Been Gone, Gone, Gone

Wow! Has it been since July when I last blogged?!?!?! No wonder I've gone through withdrawals that included severe cramping, profuse sweats, writer's block, and a crashed hard drive! This return feels like heaven...both soothing and head rushing ecstasy. There's so much I want to share--I don't know where to begin.

Where have I been? Between teaching summer college-level classes, the ferals, the indoor former ferals, the garden (reaches for a hankie), chile-roasting season, the local Farmers' Market, teaching a heavy fall semester, and opening an Etsy store, I've been here. I've been right here at my computer (until the hard drive said bye-bye). I have developed a hate-love-hate relationship with my computer that borders on being toxic. It was so bad that if the holidays had not come around when they did, I was going to need critical intervention. 

When my hard drive died two weeks before finals, my husband--the computer geek/guru--did his best to rescue all my files, especially those that contained student work and gradebooks. He was not able to rescue my picture files. *sighs* Among the picture files were my son's family portraits that we took this summer, pictures of the cats, and pictures of my garden (reaches for the hankie again). I also took pictures for recipes I wanted to share and my girlfriend's granddaughter whom she shares willingly with me. I also had pictures of my beadings, beads trades, and those cute Kodak moments. *sighs again* I learned I better burn my photographs to CD for now on or lose them all over again when this current hard drive dies. Because with my luck, it's sure to die again. And it will die either in the middle of a project or near the end of the semester. 

Just for the record, I HATE Windows 7 and Office 2010. 

Next semester's teaching schedule should a bit lighter...I'm only teaching stats classes for both universities! While I miss my Social Welfare class, it's going to be fun to teach only stats. I won't have to divide my brain between the different types of classes. While I have to revamp some of my assignments and PowerPoint presentations, these are to either clarify where students had trouble last semester or to reduce cheating. Ok--I said teaching statistics is fun.  That makes me officially a NERD, according to my son.  

I'm also excited because I'm on School of Education's Assessment Team for reaccreditation, both locally and federally. While this is voluntary on my part, it's also building career skills while using my current skills. I like being a part of change and being part of the development of positive change within a system. The school is moving to a new direction that will produce better teachers and educators for our state. With our nation's current education crisis, this new and vibrant direction is vital and crucial. 

This new year should bring exciting possibilities. I'm looking forward to developing my garden. Last year's garden taught me I can't be so in love with it, that I don't work it to it's full potential. We ate well off the garden but I did not have enough produce (because we were eating it!) to keep us through the winter. So my goal this year is to plant more and often, and to learn how to can. Freezing is great but there's only so much freezer space and most of that is devoted to green chile. So I'm going to learn how to can various produce. 



Anyways--I wanted you to know that I have not forgotten any of you. I have read your blogs, but I didn't comment because of time constraints.  You have not been far from my thoughts.  I learned some valuable lessons in the past six months--that when I take on too much, I start having to let go of the things I love the most. With this new year (and new possibilities as well as opportunities) I'm organizing my time and managing my life better.  I may not be on here as often once the semester starts, but I'll be here more than I have been in the past six weeks. 

I wish you all the best blessing that the New Year has to offer: Hope, Peace, and Love. 

Cathryn