Long Underwear, Down Comforters, and an Evening Chill

Weather in the 'Burg is so interesting to me that I find that I comment on it on a fairly regular basis! But I cannot help myself!

Last week things warmed up a bit! We had lower 80s and upper 70s. The humidity was wicked, but there was still no real need to start up the a/c unit. Then the thunderstorms rolled in! And on their heels, a cold front. After a few evenings of storm watching and enjoying several magnificent lightning displays the cold front arrived!

The lows this weekend were 40! My bedroom thermometer read 60 degrees this morning! And I was most grateful for my down comforter, which I haven't quite had the time or energy to put up yet!

Spring Has Sprung

It wasn't till last weekend that I could tell that winter was loosening its grip. While tulips had sprouted and bloomed, they didn't fend off the snow and ice that we continued to receive. My red tulips looked lovely in my white porcelain teapots and lasted nearly a week as winter precipitation continued to fall. However, last Saturday I noted that the forsythia were in full bloom and the redbud and dogwood were just starting to have a hint of color. By the beginning of this week the bare tree limbs were dotted with a bare hint of green. Friday finds us on our third day of 80+ degree weather with leaflets on most of the trees and seed pods blowing in the stiff winds. But mostly it is my runny nose, scratchy throat, and crusty eyes that have announced the arrival of spring. I only wish I had some pictures to share!

Dang!

I just received this email from our Director of Public Safety.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a "Wind Chill Advisory" from 9 PM tonight through 10 AM on Thursday.

Temperatures will continue to drop this afternoon as the North winds increase tonight. Temperatures will fall below 0` tonight with Wind Chills will reach 15-20` below zero by morning.

Persons should use caution if outside for extended periods of time tonight and dress appropriately, in layers of clothing.

And I thought it was cold already! Yesterday it was 1 degree as I made my way to work!

Happy Chanukah

They say chicken soup is good for the soul. And your immune system. And both could use a shot in the arm!
Yesterday started early. Too early. 5:30 the alarms went off and the three of us were up! We spent about two hours tidying up the house, getting the cats situated, and loading the truck. It was dark and about 2 degrees F. Surprisingly we were gassed up and headed south by 8:01. Right on time. We drove for about 3.5 hours; as we headed south, the sun crept up over the land, and the temperatures rose to about 18 degrees by the time we crossed the Arkansas state line around 10:45.

We met Shannon in Harrison. We had a quick lunch and she picked up a few boxes so we wouldn't have to keep up with them. We were back on the road by 1:30. Of course, we couldn't cross the Buffalo River without stopping to play, even though it was only about 20 degrees by that time. Brrr! The edges of the river were frozen and made the coolest sound as we skipped rocks across the ice.

The rest of our trip was uneventful and despite our little jaunts, we made it to Conway by 4:00.

Orion and his cousin, Tabor, made quick work of our bags while I got started in the kitchen. I spent the weekend working on my secret chicken stock. Out came the pots. In went the stock. In went the carrots and celery and chicken. I got the mixer going and got the matzo balls started.

Meme and I peeled 8 potatoes and several onions while John zipped them through the food processor (Cheating, I know!). Soon we had potato pancakes (latkes) frying up in golden oil. As the soup began to boil I dropped in my light-as-air matzo balls. I have to brag, they floated effortlessly in the chicken stock and tasted like a little bit of heaven.

John was kind enough to snap a few of these pictures. Yum! I'm wishing I hadn't frozen the left overs. I think I'd like another bowl of soup!

Wild Weather!

Looks like we're in for a wild ride here in Midwest!

Yesterday we experienced a WINDY (40+ mph, white caps on ponds) warm (in the 50s) day. The boys and I drove about an hour or so north of here to meet a blacksmith in Malta Bend (Orion may be the ONLY 11 year old getting 150 lbs of coal for Christmas!).

Today finds me in the office grading papers and getting ready to post final grades for the semester. I thought it might be a good idea to come today since the weather is supposed to do an about face!

It was about 61 degrees when I got here this morning. It will be about 38 when I leave around 4:00. And 11 tonight! Yes, I said 11.

Precipitation has already started and there just might be some accumulation before the sun rises tomorrow! Snow, ice, or both!

