So here's the short of it,
Happy Anniversary Liga and Valdis!

 And here's the long.

Mednieku pils Inčukalnā

Seventeen years ago today, we woke up in Riga, Latvia.  After lunch Victor, our in-country adoption facilitator drove us from the city to a small place in the country called Incukaln (pronounced Inch-u-kahln).  Our destination, the Incukaln Home for Children housed in an old hunting castle.  There had been an outbreak of hepatitis and it was under quarantine at the time. Compared to the stories he heard from others who went to adopt children, we were hustled in and back out and given little opportunity to see the grounds or meet many of the other children. We were asked to take pictures of about 10 other children to bring back to The Open Door agency.




This picture was taken within 10 minutes of the first time we met Liga and Valdis. Neither of them spoke any English. "Hallo" was as close as they got!  I had memorized about 50 Latvian words and we had an English-Latvian dictionary!  What an adventure we would have over the next months until the kids learned enough English to communicate with us.

So here's the short of it,
Today I honor and remember all those who served.
I especially think of Dad. 

 And here's the long.

This morning Alan, Liga, and I went to the Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Cemetery with Mom.  Joyce was on her way back from a visit to David and met us there at the cemetery.  It was a sunny and hot morning. The program was lovely and there were lots of veterans and their families there.  Someone said that today was one of the largest crowds they've had in several years. Dad always went to the programs at the cemetery. It was so beautiful there today. All the gravestones had a flag, and flags lined the roads that wind their way through the cemetery.

I was glad we were able to be there.

So here's the short of it, 
Meredith and Ben got married today.


 And here's the long.

We drove to Atlanta and back today for Meredith and Ben's wedding. It was such a lovely affair, and as they used to say in the little hometown newspaper where I grew up,"a good time was had by all".

Here's a wish for a long and happy life to Meredith and Ben!

So here's the short of it, 
Alan's been sick all day.

 And here's the long.

This morning when I woke, Alan was moaning and groaning - it was a bout of really bad nausea.  I called in to the answering service and got Dr. Jolly.  Alan and I both thought it was food poisoning, but Dr. Jolly said that there's a really bad stomach virus going around  - that's what she thought it probably was. She gave him a prescription for phenergan. But since the Pharmacy doesn't open until 9:00 - he had a couple more hours of that awful nausea. The phenergan knocks him out, so he's been in the bed all day.  I thought about a few weeks ago when I had that awful nausea and vomiting that I attributed to food poisoning, and wonder if I got that virus early on.

Anyway, whether it's food poisoning or the virus, I hope it's mostly gone by tomorrow - except that he still has fever. We are supposed to drive down for Meredith's wedding in Atlanta. I hope he's feeling well enough to go.

So here's the short of it, 
I have a new computer.

 And here's the long.

I'm really excited for my new home computer! It came today via Fed Ex.  I've been tracking its shipping progress ever since it left Shanghai.

It's a MacBook Pro!

I just got it out of the box a bit ago. I've got a lot to learn because I've been away from Apple products ever since the merger of City Schools which was over 10 years ago!  I'm so excited to relearn what I used to know and then come up the learning curve with new things!  

So here's the short of it, 
Mom and I made an early Memorial Day visit to the cemetery.  

And here's the long.

Since Mom is going to Atlanta tomorrow to be there for all the pre-wedding festivities, we went to the cemetery today.  At lunchtime, she and I met at the cemetery.  Dad loved red roses so much, and they seemed so appropriate for Memorial Day.  

As we were leaving Mom said something to me and I didn't hear it, when I asked her to repeat it, I could see that she was choked up a bit and weepy.  She said, "Last Sunday it was two years since he was home." 

It hardly seems possible that it's been two years since he went to the hospital for some routine surgery that would turn into the nightmare that led to his death.

We miss him so much, and are so glad that Mom is here in Chattanooga so nearby.

So here's the short of it,

Tonight at Wednesday night church, veterans were honored.

And here's the long.

Mom invited us to Wednesday night church since it was the service honoring veterans. Dad had spoken at that very event several times. As a matter of fact, he spoke the Wednesday night before his surgery.

