Kelly in Kansas

I went outside to get some wood in the fireplace and disturbed the turkeys...didn't know they took that route through the woods. They're so big and clumsy they can't move quickly when they're back there. I have heard noise that direction in the dark before but just assumed it was the deer since the deer were all I'd seen in the daylight in that location.

A big pick-up truck drove all the way up to my house (the driveway is a quarter of a mile long) last night and I turned the outside lights on and they turned around - but not until getting very close. Hopefully it was just some good ole boys out drinking. I couldn't locate the neighbor's telephone number until after they would have gotten out of the driveway. She helped me get my wits about me - if they were looking to do something or steal something, they would have turned off their lights. I did sleep okay though without any nightmares about intruders!

My US As A Superpower course has everything in Blackboard now for the semester. I decided against any formal objective tests since someone cheated last semester and caused potential problems for both me and the other students. Besides, as a trusted graduate student commented, the fill in the blank and multiple choice questions online really only test how fast you can look up answers. Writing coherently and effectively are much more important even when students think you grade them based on how you "feel" about them personally. :}