Not only did I have a great dinner at a friend's house on Thanksgiving day, but I managed to dress both looms (meaning they are now warped and ready for weaving), nearly finish spinning some silk/wool, cleaned out the gutters and did a final cleaning of the gardens. All the detritus of life ( such as junk mail) that has been  accumulating since the ( Read more... )

First I was a researcher ( Read more... )

So I seem to have recovered enough from this past school year to actually be interested in posting on LJ again. I have been lurking in the shadows, but really, what I wanted to write about I couldn't and what I could write about was simply a lot of whining ( Read more... )

So I mentioned a while ago that I was going to try the whole "flipping the classroom" thing in my general education class. For those who are now squinting at their computer screens and thinking "huh?", "flipping the classroom" refers to posting something equivalent to a lecture online and then having students do what would essentially be considered ( Read more... )

Well, writing seems to be happening again. That may have something to do with the restoration of a more sane work schedule where I actually have time to think about things rather than react to them. Over the past two weeks, mostly on the weekends, I've written about 5000 words on what seems to be a series of nature and science essays. Since I now ( Read more... )

Somehow, I have gotten pulled into a project that involves constructing mountain bike trails in the nearby city park. Perhaps, I shouldn't say "somehow" because I can trace the whole path to that point through a series of emails from the head of a local biking group that is working on installing bike lanes throughout the city, something I highly ( Read more... )

I've been reading books on climate change, looking for one that will do for the general education chemistry class I teach in the fall. So far I've read two and a third is sitting on the shelf waiting its turn. So I thought I would write up my impressions in case anyone in LJ land was interested ( Read more... )

Well, Sandy tried her best, but it is nearly November after all. Sunday the winds began to pick up. The rain began to come down. The gutters and downspouts gurgled, an odd rhythm beneath the swishing wind ( Read more... )

Well, so far, Sandy isn't too bad. The backyard has begun to flood, but it isn't anywhere near the "high water" mark from a previous set of storms. (That time, the water reached the deck supports and was about 10 inches deep in the deepest part of the yard.) Also, the sump pump hasn't kicked on yet. So these two things tell me that the ground hasn' ( Read more... )

Gutters have been cleaned and the downspouts unclogged ( Read more... )