Bane of my existence!

Last summer I was haunted by an orb weaver spider.  As most who know me have experienced, I am afraid of spiders to the point that even ones the size of a pin head cause me to become squeamish.  (Although let the record show that I leave them alone unless I have absolutely no recourse otherwise because I know that spiders are extremely beneficial.)


I first discovered the unfortunate (for me) placement of the web as I walked out one night to get something out of my car.  My hair was wrapped up in a towel to dry.  As the towel came in contact with the web, it felt like someone was removing Velcro.  I can still feel it!  It was then, that I first met my nemesis of the summer.  It was no bigger than my pinky but had spun a web that spanned from one tree to the next across my driveway (10 ft across).

Every sunset, without fail, it would spin its web in the same place.  Every morning at sunrise, it would begin eating its web and would hide somewhere up in the tree.  I would walk into the street and around the web to get in my car.  I would keep my eyes on it every time I stepped outside.  I would shine my flashlight on it as I returned home from walking my dog.  It was always there.  Waiting.

This ritual lasted until mid- to late October (it felt like an eternity) when the spider was the size of a half dollar and it got too cold to live anymore.

Fast forward a year...

One of its decedents (not verified by fact yet) has decided to construct a web in the exact same place, using the exact same trees, and is the size of my pinky.  I discovered it by walking right into it this morning on my way to work.  Ugh!  So...

Here we go again (and I'm none to happy about it).

Shuttle tracking

Endeavor is nearing her end but you can follow her final days here.

****Updated as of May 31st, 2011

Here is an additional link where you can see if the shuttle will pass above you upon re-entry.  Looks like Texas is out of luck (again).

DonorsChoose.org

I have created an account with DonorsChoose.org for the garden next year.  But, I need your help.  Please spread the word to people you know that may be interested in donating to a classroom project (Email, Facebook, this blog etc.).

You can find out more about this project, make donations, and keep updated on its funding progress by clicking here.

Remember that contributions are tax-deductible and each donor will receive a personal thank-you note written by one of my students in the fall.  Once this project is fully funded, we will have many of the supplies that will be needed to start the garden and make successful.

So...

Support a good cause, inspire a generation of gardeners and nature lovers, and...  

Remember what the Lorax said:

Clouds

I absolutely love road trips. It is one of the tried and true ways I relieve the stress that accumulates in my life.   My thoughts can roam where I please while my hands, memory, and active thinking guides my car to the final destination.

Some days my road trips are merely to another city 20 miles up the road.  Other trips take me 5 hours away from home.  During these adventures, I have many fleeting thoughts and ideas.   One such thought occurred to me one bright, summer day last year.  I had decided to take the hill country (in Texas) back home.  As I was descending another hill as I proceed north from central Texas, I drove through the shadow of a cloud.

I couldn’t help but smile as the sunlight dimmed and the landscape around me took on a darker contrast.  How many people actually consider driving through shadows of objects hundreds of feet above?  Each could, very unique, casts an equally unique shadow.  And isn’t it amazing to drive through the shadow of water?  Yes, it is in a different form but it is still composed of water and small particles of dust sprinkled above in the sky like giant cotton balls.

So the next time you are meandering down a country highway on a bright day, look to the horizon. You might just get the opportunity to drive through a puffy, cotton ball’s shadow.

What is that?

I came home from work yesterday.  Following my daily ritual, I opened up the garage door to let Basil explore yard briefly before retreating inside.  While he was following scents only he could see, I opened the mailbox to retrieve my fanmail.  A lizard ran across my hand and being the curious person I am, I bent down and peered into the black cavernous box.  To my surprise, I saw...

Fast forward several hours...

I just finished watching my latest Netflix arrival and went to deposit it in the box.  It was dark as I stepped outside and walked to the end of my driveway.  As I pulled open the front, I saw something white, and black, and spotted all over.  What the hell?

I ran inside and quickly returned with a flashlight, camera, and cell phone.  Then I started playing paparazzi with the weirdness inside my box.  After sending some grainy photos to both my parents and asking what it is, I benefited from the natural paranoia of the unknown...

"Looks like a hognose or a horned viper"
"Probably a biter"
"Corn snake"
"I'd leave it alone"

In their defense, the picture I took made it look like a snake curled up on itself seeking a warm place for the evening.

Is it a moth?  Moths have fuzzy antennae, right?  Cicada?  Has the right body for it but not the right eyes.  Butterfly?  No, body is too thick.