It was a very nice evening. Two gentlemen spoke. Bob Rayburn is a Navy veteran who served in the Battle of Leyte Gulf Bay.   I first heard of that when I read the novel Space by James Michener but this is the very first time I ever heard anyone who was there speak about it. Then a gentleman who served in the Navy during the Vietnam war spoke. I was glad to be there to hear their stories.





The church has a permanent display of some of its members and past members who served in the military.

Here's a close up of Dad's picture on that display. 

I am such a lucky woman to have had Gene Howard for a father!

So here's the short of it, 
Tomorrow is the last day of school!

And here's the long.

So tomorrow another year comes to an end. I'm pretty glad.

I still have end of year reports due in from several teachers which I need to complete my state reports.  All of them are people that I believe I can depend on, so I'm not sweating bullets yet, but I'm still a little anxious to get them all in before everyone goes home for the summer! 

Meetings today, meetings tomorrow - on Thursday I'll be done with meetings and everything will be in so I can concentrate on getting it all done! So bring on the day tommorrow!

Here's my hope and prayer for everyone who is in the pathway of the storms tonight. 

So here's the short of it, 
My thoughts are in Joplin, and closer to home, all those communities that suffered such horrible damage and loss of life.

And here's the long.

I'm horrified by the tornado damage in Joplin. The people in communities near us are still trying to put their lives back together after the tornadoes that came through Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee just a few weeks ago. Our own neighborhood, Brainerd, is still littered with the debris of the huge trees that crashed down and caused so much property damage.

image from Twisterchasers.com

I don't have many thoughts about the why's of it all. The images from Joplin make me aware of the incredible resilience of humankind. Somehow, through the worst that natural disasters or human stupidity can hurl, humankind takes it in, and finds a way - maybe sometimes in a daze - but finding a way nonetheless - to pick up the pieces and go on.

This post is a celebration of the human spirit. We take the very worst and weave a story of human survival and pass it along for generations. So here's to those who are out in the dark night in Joplin and surrounding communities, helping their fellow human beings and giving us hope. And to those in the close by communities - who after all this time are still out there after work and on the weekends helping folks pick up the pieces - doing whatever needs to be done to help. Here's to all.

So here's the short of it, 
The tomato part of the garden is off to a good start.

And here's the long.
I still want to put another row of tomatoes in. I hope that I can get a couple of TFIs.  Somehow I lost the seeds that I saved - I really hope Mom or Aunt Joyce has a start for me.  I also have some Kumato starts from seed. And Mom has given me a little yellow pear tomato that volunteered last year in her back yard.

Here's the only row that's in the garden so far.  But notice how nicely tilled it is. Thanks to Alan!

I spent a good chunk of time getting everything weeded - then the cages in place - oh the ground is so hard. Then the stakes pounded in to keep the cages standing upright. And finally the straw spread. 

And OH MY!  This is one of the Black Cherry plants.  Two little tomatoes are coming on. It won't be long now. Dad always thought it was a great accomplishment to have ripe tomatoes by July 4th.  Of course, it's a little easier to accomplish that here in Chattanooga than it is in southeastern Kentucky.






Today I had some tomatoes from Linda's Produce.  I'm so ready for real home grown tomatoes! 

So here's the short of it, 
I love the weekend.

And here's the long.
 
This morning getting up early didn't feel like early at all!  The morning was beautiful and I worked on the tomatoes - getting the cages on and some straw down - maybe to manage the weeds a bit. One of my black cherry plants has two little tomatoes on it!

Later this afternoon Mom and I went out for a bit. I took my new coffee pot back to Belks because the carafe has been leaking at the place where the stainless steel and the plastic come together.  They made it all so easy. So I'm home with the same model and it's set up to make coffee tomorrow. It makes great coffee and it's easy to use. I sure hope it was just a defective carafe and not a problem with the model.

We stopped for a visit with Mommy Anne. She looked really wonderful. She had just come inside - a group of them had been sitting out on the patio for a couple of hours according to the caregiver.  Mommy Anne said she did not stay outside that long - she said she's never really liked being outside enough to stay out that long. 

My plan is to sleep in a bit tomorrow - let's see how that goes.

So here's the short of it, 
So glad the end of the week is here.

