5-8-10

Yeah! Aza is a college graduate!

5-7-10

We left this morning for Virginia to attend Aza's graduation from JMU. Driving over the Blue Ridge Mountains, I kept checking my emotional temperature to see if it felt like "coming home" or not. It's still so strange to be an ex-pat Virginian. It was wonderful seeing Aza and her new kitty "Little Gray."

5-6-10

April 2                                                                    April 11



April 25                                                                    May 6

I think that if I washed this SunChips bag out in the sink I could actually put more SunChips back in it, it looks so good after 5 weeks buried in compost.

Today my colleagues and I met for most of the day to work on a proposal together. We work well together. We were treated with cakes to celebrate accomplishments made recently. What a wonderful group of science and math educators I work with!

5-5-10

Wednesday. Went to work early, gave final exam. Took friend out to lunch to celebrate her making tenure. Cooked hamburgers, had dinner with Squirt and my Dan who came home early from Boston...

5-4-10

Tuesday. Hauled soaked rug out from the basement to dry. Went to work. Made crock-pot chicken and veggies over rice for dinner. Watched LOST. Missing Dan...

5-3-10

Monday.Swept water in the basement. Went to work. Cooked peanut chicken over couscous for dinner. Missing Dan...

5-2-10

Our basement, the one we were going to finish into a TV/rec room is now under water. The sump pump is going off every 10 seconds, pumping at least 2 gallons each time for a grand total of 12 gallons a minute, 720 gallons an hour, and it's been going since 10am this morning (12 hours) for a grand total of 8640 gallons total today. It will be raining all night so it will likely pump another 8000 gallons before morning.

You can see this scene in the den shows the rain outside and the storm clouds over Kentucky on the TV.

I'm in a monsoon.

5-1-10

Today we got to see my brother-in-law go through the ceremony to become commander of this military thing. I can't keep it all straight. About a dozen or more of his buddies from back in Oklahoma came too and played practical jokes all day on my B-I-L and his new digs. They raided his office, turned his big walnut desk around, put Okies stickers on everything, raided beer from fridges in offices, and took the money from his wallet. It was nice to see such good-natured camaraderie.

4-30-10

Today we drove to Carmel, Indiana to see my sister and her husband. They are moving there in June and this is the house they bought. We were able to witness the deal go through- and take a tour of the house. So exciting! She will only be a three hour drive from me.

The town of Carmel is really nice. Very artsy, nice restaurants, and fresh policemen. Below is a photo of me and Stae. Don't we look alike?

Very friendly people live there... they don't even mind sharing the morning paper with you up close and personal.

This evening we went to see the movie, Date Night with Stae and her husband. It was hilarious! A fun date night for the four of us. Probably the first time we've done that since the kids started coming 24 years ago.

4-29-10

Last class of the semester. I liked this group of students and I think they liked me too. I'm looking forward to teaching middle-level science ed majors in the fall, but I've really taken a liking to teaching and motivating these elementary ed majors who just three months ago didn't like science, didn't want to teach it, didn't know how to teach it. Today they presented their interdisciplinary unit. Here is one presentation:

My dragon carrot seeds have germinated and sprouted in the garden! Photos to follow.

4-28-10

I have no idea what this flower is. The greenery lasted all winter and I really wondered what it would be. Isn't it lovely?

Well, the Squirt has a job. He's been going all week now- yes, he's a Census Enumerator. This is his black bag full of secret documents I'm not allowed to see.

And Aza is almost a college graduate. We received her announcement in the mail this week, and I might add, a very fine announcement it was. What a scholar she is! She starts graduate school two weeks after graduation. So much for a summer break... We will watch her graduate on May 8th...

As for me, I'm just taking it one day at a time. I had lunch today with a new friend from church and it was so nice. She was a transplant from Virginia herself at one time, and she kept reassuring me that it takes a good year or two to adjust to a new job/town/state/etc... We had lunch at an African restaurant and this evening I tried to recreate my wonderful lunch--- pretty darned successfully. I will most likely be a regular at that place.

I'm looking forward to seeing my sister Stae this weekend. She and her family are moving to Indiana, about 3.5 hours north of here.

4-27-10

It rained and it rained today. I ended up going to school anyway with my umbrella. Rode the bus both ways... worked on random stuff. I'm not being very productive. I'm not a happy camper. Happiness is positively correlated with productivity. I would have been happier today if LOST was actually on TV tonight.

The top and bottom flowers are Columbine. The red bud is a peony about to burst open. I don't know what the purple bell-shaped flowers are.

4-26-10

This is growing in my yard. I know what it is, but the Squirt sure didn't and he was suspicious!!!
Monday. I worked from home today. I was lonely...

4-25-10

Sunday. Dan left for his trip east. I don't like it when he's gone...
I think the things on top are what the wood poppies turned into. I have no idea what the purple flowers on the bottom are.

4-25-10

April 2 ...........April 11 .......... April 25 ....

When I dig out the bag from the smelly wet decaying WARM compost, I find that the bag is in great shape. No decomposition at all.

In other news, I graded papers today, played with Lego solar cars, and ate leftover fudge sauce from last night's dinner. Dan went to C'ville for meetings so I'm home with the Squirt and Frisbee trying to hold down the fort.

4-24-10

 

This morning was really difficult but the afternoon got better. We decided to invite some friends over for dinner and I spent the afternoon cooking what I thought would be a replica of what I had for dinner last night at Jean Farris Winery and Bistro. I had the sea scallops and they were SO good I just had to try and replicate the experience. Not...even...close. Oh well, we enjoyed our company then settled in for a tornado watch and thunderstorm/flood warning. Photo courtesy of Dan.

4-22-10

 

 

Thursday. Earth Day. I had lunch with some friends then Dan picked me up and we went to Keeneland to see the races. Only stayed an hour or so. I really don't like crowds. We watched the movie, The Lovely Bones, tonight and it was terrible. The book was so good and it was a shame to see it hacked to pieces and rearranged into some funky wierdo thing.