Tridge

Green

Naomi

Hectic week

That relaxing afternoon walking along the shores of Lake Huron seems like more than a week away. The first week in an ESL semester is usually hectic and this week has been no exception. For example,

• I got my class schedule on Friday; and my books, classroom assignment, and roster on Monday when I started teaching
• One of my classes has five more students enrolled than the maximum number
• The other class only had three students on the first day (thankfully more showed up because otherwise I could have faced a pay cut)
• Eight of my students feel that they've been placed in the wrong level and want to move up
• My vehicle died Tuesday, and I've borrowed three different vehicles since then
• Two of my colleagues found other full time jobs and quit within days (hours) of the first day of class, leaving our department scrambling
• Since blueberry farm workers are in short demand, since half of our crew started back to school this week, I worked there two mornings before heading to the university
• The tutoring and lab schedules that I labored over will now need to be revised due to changes in the schedule
• I almost got a migraine headache on Wednesday

 So, I pause for a moment to look at pictures of the lake and remind myself that order will soon be restored. 

Which one doesn't match?

The good thing about taking my parents' vehicle when mine won't start is that I have no trouble finding the borrowed vehicle in the faculty parking lot. 

P.S. Amanda, you can't see it for obvious reasons, but there is a Mini parked about three spaces down from Vanna White. 

Downtown

The three oldest Lang girls and I toured the shops downtown on a recent afternoon. We ended the jaunt with a trip to the candy store, where I introduced them to my favorite spumoni ice cream. 

It reminded me of the many afternoons I have shared with my aunt who is an expert at making all of her nieces and nephews feel special. 

Lunch

Seeing blue

Tawas

Four of us took advantage of a day without the responsibility of blueberries or classes to drive up to Tawas. Despite predictions, the rain storms held off until our drive home, and we had a refreshing time at one of Michigan's Great Lakes. 

Foreshadow

Painting

(Before)

Picture-worthy

Nap

If you get tired while picking blueberries, just find a shady spot under a bush and take a nap. 

Kayaking

Mom, Betsy, Naomi and I kayaked from the Chippewa Nature Center to the Tridge last week. As usual, the trip down the river was delightful.

Dusk

For the freezer

Project

 The next project on the Cookie house is raising the roof of the sunroom and increasing the pitch. Dad came over the other night to take some measurements and I commented that one of my gallon jars on the windowsill was almost full of water that had dripped through the ceiling. "Oh," Dad said, "I thought that was a strange place to keep your iced tea."

(In his defense, I've been known to keep stranger things than iced tea in gallon jars in the back room)

At the blueberry farm

Productivity

I recently invested in a larger desk. Since it's bigger, I should be able to spend less time planning lessons and grading quizzes, right?

Blue and green

Dirty dog

cleaner dog

Blue

Still coming

Storm

Yellow

Splash

One-bowl blueberry oatmeal

Since it's blueberry season, please allow me to post another recipe.

In a bowl, mix

    1/2 cup regular oats

    1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)

    2 tablespoons nuts, chopped

    dash of salt

Over the oats, pour

    1/4-1/2 cup boiling water

Let sit for 3-5 minutes. 

Top the oatmeal with

    1/4 cup vanilla yogurt

    1/4 cup fresh blueberries

Enjoy.

Flowers

Reading

My reading list usually includes students' papers, textbooks, or journal articles. So a good book on Sunday afternoon is noteworthy. Last week I enjoyed Captive in Iran by Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh.

Curiosity

Wild