And here's the long.

I am sure glad that this is a Friday!  Today at the end of the day was my last class time with the students at East Lake Academy. That has been a great experience for me. I sure do miss the classroom sometimes. We've just got three more days to get all the meetings finished up and all the school reports in. It's looking pretty good at this moment in time.

I just wonder if we actually get the money that the county commission has been withholding once Dr. Scales is gone, if we'll really get any of our positions back. I'm concerned that even if the money comes back the positions won't!  I know that since my office isn't over at the main campus that I'm not feeling the level of stress that those folks are - but I am feeling the stress in my own little part of the world.

I'm glad to have a weekend!

I should say that again -- I'm glad it's the weekend - Hurray for Friday!

So here's the short of it, 
Got to see Steve and Pat today!

And here's the long.

Hurray for Friday! I am really glad that tomorrow is the last day of the week. I have a big report to put together before I leave for my short summer break, and there's a piece from every school. Those pieces have started dribbling in. My big end of year report that is the balancing piece of that report is sitting on my desktop at work thanks to our amazing Delane! I need to shovel my way into it and pull out the pieces needed for the report, but having that report makes it so much easier than it was in the past when we had to count everything by hand! Computers are wonderful.

Steve and Pat were here for a little while this evening. They are on their way back to Atlanta after being in Nashville for the birth of their 3rd grandchild. Ryan Sean-Michael McSwain.  I got to see some good pictures. He's really cute. I'm usually pretty good at who babies look like. I can see Lauren in his mouth - but I can't see other resemblances yet.

He'll be going to Atlanta to his Aunt Meredith's wedding Memorial Day weekend.  And we are sure all eager to get to meet him.

We had a really nice visit with Steve and Pat. They really have a buy month.  Meredith's graduation, Baby Mac's arrival, Meredith getting married, and then getting Patrick off to his Marine training for the summer!  Wow, it makes me out of breath just to write about it.

So here's the short of it, 
 I really like Story People.

And here's the long.

The Story People website has lots of cool stuff!

I'm trying really hard to keep this one in my mind.

So here's the short of it, 

Wow, it was chilly today.  

And here's the long.

I haven't had a chance to look up anything about what in the world is going on with our weather. I suppose there's an explanation. I'm glad I've still got winter PJs and a good soft cover to keep me warm.  

I had a pretty intense work day today, and I was really tired by the time I got home. I revived a little by taking Sophie out for a good circle walk. She was really glad to be outside and didn't really want to come in when it was time. She's becoming a bit more independent minded since her 2nd birthday - and doesn't always come running when I holler "Sophie - Home!"  She seems to have something else to smell or another something to chase over in the circle, or frequently another chase around the yard with her friend, Winston.

I stopped by to check on Mom this morning when I left for work and again when I got back.  She just doesn't let much get her down. She went to the dentist this morning and got an anti-biotic - then went on to do some work at church. She looked so much better this afternoon and guess where I found her - out in the yard helping Susan and Shirley get some yard work done! She really did look so much better. Getting her started on that anti-biotic really makes me feel a lot better!

So here's the short of it, 


And here's the long.

Mom is not feeling well tonight. You know, in my life I hardly ever remember Mom being sick. Well, I'm sure that she was sick, and there were times that she didn't feel so well - but I don't remember it.

I worked a bit late this evening and then had a meeting at 6.  Mom called before my meeting to tell me that she didn't feel well. Mom rarely ever calls to ask for something regarding her health. It turns out she had a tooth bothering her. I stopped and got some extra strength orajel and stopped by. When I went in, she was in the chair and didn't look well at all.  She had temperature! And the side of her face was swollen.  Her dentist's office closes at 2:00 PM and she didn't want to call the emergency number.  So I got her to take some aspirin, drink some chicken broth, and slather on the orajel. I stayed for awhile and assured myself that she would be OK.  She called about 10:30 to tell me that she was going on to bed. That's a pretty early bedtime for Mom!  Tomorrow I'll stop in on my way to work and see if we can't get a dentist appointment. 

I'm sure glad Mom is living here! 

So here's the short of it, 
Today is Alan's birthday!

And here's the long.

Today we celebrated Alan's birthday!