A Good Day

Wow! It's not yet noon and I have been blessed with several little happies already! First I was greeted with the weather report as I hopped into the car at 6:30 a.m. Temperatures dropping and snow coming! Woot! I hopped out of the car and raced back inside to bring a secondary set of shoes (instead of my traditional Birks) as well as my hat and gloves. I can't wait! Bring it on!

The radar pic was from 10:30 this morning. It's coming! We're only expecting one to two inches. But I can hope for four! Right?

After tossing my 'winter gear' into Grace I made my way to Parker's Grocery to buy gas. I've watched the prices dropping (with the minor hiccup for Thanksgiving) and have held out as long as I could. With my Parker's Card I paid $1.33. We get 3 cents for being customers and a penny off for ever $10 we spend over a two week period. I do most of my shopping at Wal-Mart (prices) but I love the meat selection at Parker's. So I was able to fill my near empty gas tank for no, not $40, no, not $30, no even $20! But for less than $15 this morning. I spent $14.60 to fill my car today. And did a little happy dance in the pre-dawn glow of the gas station.

I administered my second of three finals this morning at 8:00. My students shared their creative philosophies of education. Each one different. Each one personal. Each one genuine. It was sad to say "see you later." I will miss them.

For the rest of today and Wednesday I have hundreds of papers to grade and a handful of meetings (blah!). Thursday afternoon I have my last final. And Friday Orion heads to Children's Mercy South for his G.I. check-up.

Now then, I'm off to do my snow dance and grade some papers. What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

First Snow

We had our first snow on Saturday. It was more of a sneet (snow mixed with sleet) and it was not very intense. But it sure was nifty to see something other than rain fall out of the sky! Perhaps the next time it snows I can hope for some ground cover.

Brr!

Happiness! Joy! I slept with the windows open last night. Quilt and down comforter covering me. Naked as a jaybird. The temperature dropped to 38 or so! My bedroom was a nifty 54 degree! I slept so well. Mmmm! Autumn, bring it on! I'm read.

Sleeping Weather

Finally. Some weather I can sleep to. The temperatures have dropped a bit, particularly at night. Last night we had a low of 47. The same should be true for tonight as well. I kept my windows up and hauled out my down comforter. I slept soundly for the first time in months.

Why is it that I sleep better when the bedroom temperature is 60 or less? With air-conditioning, I still cannot get my bedroom below 75 in the summer. Thankfully we had a mild summer.

Here's to a wicked winter! I'm ready. Bring it on!

Welcome Ike

Ike found his way to Galveston just about 13 hours ago. Since then he's scoured parts of Texas and Louisiana and most of Arkansas. Ike has finally reached us in the 'Burg. Thankfully he seems to be moving pretty quickly. I checked out the pictures from Galveston, Houston, and parts of Louisiana. Devastating. I received word from Meme in Conway. Despite the tornadoes, wind, and rain they're doing fine and weathering the storm. It looks as if we will have several more hours of rain. But there's a forecast for a week of sunshine with highs in the mid 70s and lows in the 50s. Today's high is only supposed to be 66! W00T!

Before Ike decided to visit we experienced several days of rain and some seriously oppressive humidity. Enough that the ground is saturated and Ike's precipitous precipitation is standing in puddles and mini-lakes around the house. We even have a river in our basement. Coming, from all places, the center of the foundation, beneath the garage. Thankfully there's a drain in the basement.

Who would have thought that I might actually ride out more hurricanes this season than my mum in Florida? Should we keep score? And what's up with Josephine. Lord help us if she lives up to her name!

Gorgeous Gustav

It's raining. Hard. And from the looks of it, we'll be getting even more over the next day or so. I don't mind the rain. I like it. A lot. But the 'Burg is a flat place. Water tends to sit... or seep into basements. Driving to work took a bit longer. Water in the streets was up over Grace's bumper. She did fine. I got pretty wet walking from the parking lot to the office this morning. And I waited for the down pour to let up! I even wore a raincoat. I never do that!

I had to check the weather this morning. Gustav still has form and function, it seems. It's quite impressive, really. I even caught a picture for you! I wish I had take a picture of yesterday's radar when the eye was right over Shreveport and the northern most arm was giving Conway, AR a good cleaning. Many friends have family in southern Louisiana. Some are up here riding out the storm. Others have made their way to Dallas. Hurricanes are dangerous, destructive, and devastating. And absolutely beautiful.

