Sunday, February 27, 2022

Winds of Change: Welcome March

 Hello, Friends.

March is famous for wind! Winds of change in March bring us the hope of spring Just this last week we had an ice storm that makes us all think that spring will never come. Look closely: little buds have begun peeking out of the ground, robins are flocking. Most important I saw my first turkey vulture! Vultures are the true sign of spring in the Midwest!


The last few years have been driven by winds of change that strongly impact our society and way of life. These events introduce many new words to our English vocabulary. What events are you observing? 

  • The COVID 19 Pandemic
  • The Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • American elections 
  • COVID 19 and CDC Directives

    The CDC announced changes in how we are tracking the and reacting to Covid 19. Mask and close contact restrictions and recommendations have been eased. Look at the statistics and see the charts in this article on COVID 19 Community Levels.

    March Celebrations and Interesting Dates

    • Mardi Gras (also known as Fat Tuesday): March 1. Feast and dance and celebrate. This holiday as its roots in the Cajin and French immigrant cultures. While it is mostly celebrated in New Orleans, we have more and more Mardi Gras events throughout all of the states. Some countries and cultures have week long celebrations.
    • Lent is 40 days before Easter in the Christian church. Ash Wednesday falls on March 3 this year and is the first day. You may see people wearing ashes on their foreheads or hands as a sign of repentance. People may read special daily devotions and give something up (like coffee or chocolate or playing video games) instead of fasting throughout the 40 days.
    • Daylight Savings Time Begins: March 13
    • Pi Day: 3.14 is March 14! Celebrate with pie. Quiche in the morning. Hand pies for lunch. Pot pie for dinner. Don't forget dessert pies: fruit pies, sugar cream pies, merengue pies...
    • Ides of March: March 15  
    • St. Patrick's Day: March 17. Celebrate all things American Irish. This holiday 
    • March Madness: The NCAA basketball tournament comes to the Hoosier state! Make a bracket (your best guess for the tournament winner).

    Finding Fun in Indiana

    As the weather warms and changes, more and more fun emerges like the groundhog.

    Indiana March Things To Do: Pie Trail, Maple Syrup Festival, March Madness

    Pun Fun

    Here is a great pun on a vacation t-shirt! Get it?

    Reader's Digest is the source for articles, jokes, stories and anecdotes. This tab leads to bad jokes and puns. Enjoy!

    American Sign Language: Monday, 5:30-6:30 PM EST (GMT-5), Zoom.

    We learned to sign the theme song Hey Arthur. Arthur is a popular PBS show for children. This fun reggae beat song is catchy tune that sticks in your head. This also has many words we know how to sign and make it our own.


    February 28: Let's start with a sing along/sign along.

    International Bible Study: Tuesday, 9:30-10:30 AM (GMT-5), Zoom

    March 1: Join us reading 2 Thessalonians.

    International Friends: Tuesday, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM (GMT-5), Zoom

    March 1: Join the conversation about relocation.

    Afternoon Conversation: Wednesday, 4:30 -5:30 PM (GMT-5), Zoom

    March 2: Join the conversation. What do you have on your mind?

    English Classes: Thursday, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM (GMT-5), Zoom

    Grammar and poetry are excellent! If You Give A Mouse a Cookie. Great



    March 3: Join us as we continue building our skills. We are learning about emotion and pronunciation and grammar.

    Kid's Conversation: Wednesday, 4:30 -5:00 PM (GMT-5), Zoom

    It is always good to get together and catch up. We are reading the Hobbit, Harry Potter, and music theory. We like math, lunch, English and art in school.

    March 4: Bring jokes and puns to class. They can be in English or in your native language.


    bad jokes: jokes that make you groan instead of laugh

    catchy: snappy, memorable

    flocking: birds gathering in a group

    memorial: in memory of 

    repentance: regret or remorse

    sing along: people informally singing together

    sign of: indication

    theme song: a song that is associated with a person, event or

    week long: lasting a week

    winds of change: something that is about to happen

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