Things are okay but my blood level has gone down a little more. Rob has taken me off the two blood pressure meds and is hoping that the meds are what is causing my blood problem. It is a slim chance, but worth trying before more major tests.
I took a hike this morning, then a nap, some stationary bike riding, then a nap, weights and yoga, then a nap. I am really incredibly tired. I really have to push hard to accomplish much.
My shoulder is better, but I haven’t tested it because of the weather. No snow for the next ten days so that is good. Both Cathy and Kelly aren’t feeling very good so that worries me.
I started teaching on Tuesday and I think my classes will be fine. I have 25 students in 203, 25 in 321 and 15 in 310 so I shouldn’t be overwhelmed with grading, though my preps will be about the same. I could hardly walk back to my office after the second Tuesday class.
I am having someone out next week to guide me on protecting the smooth coneflower and give me some advice on the Tree of Paradise.
My money situation is about the same so I have to be careful.

My mini vacation has gone well, although I have injured my shoulder playing golf yesterday. I knew it was tender but I played anyway and I am paying for such indulgence. I even took three advils to kill the pain and I used the heating pad for a couple of hours. My visit to Columbia went very well and I rode the bike out along the sims trail and then I hiked along the river trail. I haven’t been that far out for a long time. I biked alone the river and ate dinner at Motor Supply and the triggerfish was terrific. I drove back up to Charlotte yesterday and I will go back home tomorrow, on Monday. I want to get the generator early if I can and I don’t need the extra day. I got a nice e-mail from Kate about her inspiring me and I did e-mail a woman in Salem who was looking for a friend and that is where I am. Rob wrote Raechel a terrific letter about here responsibilities as an adult and I hope it has some effect. I started a couple of poems but they don’t seem to be going anywhere. We’ll see. My financial picture is not very good now. I have 116K on the equity line (the limit is 120) and I really have to be careful for a while. I was very generous over the holidays but I have to cut back.

1/12/12 Well, I got back into writing humor. A few days ago I was in my office and I went to see Rhonda to say hello and Dean Kate was there and very friendly. She asked me into her office and we had a great chat. She told me about the cougars that are supposed to inhabit the experimental forest near Clemson and how students set out piles of cheeseburgers to attack them. That was very funny and after I left I got inspired to write and I made her the center of the story. It was a very funny essay and she loved it. She wrote back calling it genius, which is very flattering but untrue. I do have talent in writing humor and I would like to write more. Perhaps I should try a comic story, maybe this summer.
I am in Charlotte, having played golf at Birkdale and eaten dinner at Carrabba’s. I will walk around and watch the Duke-Virginia game.
I left the house in good order and I have cleaned up the attic and gotten rid of two garbage bags full of stuff. I am going to work on the cabin soon and get rid of more books. I am having the generator serviced and it should be back on Wednesday morning.
I haven’t heard back from Diane Green but I hope I get the extra 2K credit.
I have to start teaching on Tuesday so I am taking a five day vacation before I start.

I have about 11 days left of my vacation and I wish I had more writing to do. I really want to write a humor piece but nothing seems very funny to me right now. Being two and a half pints low on blood doesn’t seem very funny and though the republican primaries and debates have their humorous moments, I can’t get motivated. I need something interesting to happen, like waking up and finding a 15 foot crocodile in my pond (rather unlikely since they like warmer climes and brackish water). I am very happy hiking each day out to the orchard, shouting to the trees that they won’t be cut and asking the big white pine for healing, for me and others. But what is funny about that? I am enjoying golf but that isn’t very funny. I know I will be funny when class starts again but I need something right now. I may go down to Columbia in five days and spend the end of my break down there but that isn’t funny. My friend Gloria is not feeling well but that certainly isn’t funny.

The new year has come and gone and my writing is going very well. I have basically finished the CEA paper, sent in the Kaaskill Life piece, finished a poem about the easement and I am keeping my blog up to date.
Today is January 2, and I was very tired most of the day, even though I did take a hike to the orchard in the morning (it was just above freezing), did my yoga and weights, rode the stationary bike for 20 minutes, practiced for 20 minutes, and did some things around the house.
Yesterday after Jeff called I drove up to Roanoke and had dinner with Jeff, Rachel and Benjamin. Benjamin was particularly fun and he enjoyed rubbing noses together immensely. Earlier in the day I had gone for a walk with Rob around Pandapus Pond a couple of times.

It is Thursday , December 29 and I am still at the status quo. My health seems about the same, but I got a good hike in the morning, shouting to all the trees the good news that they won’t be cut down. I e-mailed Kate yesterday about it and she wrote back a very supportive e-mail. It is my great accomplishment, perhaps the greatest of my life.
I was able to check the solar history yesterday and in the past 20 days I got very little sunlight, probably averaging about .7 kilowatts a day, not even close to covering my usage of over 2.7 a day. I have had to use the generator here and there but I am already getting more sun so things should get better.
Even though it was only in the mid 40s, I went to play golf and shot a 47, and my driver worked pretty well.
This evening I went for a walk with Rob on the Tom’s Creek Trail and caught up. Rob is now officially divorced and he is comfortable with that. Raechel and Noah both were thankful for my gift checks and Rob was glad of that.
My dinner yesterday with Cathy was a lot of fun. We met at 6 and finished at 9:30 so it was a good chat, mainly about Carla and Claire.

I had a pleasant Christmas day visiting Rob and his relatives, then taking a nice walk along Tom’s creek. Later I drove toward Roanoke and stopped to ride my bike in the Food Lion parking lot. After a solid ride I drove on to visit Jeff and Rachel and had a tasty meal there and played a lot with Benjamin. I left about five, drove home for a nap and then went back to work on my article about the easement.
On Monday I did a few things around the house and after setting up and appointment with Diane Green, I had to drive to Radford to get some of the materials she needed. I am not exactly sure how my taxes will be affected but I know I will get about 46K in tax credits and I will probably have to sell some of them before I retire. Diane is going to charge about 500 and that is perfectly fine. I will also have her do my taxes next year.
I dropped my bike off at Dick’s to have the back wheel fixed and the entire bike serviced. It should be done next week.
I don’t feel any better or any worse so I am not sure what the test on the 11th is going to find out.