Be safe. Be warm. And be dry!

Ten Days

I cannot believe it has been ten days since I have posted! It just might be a record! I apologize; it is simply an indicator of how busy the past few weeks have been. My absence from the blogosphere, the pile of laundry, the unmade bed, the sticky kitchen floor, and the unpaid bills all point to the same, wicked truth. School has resumed!

I have been spending roughly 14 hours every day on campus. This has been my attempt to get caught up so that I can devote more time to research. You may ask how I could be so far behind during the first week of school. I didn't even have papers to grade until Thursday! After all I went to work a week early to get things ready. Alas, I had a student that consumed a particularly great deal of my time (over thirty hours in a week an a half). This student was not prepared to enter their internship and waited until the last minute to begin making corrections to the document that would enable them to participate in the internship. Said student had nearly three months to make corrections. And while the quote "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute and emergency on mine," continually played in my head over the course of dealing with said student, I was still the one who ended up being the most affected. Who pays for a students inability to follow directions, to plan, to organize, or to write coherently? Not the student. The teacher.


That aside, a great deal has happened in the last few days.

• School started for all three of us! Orion is navigating the often choppy waters of middle school. John is taking two courses (Anthropology & Ecology) in the mornings. And I am attempting Meteorology. I say attempting because I am conducting research with the professor of the course (Sally) and hanging out. I fear that I may not have the time to dedicate to studying.
• John has returned to the late night shift of 3:15 to 12:15.
• I am teaching another full load this semester, however I have taught all of these classes before so at least I have a vague idea of what I am doing this time around!
• An old friend died last week.
• Helen, the grey kitten, was adopted by three young ladies, students at UCM.
• I've been pretty sick and I have a mild case of pink eye! Allergy related? Perhaps.
  

And this is only a sampling of what has been happening! I have decided to use my blog as an incentive or reward! When I complete a certain amount of tasks, I will allow myself to post to the blog. Unfortunately, I doubt that there will be much to report. All work and no play makes Kat a very dull blogger!

Let's hope not!

Time Stands Still...

Time passes more slowly, almost seeming to stand still, when one is surrounded dark skies, bright stars, and the near deafening racket of frogs, crickets, and other creepy crawlies.

I was up late last night; in fact, I was up much later than I had expected. I was working on presentation I will give today in the Earth Science and Biology Department at UCM. Our topic is Successful Teaching (aka Classroom Management) and my presentation is for graduate teaching assistants.

I finished getting my thoughts, ideas, and activities organized at roughly 1:00 a.m. this morning. Nola and I stepped outside for a quick walk through our darkened back yard. In a matter of few minutes we saw two very bright meteors zipping across the sky. I wasn't sure but I thought that I several more, but faint in the hazy sky. Joy!

Nola and I decided that since we were already up, we would go a head and wait another hour for the moon to set. And at 2:00 a.m. I turned off all the lights in the house and we stumbled into the back yard.

It was a near perfect 65 degrees last night and the skies had cleared up considerably. I was unable to see the eastern horizon (for my house and the large trees in my back yard) but I had a good view of the rest of the sky. It was dark, but the faint haze seemed to reflect some of the 'Burg's light back to us.

Nola and I sat. And we sat some more. Quietly waiting for our eyes to adjust to the darkness. Allowing our eyes to relax. Opening our eyes to the night sky.

Quietly yet brightly, several meteors flashed across the dark sky. Most of them headed southwest. Several more, dim and stealthily meteors marked their paths through the stars. Even more appeared as faint tracers, perhaps they were nothing more than some shadow of a youthful indiscretion.

Still we sat. My back was beginning to complain from sitting too much during the day and from now being scrunched down in an unforgiving, metal patio chair. The grass was wet on our feet. The mosquitoes were oddly underrepresented. Or perhaps it was all that garlic I have been consuming?

After each flash of light I would wait. My hand on Nola's back. Just one more. I'll go inside after one more. But another would reveal itself, and then another. I stifled a yawn and considered pulling an "all-nighter." I reminded myself that I had work in only a few hours.

