Some things you only hear or see once a year. Some things you only hear or see once ever. Some things you don’t start hearing or seeing until you listen and open your eyes.

You know that sound you hear when the wind is rustling the leaves in a tree? The swishy, slow but constant sound? Well I found out yesterday that it sounds different when the leaves aren’t fat and green and graciously slap against each other.

It was cold. And windy, which made the cold feel even bone-chillingly colder. But I stopped, steps from entering my car outside the library to look at the up at the tree that stood in the little strip of land between the parking lot and the street. The tree held branches full of dried brown leaves, still clinging. The constant wind was making an altogether unfamiliar but entirely enchanting music from the branches with their leaves. Each leaf could be heard fanning the one next to it. Instead of the light swishing of healthy leaves, there was a slight sharpness to the sound. Like thousands of hands clapping in a far off place.

I didn’t move for a minute, which for me, in the bitter cold (especially sans coat) never happens. What should I do about this new sound? I could tell others with my limited power of verbalization, “Omk! I totally heard these leaves today…they were so freakin’ rad. Ugh! I can’t explain it, I wish you’d been there!”. I could record the sound on my phone and replay it for my kids. “Listen to this guys!”

“What is it Mom?” (as they listen intently–silently–and I dream on…)

“It’s the sound of a tree full of leaves in the wind.”

“Okayyyyy….” (that’s the 13 year-old)

“No seriously, it sounds different than a tree with green leaves. See, all the leaves are dying but almost all of them have hung on to the tree. And they continue to hang on, even in the wind, and they sound like hands clapping!”

“I’ll clap for you Mom.”

“Nevermind…”

But I still had to share. So I share here.

I’m a learn by doing kind of gal. My husband offered to buy me a Joomla manual to teach me to build websites for his business. As memories of vainly following steps in a math textbook shuddered through me I explained that it would be so much better if he just showed me how and let me mess around with the application. In other words, he should save his money. Which for me seems just a little off-kilter considering I adore reading. But for some reason textbook writers don’t usually include characters or a climax, which is a shame.

Don’t ask me why, but this reminded me of fourth grade (textbooks aside). I had a beef with a girl in my class and she had a beef with me. We decided to duke it out 3:00 style. It didn’t matter to me one bit that I weighed less than 50 lbs. at the time and she had to have been twice that weight. Or that she was almost twice my height. My righteous cause would be enough to see me through. I packed the ends of my generic Keds with wadded paper towels because she’d leaked her strategy. She was planning on stepping on the ends of my toes and punching my face like a speed bag. Cartoon physics aside, I thought I was pretty dang smart to give my self foot cramps and throw my center of gravity off balance.

One big difference between teachers today and my teacher (in 1980 something or other): A teacher today would have called authorities. My teacher, dear Mrs. Baker, tried in her own way to dissuade us but never called anyone. Was she trying to teach a lesson? I really think she thought I would chicken out. I didn’t. I lost a tooth. I never picked a fight again. Lesson learned…the hard way.

Here’s just a sampling of the beautiful fall colors in my area. I snapped these on the way to pick up the kids from school today.

I’ve got a new “gig”.

Have you ever wondered about the state of Fort Worth charter schools?

Curious about charter schools in general?

You’re in luck! I’ve signed on as the Fort Worth charter schools Examiner for Examiner.com! It’s a cool site with national as well as local folks providing information and educated opinions with the public at large. Check it out and see all the neat stuff you can find.

One member of my family escaped the virus that held the rest of us hostage this week. And boy, was he ever proud of it. I guess he deserved to sit this one out since he is the kid with asthma, and has already had shingles in his short 13 years. But it sure is grating when he has his smug “I feel fine” smirk and reminds us every hour on the hour that he’s so amazed that he’s the only one who hasn’t gotten sick.

Do I sound bitter?

What I didn’t do: read a book. Not even one! My only outings were picking the well child up from school…no libraries or bookstores for me. I did read Time magazine cover to cover. You wouldn’t believe all the crap going on in the world.

What I did do: Walk around with a can of Lysol every day spraying everything, including the couch. I don’t even know if that works. I did it anyway.

Wash every linen I could on HOT.

Broke hearts when I reminded the sickies that if you miss school you don’t play computer.

Pimp fluids like my life depended on it.

Remind everyone that coughs and sneezes go in the crook of your arm (or a kleenex–aka roll of tp). I am not amused by the light speed breaking force and sound of your most impressive spewage.

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Make-up-school-work week–here I come!

Here it is!  The much awaited return of fifteen for friday!

1.  School is in.

2.  Yesterday I noticed three blooms on my flower.  Normally it only has two, and when I see another about to bloom I know that one flower will fall off before it gets a chance to open.  This is the first time there have been three blooms all at once actually attached to the plant.  I was pondering the reason why this made me so happy.  It has to be that it was unexpected and it involved a pretty lilac colored flower that has a perfect yellow circle in the middle.

3.  A BIG thank you to Jodi, Coy and Amy this week for reading and giving me invaluable feedback.  You guys are great!!!

4. Fun site of the week - www.mentalfloss.com

5.  As You Wish came out this week.  Don’t forget to pick up a copy.

6.  Finally read Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen.  I’m noticing that I like her books almost in copyright date order, favorites being the newest.  In other words, I really didn’t like Keeping the Moon so much.  But I’m looking forward to Along for the Ride, the only one I haven’t read yet and her newest.

7.  The forget-me-nots have grown, but why aren’t they flowering?

8.  I feel like I’m forgetting something.

9.  Good Girls by Laura Ruby –Wow, very modern.  I guess kids these days are having to deal with the issues covered in this book–everything you do can be photographed and sent to everyone you know–yikes.

