FACE EVERY CHALLENGE AS AN ADVENTURE--AND NEVER FORGET TO LAUGH!

Today, I attended a remarkable event--a non-memorial service for the grande dame of children's book publishing, Margaret K. McElderry. She was 98 when she died recently, and she left an amazing legacy of children's book editors and authors whose books have shaped the experiences of generations of children.

The speakers were terrific, and they quoted Margaret frequently as they told stories of her life and work. Here are some of my favorites:

Jan Lamb talked about her kindness, and about the importance of recognizing life's boundless possibilities and taking strange paths.

Amy Kellman, a librarian and long-time friend, said she liked to say that we are all on a journey with children, and it must be exciting, important, and fun.

Tracey Adams repeated the quote in this post's title: Face every challenge as an adventure and never, ever forget to laugh!

One of the points that resonated particularly for me was the story of the time that Ms. McElderry was told, in 1971, after her books had won dozens of major awards, that "the future has passed you by." She was let go from her position at Harcourt, but she refused to be defeated. She moved to Atheneum, where she was the first children's book editor to have her name on her books in an imprint which continues to today. She managed to survive all the corporation acquisitions that folded Atheneum into Macmillan and ultimately into Simon & Schuster. One speaker quoted her words on coping with a life-changing trauma: "Put one foot in front of the other until you can't remember anymore why you are going that way. Then you will be on your new path."

I met Harold Underdown at the reception afterward. His website is a wonderful source of information about children's books. Here is his remembrance of her:
 http://www.underdown.org/margaret-mcelderry.htm

She was intensely interested in everyone she met--and she talked to everyone! She would ask, "What's your story? Who are you?"

One of her best friends, author Susan Cooper, remembered that her dear friend used to say:
"When something excites you, you won't be deterred."

A lot of great words to live by. Thank you, Margaret K McElderry. I never met you, but you have inspired me!

ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS,,,

I realized tonight it's been more than a week since I last posted, but I'm here now, and I'm thinking a lot about endings and beginnings. I've had some wonderful ones of each in my life to date, and so while this time is full of challenge and change, I'm focusing on "feeling the feelings" and keeping going.

After nearly 8 years, I have left East Harlem Tutorial Program, a place that was more to me than a job, and a place where I spent endless hours working with wonderful kids, great tutors, and inspiring staff. Changes have occurred that resulted in my job being eliminated, and so I am now free to pursue new adventures in many areas of my life!

Some of these include:
Skype-ing--I had visitors from Ottawa staying with me this week, and John Harding showed me how to work it. So, anyone who wants to chat online or (horrors) with video, let me know!

Tenka--By the time I bought my first Groupon and Living Social deals, it was already old hat for many of the people I know. But Tenka has been a fun revelation--and very well-timed. Thanks to Lyel Resner for turning me on to this phone-based super deal site, which has provided me (and some of my friends) great dining deals! We've had free pizza, free frozen yogurt, free hot dogs, and more. Check out Tenka.com for your chance to enjoy discounts and freebies!

The Frogs in my kitchen--In November 2009, I was fortunate enough to get three free tadpoles from the friendly folks at Petco Union Square. I was teaching K-1 in the after school program and talking about life cycles of different creatures. We raised those tadpoles into frogs, and while Charlie had some issues and went to Central Park, Jonathan and Rose have thrived. When I left EHTP, I brought them home with me, and they seem very happy on my kitchen table. I added a large fossilized rock to their tank, which they seem to enjoy, and have fed them both crickets (devoured a dozen in minutes) and minnows (ate about 3-4, and have left the rest to swim around, though they may eat them at some point as they did at EHTP...probably because too many days passed without other food, not sure.)

There will be many more adventures and challenges to report in the next days and weeks. Thanks to all who are keeping my spirits high and listening when I need a friendly ear. Stay tuned!

ON THE WATER...AND A CULINARY TOUR OF THE EAST VILLAGE...

Even though they predicted rain throughout the day and/or tonight, we took a chance and purchased $1 tickets for the free Water Taxi ride to the Mets Game. We had no intention of going (Oliver doesn't care for baseball, though Molly is an extreme Mets fan) but it's such a great boat ride--and the price is terrific. Well, the sun came out and stayed, so we headed down to the seaport for a 5:40 departure. It's a great 45 minute ride to the World's Fair Marina, with lots of boats and barges, assorted birds, and reallyclose takeoffs from LaGuardia!

