(video) End of the semester, writing and other odds and ends in Tea at the Cabin in the Woods

We have one week of classes left in this semester and I have a stack of papers to grade that is at least 4 inches thick. I have moved it from one place on my desk, to a place on the floor by my desk, back to the top of the desk and now it’s on the pull-out surface blocking me into the corner of the desk and the printer. I have had this pile for over a week and it has to be done, but for some reason I resist the piles as if it has an infection. Maybe it’s the low level of work I have seen prior to this stack or that I am just plain exhausted. Either way, it needs to be tackled because only more are coming… sigh…

last night was the Student Awards. I presented a young lady with the 2015 Psychology Student of the Year Award and she was so surprised! This young lady has completed her degree with a double major in Psychology and Art in 3 years with a GPA of 3.9! Her Psychology GPA is a 4.0. As her adviser all these years, I have watched her take control of her life, work her butt off and still have a social life. She has worked to bring awareness of prejudice to the campus and to overcome attitudes, build bridges and bring people together. She has done research and presented it to two major psychology conferences on racial and perceived inequalities, subconscious attitudes and bias in the treatment of people. This young lady designed the cover and layout for the annual literary magazine/book, has been a writer and editor for the campus newspaper, worked in the art gallery as a curator and did independent study with me in art therapies. Last year, she presented me with the Professor of the Year award. This year I got to present her with an award. She hugged me so tight I could barely breathe - and I loved every second of it. It makes my job so much better when one of the students does well and stays grounded. I guess that’s why I’m in this business.

I got my copy of the literary magazine my latest story is in. It looks nice and I handed it to hubby last night after I got home. He said, “What is this?” I said, “check the tagged page.” He opened the book and looked at it, looked at me, “When did you write this? Why didn’t you tell me?” I just smiled at him and said, “Well, you’ve been enjoying the success of your book and I didn’t want to take anything away from that.” He shock his head, began reading and then snuggled up. He tells me, in my ear, he has begun work on book 2. I am sure it will be good as well. So many people have asked when the next book is coming, I guess he thought maybe he should get started.

In about a month I will finally get the garden in. The tomatoes and pepper plants are doing fairly well in my little greenhouse in the loft, but the herbs are slow and the squash has finally begun to poke out of the dirt. Saturday I will go to the garden and begin the clean up from last fall. I want to redesign the layout this year and try to figure out a more effective plan which won’t require as much space. You know, like planting radishes and carrots in the same rows, the radishes come early and once they are pulled it leaves more room for the late carrots, planting basil between the tomato plants, using trellis’ for the cucumbers and reducing the total amount of plants we put into the ground. I also want to use black plastic around the peppers this year to keep the spoil moist and warm, put a layer of straw over that as well. I used straw last year without the plastic, it helped but not enough. Up here, we don’t get a long growing season and the hot and cool days are inconsistent - so I need to try to even that out a bit. Every year I get a bit wiser as to how to grow things in this climate. Maybe this year will be the year I actually figure it out.

About 6 more weeks until the granddaughter arrives! The kids sent a video of DIL’s belly bouncing around. Looks like an active little girl to me. The shower is Sunday and her friend has offered to skype me when she opens her gifts from us. That will be nice to be there without flying the 2,000 miles. Everyone is excited and I hope and pray all be fine. The skeptic in me always worries - seen to much that didn’t end well in the years of being a neonatal crisis counselor. Fingers crossed that experience won’t be needed.

So, all of a sudden I get calls to run a caregivers group for people with chronically ill children. Then I get a call to oversee a therapy group of abused and neglected teens. Another man, a PHD in Physical Therapy, asked me to consult on a therapeutic process he is developing including music and movement and the emotional connections - I had him do an introduction to the process for my Psychology students yesterday - it’s impressive stuff. Now, the question is, do I do these things or say no? Hummm.... I have three dissertations I am chairing as well as my overloads and sabbatical begins the end of Dec....... Not sure.

Well, It is River Days on campus today and I hear the music on the green and the students hooting and hollering already. Our Rugby team is being honored today - they just won the championship for small colleges in the USA. We are one of the smallest colleges to have a Rugby team and this is the 3rd year we went to the championships. 2013 they were 3rd, 2014 they came in 2nd and 2015 they took the prize! Yay for our guys! Now maybe these guys will get back to class and hand in the past due assignments. (ha).

Better get to work and do some of this grading before I go out and play with the students. OH, a video that was sent out in the wee hours of the morning to all staff, faculty and students… Enjoy.

Last updated April 30, 2015