leaf change is very fine this year

Two more weeks of classes finished, and I think things are still going well. I will probably have a couple of unhappy students but their problems are beyond what I can help them with. I have five weeks of classes left and then a four course spring that should have me with a hundred plus students. If I have to have my knee replaced in the mid-summer my fall courses will be a half load and I should be fully recovered by November. I finished my IT training so that’s done for a year. Claire is doing very well and there’s a good chance she will be moving to Atlanta in the spring with Luke. She will probably be engaged by then and I am very glad things are going so well. I walked with Rob last night and more nastiness from Fay. Why can’t she just leave him alone? I have decided to dress up as a zombie on the 30th for the zombie run. My knees are pretty bad but I have found that by cutting my biking to 40 minutes and hiking up to the orchard once, they feel better. I am still doing my weights and yoga. Maddie is doing well at VT and I am glad about that. I may see her for dinner next week. I have been playing golf (and will play today) but not walking too much at night because of my knees. I am still about 220 and I would like to get down to 215 soon.

eighth week of teaching finished

Another week of teaching is over and in a half hour I will be heading over to see The Judge, which I am very much looking forward to. My teaching went pretty well, and eight weeks are done. I recorded my Lindsey Stirling essay up at WVTF and that went well. At best they will use a teaser for it so the only way to hear the whole thing will be from their archives. I went to Social Security after the recording and I got my code and was able to log in. As I predicted, at 66 I will get around 25K each year. I also spoke to the RU IT guy and he was very apologetic about the security training and agreed that it is an awful system. He is going to come over and help me get set up. That was very good to hear and I have until December to finish things up, not just 7 days. I volunteered for 2 of the open houses so we’ll see about that later. I made my reservations for 6 nights at wild dunes and 5 at the Hampton inn in Staten Island, but that will change to 3 after I figure out when I will be staying at Gabes. My greenhouse is doing very well with lots of lettuce, a few pea plants, a few spinach plants, and a new crop of lettuce starting up. I did a good bit of grading so I am glad of that. I also got a walk in with Rob which was a lot of fun.

sixth week of teaching finished

It is another catch-up entry, this time on Sunday, October 5. I had a lovely day, taking a hike in the morning to the orchard, doing weights and yoga, doing a wash, checking the solar batteries, and fixing the fan for the heater. I am ready for my seventh week of classes, almost halfway through. The past week was very good and my classes went well and I got the house completely cleaned up from Gloria’s visit. I saw Maddie on Thursday and then drove her home on Friday afternoon, saving Cathy a trip. I have been riding my bike almost every day for an hour and my greenhouse has been producing very well. I will be seeing Kelly on the 18th and that should be fun. Seeing her and Alfredo and Lucia is always a treat. Travel funding has been restored so I am going to try to go to the CEA conference if they accept my paper proposal which I haven’t written yet. I am recording the Lindsey Stirling essay on Friday at 10 up at WVTF in Roanoke. After this semester I will have to teach 5 more before I can retire at 65 and ½. Some days I wish I could retire tomorrow; others I am not so desperate.