11-11-13

Today was wrecking day. First we wrecked the shed. It's gone. Ding Dong the shed is dead.

Then I went to work. On my way I wrecked my car. My cute car. It wasn't my fault. I'm ok. Went to the ER in an ambulance. Aches and pains, but it could have been much worse.

My cute car is totaled.

Then this evening the landscape crew cut down shrubs.

Wrecking Day.

On this day 26 years ago my Nana left this world. She still visits now and again though. I felt her presence today when I walked away from a head on t-bone collision that ripped the entire front of my car off, spun it around 180 degrees, knocked the glasses off my face and the windshield wipers out of place.

11-10-13

This is the old rusty shed next to our house. Love it? It's a beauty, isn't it?

I told Dan I'd help him take it down this afternoon. So we moved everything out, found new homes for all the tools and bikes, and started dismantling the rusty metal.

We got the roof off and one wall before it got too dark to see. My mom stopped by to see us, and we went inside and had brie and apples. Tomorrow we will finish it. I told Dan and my mom that I was going to Freecycle the rusty metal. They thought I was crazy, but I have a track record! I found a taker this evening. It's going to be hauled away tomorrow. 

11-9-13

For the past week or so I've been knitting boot cuffs. The first one was too big so it's now a hat. This is the second attempt and it fits just fine. I'm knitting the other one now. Oh, stop thinking boot cuffs are silly. I like them! 

Today I graded papers.

11-8-13

My mom came over tonight just to have a glass of wine and watch TV. We had recorded "her shows" for her while she was gone, so we got to watch them. I showed her this owl I'd found in the attic in my Trunk. She thinks I did it as a child. I think I'll frame it and put it in my office at work.

11-7-13

Tonight I taught and my students all brought performance assessments. It was like activity day! This was where you take potato juice and soak paper in it, then put the paper in H2O2 and time how long it takes to get all bubbly and rise. It was a great class and I think the students all enjoyed putting the activities together and learning from them.

11-6-13

We flew home today. The Richmond airport was so familiar feeling. I think I have a similar picture I took when I was 16 on a visit to see my grandparents. There's just something about one's birthplace that sticks, you know?

11-5-13

Election Day in Charlottesville means Alumnae Lunch! I got to visit my old school and see the things that stayed the same, and those that did not. The dead shelf still has my dead stuff on it. Seriously-- after 9 years of being gone my same dead stuff is on that shelf.

Same tables in the multipurpose room. More computers though...

And Ursula the bear is still there to welcome all. 

11-4-13

All day immersion back at UVA where I learned how to use a die cutting printer and a 3D printer. Lunch with my old adviser from 1986-1992 and then again 2004-2009. I was a great day.

I haven't had a migraine in like three weeks. Amazing. Here are my experimental procedures: morning yoga, only one cup of tea per day, Past Tense essential oil from DoTerra, magnesium oil on feet at night and one small daily dollop of bioidentical progesterone cream.

11-3-13

What can I say? A four mile hike in the woods with Dan and Aza was great therapy today.

11-2-13

This is my grandparents' house in Richmond, Virginia where I lived for the first three years of my life. I'm here today on what is the 105th anniversary of my grandfather's birth. You called me home, Papa. I always remember you.

We left Richmond and headed to Charlottesville on a very familiar road. Descending Pantops towards the Rivanna I could see the Blue Ridge.

We got to Aza's adorable apartment!

The sky, the leaves, all so beautiful.

Next? Pizza on the Downtown Mall at Christian's Pizza. Mmmmm. Dan insisted on dessert, so-

We had to go to Chaps!

Sweet ice cream, sweet Aza.

Lovely lovely grown up little girl.

10-31-13

 

For Halloween we went with my mother to a movie at the Art Museum! It was a silent film from the 1920s, the first making of Dracula.

Afterwards we had tapas and drinks in the museum cafe.
It was a good evening.

10-29-13

Today Dan rode his bike to my mother's house, got a flat on the way and had to fix it, and then drove to the DMV to renew our tags. My ticket last night was ... how much do you think it was for... guess....

nearly 200 dollars.

Unbelievable.

I made pizza today from muscle memory. I made the dough with my eyes closed, basically. Kneaded it made a perfect circle, preheated the oven, sprinkled the paddle with cornmeal, placed the beautiful circle of dough on it, and decided to pre-bake it just a bit. With my muscle memory I flung it into the oven only to realize that the pizza stone we had in our oven for 20 years was absent. Dripping dough through the rack slats, cornmeal burning on the bottom, smoke filling up the kitchen, Squirt coming to my rescue, retrieving the dough, and re-making a splendid pan pizza.

What an evening.

10-28-13

During yoga this morning I had an idea for a great class this evening. My day went well-- I met a prospective student for coffee, then met with other students in the afternoon. Felt well, and left class at 8pm happy only to be pulled over by a cop while still on campus.

I thought maybe I was going a mile or two over the speed limit.
No, I did not have updated tags. They had expired the month before. We never got a bill in the mail.
This was not fun, but it had to happen sometime.

10-27-13

 

 

 

 

You are probably sick of seeing pictures of my mother's house renovation. It's exciting for me to see, and it makes her so happy to be designing her dream come true.

I just love the wallpaper leftover from my childhood. It's going to be covered with cabinets, for the next renovator to find in 50 years or so.

10-26-13

She's coming back today! The Storyman has a lot to do! 

 

 

The primer is still going on the walls in the dining room. 

And right before mom returns from a two week vacation in Europe, the dining room is done.
She walks in and the first thing she sees is this.

10-25-13

I found a second cousin on Facebook. He lives in Canada where my birthfather's family is from. He posted this picture on Facebook today. This is my great grandfather, Grant Turner. I don't see any resemblance, but I do look a lot like my birth father.

I hosted a graduate student lunch today. It was well attended and my students really seemed to appreciate getting together for a meal.

10-24-13

The hole in the ceiling where the pantry was is closed up now.

The floor just needs finishing.

It's Thursday and The Storyman is very very busy trying to get my mom's house ready for her return on Saturday. The painter primed the dining room walls.

I taught a very good class tonight. I found my marbles! They were in the supply closet!

10-23-13

So this is how nice it looks now with the table in place. Meanwhile, Dan is flat on his back recovering from the event. He stepped over the wall holding an entire table.

I had a meeting with the Dean, Associate Dean, and my department chair today. It felt good to be included in a valuable discussion.

10-22-13

Dan decided to move the patio table from the grass onto the patio and look what he found hiding underneath. I do believe that's a black widow. He just left her there.

I had a meeting today with some people today and it was uncomfortable. It was a black widow kind of meeting.

Dan pulled his back moving this patio table.
This is not good.

10-20-13

This is what I worked on ALL DAY. I washed the walls again, scraped old paint off the tiles and the floor, scraped and sanded the ceiling (while wearing safety goggles and a respirator), sanded the cabinets, taped, cut in with two coats, and then painted two coats of semigloss. It's much cleaner looking, and should withstand the humidity now.
Next, Dan is supposed to install a ceiling fan and then we will finish the ceiling.
The walls used to be more of a fleshy peach color. Glad that's gone!

10-19-13

My mother's dining room gutted.

From the other side...

Kitchen looking a bit more done.

This is the "before" picture. She had some stained glass windows designed which should install soon.

Meanwhile, I started another pair of socks.