Kelly in Kansas

We actually have spring weather for this spring break. In fact, it's almost summer weather - over 80 degrees today. I still am hoping for one more snow .....

I worked outside at the farm yesterday - I planed the irises Dad gave me and replanted the landscaping that the deer pulled out. I was dismayed to hear _two_ armadillos wondering around my yard last night. And, a new bunny has taken up residence quite close to the house. He's so close in fact, that he/she refuses to move very far when I take Molly out. And I don't want her running after the bunny into the woods. I also think the bunny is to blame for the straw front door mat being chewed apart - maybe it's nesting . . . . ? It's always something.

I spent the rest of the day burning although there is still more to do. And, I discovered that it is much more fun to burn when it is cold than when it is 75%. I loaded up the ivy block and the bug spray with deet and appear to have come out unscathed. Remember I had my last serious bout with poison ivy in November. Yes, I said November.

I hope to get some Truman done this week in between catching up on everything else.

I'm still trying to go through all my stuff and throw away what I haven't needed in over a decade. Hopefully it will lead to at least some of the stress relief promised by clutter-free life advocates. On the other hand, what am I without my clutter?

Labels: animals, farm, spring break

I headed out to the farm after I picked up Molly so that I could check on the landscaping and do any watering that might be necessary before the ground freezes. I was probably safe not having to water but am glad I came out - was able to try a new citrus stripper that actually seems to have worked on most of orange overspray from the weatherproofing a friend did last year (his workers didn't cover the windows as I asked over and over - lesson learned, they can't do work here without my being here next time since these things only seem to happen when I'm not here). I went back over everything with Glass Plus so hopefully there was no caustic residue that would cause problems later because the stripper wasn't cleanly wiped away.

The best news is that the landscaping seems to have really taken well - the ivy has "popped" like it has successfully taken root - even the pieces I moved that were growing up the side of the front porch.

The steroid shot is already showing great progress and less red itchy skin. And, of course the hydrocortisone cream. The lesson learned here is that next time I go get a cortisone shot at the urgent care clinic before I leave town - esp. for such an important meeting.

And, of course, there's always laundry

Labels: chores, cleaning, farm, weatherproofing

I arrived at the farm today to find one less armadillo alive. That is definitely a good thing considering how much landscape damage they are doing.

It was a beautiful evening out here. I can't believe we're still getting 80 degree daytime weather. But the good news is that it shouldn't rain except for the day we arrive for the Southern History Association meeting in New Orleans later this week.

Last week was a stressful one - but mainly due to situations beyond my control. I just need to keep repeating that there will always be things I can't keep in line and I need to keep practicing "let it go, let it go". Mainly, I need to distract myself when my negative thoughts start swirling around and going deeper and deeper.

I'll start seeing student teachers this week and that is usually a great validation of all the hard work that has been put in to getting to that point for students - especially when they are student teaching for former students that are doing quite well.

Labels: armadillo, farm, students

It rained a bit overnight - not enough to keep me from weedeating and just enough to put the weedkiller down without having to haul the hoses out.

Molly is feeling more comfortable out here. She did great on the trip even though she had a few intrusions into her comfort zone that were a bit too sudden. It is funny, tough, how she still barks at the ice maker when it drops ice.

I have some work to review and chapters to review but the best news is that the larger project is now much more manageable.

I went to the farmers' market on Friday and Thusday went to the orchards in Missouri to get peaches for Mom. She even felt good enough to make peach cobbler for Dad.

Right now, the last part of Smokey and the Bandit (#1) is on - what a fun movie - and now it tells the story of a different time in lots of ways.

Time to get some breakfast.

Labels: farm, Molly, saturday, weeds, work

The Electronic Records Advisory Committee meeting went well - especially getting to know some of my fellow committee members better. Everyone has such interesting areas of expertise and there is always something new to learn.

I ventured to St. Louis over the weekend to meet Beau and Maggie and Aunt Dorothy, of course. Dorothy is a great person and is doing outstanding work being both an adopted mom and a foster mom. Beau and Maggie were quite cute and adorable and very sociable but the feeling just wasn't right - I think primarily because two active young pups is a bit much for me to handle right now. I visited with Doc late yesterday and he gave me some other pointers but also said not to overthink it all - my heart will know when I meet the right pup. And I do tend to overthink on lots of things but am trying to do more listening to my gut.

