Can't Help But Post Another Cosmos Bloom (As I Snapped It Before Kicking-Off a Semester with a Faculty Picnic)

It's been a minute since I bought beer, and even more since I bought several cases of it. I was asked to be the beer-purchaser for the Faculty Welfare picnic, as many of the elected faculty leadership team couldn't make this year's date. I realized upon the first case that I'd need a cart, grabbed one, returned, and began loading, only to be reprimanded by an employee, "Customers are not allowed in the cooler." 

Well, it was muggy again, there was a door, the beer I wanted wasn't in the cases, and I figured they'd have more in the back. I was right. I loaded my cart anyway, checked out, and left, returning the cart to where it belonged. 

The new hire crowd wasn't as big as usual, and because the event was held indoors this year, there wasn't as much a need to wet the whistle: Modelo gold & dark, New Castle (which went quickly), and Heineken. They would drink my favorite of the brands. I ended up bringing half of it home to store for the next event. 

God Bless Sonya Huber. She works tirelessly in all capacities and was the one that recruited me...always with respect for what Faculty want and need. We don't have a union to help us, but we do have this committee to advocate where we can. 

Although the day was supposed to storm, as usual the predictions were a bust. It was just humid and miserable. They went indoors because of the weather predictions, and I'm glad because we would have been drenched with sweat outside. 

I did notice a new bunch of cosmos bloomed as I was getting in my car to head to campus. I love these flowers....the way they firework in their blossoming. 

I'm happy with one of my syllabi and on the way with the other. I'm also glad it's Friday...a 3-day weekend, and that Chitunga is in Louisville with Sue & Dave.

And with that, I'm off to schools. 

Canine Monstrosities. The Temperatures Go Down & The Furry Ones Choose to Reclaim Their Authority of Nightly Sleep

My sleep is up and down, but definitely down when a dog decides to lay horizontally on a bed, pushing paws into one's back at night, forcing the human to hug the edge of the mattress before falling off.

In the summer months, Karal opts to keep herself downstairs, where I'm greeted in the morning for outside rendezvous before entering for her first meal. Nope. Not when the temps begin to drop. Then, she entirely chooses upstairs sleeping arrangements with scratching imaginary fleas and/or hosting nocturnal dreams with whimpers, barks, and running. This, of course, is up against my body as she hordes the space for her own comfort. Then, she joins me for coffee, where she falls back to sleep for several hours on the front-porch couch. 

We've entered the autumn rituals of her rest. And I don't get mine. I have to figure out a plan.

I worked on syllabi and CWP projects yesterday before walking Karal and joining Beth and Michell for dinner. Michelle is heading to Spain on two incredible opportunities, projects funded by varying sources, while Beth and I try to figure out a year without our courageous friend to process the shenanigans of higher education. There will be much adjustment to this process. 

Today is the Faculty Welfare Committee's faculty picnic and I was put in charge of coolers and beer. I hope they don't mind, but I'll likely get the beers that I enjoy most (and haven't sipped in many years, as I don't like the full-bladder ramifications of such hobby. With bourbon, the heft is lighter, although I haven't been drinking that, either. 

Karal looks little (is little) but not when she stretches out. Then she is long, and I'm longing for a good night's sleep. I have a very early national call this morning and am excited that I gifted joy to the Women's volleyball team that is heading to Boston for a game and a tournament. I wanted to send them off (faculty liaison) with a smile. 

I do love this time of year with the crickets and cicadas. The temperatures are wonderful, too. 

I had a great spinach and mushroom lasagna with a green spinach sauce for dinner, followed by chocolate cherry gelato. Pricey, but worth it. I did embellish with an Umberto Echo, cherry liqueur old fashion, too. Can't believe I stopped myself at one, because it was perfect. 

The garbage is out and the work piling up, so onward I go. Here's to the day.

Tapping My Environmental Education Days & Visited the Kellogg Center in Derby, Connecticut, to Witness Their Great Work

Earlier this year, I began investigating the incredible work I did in KY through KIESD and remembered being trained with the federal program Project WILD and Project Wet. I wondered if Connecticut had trained facilitators and learned of Susan Quincy of the Kellogg Environmental Center and reached out. Although there wasn't a free second in July/August to meet with her, I found time yesterday morning, ironically the day after the passing of Wendell Berry, Kentucky poet, who I've used to springboard many projects throughout the year. 

The facility was nice and only 9 miles from my house. It is a great, spacious center with incredible leadership by Susan who works with teachers and youth in the same I do. I pitched an idea about possible collaborations and partnerships, of which she was commendable. We talked about Write Out '26  and planned out possibilities between her network and that of CWP. We shall see what might come of it, as I'm channeling the great work of Reading Landscapes & Writing Nature with Weir Farm National Historical Park and the last two years of collaboration with the Center of Climate, Coastal, and Marine Studies on campus. Fingers crossed that we might pull something off. 