Slowly I got up. Stretching my back. Thinking, next time I'll put a tarp out and lay on the sleeping bag. Nola and I made our way back to the house. Carefully I shined the flashlight at the kitchen clock. It was only 2:30. I had seen over 30 meteors in about 30 minutes! And I wasn't counting the 'tracers' that I was uncertain about. How many could I have seen if I had driven 10 minutes to the south of town? Would the camera have cooperated with the hazy night? How lucky I am that it cleared up and that I was able to catch a few 'shooting stars'?

I was so excited and enthralled that I forgot to make a wish. If it's not too late for that wish: I wish for great viewing of the Leonids in November.

Meteor Shower Blues

Well folks, it's just about 11:30 in the 'Burg and I'm thinking I just might cash it in and call it a night. The Perseid Meteor Shower really gets cranked up tonight and viewing after 2:00 a.m. is supposed to be spectacular as the moon will have set and my side of the planet will be face forward in the debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Of course, Mother Nature has other plans. Late this afternoon giant cumulus clouds started puffing up; it looks like rain is on the menu for the next seven or eight days. I'm not complaining. I love the rain. Especially mixed with loud thunder, bright lightning, impressive winds, and a bit of hail. However, I had hoped to catch a few meteors during this year's Perseids. Seems like there's only been three or four, seriously clear and successful Perseid events for me in the past twenty years. Talk about patience! Perhaps it will clear up in a day or two before the next front rolls in and I'll be able to catch a few late bloomers.

For those of you with clear skies, find a dark spot, have a seat, look up, relax, and enjoy the show.

Free Furniture

This weekend keeps getting better! Yesterday I received a call from a friend and colleague letting me know that a friend and former colleague was in town and had some Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals for me but did not have my phone number with her (She moved to TN about two months ago!). So I called up my TN friend and met her at her old house in Knob Noster where she gave me a giant garbage back filled with pristine stuffed animals from the Hundred Acre Wood. Sweet. While there and catching up (read: gossiping) she offered me a dresser, a computer desk, a book case, and an awesome entertainment center. How could I say no? But I was in the Kia. So Shan and I headed back to the 'Burg and grabbed John and the truck and loaded a HEAP of furniture in the bed. The afternoon and evening was spent putting together our new furniture, cleaning, feasting on tacos (Thank you Shannon!), moving furniture, and more cleaning. John finally has something more than a futon on the floor and a box with a lamp on it! His room looks pretty darn sweet. Orion's room has been slightly reorganized (I swapped the chest from Orion's room with the dresser from John's (same suite).). I've got a bit more work to do and I hope to get curtains hung before school resumes on Tuesday. I cannot wait to put the dresser in the basement spare room and switch out desks for Orion's computer in the basement! Sweet! Thank you Tracy and Brian for you generosity. You saved us a boat load!

Did I forget to mention that I started my morning with homemade chocolate cake doughnuts (Thank you John and Orion!) and that Shannon found some $3.24 curtains at Lowe's (I am not kidding!) for the "Dirty Romance Room"? What a day!

We're expecting some wicked weather tonight (Tornado Watch and Severe T-Storm Watch). Currently KC is getting hammered. I think I am going to call it a day!

Cold Rain and Snow

Cold Rain and Snow is another one of my favorite tunes by the Grateful Dead. It also sums up our forecast for the next two days! It's just after Midnight and the temps have dropped to a toe tingling 35 degrees. The worst part is the wind! More precipitation is moving in and the weatherman is predicting cold rain and snow: rain and snow for Saturday and flurries for Sunday! Brrr!

Below is a clip of The Dead singing Cold Rain and Snow! Sing it Jerry! I'm right there with you; out in the cold!

Spring Break Lament!

What happened to spring break? Is it over already? Where did it go? What did I do with all that time? Well, I'll tell you!

Saturday, the first day of break, my friend Ruthie came over and helped unpack about three (3) dozen boxes of books! Not only did she help with the books, she brought lunch from Wendy's AND made dinner in the crock pot!

I spent Sunday unpacking a little bit more and packing for my trip to Arkansas. Orion and I left around 2:00 that afternoon. About two hours later than I had hoped. We arrived at Shannon's house at 6:00. We joined Shan's entire family for dinner at Pizza Hut. We had fun. It was lovely. But Orion drank too much caffeine at dinner! I was not a watchful mama and I paid that evening with less than four hours of sleep trying to get HIM to sleep. Ugh.