He ordered up his dinner - a home cooked meal of Salmon, cooked carrots, and broccoli.  I added wild rice and a double fudge chocolate cake along with the best cantaloupe we've had all year

Mommy Anne came over and joined our Sunday night dinner to make this a special birthday occasion for Alan.  We thought Liga wasn't going to make it because it was her weekend to work, but she was able to get her dinner break at the same time we were sitting down for dinner so she was able to join us for a little while. Mom came and Valdis and Kalie were there too. 

See the rose behind Mommy Anne? Alan gives his Mom a rose every year on his birthday as a token of his appreciation for having him and raising him. I think it's a really nice thing that he does that - my Uncle Tom always did that as well. 

So Happy Birthday, husband!

So here's the short of it,
Meredith graduated!

And here's the long.

Meredith graduated today.  Meredith is my younger brother, Steve's, youngest daughter. She has been at Samford studying communications and today was her big day!  Mom and I left this morning about 7 o'clock and we arrived right on time. We really enjoyed being able to be there for her special day.

Ben and Meredith met at Samford. They will be married Memorial Day weekend and will be living in Birmingham for a least two more years as Ben finishes seminary.

The sun came out and was shining pretty brightly giving everyone the squints!

Here's Steve and Pat with their little girl. She was really happy to be graduating.

Here's Meredith with her MaMa Howard. It was a nice trip and she was so excited to be there for Meredith's big day! I enjoyed the trip down and back with her.

So here's the short of it, 
I have a big weekend coming up!

And here's the long.

Another long day! It framed up from the outset to be a difficult day because of communication issues between several parties. Boy Oh Boy! Good communication sure does make things work better.  But in spite of starting out in a really difficult space with the thought that we might not even get everything done, it all came together. We had to reschedule two meetings, but that's OK. It will be fine!

I am so glad that it's the weekend. No rest here. I'll be up early to take Mom to Birmingham in time to watch Meredith graduate from Samford.  This is an exciting May for Steve and Pat.  Meredith is graduating on Saturday; their new grandson is coming this Tuesday; and then on Memorial Day weekend Meredith and Ben will be getting married, whew! What a May for them!

Mom and I will be making a quick trip down and then back.  I'm looking forward to it. Then Sunday we'll be celebrating Alan's birthday......

So here's the short of it, 
Thursday - Blogger was down.

And here's the long.
  

Today (Thursday) was a pretty full day, and I was ready to crash when I got home. Alan had a neighborhood meeting so he was leaving by the time I got home. I made myself take Sophie out for her walk after dinner, and I’ll have to say that a few turns around the circle made me feel a little better.

There is so much going on at every level at work. The tension itself is draining. Of course, add to that the fact that we are trying to make a batter without enough of the main ingredients, and trying to do our normal work load. Our office has picked up the work of a teacher that we lost during the second semester, so that’s added a piece. Wow! If we can just get the year finished up – then I’ll be able to concentrate on getting our state reports that I’m responsible for done up and then – I’ll be ready for a few weeks of something different!

I’m so glad that tomorrow is Friday. I had a plan A in place for tomorrow. Tonight I got a call about a problem and I’m on to plan B. Of course that means that Plan A has to be done another time!  I’m laughing because I know it’s no different for anyone else – it’s just that this is my mess to figure out!

Saturday Mom and I are driving to Birmingham to Meredith’s graduation – and Sunday is Alan’s birthday.  mmm… wonder when I can get a bit of rest in.

 (This is Friday afternoon - blogger was down from last night until I left for work this morning!)

So here's the short of it, 
Oh, I so enjoyed my morning!

And here's the long.

This morning I was working with a teacher in a classroom of 20 middle schoolers in one of our urban schools. We pulled them all together for a special day to do a study using the paperclip project in Whitwell, TN, called One Clip At A Time. What a great day. I had to tag team with my colleague because I had some afternoon obligations. I sure would have liked to be with that group all day! Even though I only got to be with them until right after lunch, it gave me a boost of energy to wind up the year.

