Joplin Journal Volume 9-4, Issue 1

From the Editor's Desk:

It's a cloudy, slightly chilly morning. The birds were singing like crazy before 6:30 this morning. And a crow was attempting to wake up the neighborhood. I'm not sure how interesting this is going to be. I thought of skipping again, but I know that next week I won't be able to write a Joplin Journal since Sarah and I will be providing childcare for a ladies fellowship at church. So, you get one today. And hopefully I don't get things mixed up. :) My brain is tired this week because of an allergy induced cold. I'm feeling better now, but still sleepy. Is it nap time yet?

Weather Report:

Wind. Lots of wind this week. We've had sunshine, and temperatures ranging from the 60s to 80º. Yesterday started off sunny, but then in the afternoon the clouds rolled in with rumbling thunder. It thundered almost constantly for at least 45 minutes. And it rained. This morning the sky is overcast and things are soaked. I think we're supposed to get sunshine later.

"Genius Burns":

Well, not sure how much it's burning this week. Last week I got over 7k written. And this week I finished my 4th of July story. Yay! I sent it out to two beta readers, but haven't heard back from them yet. My current title is Lessons from Liberty but I don't know if I will keep that or not.

I'm trying to work on Phil Wood but it's being really slow. Not because I don't know what comes next, but because my brain feels like it doesn't know how to form a good sentence. :P

Project Prognosis:

• KDWC Camp – [Read more below]
• Children's Church – I don't have to teach this month which is nice. :)
• Working on cleaning out my computer files – Yeah, well, I should do that.
• Blog Posts – I haven't even started on May's posts.
• Clean Stack of Papers – Yes, I have a stack of papers sitting on the desk that needs gone through. I'm not even sure what is in it. Does anyone else end up with stacks of papers?

KDWC:

Camp is off and running. We have over 70 campers plus 6 "Aunties". Some writers are getting a lot done, others aren't. But it's okay. Sometimes you find that it isn't a season for you to write. Or maybe you can only get a little written instead of a lot.

The Music Stand:

Only one more song. We play tomorrow.

Easter Sunday's song went well. You can watch us HERE. (The song starts about 6:35 or something.)

Oh, the other day the kids were over and Grant had gone upstairs with me for something. He wanted to know where my violin was, so I showed him and asked if he wanted me to get it out. He said yes, so I got it out and played something for him. He just stood there and smiled and smiled. It wasn't long before almost all the other kids were upstairs too. I let Grant, Kailyn, and James all try playing. Then I took my violin downstairs and James and I played some duets with violin/piano. We even did one song and got all the kids to sing while we played. Sarah did a video of part of it, but I don't have it. It brought back memories of paying my violin with Jimmy at the piano.

Babysitting:

The kids came over Thursday morning and didn't leave until almost 3. We played and shot my new air powered guns (they shoot soft foam balls that don't hurt at all). I helped Krista design a mock cover for her story for school. She'll have to design the real thing at home, but she knows how to do it. I helped Joel trace and cut out a baseball bat for a school project, and I listened to Drew reading his school paper.

Faces of History:

Last night Joel and Drew's school class was doing a "faces of history" presentation. Each child had picked a person in history and had written a 5 paragraph essay about them. Then they dressed up as that person and read their papers for everyone. Drew did Neil Armstrong, and Joel did Babe Ruth. They all did a good job. Sorry, I don't have any pictures of Drew and Joel in their costumes.

Election Day:

Guess what? There was an election on Tuesday. At my polling place we had a grand total of 16 people come in to vote in 13 hours. The only thing on the ballot was school board, so I guess people either didn't care, or they didn't know there was anything to vote on. Needless to say, it was a very long day.

Teacher's Lounge:

We had our second class last week and enjoyed it. It's rather fun having class every-other week. Next week we'll have another class. Some of my students have had to drop out because of things, but I'll still have 3 in one class.

Book Nook:

I have read some. It doesn't feel like I have done much reading. I did beta read a book for someone, and am working on my 1st non-fiction book for the month. (I am trying to read 2 non-fiction books every month.) But I did read Rose Galbraith, Off Course (short story), Hidden Currents (read my review before deciding if you want to read it), and What the Cat Dragged In (short story).

Farewell:

Wow, this is late. That's because I got started late, and I've been juggling this and some things at Camp. Anyway, the sun is starting to try to come out! Yay! I need to go practice the violin and get some other things done. Dad is running errands. I think he's going to try to get the fountains switched today too. (Yes, we have a winter fountain and a summer fountain.) Sarah has a lot of sewing she's doing, and Mom has some things she's trying to get done. I hope you have a lovely day!