A favorite devotional for me is L. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert. Today’s entry referenced flowers growing in hard places, and I thought it was an apt phrase for my experiences this past year. The soil of life has been spare and minimal, squeezed in between rocky, hard places. But even so, looking back, IContinue reading “Flowers growing in hard places”
Category Archives: career
Pine warblers, migraines, and job cuts
Friday was noteworthy because we spotted a pair of pine warblers at our feeders. As far as I know, I have never seen this type of bird before as they are not common at all around here. The pair at our feeders was likely migratory, and they didn’t stay long enough for me to getContinue reading “Pine warblers, migraines, and job cuts”
A bed frame behemoth
Thanks to the amazing generosity of a family member, we have a new bed frame for the first time in 20 years. And not just any old bed frame: this one has an astonishing list price and comes with multiple power and USB outlets as well as its own, dedicated smartphone app. It is alsoContinue reading “A bed frame behemoth”
The last rose of summer
Yesterday evening, I went for a walk and happened upon a rose bush still in bloom. It was a cheerful sight in the midst of the usual autumnal flower colors of yellows, golds, and whites. Another flower color that I enjoy seeing in the Fall is the rich, deep purple of wild asters. On myContinue reading “The last rose of summer”
Love to teach
I love to teach and was reminded of that after last night’s class session, the second week of the Fall semester. If done well, it is exhausting and exasperating and a ton of work, yes, but also very rewarding. The class I am teaching has the largest enrollment of any class I’ve ever taught spanningContinue reading “Love to teach”
Not all who wander are lost
This quote from J.R.R. Tolkien is one of my favorites. One of the heroes of his epic stories is a man who has spent many long years in lonely exile, wandering the wilderness, and this line is from a poem about him. Aragorn is born a king but does not achieve that status until muchContinue reading “Not all who wander are lost”
Ready or not
Ready or not, here comes the Fall. I’m not. Ready, that is. On my plate today, among many other things, is to finish grading final papers for my summer class. When I looked at enrollment for my Fall class, I found to my surprise that there are 22 people on the list. That’s more thanContinue reading “Ready or not”
Family vignettes
The pandemic has enabled me to spend more time with my family than ever before. For that, I am thankful, although it is not all peaches and cream. By that I mean that we have bad days and good days, bad interactions and good interactions. We continue to learn how to be with one another,Continue reading “Family vignettes”
Cumulative impact
The many ongoing uncertainties we face are having a cumulative impact. You know the saying, “once bitten, twice shy”? I think there’s a similar principle at work with the pandemic, economic conditions, injustices, poor government leadership, and more. Uncertainties tend to reshape our regular, “healthy” view of life in ways that we may not evenContinue reading “Cumulative impact”
Fewer days ahead than behind
For me, there are fewer days ahead than behind. It’s a little weird to think about. What does that mean? What can be done about it? What might change as a result of this reality? Big questions, with few clear answers. For starters, this does not represent some sort of crisis. It just is theContinue reading “Fewer days ahead than behind”
The OW Factor 