The backdrop to all that is our Superintendent's sudden announcement that he will accept a buy out to leave our system! Of course that scuttlebutt had going around and around ever since the last board election when things looked like they were going south for him. Our $14 million deficit might look a little different if he goes. At least that's what most people around here think. Lots and lots of people think they've been holding that money out to force this decision.

It makes me wish .....

So we will see what happens.  The board still has to vote to buy him out and at this time apparently there's no money to do that!

Even with all that, it seems that the new Superintendent has all but been chosen. That will be interesting too. I wonder what else the shake down will be. 

So here's the short of it, 

I used a Saddle Stapler for the first time ever today!

And here's the long.

Well, I'm an old cuss, and I've been working around office equipment since my first job when I was about 15 years old. I kind of pride myself on knowing about such things. I even remember using an old copy technique called the hectograph. It was a  semi-permanent gel in a tray. You made an original from carbon paper or with special pencils. The original went face down on the gel and then you left it for awhile - I'm thinking about 30 min or so. Somehow it made a negative image (in purple) of your original, then you could press one page at a time down on the get and get a copy (less clear with each copy) - you could get a good number of copies before it faded too much to be read. And as a teacher and a support person, I've done my share of stapling things together too. I thought I'd used every kind of stapler around - of course as a teacher mostly old ones or cheap ones. BUT I had never heard of a Saddle Stapler before today! It's a pretty specialized stapling instrument!


I am working with a teacher on something for tomorrow, and I told her that I'd make up student journals which are essentially 8 1/2 X 11 paper with a cover folded and stapled in the middle.  It was the staple in the middle that was giving me grief. I couldn't find a stapler that would work. So I see Carrie (who knows everything) in the hallway. She's the secretary in the pre-school center downstairs.  I asked her for advice. She said have you tried the Saddle Stapler. I laughed. I didn't know there was such a thing. Wow, it was funny looking, and it sure made short work of that job I had! 

So now this old dog learned a new trick today - and it was a trick I thought was pretty cool!

So here's the short of it, 
Remembering Dad today.

And here's the long.

Loggerhead Poster

 Today I went to Normal Park Upper School for a meeting. I was in the meeting room a few minutes before the other participants arrived. As I was moving some things from the table we would be using, I picked up a poster that was rolled up and it opened a bit as I grabbed it - it was a poster of the Loggerhead Turtle. I was swept back years ago when I was single and the Howard family rented a house on Kiowah Island.  For a few years that was a thing that we did.

Those memories just rushed over me.  I didn't really have much time to dwell on it at all since the other participants in the meeting arrived very quickly.  So I quickly snapped a shot of the poster - actually I could only get the top part of it in the time I had. 

After the meeting as I was driving to my next meeting, I had a chance to really think about those memories. I had this incredible image of the night several of us went down to the beach to find that a Loggerhead Turtle mom had made her way up the beach and was digging a nest to leave her eggs in.  How amazing it was to see her. That was the beginning of my interest in these creatures. Dad was so excited about seeing them. Over the next few days, he would point out to us the places one had come ashore to lay her eggs and left a trail. At that time, the nests were harvested and the eggs taken to a hatchery since the beaches were so busy.

I also remember going for an early morning beach walk with Dad one morning. We were looking for shells and just walking down to the point and back.  When we arrived,  what a sight - there was a small pod of porpoises fishing.  They would circle around the school of fish and drive them up to the shore.  The fish would swim right out onto the beach and the porpoises would launch right out onto the beach and get two or three before they slipped back into the water. They did this over and over again. We had never seen anything like that before and of course we had not remembered to bring along a camera! But we often talked about that morning. It was quite an experience for a couple of Kentucky mountain folks. 

I'm ever so grateful that I have so many good memories with Dad and I'm equally glad that I still have Mom here to keep making memories.

So here's the short of it, 
What a great Mother's Day!

And here's the long.

Thanks to my family for making this a great Mother's Day!

Alan, Liga, and Valdis and Kalie made dinner.  Mom and Mommy Anne were here.  I'm really grateful that they are both still here and so close by. I had some great cards and a wonderful text from Shelley, as well as several phone wishes from some of my friends/relatives who share this mothering gig.  My four legged kids were specially sweet to me today too!

I got a great flower bouquet from Valdis, Liga made a spectacular fruit tray, and Kalie made some really good brownies.
 