Monday dawned early. We were up at 5:30 and out the door by 6:15. We made our way to Fayetteville where I found a parking spot on campus (I was there by 7:15!) and hiked up the hill to collect some more data for the dissertation (!gasp!). Orion waited in Peabody Perks, the coffee shop, while I did my thing. He chatted with faculty, staff and students while avoiding his homework. Once I finished I sat with him for a while and we worked on his school work. We had a dinner date that evening with Michael and Robin and couldn't decide if we should go back to Shan's (an hour away) and sleep or just tough it out. We decided to tough it out and save on gas money and drive time. So we spent the day visiting with Amber and Lux and hitting the local thrift stores. It was a gorgeous day and we even spent some time flying a kite at Gully Park. What a blast. I had received some bad news about a young friend of mine and we had hoped to visit her, but she was not allowed "non family" visitors so we dropped a note off at her house for her before heading over to have a fabulous Mexican meal with Michael and Robin and La Hacienda. Yum! It was 9:45 by the time we got back Shan's and we were plum tuckered out! But the best news was that Shan had decided to take a mental health day on Tuesday to spend with us!

Tuesday was another fabulous day! Absolutely! We woke up. Got dressed and jumped in the Honda and zoomed out of town. Shan bought us breakfast at McD's and we were headed down to the Buffalo River in no time. The weather was perfect. Sunny, mid sixties, blue skies! We spent several hours sitting on the bank of the river looking for Odin Stones. I took my shoes off and stuck my feet in the icy water! It was pure bliss. We then headed up to Osage to visit with my friend Newton Lale at Osage Clayworks. Orion made a few pinch pots while Newt 'threw' about a dozen dinner plates and we chatted about all sorts of things. What a perfect day! We came home via Route 62 through Eureka Springs and Garfield so we got to view the changes to E.S. and the growth out at Beaver Lake. We were plum tuckered out when we got home. Shannon made fabulous tacos! I cannot wait to try her recipe myself. Shan's family joined us for dinner Tuesday too! Did I mention that Tuesday was perfect!

Wednesday I did nothing. Shannon's dad picked Orion up at 5:30, in the morning, and they did farmer things all day. I slept till about 8:30, showered, did laundry (mine and some of Shan's) and finished the first season and started the second season of Grey's Anatomy. Shannon enticed me to stay that evening with the promise of making Chicken Shannon (a recipe John created some 15 years ago for Miss Shannon herself!) as I hadn't had it in forever! We visited the local grocery after Shan got home from school and I prepped while Shan cooked. We fed another host of folks for dinner that night too! Shan's sister joined us and Shan's friend from school, Kelly, and her daughter Summer. Orion went to bed early, but I stayed up to watch more Grey's Anatomy!

Thursday Orion and I made a leisurely trip back to Missouri. We stopped at several flea markets in the Eldorado Springs area. I purchased some nifty '70s glassware that goes perfectly in our new house. We made it home about the time John finished work. After dinner I got a second wind and unpacked boxes, mostly in the kitchen this time, till 2:00 a.m.

Friday I was slow to start. Sore from the hard work. But I had to get up. The flooring guys were supposed to come. Orion and I spent that morning in the garage unpacking more boxes of books and all sorts of forgotten treasures. The flooring guys arrived just after noon and I no longer have carpet in my bathroom (ewww!). I have a lovely, bright linoleum. Much better. But those guys sure did stir up the dust. The bad news is that I still don't have flooring in the foyer. Seems the door is too low or the floor is two high. So there's some debate about how they plan to fix that.

I went to the grocery store early Saturday amidst a flurry of flakes. Huge, fat, wet snow was falling from the sky at an amazing rate! But it was warm and it melted by noon. The rest of the day, some eight hours, was spent working in my library. I foolishly thought I could just toss books onto the shelves and that I would organize them at another time. I couldn't stand it! I caved. I ended up alphabetizing (by author's last name) my two bookshelves of young adult literature and my one bookshelf of popular fiction. Four other bookshelves were organized by subject/category. Astronomy, religion, art, history, philosophy, dictionaries, literature, poetry, and the list goes on. I have three stacks, roughly four feet tall each, of children's picture books that need to be organized (most likely alphabetical by author's last name, but non-fiction will be categorized by subject area), another bookshelf to be assembled, and about six more boxes of books in the garage! Nearly everything else has been unpacked. Now I am just in the process of shifting it from one place to the next.