There were downpours in CT in the morning, and I didn't know if I'd make it, more comfortable on my front porch doing digital work, then going out-of-home in search of an adventure. I'm glad I did, because now the cogs in my aging brain began working...always in support of teachers and definitely in support of youth. 

I also began thinking of Wendell Berry's influence on my fledgling brain and the project I did in Kentucky while student teaching through KIESD and the Louisville Writing Project. At the time, I was working on a 2nd Masters Thesis where his writing was central to my pitch for ecological literacy (of course, enthralled by the writing of David Orr at Oberlin College). Pulling books off the shelf, I came across one poem, Thirty More Years, and I couldn't help but think that it was 30 years ago when I did the Pillar of Poetry in connection with Earth Day at the Louisville Zoo. My 10th grade students at the time were instrumental to the work, and I put together an anthology of their writing with the grant money. I even received an award from the City of Louisville because of the work. 

One of my intern jobs was to design the Beargrass Creek road signs that are throughout the Louisville watershed and I was gifted one of those road signs as a gift when I left the Nature Center and took a full-time job at Brown. 

I'm always channeling my childhood along lakes of CNY and the St. Lawrence River, always thankful for having an informal introduction to outdoor education, simply because I had relatives who lived along water. Our words can never capture the beauty of the outdoors (as we know with Whitman and others, we can try to figure out the humanity alongside it. 

I will always cherish my collection of Berry poems and will continue to live life with a node in his direction. 30 years ago, I was doing similar work and I'm thankful to still be able to do it today.

Always Love Having the Opportunity to Meet a New Crop of Student Leaders & To Orient Them with Classroom Possibilities

Perhaps the mark of a veteran teacher is when you have two hours of material plan, but only get to 1/2 of it, because the interaction is going so well. 

For the 4th year, I've been asked to bring my National Writing Project training to help orient upperclassmen who will be teaching first-years as they are oriented to campus. There's a lot of logistics to the two-day (and more) training, but I'm only given the task to inspire ideas for them to think about, which gives me opportunity to list out what I hope they'd remember, while modeling what it can look like in action. I think the take away each year is how much fun it can be to teach others and how student-engaged interaction helps time to fly by. A part of me wants to rush them along to get all the 'brilliance' prepared for the lessons, but then I realize that letting them ride with enjoyment and interact with the point being made goes so much further.

I always appreciate how so many stay behind asking questions about what classes I teach in and in what department, because they "really enjoyed the style" I presented to them, and I think they run away screaming when I say that I'm in the School of Education and Human Development. "Oh, no. My parents would never allow me to become a teacher." 

Still, they are teaching as future engineers, doctors, accountants, nurses, sales people, chemists, and computer scientists. They simply don't have to deal with the K-12 bureaucracy and mistreatment of being a teacher in the United States. They're run to the hills always reminds me how scary it is to commit to a life in education, especially in a culture that values zip codes and material goods over knowledge. 

Oh, son. You can read, write, and think on your own time. You'll need to make money to live in this nation. 

I was a little embarrassed though, because at the last minute I through in five corny college jokes to get the crowd going and there were two horribly spelled words that arrived as typos (because they were last minute). It was good, though, because I was able to give myself a B- at the beginning of the presentation, and relax the rest of the way to enjoy my imperfections with them. 

What did the Buffalo say when his son left for college? (Bison)

Why did the sun skip college? (It already has 10,000 degrees)

Why do zits make horrible prisoners? (Because they always break out)

Why did the music note drop out of college? (It couldn't pick a major)

What do you get when you cross an extra-terrestrial with a Fairfield student? (Stag Universe-ity)

Bad jokes work every time, especially when you're a total dork. I also found homes for the remaining golden crowns from the MLK Youth Leadership Academy last year. I made them speak to one another as if they were British royalty in one dialogue exercise. Poof. They're gone and now out of my office. One less thing to figure out what to do with.

Well, hello, September. Nice to see you again. 

A Nice Sunday Afternoon at the Lordship House, Open House, Meeting Community Members of Stratford, & Loving the Sound

Michael Todd Cohen and Adrien Dallas Frankle (sounds like Crandall) opened their home to the community for a late August day to appreciate the view of the sound, their gardens, and a pool. Wonderful to meet with local artists, politicians, teachers, and writer, and to help them carry forward their mission of community, including the local bookstore, Obodo Serendipity books on the green. It was nice to share the experience with Dr. Laura Schall-Leckrone, who will be replacing Dr. Anne Campbell to lead our TESOL program at Fairfield University. 

