On June 30th, last Friday, I saw my first Monarch of the season! It was at our cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin! I have a perennial bed with common milkweed for the caterpillars and nectar plants like purple cone flowers for the adult butterflies. The monarch was flitting from plant to plant! Later, after…
It was 39 years ago that I was a freshman in our high school symphonic band. It was that year the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky catapulted me to the first seat in the first section of flutes, after having to play it for our chair placements. It was half way through the year, and I…
Ten things I have learned by being a student advocate for two decades: 1. You will feel a sense of power and/or relief when positive change is made. Do not let this feeling of accomplishment let you rest on your laurels. 2. You will be frustrated or even angry when the needs of those for…
We got to the cabin just before noon on Friday. It is an easy three-hour trip from driveway to driveway. What a week it was! We have been so busy running around since school got out in early June that I thought all of us needed this long weekend at the cabin. To make it…
Oh, did you think I meant the baseball team, The Orioles? There was a time I liked them, too. A long time ago, when I lived outside of Baltimore and Cal Ripken was just starting his family, living North of the city in horse country. I even went to a game or two with co-workers…
Today’s post is truly a slice of my life. I am buried in work for my grad class on Advanced Interpretive Media Design. This will probably be the most busy week of the summer for me. My final project is due, along with the regular week’s worth of assignments. So far I am not all…
We used to have a saying in college, “only in Alfred”! My husband and I attended this small, private university in what is known as the Southern Tier of New York State. The tiny pedestrian campus, governed by one stoplight in town, is surrounded by rolling hills that make the setting very picturesque. It was…
As a semi-self taught horticulturist, I learned to stay away from orchids. It seemed everything I read warned that these plants were hard to grow, and the person attempting to grow them was doomed to failure. I took these warning seriously and went about my business growing other plants that interested me, but were “easier”….
The postcard has laid on the shelf for a week. Just receiving it, although expected, brought up many mixed emotions for me. My response is required by today. It would mean another committment, another volunteer role, and another chance to advocate for our student body. It also would mean another possibility there might be retribution…