Thursday, April 23, 2015

May 7th is coming

A long time since my last entry but things are going pretty well. I have started grading my portfolios and papers and it is rough. The students want grades they can possibly get (based on their earlier work) and their papers are all over the place. Some of the portfolios are sloppy and weak. Of course there are a few stellar papers and portfolios but not many. I have resolved my student problems so that is a relief. The hollow is in great shape and though it took me an hour to get the lawn mower running, I did cut the grass even though I almost got my truck stuck in the muddy spot in the orchard when I used it to jump start the lawn tractor. I should have asparagus soon and cherries not much later. I have been eating lettuce from the greenhouse and I had to wash away another hornet nest and a wasp nest. I could live with the wasps but no hornets. I heard scarlet tanagers on today’s hike. I had a fine time last night with Maddie and Claire at Mellow Mushroom. It was interesting to see Maddie and Claire together and Maddie was very thankful for her present. Talking to Claire on the way there and the way back was also fun. I am not going to let the summer school debacle affect my summer trips. I will be going to Chincoteague and then to NY (and I will stay at the Hampton for two days before heading to Gabes). I am planning to go up to Labrador as part of the long summer trip and I may even head out from Colorado to attend Dave’s wedding. It may mean I have to teach another semester but I don’t want to sit at home and count my pennies when I want to travel.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

I can see the end getting closer

It is Wednesday and I have one more day of teaching to go. My IPD in the poetry class went quite well and after the disasters with the first two, it is a relief that this went well. I will have three more weeks of classes with almost no preparations left, just papers, portfolios and final exams. The hollow is really coming to life and the rue anemone is flowering along with bloodroot and twinleaf, purple dead nettle and ground ivy, field mustard and cress with the shadbush starting. The golden corydalis is starting. The coltfoot is going and the little yellow spicebush flowers are gone. The Louisiana waterthrush is still singing, and I have heard the eastern meadowlark in the pasture. I have heard Carolina chicadees and a pileated woodpecker. It really is a lovely time. I took a hike this morning, then got the house treated by Sam with Dodson, did my yoga and weights, went to play golf (47), then went for an hour bike ride. I was pretty beat by my meeting at three but I got through it and unfortunately the personnel meeting went a half hour so I didn’t get a nap until after my evening conference. I got some info on an annuity for my AXA money and with $150,000 put in, I would get about 10,400, pre-tax for life, with my estate getting the remaining money up to 19 years. That is a great improvement from my own 20 years at 10K a year. 2 and a half years seems more and more doable. I will be having Austin and Amanda out on Friday and then about eight students from the 443 class on Saturday. I don’t look forward to getting the house ready but it should be fun.