An acre of green...

We have 4 city lots to mow and this kind of weather makes it really hard to get the grass cut, so this week I had to flex some work hours to get it done... I love to mow (usually, but the air was like soup today). It's such a nice break from working on the computer. I've spent a LOT of time on the computer this week working on a project that is really fun. I tend to be more productive when I can work long periods of time without interruption and this week has been perfect for that (although, the project did not demand staying up till 2:00 a.m. - that's just my creative time). When I get the project done, I'll post a link.

Tonight my lawn is lovely and I took a picture, because we will probably have another storm overnight and it will be covered with leaf litter again....

Nana Mouskouri

No one has ever heard of her, but I LOVE her music, no matter what language... I also admire that she has done so many songs in so many languages... (Thanks Miss Nybakken at OU) There are 6 songs in the mix below - some in French, some in Greek, etc. Have a listen, you might find you like her too. :-)

Walking with friends

Dragonfly with lying of the sun
Originally uploaded by le_faju

It’s amazing where your thoughts will take you when you have time to go for a walk alone (with some good music of course). It’s the only time I can really let my thoughts wander and the sights and sounds along the trail inspire thoughts and memories of very special times and people…

Sometimes it’s a bunny sitting along the path that reminds me of that little grandbaby and how cute he is and how thrilled he is at the mere sight of a little bunny or a bird in the yard – young mind just learning to appreciate his world.

Other times it is a beautiful butterfly that brings me thoughts of my Dad and how much I still miss him – but I know he’s never far away and that little butterfly was just sent to remind me…

This evening though, a dragonfly followed a long way on the path swooping from side to side, sometimes flying ahead, other times coming up from behind. So tonight I walked with thoughts of Stace and how proud I am of her…

(No sign of Hans and Frans though (lol), but I got to spend a little time with L. after the walk. It was a good evening…)

Grandparents

Neighbors & Grandparents
Originally uploaded by dericafox

Boy has our little germ bucket of a grandbaby had me down with what Amy calls "kid krud." We haven't been around little ones for a long time, so I guess our immune systems (mine anyways) just can't handle all the new germs! I have had the "kid krud" for about 3 weeks now.

I got some antibiotics yesterday, so maybe things will clear up.

Meanwhile, we plan to wear masks next time we see our boy Elroy....

Mahna Mahna

Nana and Grandpa got to keep little Elroy last week and this was the favorite entertainment - even on the iPhone!

Google Earth at OU Lancaster

OU Lancaster
Originally uploaded by pwhyte

What a great day today was... The Heart of Ohio Tech Prep folks (Marcia Key) invited me to do some training on "Explore (and SHARE) Your World with Google Earth." All together we had about 60 wonderfully dedicated teachers from all over the region, and we split them into smaller groups of 15 for hands-on training in the computer lab at OU Lancaster.

We learned a lot about using Google Earth and Picasa in the classroom in many subject areas. I hope (since it's summer and all) that they have some time now to download and leisurely play with the software at home. That way they can get comfortable enough to turn their students loose with a real-world project in the fall.

It was great fun.... Thanks for inviting me :-)

View from our window

View from our window
Originally uploaded by pwhyte

Last week was a very difficult week with the loss of my husband's father. However, in the middle of the week, I had been invited to Put-in-Bay by one of our schools to do a presentation on a boat. It ended up being just what the doctor ordered for me and my husband - a nice little get away with some time to think and reflect. The last time my husband had been to PIB was on a camping trip with his Dad when he was just a boy...

It was cold and rainy, and on the way over, (we caught the 8:30 pm ferry), we were the only ones on the ferry. When we got to our room, we were delighted to find it had a balcony that looked out over the pool with Lake Erie just beyond. We slept with the glass sliding door open and listened to the waves and enjoyed the fresh breeze all night.

The next morning, we had breakfast at 7 with the crew from New Boston and boarded the boat at 8 am. It was quite cool from the rain and very foggy. We all ended up with soaked behinds from the seats - who knew rain gear would have been in order? The presentation was a flop... Turns out, my power converter (plugged into the boat's cigarette lighter) didn't have enough juice to run the projector... UGH! I did the presentation just the same though - albeit I'm sure it was somewhat lacking...

The boat ride lasted till 1:00 in the afternoon and we got the grand tour of the islands and a picnic lunch. All in all, it was quite enjoyable.

This opportunity gave me the incentive to learn to use PowerPoint on my iPhone, so in actuality, I learned a lot. Not all was lost with the presentation, and I did enjoy hangin' out with the folks from New Boston. :-)

Lost Patriarch