10/31: interesting but...

I read an article today that was thought-provoking and interesting; it was also focused on a topic that I once thought I'd spend a lot of research time and energy on and written in the mode I was trained in during graduate school.  Though I enjoyed the article and am glad I read it, I was also glad (and kind of surprised) to realize that I don't regret the twists and turns of my research path leading in a different direction.

10/30: done

...with a letter of recommendation I needed to write.  I am reminded of the goodness of doing these in the morning--when I am fresh and optimistic.  Even better when I can also be on the porch with kind air and light.

10/29: an addition

...to the collection of little animals.

10/27: voting

Chris and I went to early voting today.  I am so ready for the election to be over; the media deluge has been overwhelming.  Though there's a bit more of election season left, it feels good that my part in it is done.

10/26: getting (a little) ahead

Getting just a tad ahead to make tomorrow a little easier.

10/25: no line

...to get our flu shots.  (And the flu shots themselves are good things, too.)

10/24: flying

...over Bigelow after work.

10/23: singing

Chris singing, in particular.  (And me hearing it.)

10/22: watching

... Let the Right One In with Chris.

10/21: Cs

Color, cardstock, and circles.  I met up in the late afternoon with a friend and we made collages using cardstock scraps and circle punchers.

10/20: good light

A stormy morning sky gave way to bright and benign yellow light in the afternoon.

10/19: reading poems

...in the morning before going to school.  I didn't really have time to do it, but I took the time to do it, and it was a good thing.

10/18: blazing

The setting sun cast a crazy-bright path across the water for just a few minutes.

10/17: trio

At the lake and during our walk up the hill this evening Chris and I saw a bat, a walking stick insect, and a tarantula!  I love seeing tarantulas, and it had been some time since we sighted one, so this was a very nice thing indeed.

10/16: cleaning

...the refrigerator with Chris.  Not glamorous at all!  But nice to have it done and nice to spend time together doing it.

10/15: moonlight

We kayaked as the moon rose.  I'd never been paddling on the lake at dark before.

10/14: fall break

It's short, maybe too short, but oh so welcome.

10/13: quiet & full

It's fall break, so I worked from home today and got a lot done--including making cookies with Chris (with ginger, cranberries, pine nuts, chocolate chips, and oats), and they're fantastic.

10/12: making a list

...while sitting in the quiet by the lake.  It was a moment of calm claimed in a not-so-calm day.

10/11: the moon

...rising and on the water tonight near sunset.

10/10: trio

A very (very!) colorful sunrise that I looked up just in time to see.

And then a little later:  beautiful light on the water on my way to work.

This evening:  accepting two more wonderful poems for Heron Tree's found-in-the-public-domain special series.

10/9: cat toy

I got a new toy for the cats, and it was fun to run around with Tilde, playing with it.

10/7: new dress

Wearing a new dress lifted my mood today.  It's flowy and light with autumn colours; it made me want to swirl all day.  And I wore it with tights, which reminded me of being little and wearing dresses and tights a lot.

10/6: activity

We've read a good number of poems in the Martial class already this semester, and I wanted to think of a way for the students to review them and see patterns among them.  So I typed up a bunch of slips:  one for each poem we've read, giving the poem's first line and leaving room for a student to write some notes about the poem.  Each student then got their own set of slips for all the poems we've read so far and sat quietly, grouping the slips according to similarities of whatever sort they saw among the poems.  Then we shared our favorite groupings.  I don't think I'm explaining it well here, but I liked it a lot as an activity!

10/5: first wednesday

...of the month, and that meant an evening phone conversation with my sister.

10/4: late but done

I worked longer than I was fresh for, but my to-do list for the evening got finished.

10/3: unexpected visitor

A former student--whom I never actually taught but did a lot of co-curricular activities with--was in town briefly today and stopped by for a quick hello and a hug.

10/2: a chapter title

This evening I was working on a gloss for one of the chapter titles in Trollope's Three Clerks.  It's an allusion to a satire by Horace, and Trollope uses it so well, partly turning it on its head, partly getting us to re-interpret an earlier moment in the novel--all in all, what a pleasure to think about.

10/1: a sighting

I saw this sweetie in the woods at Woolly Hollow in the afternoon:


Turns out, it's slender ladies' tresses (a kind of orchid), but unopened.  Chris showed me some opened ones in our own woods not too long ago.