After further investigation and better photos, I discovered (with the help of my mother) that it is a Great Leopard Moth.  I have seen very few moths in my lifetime but after seeing this one, all I can say is that moths get overshadowed by butterflies.

Fast forward again, another 20 minutes...

Upon returning from a relaxing walk around the neighborhood, I ran into the house and get my flashlight once more.  The moth was no longer residing in the mailbox and I was determined to find it.

I heard some rustling in the middle of the yard and apprehensively turned my beam of light in that general direction.  The rustling was loud.  I silently prayed it wasn't a rabid opossum or a giant spider.  My imagination gets the better of me at times.  I saw a flash of white.  Was it a rat?

No.  I was able to catch one more glimpse of this beautiful moth and assured myself that its wings were sound and not deformed. 

Best travels little one for the few days/nights you are alive.  Please die where I can find you.

Endeavor

My love affair with the United States space program and the great expanse beyond began early on in life.

Growing up, I always wanted to be an astronaut.  I would proudly tell anyone who asked what I would want to be when I grew up that I would be one of the first astronauts to cultivate the moon.

Early on in high school, after adamantly stating that I would be an astronaut, I rode my first roller coaster causing me to rapidly change career paths.  If I could not be an astronaut, I would teach the future space explorers.

When my friends in college caught wind of my previous aspirations, I received a Styrofoam moon with faux flowers stuck in it for my birthday.

On my birthday several years ago, my father and I made a rushed trip up to NAS Carswell to view the Discovery shuttle as it was on its route back to Cape Canaveral.

Last year, my family and I made a journey across the state to view a live launch when word that the last launches using the current fleet were coming to an end.  It was a very emotional, inspiring day.

As I prepare for work this morning, I sit in front of my computer to watch the final launch of Endeavor and I find myself crying yet again.  It is true human curiosity, bravery, and unity that brings these missions to reality.  There are truly no words to express the well of emotion that is experienced through this launch.

All I can say is that I can't believe that this program, as we know it, is coming to an end.  Only one more launch remaining.




*************Related post from deleted blog*****************


I have always been fascinated by the great beyond.  At one time, I could name and distinguish all the constellations visible in the Washington night sky.  I knew when the meteor showers were without looking up the information and I could tell you the planets visible. Up until the twelfth grade and my first terrifying roller coaster ride in the cold December winds,  I wanted to be an astronaut.  I even took classes in highschool (hydroponics) so that I could be one of the first astronauts to help colonize the moon.  My choice of careers changed right after the first harrowing drop on that cold day in Six Flags. Even though my career pursuits have shifted, I am still drawn to the outer space.  My homepage is actually the Astronomy Picture of the Day.  I am a frequent visitor to the NASA homepage.  And on various nights through the month, I’ll take a blanket, some tea, and my iPod out to the driveway to peer up at the night sky through the city hazy and lights. Last September the weather was horrible in Cape Canaveral so the Discovery (STS-128) had to land at Edwards AFB and then trek across the United States making a fuel stop in Carswell JRB in Fort Worth.  My father and I were there to witness it taking back off into the sky on top of a modified 747 mere yards from the runway.

Atlantis lifts off from Kennedy Space Center

  After that day, I was determined to make it out to a shuttle launch.  On May 13th my trek began.  May 14th I found myself in Orlando, Florida with my father, sister and step-mother.  Four hours and only 41 miles later, we pulled into Cocoa Beach to work our way up to the Cape Canaveral.  It was straight out of a movie.  At 2:19 everyone on the crowded beach stood up and faced north.  Cameras were prepared.  Radios were tuned to the correct frequency.  And then… There was a roar as this trail of flames lifts straight up.  The beach bursts out into applause.  The sap I am started to cry but continued to snap pictures as quickly as I could.  Binoculars were passed between the family as we all strained to see the shuttle at the head of the fire in the sky. 

Atlantis just prior to roll

 A minute or so into the launch, the loud roar stopped.  Seconds ticked by, the crowd held their breath, and then the roar returned full force to the sound of more applause.  Atlantis had made it through one of the crucial points in the sequence.  Our eyes strained to stay with the shuttle until it was out of sight.  We watched until the contrail stopped signaling the rocket boosters breaking away to fall towards the Atlantic Ocean.  We watched until it was as bright or faint as Mercury would be at dawn.  As Atlantis was just beginning its final adventure, ours was wrapping up. Four hours later, no rest stops to speak of, a change of clothes and a squat in the bushes later we arrived at Orlando leaving behind a wonderful, memorable adventure. For (unofficial) updates on the mission be sure to check out The Flame Trench.  For more official updates on the mission, check out NASA‘s page.  And for (unofficial) information on the Shuttle era, check out Wikipedia‘s entry.

