WINSTON WEEKLY[1]

Vol. 2, No. 2

January 14, 2024

MLK. Idioms. Snow.

December and the first week of January flew by with few cold days and only a trace of snow, leaving many Midwesterners to wonder if there would be a winter. Wonder no more. January 7 and the days since have brought snow and harrowing winds to much of the Midwest. And what does that have to do with MLK and idioms? Plenty. Cold weather is the perfect time to hunker down and reflect.

Here are a few of my reflections:

January 15 is Martin Luther King Day. One of my favorite quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr. is, “The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.”

The joy of being interviewed by Mike Briggs of Briggs on Books at Central Valley Talk in Fresno, CA on January 10, 2024. https://centralvalleytalk.com

Inspiring author ideas and conversations led by John Masiulionis and Erin Saxton. https://prfromtheheart.com

January 15 is also National Idiom Day. From “ants in your pants” to “when pigs fly”, idioms are a great way to learn, create, and educate. For more about figurative language, retired teacher and award-winning author Dorenda Doyle is a wealth of information. Learn more at https://booksbydorenda.org.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

What are your reflections of the past week? Write down three reflections and three idioms and incorporate them into a story, activity, or poem.

Think about the fun you can have creating characters, stories, and/or poems from idioms. Can you imagine a pig with ants in her pants? Or the ant that is as big as a pig? Or an eager beaver who is a copycat? Can someone have their “head in the clouds” when it is “raining cats and dogs”?

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[1] Copyright January 14, 2024. Winston Weekly is a weekly Sunday feature by Alysen Bayles, founder of Bayles and Bruce. The mantra of Bayles and Bruce is “Learn, live, love, read.” Winston is the title of Alysen’s first children’s book published in 2020.