On Sunday I ventured to some area shelters and the facilities of the Humane Society of Missouri are simply outstanding - it's clear they are doing a great job with the animals and providing a conducive environment for adoption.

Seeing friends in St. Louis Saturday evening for dinner at Maya Cafe was also fun. We never would have met one another without TAH grants.

I met with my face to face class yesterday for the last time before the final next Monday. The final will be all multiple choice as one way to get students ready for the Praxis II 0081 test now required for graduation to ensure we have the desirable pass rate. I enjoyed talking with some of the students individually about their future plans.

Then, after visiting with Doc, I made it out to the farm in time to do some of the outdoor work, including planting some transplanted ivy, before the big storms came in for the next two days. Later today I will call around to some of the area shelters and maybe go visit some of them. I found a possible poodle for me online when Doc was looking with me but she is already in a foster to adopt home. The right one will come along, I'm sure. However, as you already know, patience is not one of my virtues.

Labels: adoptions, dog, farm, grants, human society, rescue, shelters, St. Louis, TAH

With a sustained effort late into the night, grading is at last done. Just a bit more content planning for the rest of the semester and the time will fly by.

One of the features my university does not have is a gateway and/or checklist for students to review prior to taking online classes. Some students are still having trouble just saving and sending files correctly - even with specific instructions. The "digital natives" definitely only know their personally-relevant pockets of tech info and aren't always as "eager" to learn something new that has to be done a certain way to work for everyone. For example, to keep track of student work that is submitted as Word or PowerPoint files, they are expected to follow a specific naming paradigm. If the assignment directions are in a Word file, I name that file the same as they are to hand in with an "xxx" in the file name for them to replace with their initials. But, guess what, it's not unusual even late in the semester for them to send me a file that has defaulted to their title on the first line of their file - something unworkable when you're dealing with groups of 20 to 30 files of the same assignment (ie you can't have 25 files that say The_1920s.doc and keep everything straight.) And, despite
putting a heading on the actual page that says "Your Name Here" and "Date Here", they often erase that or, I'm guessing, start with a new file and forget all the guidelines.

Whether the students plan to teach or to go into other careers, they will run into network systems that have definite rules that don't take files and/or input that "almost fit". And, students have several ways to not only check that the file is named right on their computer but also to confirm it was submitted correctly. I highly suggest to them -not- to do anything but browse for the file on the computer and NOT to put anything in the blank boxes on the dropbox screen (we've gone from Blackboard to ANGEL on my campus). The early common mistake was to "name the file" in the blank box "correctly" but send me a file without their initials or the proper file name. And, I try to encourage them to use Open Office if they don't have Microsoft Office. The Microsoft Works people don't seem to understand how to do a "save as" and then send me a file that has .doc.wps which means they haven't followed directions and have typed in the extension instead of chosing it. Even pointing them to online videos doesn't seem to work. I'll just keep revising my instructions and once they don't get points for a file I can't easily open, they usually figure it out. And, once they figure it out, there is usually a chance to resubmit based on previous work. But I think the main issue is that most who take online are still not aware of the tech required despite the up front info I give them and also think it will be easier than an in-person F2F class. Of course, some of these same students are surprised when there are books required for their online history course.

Yesterday I received a friendly email from one our tech-savey librarians who didn't realize he was suckered into helping the student who refuses to learn and keeps finding new people to help him. Of course, this student forgot to tell him that he had a whole folder of information on blogging in his ANGEL site and that we had spent class time on it earlier in the semester. This student found it easier to go to complain to someone than review the material. He also made it clear from previous comments that he hadn't been regularly accessing the course ANGEL site as stated in the syllabus and multiple times in class.

Today I can focus on some more fun aspects of my work. A colleague with whom I'm working on a grant project just called and updated me on what I need to know for my trip to Baltimore this week. I then go from Baltimore to the University of North Texas for an alumni event. Should be fun and my first non-stop (Baltimore to Denver) flight in years. At last with Southwest it should go smoothly.

