New Year New Blog

Please check out my new blog for the new year, 365 Practice....  Mary

December 31 Block

Happy New Year!  Mary

December 30 Block

Well, it's 364 days down and one to go....  Mary

December 29 Block

It's oddly intimidating to be just two more blocks away from a whole year's worth.... Mary

December 28 Block

My hip replacement made the front page of the New York Times again today.  My next appointment with my orthopedic surgeon is in early February.  Looks like I may be having a medically intensive summer....  Mary

December 27 Block

It's very quiet at work.  All the undergraduates are gone for winter break, and classes do not begin again until Jan 23rd.  Many of the faculty are away or with family.  The final chair candidate visits won't begin until the end of January.  I'm actually getting through some of the piles on my desk.  Actual desktop is visible again... Mary

December 26 Block

This afternoon our cat, Mittens, and I sat out on the screen porch.  It was 46 degrees on the day after Christmas so we weren't completely crazy, plus this time of year it's actually more of a window porch.  We watched a squirrel on the maple out back.  He was eating something off the bark of the tree.  The squirrel was really working.  I wonder if he was eating lichen or something similar off the bark.  It was a very single minded effort that he kept at for a long time.  That's him, right below the knothole, midway up the central branch....  Mary

December 25 Block

A Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight....  Mary

December 24 Block

We celebrated Christmas tonight because Eileen is on call tomorrow.  Then It's a Wonderful Life was on television.  With our two amazing, wonderful daughters, we really are the richest people in town....  Mary

December 23 Block

We made it to the end of the work week.  Fridays are notorious for afternoon disasters, not every week but the big ones tend to be on Fridays.  Now it's a three day, holiday weekend, and I don't have to set an alarm for anything....  Mary

December 22 Block

Here's hoping that Diane and I are the only people at work tomorrow and that it's very, very quiet, no crises...  Mary

December 21 Block

It's the Winter Solstice today.  Officially winter begins at 11:30 pm, central time, tonight.  For me one of the very best things about Christmas each year is that there are already several more minutes of daylight.  Before long we'll actually be able to see it.  And I won't have to walk home from bus in total darkness anymore with my flashy red bike light on my backpack for safety... Mary

December 20 Block

We went over to visit out former next door neighbors, Kent, Judy and Joe.  Joe is nine years old and a really cool kid.  Anne found two books for building mini weapons of mass destruction, like rubber band guns, playing card coin shooters, etc.  We included a tool box full of popsicle sticks, a rubber band ball, glue, clothes pins, everything you need to create mini destruction.  Anne and Joe made a great rubber band gun and shot it across the room.  Very fun, very cool.....  Mary

December 19 Block

Our old neighborhood had folks of many traditions, so we used to have an annual Hanzamastice Party.  That's Hanukkah/Kwanza/Christmas/Solstice.  We had menorah and moon cookies, Christmas carols, mulled cider, and Kwanza candles to name just a few.  It was great fun, and everyone got a sample of everyone else's tradition.... Mary

December 18 Block

The final two cats in our family belong to Anne.  Maggie and Meeko are sisters, litter mates to be more correct.  Like many sisters (Anne and Eileen included) M&M are wildly different personalities.  Maggie is a whirling dervish who has two speeds: full throttle and asleep.  She usually fights the latter until the last possible moment.  Meeko is sweet, timid, and cannot meow, only squeak.  Their coloring is called tortoise shell, and they have very lovely coats.  When they are curled up together the only way to tell them apart, even for Anne, is to look for Meeko's white patches....  Mary

December 17 Block

We had an inch of snow so at least it's white.  Maybe some Christmas movies will do the trick:  White Christmas, Love Actually, It's a Wonderful Life, Christmas in Connecticut.  "It's a cat-a-stroph!"  Mary

December 16 Block

Spent most of my day off cleaning the house.  Boring but now it's clean.... Mary

December 15 Block

This no snow (not that I'm really complaining) and warmer than normal temps aren't doing a lot for my Christmas spirit.  Hopefully by the time the actual day gets here, I'll feel a bit more festive.  This fabric reminds me of little, tiny ornaments, all colorful and shiny.  Every little bit helps at this point...  Mary

December 14 Block

Today is my father-in-law's birthday.  We always gave him a big jar of mixed nuts for his birthday, so Rick got a jar today.  Along with plotting an amaryllis bulb on Grandma's birthday, this will be a family tradition going forward....  Mary

December 13 Block

Today was the last of our chair candidate visits.  It will certainly be interesting tomorrow to hear what all the faculty have to say about them....  Mary