Observations from my Backpack

April 1, 2020 In reading today, I learned that even google is doing away with jokes and pranks for April 1st - often referred to as April Fool's Day.  Life is to serious now with the Cronovirus traveling all over  the world and now our nation, and so close to home.  No jokes please they say.  Time to shelter in for thirty days.   Why the picture above?  That's me at 5 years old, with my younger brother at 3.  My father gave us this for our backyard to play in. He was a big guy and could not fit through the door, and that's about the only memory that I found as I ran across this picture today, sorting and still preparing to move. The other memory was of the day that same brother sitting next to me decided to build a camp fire inside.  No, did not burn down the dollhouse, but did leave a dark brown burn on the floor.   Daddy's birthday was on April 1, and he would have been 95 this year.  He would not have enjoyed this year...

Linda Hiers Dennis - Freshman Year - Columbia High School Writing Book For me, I have passed 14-days of sheltering and other than the yellow stuff that makes me sneeze, and my sinuses to stop up, all is well here.  Just really miss the kiddos (even though Hankie facetimes with me, and I have now learned how to use the Emojis). Plus the girls are also around chatting about.  I do miss the backpack journalists, and keep sending out email updates and sharing the VIMEO channel. The time has given me the chance to begin to prepare my move to a new apartment, and that said, go through my "stuff". It's been an interesting journey, and time consuming as I had to stop and look and read, and reminice.  Here goes: Pictured here is a page out of my high school "Writing Yearbook" that brought back alot of memories. We used typewriters back then.  I am seated at the top left, in front of a typewriter - editing.  Our team all working also.  And, the outcome was ...

March 9, 2020 Spring Break - coming to the lowcountry from other parts of the US!  There once was a time when I was allowed to go on a Spring Break with my friends.  We headed to the beach and spent alot of time enjoying the sand, surf and being with each other.  Seems like these memories are now falling into the "ancient" times, like perhaps my young friends would ask me if that was "in the olden times?" My Renewed Spirit - College Youth Today Members of a choir from Grove City College in Pennsylvania sang a "thank you" to me as they traveled through our town. All I did was offer them "Free" cookies from a sample bar. They had recently performed at St. Helena, 1712 Church in Beaufort, SC. They asked me if knew Rev.Jeff Miller?  He was once at the church that they had performed in, and now here in Charleston.  They knew he was at St. Philips and he and his family had been so loved in Beaufort. https://vimeo.com/396593562 Then a...

March 5, 2020 Beginning again.  A busy year, and now busier.  Yesterday, after sitting down with a theologian and sharing my desire to seek a sabbatical, he commented, "well, you are on one.  The whales - are God's wonder! That is your sabbatical." Sitting back deep into the wingback chair, I realized that he was so right. As I reflected over the past 6 months of working with the beautiful whale films from Ocean Alliance, and doing research via N.O.A.A Fisheries and then sharing with 180 students, I recalled  the feelings of wonder and awe I felt.   Many times, the students and I would watch the whales play in the water and the Mama and her calve swim closely together, and more than one time, with all engaged with eyes on the large Smart Board Screen.  Never tiring of watching the large Blue Whale in the ocean coming up and down, playing it appeared. Lots of blow coming up also. Then I,  collecting the questions and trying to answer them from ...