A Turn of the Wheel

What a whirlwind the spring semester was around here. We set a new record for numbers of cases heard in response to various wrongdoings on campus. I hope that isn't indicative of a social change, some of this mischief is seriously concerning. Clearly our freshmen of 2013 were not prepared for what awaited them in the final exams, and our athletes have a lot to learn about living peacefully in polite society.

I have spent the majority of the last year knitting - not much time for anything else but work and sleep. Even as the months passed and little league baseball season started up, I was hauling the knitting out at the ball field and sweating with its fuzziness in my lap during the playoffs in May.

FINALLY  my watercolor muse has resurfaced, after lo these many months, and I am going to spend some time with a watercolor journal / sketchpad type of plein air kit while we are out camping this summer, to see what we shall see. It will be a nice change of focus. I have been gathering up my supplies to make a couple of travel kits, one to take on the camper and one to take to work - during the summer there is plenty of time to sketch on campus.

In a completely unrelated topic, I was thrilled today to run across an Irish coat of arms for my (Irish)
family name at this website ->  http://houseofbrianboru.blogspot.com/p/obrien-clan-heraldry.html   . It fascinates me, and of course I have done many years of ancestral research along and along. I hope to contact the gentleman who is in charge of this website and see what more I can discover about our Irish connections to King Brian Boru and the O'Brians. I love Ireland, and the Irish people.

With watercolor brush in hand until next time - take care of you and yours! 

Challenged

Hello again, and thanks for checking in.

I am occupied these days by tremendous changes in my health and lifestyle. We all take our health for granted until something goes south, don't we. I have a long way to go but have excellent help and I am working my way back a step at a time.

We are neck deep in winter here in Tennessee, and I am counting the days until the annual Lawn and Garden fair at the state fairgrounds. By the first of March we have seen our first daffodils and long for more; this show delivers it. There will be 3 - 4 big exhibition buildings jam packed with full sized, fully landscaped gardens. Many will have water features, some are whimsical, some are really, really over the top. I recall one that had a waterfall that cascaded from the ceiling of the building, it was spectacular. Last year I was impressed with a Japanese meditation garden that had a little bamboo water feature, it was so calming.
Wanted to carry that one home with me!






Another favorite feature of this show are the vendors, everything from herbalists to antique dealers and all plant related things in between. I usually carry home a sackful of seedling herbs and a seedling tree or two to add to the forest around our house. What a happy tradition!

Hope you are enjoying the moment and looking forward to spring as well.