Sunday... I spent today wondering where in the heck my spring break disappeared to and chastising myself for organizing books instead of grading papers (ugh!). Today I cleaned both bathrooms again and finally got my shower curtain up! I will get to shower in my OWN bathroom tonight. W00T! The house is coming together. I still have curtains to hang. I've not even made it to the basement to unpack the games or goodies down there.

Now I must mention how helpful Orion has been throughout this entire move. He carried boxes and boxes and boxes to the new house. And he's carried nearly every box in from the garage for me. He removes the empty boxes and brings more to be unpacked. He has swept and vacuumed and match me step for step. Thank you, Orion!

A Whirlwind Move

They say you never know who your friends are until you need help moving or hiding a body! Based on the help we received this past weekend, we are truly blessed! Not only did our friends swoop down to help us, Mother Nature lent us a hand as well- Saturday was a windy 65 and Sunday a toasty 75! Of course, Monday was 22, but we're NOT complaining!

Saturday morning came early. Perhaps too early. But we were up and putting boxes into the car and truck by 8:00. Friends began arriving shortly there after! Nearly a dozen folks showed up to help us pack up the kitchen, tote boxes, lift furniture, carry books, clean the "new" house, and lend their vehicles. By 3:30 that afternoon both the basement and house had been emptied, save for the washer & dryer, the stainless steel prep table, the futon cushion, and a basket of laundry!

That night we had dinner at the house of two good friends. Sunday night we had dinner at another friend's house and yet another friend brought us the best tasting pot roast I've eaten.

We got water on Monday, so our first night in the "new" house was Monday. Tuesday the phone followed us. Wednesday John spent some time setting up the computers and such. Thursday finds me reflecting on a pretty intense, but very special week, digging through boxes looking for plates, finding treasures not seen in two or more years, and resting a bit to share my story with you!

I promise (really!) to take and post some pictures, but I honestly don't know where my camera is!

Friday Revisited

What a week! What a week! I hope Friday finds you all doing well! We are blessed with a 50 degree day! Saturday will be a lovely 60 degrees! We won't know how to behave! But don't worry, Mother Nature still has a few surprises: We're expecting snow for Monday! Oh yes!

Here's a recap of my week!

I raced to and from Fayetteville to collect data on Monday for the "D." I am pleased to announce that it went well and I will be moving forward with the next level of data collection (interviews!). I plan to return to Fayetteville over my spring break (March 10) and then again on Easter Monday (March 24)... I am fairly certain I'll have to return in April as well, but I can't see that far ahead!

The two best parts of my trip to Fayetteville were staying with Shannon at her wonderful house AND unexpectedly finding my most excellent sister-in-law racing to Kansas City on I-44 in Joplin! (I looked in my rear view mirror to see a gorgeous Audi zipping up behind me and thought to myself, it's a pretty blue, just like Robin's. I pulled over to let it pass and noted it was Robin!) I tailed her from Joplin to my turn off in Nevada up 71 at the speed of Robin (very nearly the speed of light!). We had a great chat via the cell phone (I had John's!) until my reception became wonky around Lamar! Serendipitous!

After returning to the 'Burg I threw myself back into packing and my duties here at the University. Last night I bowled, but my heart, back and wrist were NOT into the game. My scores were abysmal: 102, 91, and 81...

Last night after bowling Orion and I loaded the Kia. This morning John and I loaded the truck. We picked up the keys and dropped off a few loads before I came to work. John's taken another load over and is sweeping out the garage! Tomorrow our friends from the Biology Department are coming over to help us (Yea!).

We'll probably remain at the "old" house for a few more days as we don't have water, a fridge, a new front door, or flooring in the entry or main bathroom. But these items will be fixed early next week, weather permitting (See my comment earlier about the prediction for snow on Monday!).

Wish us luck!

I'll keep you posted and I promise to post some pictures soon!

No Go II

We are a No Go for the University. I repeat, we are a No Go for the University!

Mark your calendars folks, this never happens. Okay, make that rarely. Not only are classes cancelled, offices are closed. We ALL have a day off! With pay!