We're having one last bout of winter weather and I'm enjoying my last fires at the farm. There are clouds but no rain, thank goodness. It looks like it will be another week before the morels are up - we just simply haven't had the warm spring days to get them to pop.

And, I'm going to have to figure out how to get rid of that armadillo that was rummaging around the front yard last night. Argh!

Labels: Baltimore, cold, farm, fire, grading, grants, Southwest, students, tech, Texas, University of North Texas, weather

More morel hunting yesterday but later online research indicates we need some more warm days before they will pop. So, maybe next weekend will be a fruitful harvest of morels.

I spent a few hours at the humane society again. The university's biology club was there to walk dogs and play with the animals - it was a great day to get them outside. I also helped the shelter put their upcoming mall adoption dates on their website. Hopefully these will be more and more successful when people see these great animals just looking for a home. Andy, the Cairn Terrier, let me sit and pet him for awhile although he didn't want to know he liked me. Most impressive, however, was Dr. Pepper's peering out at me when I was sitting with several groups of dogs in the middle glassed in area between the main office and the kennels. I asked Aaron about getting Dr. Pepper out and he said he had probably been overstimulated already. But, just before I left, Dr. Pepper let me pet him through the kennel gate door. What a sweetie.

It was also a great day to do some outdoor work so I mowed for the first time and took my second big stab at the heavy duty blade weedeating along the back fenceline. My second trip to get gas (this time for the weedeater) proved to be very beneficial as I ran into my plumber who was able to get me connected on some other repair problems I'm dealing with. He does a great job - he sends people in an emergency right away and, in return, I give him a window of opportunity when I do things like poor a burned batch of candy I'm making down the sink and ruin the garbage disposal (at least it was 15 years old and not brand new).

This morning has been spent grading given that I am apparently not enticing the grading fairy to show up.

P.S. I'm actually beginning to feel like I have actual weekends like the real world and don't feel overwhelmed with working the whole time (although grading was bearing down on me - but everyone needs occasional breaks - esp. given the breakneck pace of last week. . or it could just be because weekends are a normal expectation of a working adult . .. ;-) )

Labels: animal shelters, dogs, farm, humane society, hunting, lawn, morel, mowing, mushroms, resuce dogs, weedeating, woods

I spent some time yesterday walking around the north side of my property - there is a creek I don't remember being there but was a great discovery given that it takes water to produce morel mushrooms. I'll have to ask the neighbors if they are finding any morels yet. I have yet to find them on the farm since I've had it. It's truly an art and the secret to finding them is not readily shared. My guess, however, is that the deer and turkey get them before I can even look for them. Then, I spent some time getting the logs and limbs from the two large trees we cut in back. We didn't realize til we tried to cut on them this last fall that they were still growing so they are cut into pieces to be easier to cut in smaller pieces. But, now that the 4wheeler is running again, I was able to get move some of it up to where I will burn it eventually (since obviously I can't burn in the woods near the house). The landscaping has held up relatively well given the large amounts of rain - which is hopefully good for growing. I will soon start bringing over some more ivy from mom and dad's to help contain losing more of the dirt. A never ending battle with nature - I just wish I had realized what was happening when I first moved here. I can tell I haven't gotten out here enough lately - it's great for my mental health when I am here. In the last month or so, I've just had time to run out to check on the basic upkeep, spend the night, and go home.

Today I'll do some grant writing work, some grading, and some fun, fun housecleaning. The last two tie for being the most fun. I just get so frustrated when students choose to not review the directions before submitting assignments and miss easy points.

Labels: creek, farm, grading, housecleaning., morel, morel mushrooms, water

I headed to the farm and what I initially thought was pieces of hay and other stuff coming from the back of the truck in front of me (who was weaving and driving ten miles an hour under the speed limit - no surprise he was on his phone . . . )and it turned out to be snow. As I turned off the highway to the county gravel road to the farm, I saw a little bit of snow along the side of the road but was surprised as I unloaded some of the small logs I brought from town from the tree I took down there (still cleaning up ice storm damage now that we can get to it) and the snow just kept coming. It's still blowing around outside and looks like it might continue until dark. It will be gone by noon tomorrow. I had thought I wouldn't get to see any more snow this year - except possibly in Denver when we're there for a conference in late April.

