Bird-watching...

31 August 2025: With a frequency and intensity that is almost too much, given their intense beauty against the blue sky, the goldfinches have returned to my birdfeeders, having been absent since the early spring. They join the most common birds regularly convening there: red finches, cardinals, and (to a lesser extent) black-headed chickadees. 

The girls are pleased and every once in a while even manage to share window space to watch them. This late-summer snapshot of a Sunday morning makes me smile.

A touch of procrastination...

19 August 2025: I had intended to get some more writing done on my portion of the Year's Work essay today, but ended up telling myself it was okay a) instead focus more on other little work-related tasks and b) once those were done, just not work anymore for the day. I've got, not counting weekends, about one more day of break left, so this little indulgence feels okay. 

The writing will get done--and likely much more easily when the regular rhythm of the semester kicks in. 

A summer stunner...

19 July 2025: The zinnias that I planted this year--especially around the mailbox--are doing really well. The bloom below isn't perfect, but it is huge and really pleases me, imperfections and all. Grateful for this kind of beauty.

Heat wave...

24 June 2025: A heat wave settled in today (actually yesterday, but today was fiercer!). Should last until Thursday. Yuck. Got out early and mowed the lawn and did a bit of yard work. I've been more or less inside all day since then except for a brief trip to Walgreen's. 

Reading for the Year's Work essay, taking notes, watching TV, getting the rest of my steps in doing laps around the first floor...there are a lot worse ways to get through a heat wave. 

Grateful for AC that works, a job that lets me stay inside when it's hot, and two cats who aren't that upset about the shut-up windows and are glad to have me here with them.

Twas the night before...

25 August 2024: What an strange (in an almost entirely good way) summer this has been! Finished the book draft so early that I just had time to...relax. Not the entire months of July and August, but enough of them to really feel it. And enjoy it. And that enjoyment? I am hoping it is transformative, especially when it comes to Operation Balance. 

Back at it all again starting tomorrow. Feels fake, but I am ready as I'll ever be, I guess. And I know it will be wonderful to be around the students again. 

These fleeting summer Fridays...

26 July 2024: Not a bad summer Friday. Spent the morning on campus taking care of some tasks, then came home for a bit before picking up Amy for a movie (Deadpool and Wolverine, which she was so excited about) and dinner for her birthday. Home by 9:30 or so for some chill time with the girls. Lovely, cool(ish) evening with the windows open. Not bad at all. 

Sweet relief...

17 July 2024: The heat finally broke late this afternoon as a rain storm moved through. Windows open. Back door open. Lovely little breezes moving through the house. Fresh air. Happy cats. Happy me. 

104...

16 July 2024: The highest I saw the temperature go today here was 104. Couldn't bear to look at the heat index temperature. This heat has been just relentless. Even now--after a bit of rain moved through--it's still in the mid 80s at 10:00 p.m. Not a fan of this. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit better, but still rough. Grateful for AC and the ability to basically stay inside (and get my walk in early). 

Out early, then inside all day...

22 June 2024: The song playing on Pandora right now is pretty on point: 

A heat wave has settled into its most intense (I hope?) day so far. This screenshot from just a few minutes ago says it all. 

I planned ahead--got my walk and my trip to the supermarket done early. Since then, I've been inside with the girls. Lots of chores done, some work on the book (soooooo close!), and some work on fall syllabi (!). Ready to call it quitting time and do some vegging. The girls, of course, have this vegging thing down pat. 

Still Life for Summer 2024

17 June 2024: Somewhat hilariously (and I say this with lots of relief), the "Chronology" section of my book--the part I worried about the most at times--has been tremendously easy to do. Knocked out an entire draft today. I am busy with Summer Advising most of tomorrow, which is probably a good thing--some space to not think about it while also sort of thinking about it (and hoping some "I need to include/fix that" ideas come through). 