I'm a lucky Mom!

So here's the short of it, 
New Pots for the front!
 
And here's the long.

Mom and I went to the Barn Nursery today. It's always fun to go play around at the Barn! I've been wanting to replace the pots we have at the front of the house for a long time, but I haven't ever found anything I thought I'd really like for more than a season or two. I've been thinking though that a cobalt blue would be really pretty. Today I found some.  

They are a bit smaller than the ones we've had, but I think the color will be really pretty when the flowers and flags are in the pots, I think I'll really like them.

The pots are made in VietNam!

Forty years ago if someone had told me that I'd be buying something that was made in VietNam, I would have thought that they were crazy. Now it's not that I hated everything VietNamese, but I just didn't have the imagination to imagine how VietNam could become anything except that country that was threatening to take our brothers, friends, and acquaintances.

Of course there was so much I didn't know - so much I still don't know. Recently when I was just outside D.C., I had a short bit of time to do some sight-seeing. We went for a walk on the mall.  I stopped at the World War II Memorial in honor of my Dad. We walked by the VietNam Memorial in honor of all the men of my generation who served. Those who died, and those who came back to a hostile nation that could not find a way to honor them for their sacrifice. And today I bought two flower pots and their saucers that some pottery worker(s) in that country labored over. They certainly couldn't have known that they'd end up in the hands of someone who would wonder who they were and what their lives were like.  I've only seen VietNam in pictures and heard of it in stories - fiction, non-fiction, oral histories - and I've seen it in the eyes of some of my former students and a few friends' adopted children. 

It will be nice to think from time to time, when I look at my flowers, of the connection that's been forged between our countries.

So here's the short of it,
Oh Friday, how welcome you are!

And here's the long.

I am so very thankful that tomorrow can be a sleep in day! This morning when my alarm sounded I thought I could hear my pillow whispering "don't go.... don't go...."  So I'm pretty tired. Lucky me, I came home to a husband who had brought in barbeque for dinner!

Today, I told my boss today that staffing our program was about like trying to make a batter without enough eggs. I think she appreciated my analogy - but she could only say - "yes, that's what we are all trying to do."  I don't mean this to be any kind of criticism against my boss.  She is at her wits end to make up the shortfall given the budget crisis and is actually doing a rather heroic job considering. But it's still awfully hard to make it work.

I'm looking forward to doing a bit of gardening this weekend and having a good Mother's Day celebration. That should lift my spirits.

So here's the short of it,
The electricity is back on in the circle tonight.


And here's the long.

Today electricity finally came to the rest of the circle. It's been nine very long days for our neighbors to be out of electricity. It makes me think about all the people all over the world who don't have electricity, and my  grandparents who didn't have electricity for most of their lives - even my parents who began life with well water, wood stoves, a warm morning heater and fireplaces to stay warm in the winter, and kerosene lamps and candles for light in the evening. We are sure lucky!

When I got home from work   today there was a small caravan of yellow electric trucks on the other side of the circle. I knew at once that they were from out of town because all of or Electric Power Board trucks are white.  When Sophie and I went out for our evening stroll, I noticed there was a University of Kentucky decal on two of the trucks, so I struck up a conversation with a couple of the men. It turns out they are from London, Kentucky!  That's where I lived for the last part of 3rd grade and 4th grade when my Dad first started working for Kentucky Utilities!  One of these guys lived near London, but the other one commuted from Jackson County to London for work. 

I told these fellows that I had lived in London for a year of my life when I was young. The guy on the left said "I bet that was the best year of your life!"  I sure got a chuckle out of that. They've been down here for days and they are working 16-18 hour days, staying at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.  They looked tired and I know they are ready to go home. Right now the trucks are gone, and it looks as though everyone on the circle has power now.


My thanks go out to all the men (and women) who came to us from all over the country to help get our town back up and running. I know it will take a very long time for the recovery to really get going in the areas that were hardest hit, but having the electric grid back up and running sure does make everything else easier to accomplish. Alan met a crew from Lafollette, a colleague saw a crew from Oklahoma, and everywhere I've driven for work this week, I've seen crews just working as hard as they can. It's good to know we have a system like this in place.

