12/8: hooked again

A few weeks ago, I downloaded another one of Persephone's e-books; this time it was Mariana by Monica Dickens (a great grand-daughter of Charles).  I would read a bit now and then at night, but I think I was too tired to be a good reader.  I was also a little surprised because the description I had read made the book sound more light-hearted than it turns out to be.  After such a fitful, wary start, today I was able to do some reading during quality time today, and now I'm swallowed up in this novel's world.   It took me longer to reach this state than with other Persephone titles, but here I am again, glad that Persephone Books makes under-appreciated gems available once more.

12/7: time enough today

I had enough quiet time in the office today to put together Monday morning's final exam for the beginning Latin students.  Although I still have to proofread and photocopy it, I won't have to spend my Saturday afternoon writing it, and that's a good thing.

12/6: spreading sweets

My upper-level Latin class met this morning to deliver final presentations.  Because we were scheduled to convene at an early hour, I brought donuts.  At the end of the session there were extras, which I took into the Registrar's Office and the Alumni Relations Office to share.  It felt good to make people--students and co-workers alike--smile with an unexpected treat.

12/5: flora, fauna, and merry weather

One of the very first things I saw this morning was a deer eating privet at the edge of our yard.  As I was walking from the house to my car a little while later, I paused by our baby camellia bush, which has more blooms than you'd expect on a small plant.  I heard the buzz of honeybees, so I looked closely, and there they were:  some bees from our hives, checking out the flowers.

In the late afternoon Chris had to run an errand south of Little Rock (about 45 miles away), and I decided to go with him to get out of my home-to-school/school-to-home routine.  I enjoyed a chance to see a broader horizon, and I was grateful for the utterly benign light on the rice fields during our return trip:

I had gotten a little frustrated at school this afternoon (which is understandable but unfortunate at this stressful time of year), so a change in perspective was welcome.

12/4: singing in the rain

Campus was quiet today:  classes are over, and exams begin tomorrow, so professors were quietly working in their offices while students were squirreled away studying.  When I walked across campus at lunchtime, no one else was out and about.  It was raining (another reason that people were staying tucked inside), but amidst it all--rain, thunder, and general greyness--I heard so many birds singing.

12/3: traditional dinner

Chris and I are trying to use the free meals which we get at school each semester, so we ate dinner in the cafeteria last night.  We chose a good night:  it was the traditional pancake-dinner which is served to celebrate the last day of classes.

12/2: sun day

Another Sunday's sunset spent down at the dock.

12/1: confectionary punctuation

The treats from Chris' bakery splurge are still around (and will be with us for some time).  Today we used them as rewards between bouts of grading.  Maybe this should become an end-of-semester tradition?