Snapped this picture of the whole (double-sided) manuscript (a verson from May 2024) near a sleeping Jo earlier in the day. I kept this big old paper copy--all kinds of marked up--since I knew it would be useful for the chronology. But it is pretty cool to have a picture of the stack of pages as a record. (It's a bit longer now!) It also cracks me up how the perspective makes her look so tiny. 

Quiet Friday evening...

7 June 2024: After a rather nice day--a bit of work at the office, a long lunch with a dear friend, and the first provost search committee meeting--I am enjoying a really lovely summer evening. The front window and back door are open and there's just the perfect little breeze. The girls are either snoozing or looking outside. I am tinkering away at some not-terrible work. The Yankees are playing the Dodgers and I am getting to watch it on TV. Lovely, lovely, lovely. 

Little day-trip...

26 May 2024: Had a last minute idea to drive up to Gettysburg for the day. Amy went with me, which was what sealed the deal My friend Steve was giving a talk and I was hadn't been up there in maybe...thirty years? We didn't do much--left around 9, walked around town and shopped, had lunch, walked around some more, heard the lecture, and then headed home. We stopped for ice cream at Ft. Ritchie mostly just to get a look at it after hearing so much about it in my Assistant Dean role (long story). The best part of the day was how sweetly surprised Steve and Kit were to see me (us) there, but it was also just the best to spend the day just ambling and exploring. Made it home around 5:00, only surprising becuase it felt like we did a lot. 

May Not-Quite-Still Life

25 May 2024: Initially had the urge to snap this picture as a kind of riff on my "Veronica as Streaming Properties" series. Then I saw Jo's cameo below and had to take it. 

Good day here so far; cleaning, laundry, a good walk, and some fun TV. Chill times for the three of us.

Settling into that summer schedule...

9 May 2024: Today was the first day since the semester ended that I was able to work from home all day and only focus on book revisions. No meetings. No other work-related distractions. Just editing and revising. 

A trip to the grocery store in the morning and a mid-afternoon walk split the day up a bit, but in good ways. 

Hoping for the same schedule tomorrow and many, many more days to come between now and the fall semester. 

Tiny triumph!

29 April 2024: I haven't used the grill in two summers--a sign of how "off" things have been since COVID when it comes to my social life. 

When I tried it last year, it wouldn't light up and I gave up very quickly, leaning into the emo symbolism of it all. 

But I'm hosting a Sigma Tau Delta potluck here on Thursday and decided to give it another try yesterday. 

And it didn't work (again). 

So I was thinking I'd have to buy a new one. (And yes: there was propane in the tank.)

But then sitting here this evening, I determined to try one more time. Got down in there, disconnected some things, cleaned some things up, reconnected the things and...it worked! Bring on the hotdogs! 

Let's hope this tiny triumph is a harbinger of good things to come this summer, at least on the culinary front. 

Summer vibes...

28 April 2024: Temperatures in the 80s today really made it feel like summer. So, too, did me getting all of my work done by 4:00 or so. What to do for the rest of the day? Whatever I want (and book club at 7:00, which was great.)

A couple of funny pics of Jo, who could not sit still for a photo shoot, but rather demanded to be petted.

101,618

31 August 2023: Finished the second Fuller entry for the book today and--just under the wire--finished my sixteenth entry for the summer (May, June, July, August). Four per month is okay, given how crazy the summer was on campus--and also working on the "Year's Work" essay.

I had hoped to squeeze out one more entry, to average just over four per month, but breaking 100K words today also feels pretty good and a nice way to cap off a summer of writing. 

"Buried"

11 June 2023: Another quiet and work-filled Sunday. No real complaints, though already feeling some of that anxiety/pre-emptive sadness over another largely lackluster summer. The soundtrack for a bit of today--Brandy Clark's terrific new album--probably didn't help with that mood, but man, it's good.

Pool time...

4 August 2022: 

[Catch-up post]

Spent a big part of the day at the pool at the hotel. Very chill, very relaxing. Just perfect. 

Bald Eagle State Park

4 July 2022: 

[Catch-up post...]

Got to do some swimming, boating, and tubing. Nice way to spend the 4th when it's hard to feel that great about the country right now.