My previous post was overly optimistic and positive. In reality, a week of vacation turned into a week of mostly work with a bit of vacation. Grump, grump, grump. In many ways this was because a controversy broke while I was away regarding copyright guidance I gave for the campus as a whole. (At theContinue reading “The vacation that wasn’t”
Tag Archives: family
Vacation daze
With relatively short notice, we decided to head north for vacation for a week, and are now nicely installed in our favorite cabin on the shore of a large lake, enjoying mild temperatures in the daytime and cooler temperatures at night. I’m writing this with my iPad on my lap, sitting in a camping chair,Continue reading “Vacation daze”
A Mother’s Day picnic
We had beautiful weather yesterday for Mother’s Day, bright sunshine and cool temps. We decided to have a picnic at a spot we have long enjoyed over the years that is next to a gentle stream at a nearby nature preserve. The food was good and there was hardly anyone around. Very peaceful.
Tick tock time
As our anniversary present to each other, yesterday, my wife and I picked up a large grandfather wall clock. See photo below. Turns out it isn’t antique as we originally thought; instead, it is a replica. Even so, we are really pleased with it, and it is the first of this kind of old fashionedContinue reading “Tick tock time”
Wake up, I made breakfast
Today is Christmas Eve and it is a holiday from work, so I slept in a bit. But not too much, because one of our children was awake all night making various goodies and told us, “Wake up, I made breakfast!” Breakfast included scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and toasted English muffins. But no coffee, soContinue reading “Wake up, I made breakfast”
Fruit cake for Christmas
In the love-it-or-hate-it category for most people is fruit cake, a staple of Christmas food. As a child, I hated it. As an adult, I like it a lot, especially if it’s homemade and has plenty of alcohol baked in. In other words, I love the kind my mother always made. I’ve never made theContinue reading “Fruit cake for Christmas”
The day after
‘Twas the day after Thanksgiving, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Oops, wrong holiday. However, the same sentiment applies. Yesterday was a quiet, peaceful day capped with a great meal that almost everyone had a hand in making. For example, I made dessert, something I haven’t doneContinue reading “The day after”
Flowers growing in hard places
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”
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”
Work, work, work
A lot of physically demanding work got done this weekend, thankfully. I cleaned out the gutters, which is a dangerous thing to do when you have a two story house on a hill. But it really needed to be done since so many pine needles and leaves had long ago clogged up the downspouts. WeContinue reading “Work, work, work”
The OW Factor 