I'm still behind on grading that needs to be done before I leave on Wednesday. An afternoon campus email reminds us that mid-term d and f grades are due the 17th so it will give students plenty of time to decide if they want to continue in class. Our students can drop quite late in the semester and many who aren't making As or Bs do.

The major accomplish this morning was going through numerous collections of "stuff" in my office - I can again see my desk and my CDs (data, not music) are primarily in one spot.

I read a recently published organizing book that says clutter means we are too tied to our past. I still like printing out "important stuff" but need to do more database cataloging - esp. so that I can find it again. I'm also in the process of weeding through my various briefcases and backpacks. I'm even going through the recipe books that take up a good third of my kitchen cabinet space - most recipes can be found online except for some longtime favorites from my junior high home ec class and from some high school students when I taught in Carthage.

This is definitely an example of one of my tangent posts . . . .

Labels: clutter, farm, grading, organizing, snow, tangents

I'm almost ready for the new semester to start but have spent a few days at the farm "building my base".

It's still difficult without Shadow but I did a lot of things today that would have been harder with him here given all the back and forth and his propensity to take off. I am quite frustrated I can't get the 4wheeler to start. Dad put in a new battery at Thanksgiving and I didn't think about seeing if I could get it to start while he was here given that I've never had trouble before. So although I couldn't get to all the brush/downed wood that I wanted to but I DID get a lot of exercise.

The sunsets yesterday and today were just gorgeous and I was in the perfect spot to watch them and watch the fire. I'm also gradually (and finally) making headway on cleaning the garage.

Tomorrow is enrollment and there are numerous appointments over the next few days. The hotel site was finally straightened out for the OAH so I will be in New York right at a week in late March - I'm also going to the AERA meeting. The week before that is spring break and I'm thinking about going out west. Discovering that the Southwest Social Science Association meeting is in Vegas right before our break (I could go and not miss class) is a bonus - not only in timing but because it's also on the way to where I'm thinking of going for vacation out west!

I can't believe it's 2008!

Labels: 2008, farm, fire, semester, sunset

I made it out to the farm just in time for it to start really snowing. There's about an inch on the ground and it's melting given the 35-40 degree temperatures. But . . there's more snow expected tonight!

Labels: farm, snow, winter

Thanks to Dan Reed, I ordered a copy of "Avoid Boring People" and had a chance this afternoon (or should I say, made time) to sit down and start reading it. While it's obvious that he has not patience for those not as intelligent as he is, his "rules of life" including avoiding boring people (and he also references scientists who are boring at social parties . . . ). It's a retrospective of Watson's life - written after he wrote his books about his vital work with DNA.

I have tried to better understand science through the context of writing grants for the local education service center through which I do some of my history grant work. And I met Dan Reed as part of a committee we're both on for the National Archives and the future of electronic records. Dan is amazing as bringing the conversation to a 'consensus' of either mutual agreement or disagreement but, most importantly, ensuring that the conversation moves forward instead of getting stuck in circles. It's amazing to watch the non-science aspects of his personality within the group dynamic. And it's definitely an approach I can learn from and I'm sure it's part of what propelled him to North Carolina to work for the larger good.

I've been at the farm this weekend and my most proud accomplishment is getting the generator working again without having to call expensive repair people from over 100 miles away. I had lost track of the time I had checked on it at the actual generator and discovered the oil was once again low - I can't imagine how that happened given that I know I haven't checked it in a year. After attempting to decipher the operation manual among the maze of electrical diagrams and multiple, multiple warnings of electric and shock hazards leading to death, I went outside and checked the oil. Then, I found the switch that allowed it to be off, on, or auto. If I want it to kick on when the electricity coming to the house ceases, I guessed right (after re-consultation with the manual) that auto was the correct setting. And, then, on the inside switch that also sets the time it self-tests each week and runs for 20 minutes so it's ready, willing, and able when it's actually needed (most likely in below-freezing temperatures accompanied by howling winds), I worked with the diagrams and re-re-consulted the manual how to set it to auto-test each week and hopefully on Sundays late in the mornings. One of the early challenges upon completing the farm house in 2002 was a generator that went off at 3am on Thursdays. Given that I am a light sleeper, that meant that I was up for the day. If only I had realized how easy it was to re-set.

