June Mosaic

As of yesterday, we've been out of school exactly a month. It's been a busy month, and just glancing at the mosaic, you can see it's been a green month!

Row 1: The big orange big orange kitty meets the big orange classroom fish, who is home for the summer. We love Snowville Creamery milk, yogurt and creme fraiche. So, naturally, we drove all the way to Pomeroy (near Athens) for their open house. We stayed until the cows came home. Speaking of home, we're already finding evidence that there will be a bumper crop of acorns this year.

Row 2: Dew on the cuke. The fountain in Goodale Park (those are baby elephants spouting off on top -- so cute!), along with the irrelevant sign about ice, the lily bloom, and the

Row 3: ducklings. This dinner on the patio at Mazah's new home inspired the beginning of my "wishes" series of poems (the poem that goes with this photo can be seen at Today's Little Ditty). It has been the Summer of the Black Swallowtail. It all started with this egg on my parsley and these hijackers who came on dill I brought from the community garden. See rows 6 and 7 for where we're at now with this fun project!

Row 4: Ruth Ayres and her family made these cute cookies for all the bloggers who attended the All Write pre-conference dinner. I had surgery on both thumbs June 3. Just this week, I was released from the splint and given permission to swim again. The healing process is amazing. There's that cuke again, and a shasta daisy.

Row 5: Ohio Monsoon Season. 2.5 inches of rain in about an hour created Easement Lake. This is the first time it has ever come all the way up under our back fence into our yard. Then that night, we got another 2 inches, for a total of 4.5 inches in less than 24 hours. It still amazes this girl who came from the arid high plains where in a good year they get 17 inches of precipitation...for the year, and we got a third of that in a day.

Row 6: Three views from The Inn at Cedar Falls, where the central Ohio Choice Literacy writers were treated by über-editor Brenda Power to an amazing writing retreat with the theme "Renewal." Two swallowtail caterpillars

Row 7: and the chrysalis that another made while I was at the retreat. The butterfy "nursery" in my office. The first two tomatoes of the year (black cherry), and there's that cuke again, with some almost big enough to harvest! Watch for my "Cucumber in a Tomato Cage" to make an appearance on the Choice Literacy newsletter, The Big Fresh!



Almost every month, inquiring minds want to know: How do I make my mosaics?

First, I take thirty or more (and sometimes less) pictures every month.
Next, I make a set on Flickr. (This month's set is here.)
Then, I go to Big Huge Labs and use their Mosaic Maker with the link to my Flickr photoset.
Finally, I download, save, insert, comment, and publish!