random musings
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I Have Time to Play. Now What?
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you? When I was a kid, back in the 1900’s, before there were cellphones or laptops, before microwaves and VCR’s, before even cassette tapes, back when there were three tv channels that we watched at regularly scheduled hours in black and white, back then Continue reading
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Sloth Week
It’s the end of July and–right on schedule–I have hit Sloth Week. Sloth Week is when I do absolutely nothing but lie around and read books. It usually coincides with hot, humid weather that, all by itself, induces lethargy. I believe it is part of my circadian rhythm. Brood X cicadas emerge every seventeen years, Continue reading
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Violet Unicorn Jelly
The best way to pick wild violets is sitting in the grass with a granddaughter on a sunny Sunday morning. The best reason to pick wild violets is to make violet jelly. And the best thing to do with violet jelly is to have a fairy tea party with lady finger sandwiches. So far, I Continue reading
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The Devil with Deviled Eggs
I swore to my husband a couple of years ago that I would never again promise to make deviled eggs for Easter. I reminded him of that today as I swore over the hard-boiled eggs that refused to peel. Eggs that were destined for deviling for tomorrow’s Easter festivities. He reminded me that I swear Continue reading
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I Am an Expert—I Bet You Are, Too
I came across an article promising to make me an expert. According to a Tedx Talk expert on expertise, David Mitroff, I only have to do three things to be considered an expert: Spend three years learning about my area of expertise. Build my confidence. Take action. (This can be as simple as nominating yourself Continue reading
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Teaching From Home: One Month In
Good news! A month of teaching from home has not killed me. It came close in Week Three, with my resting heart rate mounting from stress and an allergy medication contributing side effects of anxiety and depression. But the doc released me from the allergy med and we got –dramatic pause– Spring Break! I don’t Continue reading
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Teaching from Home: We Survived Week One
We did it—my students and I got through our first week of school from home! The learning curve has been steep but, with the weekend’s respite from students, I may get beyond the feeling of treading water to actual swimming. THE KICK-OFF Half the stress of this week was due to the shock of Continue reading
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Launch
The boy is propelled toward adolescence like the bottle rocket he has just launched into the trees. With a whoosh, whistle, pop, and a burst of light, the pre-pubescent boy is in constant motion, loud, and bursting with self-discovery. And, like the bottle rockets blasting every which way or zipping dud right into the ground, Continue reading
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Three Things I Would Bottle
Three things I wish I could bottle for later: summer sunshine, the restorative powers of vacation sleep, and the energy of a child. Probably in that order. I crave sunlight. I love sleep. And with every passing year, it takes more energy than I naturally have to carry me through the day. I don’t want Continue reading
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Long live the queen
Getting a new hive of honeybees established is exciting but sometimes exasperating. Lately it has been more exasperating. Last year was so exasperating that not one of our new hives managed to survive even the summer. We strongly suspect the problem was the queens. When they arrived last year, the queens were so small we Continue reading
Slightly Off the Grid 