in his helmet proudly!

So....what's YOUR dog gonna wear for Halloween?

Fort Wayne Fright Night

Have you seen the skeletons in downtown Fort Wayne? They are hanging up high on the light posts, but are posed in such a realistic way! I had to do a double take because I could have sworn I saw one of them scrambling up the pole!
Here's some info about the event:

By Michael Waskiewicz
Downtown Improvement District

Only the brave will want to weather the chilling and electrifying streets of Downtown Fort Wayne on October 27 for Downtown Fright Night. The young and old will be awed, scared and thrilled at the haunting events only to be found in Downtown Fort Wayne.

Your day of terror begins at the Downtown Library plaza for the Three Rivers Coffin Races down Wayne Street. Be thrilled at the costume parade and Halloween activities at the Grand Wayne Center by WAJI. Get chills from the ARCH haunted bus and walking tours with ghost stories by the Fort Wayne library in the Indiana Hotel. Finally, be amazed at the old-time daring-do of “The Black Pirate,” a classic silent film at the Embassy accompanied by the historic Grande Page Pipe Organ.

There’s a little terror and haunting experience for every age group at the Downtown Fright Night. Admission is free for most events. Don’t miss it on October 27, 2007 at 5:00!

Downtown Fright Night Schedule

3:30-6:00 - Band at the Main Library Plaza

4:00-6:00 - Three River Coffin Race presented by Ultra-Zone

5:00-10:30 - Haunted Bus/Walking Tours

5:00-10:00 - Library Storytelling at the Indiana Hotel

5:30-7:00 - Grand Wayne Center, WAJI & Science Central costume-related activities

7:00-7:30 - Dick Stoner Magic Show at the Embassy

7:30-9:00 - “The Black Pirate” at the Embassy

9:30-11:00 - “Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Main Library Plaza

Help! What can I read now?

Now that I've finished the Twilight series, I'm looking for another "It's SOOO good!" book. Would anyone care to recommend something? I only want books that were so good, you couldn't sleep!

So, what was the most totally engrossing book that you ever read?

Leave a comment for the rest of us!

What I'm reading now...

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. As you may or may not know, I have a penchance for Young Adult Fiction, mostly the new Sci-Fi Fantasy, like J.K. Rowling, Jonathan Stroud, Anna Dale, and Cornelia Funke. I'm also impressed with the fun that Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson provide in their Peter Pan series, and of course, I'm crazy about Pearson's Kingdom Keepers. You see, I am a literary wimp. I can't stand the idea that the story could end badly, and I've found that YA lit usually ends happily, with all the strings tied up into a nice package. It's safer. But back to Edward and Bella... The Twilight series, I'm almost ashamed to admit, is a romance, with---okay, yes, I know I am so dorky!---vampires and werewolves. Not my usual style at all!

Meyer's first book, Twilight, opens slowly. I have a friend who said that she just couldn't get into it. I almost felt the same way and put this book down, but kept chugging through the first chapter, which by the way, contains way too much description of the weather. The rain. It was raining. It was overcast and raining. The clouds threatened rain, but the ground was already soaked from yesterday's rain. All right, we get it! Forks, Washington is a cold, gloomy, dreary place. (To be fair, it is apparently the place in the U.S. that receives the most amount of rainfall each year.) Pull out your umbrellas, though. The storyline, at least, clears up even though the weather remains cloudy. By the second chapter, I was in too deep.

I finished the book, and was really happily surprised to find chapter one of the second book, New Moon, in the back of Twilight! Of course, that drew me in from page one, and I started the second book by noon the next day. I'm reading Eclipse, the third book now, but another book isn't slated to be published until Fall 2008. I'm afraid of the after-series slump, the withdrawal symptoms I'll have when I have to leave this mythical place.

If you choose to read this series, I'm envious of you. Savor it, for you can only read them for the first time once! Enjoy!

Ren Fest Photos...

Want to see more? Click here to see the rest.


Sir Eli, about to invade the village of Hollygrove...






...and a FLYING DOG, er...dog-squito????





Only at a Renaissance Fest do you see people dressed as knights, wenchs, fairies and druids. It's also the only place in the world that you see MANY dogs with wings. Some of the dogs had happy fairy wings, but I also saw some dogs with bat-like dragon wings breathing fire! (okay, maybe more like drool....) I'm not ashamed to say that I now own my own pair of fairy wings. Look for me dressed as a ladybug for Halloween!





Can I just point out that you can buy "dragon feets" at this place?






Click here to see the rest of the photos from the Michigan Renaissance Festival...