The path ahead...

2 October 2026: I'm in the middle of another stretch of relatively non-stop weeks (though notably, this particular weekend is like an eye in the storm). It's a combination of work stuff and personal obligations; some good stuff/fun stuff and some not-so-fun. 

Regardless, part of me hates stretches like this so much, in part because I don't like life unfolding like something to be "got through." I know I do it to myself--the commitments and the way I frame them--and I need to change that. But until then, I just hate it.

I keep thinking of last year, with its own marathon through late October and early November. I felt so good when I was done with it and the very next day, my dad went into the hospital. It's a pattern that's repeated since then, too: I think I have made it out of a tough stretch and think, "okay, I can breath now" ...and the bottom falls out.

This morning on my walk, I was going over all of this in my head. Then I looked up and found myself moved by the simple beauty of this stretch of High Street that I've admired so many times before. 

I know it's cringey and cheesy, but I said to myself, "the path might be long, but there's also beauty." Gotta try to remember that. 

Hang it in the Louvre!

1 October 2026: My genius cat created a version of me in pasta and I won't accept any other answers. (I just helped her finish it a bit with some digital assistance.)

Like bison...

30 September 2026: According to Saeed Jones on the episode of Vibe Check that I listened to this morning, folks say that bison walk (or run) towards storms, somehow knowing that they'll get out faster when they do than if they run from them. "If you go toward the storm," he explained, "you can get to the other side instead of being chased by it."

Maybe, he and Zach suggested, this is how we should treat grief. 

Zach noted, "If you go through it, you'll get through it."

"Keep walking," Saeed added.

Walking up High Street, on a morning when my parents had been on my mind, I thought to myself, "Amen"...and kept going. 

Good morning, moon...

29 September 2026: The combination of feeling sick, stressed, and low-key sad, mixed with a super-long to-do list and another busy week, with (I am guessing?) a splash of the "hormone fun that comes at 49" means that I was wide awake and out of bed before 5:00 and on campus as the sun came up and the moon was still out.

I don't hate it. Like I said, I am wide awake and will get a much earlier start on my list. But I do wonder when the fatigue bill will come due...couldn't have gotten much more than 4 hours sleep last night.

Back at Bender's

28 September 2026: This cold is still giving me a hard time and it's another busy week with a to-do list that isn't getting any shorter. So...I wasn't thrilled about substitute hosting at Bender's tonight. 

But, just like every time, those friendly folks make it a good time. I'm tired, but I had fun.

Done with Rednecks...

27 September 2026: I finished Rednecks this morning, just in time for my book club's discussion tonight. I found it a compelling read. I wanted more about and more time with these characters, but that's not a criticism. Brown does a good job making some of them really pop without a lot of time on the stage. 

He can also write some sentences that stop you in your tracks. Here's a couple about a "touched" miner/explosive expert called Boom, setting up a bomb for a bridge: "The old dynamiter spread his hands across the broad flap of the mailbag and looked to the sky over the bridge, as if envisioning a work of art. 'High as heaven, baby. Gonna tickle the angel's feet'" (254).

Work Cited

Brown, Taylor. Rednecks. St. Martin's, 2024.

On to the World Series!

26 September 2026: After a rough night, I felt well enough today to join my Wednesday night trivia friends for the semi-final round of this season's tournament. And darn it if we didn't come in second again and qualify for the World Series in two weeks. 

So much fun. Playing with them is the unqualified thing that has made me happy lately.

Head cold...

25 September 2026: Well, I didn't factor a head cold into my weekend plans, but here it is. Ugh. So much to do. Not just work, but also some fun stuff that I was/am looking forward to. 

Decided to skip the volleyball game (the first I would have caught this season) because I am sure I am contagious (and I feel lousy). 

I've been trying to grade the first annotated bibliography in my stack since about 4:00. It's hard to focus. 

I am fine; just bummed. Here's hoping tomorrow is better.

A reunion for Jo...

24 September 2026: At the vet today for Jo and Veronica's annual visit, the tech asked me, "Can I ask you a weird question?" Since she was looking Jo, I was ready to hear, "How did she lose her eye?" But nope! 

"Did you get her from Briggs?"

Turns out, she was the adoption coordinator when I got Jo. I thought she looked familiar, but figured it was just from her working at the vet. 

She said she remembered my name and, of course, Jo (and remembered her name was Hunny). 

I mean, who could forget Jo? 

WISH Reception

23 September 2026: Today was a very long day in the middle of a very long week. 

But the Shepherd Writing Project got to celebrate our WISH grant tonight and it was pretty darn awesome. 

(Might update this post later when I see the pictures they took at the event.)

"Hold On"

22 September 2026: 

"It's the storm not you that's bound to blow away..."

Listened to The Secret Garden's original cast recording today while grading ENGL 101 essays. I've always been able to get a lot of work done (usually big writing projects) while listening to this album.

Found this track on my mind the rest of the day. Not a bad message for less-than-easy times.

Add that dinge...

21 September 2026: "They paid to add dinge to this letter!" --a student in my ENGL 101 class, sharing his observations of a charity mailing I gave them to use to practice rhetorical analysis. He was so tickled by the idea of making something look dirty to motivate folks to make a donation. 

(This was a fun activity--one that I got from one of our adjuncts and that I've been meaning to try for ages.)

Not quite two months...

20 September 2026: Yesterday, Hannah asked me how long Annie had been in WV. I was surprised that I struggled to come up with an answer. Everything from June on is such a blur. 

But when I had a chance to think about it, I see that it's just a bit under two months. Not a lot of time. And that made me feel better about how she's getting on with Jo and Veronica. 

That aside, she's just...happy? Like, contented and happy. Jo and Veronica are happy, too (most of the time). 

And that's enough for me.

Community Kick-Off

19 September 2026: Really happy with how our community "kick-off" for the Common Read went today--and love any excuse to hang out in the Shepherdstown Public Library.

Hannah and Mayor Gatz, with a proclamation!

Posing for the Library's  "Reading Looks Good on You" campaign.

Conferencing...

18 September 2026: Finished up a week full of conferences, first for ENGL 101 and then 301. I must be extra lucky this semester, because just about every student is doing what needs to be done and is on the right traack. A very rewarding week in that way.