So tonight everyone on the circle will have to turn the lights out to go to bed.  That's a good thing.

So here's the short of it, 
 Today is Sophie's Birthday!

And here's the long.






Here's the birthday dog!  She is two years old today.  Sophie is the first dog we've ever had that we knew a real birthday. Her pregnant mother was rescued by the Pet Placement Center, so they had a record when the litter of 10 was born. I think Sophie might be the pick of the litter!
                                                      










One of her very favorite places in the house is the fireplace.She naps there or just makes herself comfortable when we are sitting in the living room. She's not the first of our dogs to find that to be a wonderful doggie place.  We've never successfully used it as a fireplace because the dogs claimed it right away! We think it's a pretty classy dog hang out.

                                                                        

Sophie got a great big bone for her birthday as well as a small bowl of pumpkin! She was a happy girl and she's been chewing on that bone all evening! We feel really lucky to have such a great dog!

So here's the short of it, 
Work and reflection.

And here's the long.

The other day I had the opportunity to work for a bit with a colleague that I don't see very often. She works in a different department and though we've known one another for a long time, we don't see each other or have a chance to work together often.  We are working a a project and needed some advice from her department so had a short meeting.  I've been a bit deflated about some of the set backs we've had this spring, including cutting our staff.

Today I had an e-mail from this colleague with a quotation she attributed to the Kabbalists.  It really gave me a moment of reflection!

"When you pray for strength, God sends you a set of weights."

So, OK.  I guess I need to do some lifting.  There's work I can do, I suppose I'm not strong enough yet!

So here's the short of it, 

Today turned off cool but the EPB is working in our neighborhood.

And here's the long.

Today the weather turned cold! I knew it was going to, but I couldn't make myself believe it. I wasn't dressed warmly enough, and shucks...I hope I didn't leave the space heater on in the office when I left this afternoon!

Today we had a late start, so by the time I left the EPB was here. They gave the tree people some time to get some more work done, but by the time I got home this evening, they had two poles up including a new transformer on the one. Alan didn't think the power was back on yet though. It's rained all evening so I haven't been out - but surely by tomorrow electricity will be back on - and I can share pics of brand new electric poles!  I heard today that there are still over 20,000 EPB customers without power. Even if a person has a pioneer spirit and can do the heating water on the gas grill, using candles or bringing the solar lights in at dusk, and keeping perishables in a cooler, it surely has gotten old by  now. We are really fortunate not to have lost power for any length of time.

On Sunday, Valdis taught Sophie how to climb up on the tree root and walk out onto the tree trunk.  By Monday morning, she was climbing up and leaving the yard whenever she wanted to. Of course when they began to clean up the tree, our upper back fence came down, so she has been confined to the lower back yard yesterday and today. Alan said today that she walked up the back steps to the closed gate and just stood there surveying her territory from a new place. I know she'll be glad to have her territory enlarged again when we can get a temporary fence up to keep her in. 

So here's the short of it, 
By the time I got home this afternoon, they'd made lots of progress toward getting the trees cleared off the road. 

And here's the long.

 

Someone came and harvested some firewood.

Valdis and Sophie climbing on the tree root

Liga standing on the tree

There's a path in the street!

Taking down other precarious trees

The shed is completely tipped over now!

So here's the short of it, 
It's back to work tomorrow.

And here's the long.

Hamilton County will be back at school tomorrow - on an hour delay. There are two camps of thinking on this. One very vocal group thinks that it is crazy for kids to go back to school just now - many don't have electricity, there are still trees down all over the roads, and it may be difficult for them to even get to school.  Many of our communities are still reeling, burying their dead, and trying to figure out where to go next. The next group is one that believes that the faster we can get kids back into their regular routines the better it will be for them. So whatever we believe, tomorrow we will have our kids back in the buildings. Our teachers will get them back into their routines, pay attention to their fears, and help them get through the day tomorrow and then again day after day - that's just what our amazing public school teachers do.

Since I'm a teacher I get the hour delay as well and it will be great for me. I'll have a much more relaxed getting ready morning! I'm not eager to move back into the stress but there's work to be done and tomorrow we'll tackle it.