10.  the sweet, terrible, glorious year i truly, completely lost it by Lisa Shanahan–I really liked this book especially following the heaviness of Good Girls…not that the sweet… isn’t heavy in its own way.  But it has a lot of very funny moments and some outrageous ones.  Gemma’s older sister is getting married and decides her theme will be animals who mate for life.  Sis dresses Gemma up as a SWAN for her flower girl outfit.  The story is set in Australia and has a few quirky words and phrases, but it’s all very followable.  I was a little confused about “the tip” which I could only surmise was a piece of undesirable land that smelled awful.

11.  Girl in Development by Jordan Roter made me realize that the way I tend to write (casual writing, mind you) in “valley girl” may not be the best idea.  Yeah, it’s cute for a little while, but it’s looking more and more immature when I read it from someone else.  I was excited about this book and picked it up because of the blurbs on the back.  It was an okay read.

12.  The three books I picked up at the library all had a copyright date of 2006.  Is that weird or what?

13.  When will I wise up and make it FIVE for Friday?

14.  Random thought (I told you this might happen…no, I did…back in the beginning) is dim sum the same thing as dumplings and pot stickers?  I could look that up, I know…just killing numbers here.

15.  Could someone please please publish me please?! Thanks.

The dogs seemed uncharacteristically happy when I came home from dropping the kids off to school this morning.  Lola hopped around wagging her tail and spinning in the only way a barrel tummied, bow-legged, bearded terrier can.  She’d already been fed, watered and let loose in the backyard.  I could only surmise that she knew what day it was.  The start of 7 hours a day, five days a week where the only noises are Sam (my corgi mix) snoring and me punching the keyboard (or doing a little snoring myself–wait, I don’t snore).  So I danced with her for a moment, letting her get her wiggles out and exclaiming that yes, I do know that the kids aren’t here.

This is the first year my daughter actually cared what her hair looked like, “Mommy, can you make my hair so the ends point out like this?” and she swooped her hands away from her head indicating a flip hairdo.  “Yes, sweetie I sure can!”  A good hair drying with a round brush, hairspraying and curling the ends later my daughter looked in the mirror and smiled a giddy smile, “It’s perfect!”

My middle child searched, yes, searched and FOUND(!!!) a belt, which I know within two weeks will be shunned for another five minutes of morning TV.  No messing with hair here, the lady at the hair-cutters unceremoniously shaved it all off a week ago (I could’ve done that for free!)  He checked and rechecked to make sure he had everything he needed.

My oldest was definitely cool about the whole first-day thing.  But I could tell he was ready to go back because he was dressed and had eaten before I even woke up this morning.

When I picked them up after school they talked over each other, mentioning old friends, favorite teachers and some not so favorite ones.  My middle child told me that he will know when his math teacher is having a bad day because he will continually brew and consume coffee during class if this is the case.  The less coffee, the happier the teacher.  We laughed.

I took them to the store to get stuff to make cookies.  We came home and my baby helped me make the dough.  I let them eat more cookies in a row than I think I ever have.  It was that kind of day.

1.  Finally found a crit partner (actually three).  Already found about five ways to improve my manuscript.

2.  Oh!  Good news!  I finally finished my short story!  To celebrate I lopped off about 1,500 words while editing.

3.  Anyone know any good places to send a short story that runs about 8,200 words?

4.  Read another Sarah Dessen, Someone Like You.  Surprise!  I liked it.

5.  Currently reading Boone’s Lick by Larry McMurtry.  It’s a nice change of pace from YA fiction.  I wonder if Mr. McMurtry hangs out at his bookstore every day (does that sound stalkery)?

6.  I think I’m getting used to Splenda Diet Coke.

7.  Just won AMIGOLAND by Oscar Casares from Little, Brown for twittering about it!  I love #freebiefriday!

8.  Lately I’ve been spending about 90% of my “free” time networking socially and only 10% writing (or reading).  Maybe it’s time for a priority check.

9.  Still getting a huge kick out of visiting Jackson’s site.  Check out her haiku…

10.  I don’t really get the bubbl thing…but if it can help someone else (planners in particular) I’m happy to pass the link along.

11.  17 days until school starts.  I’m looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time.  It will be nice to have quiet days to work…but then there’s homework and lunches and uniforms and supplies, oh and money for this, that and the other thing.

12. Crit Partner Match is a site that helps hook you up with a crit partner.  Not super user-friendly, but it does give you a small pool of people to choose from.

13.  Excited to check out Dollhouse.

14.  If your maiden name was Weadon would you write under that name hoping to receive some kind of noteriety from Joss Whedon’s success?  Would it be wrong, right or neither?

15. How Fail Went From Verb to Interjection http://bit.ly/HJ8VK

This is what my children looked like nine months ago, perfectly scrubbed and coiffed, new clothes and all. They look happy even though it was the first day of school.

I should’ve taken a pic of them this morning before I drove them to their last day of the 2008-2009 school year. Equally as happy, not quite as scrubbed and coiffed. I think my oldest was wearing a shirt that was missing a button or two. That’s what living in the trenches of having three school-aged children will do to you. After 170-some-odd days of packing 3 lunches (510 in all), surviving hours of homework a day (some of which seemed designed to be homework for parents), signing my name countless times, lamenting the bad grades, cheering the excellent, two science projects, social studies and language arts projects it comes to an end today.

There will be awards ceremonies for the children, as there should be…they worked hard. But we, as parents do it all for the love of our kids…so that they can learn better, do better…be better. I for one am ready for the break. But I know in less than three months time, my kiddos will stand just as scrubbed and coiffed as in this pic, ready for a new year full of work and opportunity.