I've also had time to reflect on the loss of one opportunity last week and a new opportunity the week earlier. While it took awhile for the earlier opportunity to sink in, I am now at peace with no longer having the latter opportunity. I'm pretty stubborn and sometimes have to be knocked around a bit before I head in the right direction. But I have faith I am getting closer to the right destination - or shohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifuld I say the right next destination, since I have now figured out the cycles and processes of life are not usually endpoints even when my Type A personality strives (and wishes) to find them and accomplish them. As my brother has stated several times, telling me I can't do something is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. I just need to decide which red flags to challenge and which to ignore or, if not possible to ignore, to manage as a normal part of life.

I have some more grant reports to write and the ever-present grading to do next week along with a trip to Topeka to become a foundation board member.

Another decision made this weekend was to enjoy the great fall weather and working outside. Breaking limbs into sticks and watching them burn in the chiminea is great therapy. My eyes are still causing problems but I'm not going to lose the fall to them - esp. when the doctor mentioned that it may not disappear until we have a hard freeze and it may be something that just corrects itself with time if it's not allergy related.

Labels: ACERA, boring people, Dan Reed, farm, goals, James Watson, KSHS, life, National Archives, North Carolina, opportunities, outdoors, RENCI

Finally made it back to the farm yesterday and the landscaping progress looks good. This is the 4th and hopefully last time. And we have some of the drainage issues figured out which should mean I'll have to bring no more dirt to the farm. But it is good dirt and better than the clay we would have gotten from the field.

Some friends of my brother are coming over to hunt today and luckily the rain forecast didn't come to fruition. I'm going to bake an apple pie this morning (think breakfast!) and get another presentation ready and then go outside and tackle the heavy-duty growth along the driveway with the serious blade weedeater attachment.

This is the first fall tv season in many, many years that has several shows that appear to be worth watching instead of just one or two filtered premieres throughout the year. Thank goodness for digital video recorders that allow skipping commercials and starting to watch the show ten minutes after it's start instead of the old VHS waiting for the recording to finish.

Steak at Fireside should be on the agenda tonight. Now if I just had Samantha's powers to clean the house. I grew up with Samantha's magical powers and was about the age of her character's daughter. Ah, 60s television . ..

Labels: apple pie, Bewitched, farm, hunting, presentations

I finally made it back to the farm for a few days. About 6am, I kept hearing something like a 3 stroke hammering outside. It was a bit scary to wake up to that given that there should be no people close enough to the house to be making that noise. When I went into the next room which seemed like it would be closer to the noise and had a window, I saw Mr. Redbird, once again, trying to get in. The little guy is tenacious but, after more than a month of this, it's slowly slipping into the arena of "not very smart." There he goes again - back to the kitchen window where I usually don't have a shadow down.

Two deer were out last night when I arrived - I had to stop to make sure the second one wasn't going to try to follow across the driveway and hit me. Then I saw them this morning- they are quite spectacular - the white tales are especially dramatic in the more earthy tones of the farm morning.

The approach to weed control I used on the driveway seems to be working and with some minor follow-through (less than 2 hours) today, I should be able to be mostly finished with that for the year - that's about two months of work savings. And, the weed control stuff we're using around the house is also helping although the ground cover is not quite where it needs to be to get that where I want it to be - but that will change in the fall with one more attempt at planting.

It's been unusually cool in the mornings for summer - esp. late July - and I plan to take advantage of that. I have some poison ivy that I "caught" in town and not here - that has been the case the last two times. So, I will obviously be especially vigilant on that.

I also have several projects and a vision statement to work on today. A friend is coming out so that we can do some collaborating and just have company while we work and enjoy the farm before the new academic year begins anew.

Labels: deer, farm, friends, redbird, summer, vision statement, weeds