I'm a South Dakota
farm girl turned teacher after I transplanted myself in Kansas
when I went to Tabor College. I've taught
English in the same public school in Cheney,
Kansas for 29 years and am proud to say that at least five former students
have chosen to become English teachers. May they love each student first as a
human being with a soul, and secondly, as a creative being on Earth for a
unique God-given purpose. Thank you, my students, for putting up with my many quirks.
I'm the caboose of my family coming along when my three siblings
were in high school and college. I've been an aunt since I was 6-years-old and
adore my eight nieces and nephews that have given me 26 greats.
I answer to many nicknames: Mel, little one,
twirp, Sissy, Shishy, Melly, Melodious Skeldy, and Shishy. No one says my
favorite one anymore, Harmony, and I'm glad my brother doesn't call me Smelly
Melly or Bruce Jenner anymore. A coaching colleague still calls me by his nickname for me—Sunshine.
I married for the
first time my match.com man at age 40—gained a step-daughter and another
doggy. It was a whirlwind romance, for we were engaged two weeks later, married
three months later, and three months after that, they finally moved in. I
wouldn't advise a 20-something to do that, but we wanted to live by Christ's standards,
so we got married.
My husband, Chris,
a transplanted Oklahoman, snaps some great photographs. His Facebook page, Framing Kansas, has over 20,000 likes. He sells his work on Fine Art America. His green thumb
transformed my empty palate of a yard into my own little Garden of Eden. His
daughter Brittany, now 20 with an associate's degree, sings like a pro, and belongs on The
Voice. She had her first child, a baby boy, in April of 2015 with her husband Nathaniel. I enjoy being his grandma. September of 2017 brought them baby girl Aria. The live only a few blocks away, and I love that.
Dan the Man and
Pepper, our two doggies, are my constant companions watching my every
move—especially with food. They don't have many teeth left, but that's what
they have in common with my 91-year-old dad who is a health nut and enjoys
showing off that he can put his leg up on the counter in the kitchen. He's still
kicking at home on the farm, only Mom hasn't been at his side now for over a decade. Her passing forced him to do laundry and cook, but not clean.
My favorite text is
Philippians
4:4-9. My favorite writer is Truman Capote, but Bradbury and Orwell's stuff
should be required readings to get a high school diploma in America . I used to coach basketball (did that for 17 years) and enjoyed
playing it, but my knees don't anymore. Walking and golf suit them just fine.
Before earning a master's degree in curriculum & instruction from Friends University, I completed the course work for The Institute of Children's Literature
I was also my college newspaper editor for two years. Of course I was the high school editor too. That was back when we formatted justified columns by hitting slashes on the rough copy to finish out the column, and then for the final copy, hit the space bar for every two slashes.
Before earning a master's degree in curriculum & instruction from Friends University, I completed the course work for The Institute of Children's Literature
I was also my college newspaper editor for two years. Of course I was the high school editor too. That was back when we formatted justified columns by hitting slashes on the rough copy to finish out the column, and then for the final copy, hit the space bar for every two slashes.
When I started this blog, I had no idea what
the focus of it would be, but it's evolved into something mid-way through the first year of its existence. Read more about my purpose in blogging here. I have enjoyed writing since Mrs.
Gertrude Reimer told me sixth grade that I did a nice job on my tornado report. Now let's see if I can write
without typos.