I spent most of the day working on today's afternoon workshop with undergrads leading th First Year Experience course for freshman students, a fourth year of such work at Fairfield University.

I came home and grilled for Bev, Leo, Pam, and Sharon: corn on the cob, chicken, Hoffman's hotdogs to be matched by potatoes, broccoli, and an incredible beat salad. We watched the Little League World Series championship and sat outside to enjoy the overcast, and somewhat cooling, evening skies of southern Connecticut.  

I love the Lordship House property and the artwork they've collected, including the wandering canoeist that faces east on their property. They have a blessed space, indeed. 

There was a drizzle driving home and now we have a week of humidity, potential showers, and the other grasping of summer days to not turn into Fall.

Our evening meal was delicious, and the sauces I soaked the chicken in were superb. Now it's Monday and time to get back into the routines of days stolen by others in the name of occupations and career. 

Okay, time to get Zen with it all (after I finish this coffee). Here's to the September ahead (and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DYLAN. 27! Really?)

Dog Days of Summer Duty (Limited Time Only) on a Beautiful Day in Saturday...an Excuse to Take Two Walks, But to Stay Home & Work.

Pam had to stay with Patrick & Stephanie's kids starting at 2, so she asked if Rico could stay with me so she didn't have to crate him for the day. I'm fine with that, although he doesn't get comfortable in the house because he wants his own routine. The dog shits more than any other dog I've ever known. Even though he didn't eat until late, he must have taken 7 full shits in my backyard and on the walk. It's probably the result of having open space to play in. 

Pam also said he wouldn't go for a walk and there was no way we'd go alongside Karal. Wrong. Karal actually corralled him into a nice walk (besides the numerous shits). He's such a beautiful creature but at the sound of one bark from my neighbor's lil' Maltese, he ran into the house with his tail behind his leg.

Rico was reluctant to eat at first, which I found strange, because he's one of those aggressive eaters. Karal got her food outside (which we call McDonald's because it's not an in-home meal), but Rico bypassed his indoor one. It wasn't until later when Karal was outside without him that he decided it was safe enough to eat. Rico was reluctant to settle down and nap, too, which I'm sure exhausted him, as he came to my house from his canine-time at Dogtopia, where Pam takes him to socialize. 

Last time I had him, he'd at least come to the porch to check on Karal and I, but this time he went from door to window awaiting Pam. She was out to about 10 pm, so I brought him home so she wouldn't have to drive all the way to Stratford after a day of sitting on grandkids. 

More progress on the work front, and I treated myself to a ribeye on the grill with some peppers and mushrooms. Also weed-whacked more, but the new batteries I have don't have much of a lifespan. Then again, I used it to take down more than grass as I trimmed my gardens in anticipation of Fall. 

Caught up with Abu and learned of Dad's seasoning of his bedsheet with a pepper shaker. Talked to Uncle Milford worrying in Amagansett, and texted with Tunga as he traveled with Lys's family to the Yankees game in the Bronx. He'll be in Louisville next week to see Sue and Dave. 

There's an agenda today of open house at Lordship House for writers and we'll barbecue at night. I kick off my season on Monday and, regrettably, haven't prepared for that first workshop because I'm still trying to put a bow on summer work. 

Alas, it's here. I can't hide. So I will enjoy another humid-less day of August before the week of rain settles in. 

Humph! I'd Be Grumpy Too If Some Middle-Aged Man's Ass Came Up Each Night During the Down Time & Daily Unwinding.

Such is the way of anthropomorphism and and anthropomorphic mind. I'm always seeing faces in places I probably should not (might have inherited this trait from Grannie Annie, too). Last night, I caught the couch throw-pillow looking at me with a frustrated mug and I couldn't help but think our pillow have a right to such facial expressions. I once had a similar conversation with students when we stopped an an all-you-can-eat KFC buffer after working the district's Homework Hotline. There were plenty of KY delights...the last people you would think might benefit from a KFC buffet, wheeling around in their motor scooter with ankles the size of mailboxes.

"Imagine what the KFC toilet seat must think while doing the job?" I told them as if I was Colonel Sanders. "Or any breakfast diner, for that matter."

Hence, I understand. I get why a pillow would grimace at me.

Yesterday was extremely productive working on summer stuff. Karal and I had a great walk, and I took teachers out to dinner in honor of their first two-days. I had fish-n-chips, which was exactly that...hard to screw it up. Temperatures were warm, although the clouds were mostly gray. 

I'm dog-sitting Rico today, so will likely get more time to catch-up on the computer....editing, so brainless work like putting stickers on notebooks.

All quiet on the parental Homefront yesterday, but prayers west for Uncle Dick, Bobbie, and Patrick. The full circle of life is surrounding my generation in a way we could never imagine.