We rode the 7 back to the city and wandered the East Village trying to figure out what to do for dinner. We ended at S'Mac, home of amazing Mac and Cheese, on 12th between 1st and 2nd. The smallest portion, the Nosh, is unbelievably filling. I had the Buffalo Chicken (great!); Molly chose Napoletano, with great garlic flavor, though not as cheesy as I like (mozzarella only); Oliver was the most adventurous, opting for Parisienne, which was Brie, figs, rosemary, and shitake mushrooms. A great meal, for not a lot of $$$.
We ended the evening with dessert at 16 Handles--frozen yogurt and toppings galore--plus lots of walking!

Earlier today, I bought 10 minnows for the frogs. The woman at Petco suggested they are Green Frogs--I think she is correct. Here's a photo of them--and a reference photo of the species. What do you think?

my guys

species photo

MY FAVORITE PRICE IS FREE! NYC is a pricey town but not always....

Today Ciara and I celebrated my departure by enjoying a free dinner and dessert, courtesy of Tenka.com. This new marketing gimmick is great for thrifty New Yorkers who love to eat but also love a deal. You put up to four deals you like in your "pocket"--your mobile phone--and then head to a restaurant offering something for nothing or deeply discounted. In the store or restaurant, you show the phone to the manager and click, "Redeem", and a free item is yours!

We started our free-for-all at a new healthy pizza place called Rev'd Up Pi on 3rd Avenue and 31st Street in Manhattan. We showed our phones to the guys behind the counter, and in moments we were enjoying big slices of delicious pizza--a classic margherita for Ciara, and a mushroom miracle for me--with shitake and portabello mushrooms covering the slice. We liked it so much, we forgot to take a photo. (I also had a Groupon, which paid for our drinks and desserts, but the pizza was FREE...and very filling due to the whole grain crust.)

We had planned to visit 16 Handles in the East Village for free frozen yogurt,but the deal was sold out. Undaunted, we jumped on the train and headed to Park Slope in Brooklyn to get a free fro-yo at the Wicked Spoon. It felt so good to show our phones to the yogurt man and hear, "What flavor would you like? And what toppings?" We both chose Red Velvet Cake yogurt, but our toppings were varied: I had peanut butter sauce with mini m&ms, and Ciara chose a Bananas Foster sauce with chocolate crunchies. Truly delicious--and once again, FREE! (They also had really cute spoons!)

I think this place deserves some applause for originality, too. They were sampling a new topping called Big Apple Cracker--matzoh covered with chocolate and crushed peppermint stick!

 Thank you, Tenka, for coming up with this great way to eat well without spending a penny!

SIZE MATTERS--or why sauropods grew so big!

The New York Paleontology Society met today in the Linder Theater at the American Museum of Natural History, and the speaker described his research that got him invited to be co-curator of the current exhibit of Giant Dinosaurs at the museum. Dr. Martin Sander explained that there had to be a good evolutionary reason for sauropods to grow so big. Turns out they were more efficient grazers because their necks were lighter than they would seem to appear--due to air pockets in the long necks. Dr. Carolyn Gee, a colleague of his, joined the discussion and shared about the different foods available to these creatures, include horsetails (known as equisetum), which delivered the most bang for the buck.
Now I am eager to see the exhibit, but I want to wait until the crowds thin out.

My friend Phil Tates showed me a letter from the Denver Museum of Science, thanking him for his contributions to their insect collection. He has specimens in the Smithsonian, the AMNH, and museums in Nebraska and Kansas, too. Not bad for a guy who is entirely self-taught!

Embrace Your Liberty...and See Where It Takes You...

When I was teaching in the South Bronx in 2001, my friend Vernon and I went to hear Mother Martha Overall, the Episcopal priest whom Jonathan Kozol profiled in his book, Ordinary Resurrections. She reminded us that "God plans ahead." Meaning, everything you've done up to now prepares you for what is next.


After 7 1/2 years, I am leaving East Harlem Tutorial Program behind me--and feel a bit nervous but excited to discover the next destination on my life's path. As one of my writing colleagues wrote to me when I left Bantam under similar circumstances, "Change is good."

Just as this Stuyvesant Town squirrel figured out how to drink from a man-made faucet, let me be open to new experiences and creative in my solutions to life's challenges!

It's April (where did March go?) and here's my latest specimen...

I was walking with my friend Phil Tates on Rockaway Beach near 116th when I spotted this small skull attached to a substantial backbone. It was snugly attached, and so I took it home to soak in ethyl alcohol. I would like to know what it is but I'm not sure who to ask.

I hope this month will take me on some wonderful new seaside journeys. Phil talked about our going to Montauk one of these days, and I would love to do that... But any new shore is good for me!