Be Southwestern!

Every 6th Friday at work is college day!  I look forward to this particular day with relish.  A blessed chance to ditch the lime green school colors and don the gold of SU.

In addition to the change in wardrobe choices for jeans days, a poster is outside of every teacher's door informing the students of where their teachers received their higher educations before becoming a permanent fixture in the classroom (most kids still think their teachers live in the schools).

The overall goal is to help the students realize that they can achieve a college degree despite the obstacles that they have and will face.  I just love being recognized as the "pirate teacher" among all the Aggies and Longhorns.  I stick out and every student knows me on that day because of Southwestern.  Occasionally, students will be so intrigued that they will ask a little about SU.

On the fifth grade field trip down to Austin, some of the alert students even saw the sign.  When they met up with me at the State Cemetery, they told me they saw my school.

Baby Shower

I love being reminded of the power of friendship.  I know I was always told that as you got older, your true friends would stay and others would slowly start dropping away.  I don't remember ever being told (although there is a very great possibility that I wasn't listening), that despite the time that has elapsed, those friendships will pick back up where they have left off every time.

I have also learned that at this stage in life there are two things that will always bring old friends together: weddings and baby showers.

Today it was the later and it was a great time during a beautiful spring day in Texas.

SU friends

"If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it.  I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle."
~Vincent van Gogh

He's here!

Adjusting to his new home

The Lorax!  The Lorax.  That grumpy, crotchety, old-man of a thing has finally arrived to my doorstep.  My all time favorite Dr. Seuss book has provided me with the perfect mascot for my garden!  Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the voice of the barbaloots and the swami-swans and now my garden mascot.










His means of arrival on my doorstep was most interesting though.

Means of travel

Arriving in style

But just remember these words from the wise...


"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better.  It's not!"

Found

The perfect spot to construct a garden for my thesis research.

The south side

Mythology

In 20 years or so, I have a feeling that despite all the information that is known, Osama Bin Laden will go the way of Area 51, UFO sightings, Easter Island, crop circles and other "unsolved" mysteries.

Austin

I absolutely love to travel.  This past Friday, I was one of the chaperones for the 5th grade field trip--an experience alone.  Every year the students who have met certain criteria go on a day trip to Austin to visit the State Cemetery, the Capitol, and the University of Austin.  This year, I decided that in addition to herding cats pre-teens, I would practice my photographic skills.  Enjoy some of my favorites (excluding the ones with students in them).

Artistic Eye

I have decided that once the school year begins to wind down, I want to embark on a journey of self discovery.  My ship for sailing through this journey will be my DSLR camera.  After concentrating on what photography appeals to me most, I have decided that it is art photography for me. 

***Note: the following photos are not art photography for the most part.

Just what I have been practicing to become familiar with my camera.

In my procrastinating time (because you don't have spare time as a grad student), I have scoured the internet and found several blogs, professional sites, and museums that contain photographic art I enjoy.  To begin, I will be using no editing software.  The method behind this ban on Photoshop actually stems from a lack of funds but also will (hopefully) hone my photographic eye.

Because my brain is taxed beyond all limits at this point and desperately needs some rest and relaxation, suggestions, ideas (no matter how crazy they seem), and the like are greatly appreciated.  Until that time that suggestions start rolling in (use this as your procrastination), I'll leave you with a small selection of my existing yet limited body of work.  Comments...critiques...sarcasm...captions...all are welcome.

New beginnings

Yesterday I finally received approval from my principal to begin constructing a container garden on my school property.  While this does benefit the school grounds and school community to some degree, really it is to give me something to do for my thesis.  Bawahahahaha (maniacal laughter).  Hopefully I haven't bitten off more than I can chew but we'll see.  Periodically, I'll post about the progress as this gets off the ground and grows legs of its own...

Rainy Days

Because everyone needs some good literature everyone once in a while.

The Rainy Day
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the moldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the moldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Muddy memories

When work becomes too <insert adjective>, I find myself drifting back to moments in my life where I was carefree.  One of my favorite memories occurred during my sophomore year at Southwestern University. 

The university had just plowed a field in preparation for a parking lot construction job and it had been raining hard.  Exhausted from our duteous studies, five friends decided that it would be a brilliant idea to put on our dingiest clothes and frolic in the muddy field.

At first, the plan was just to run around but then a certain friend of mine decided to get in a competition with me as usual.  And as usual, even though she always won anything competition we engaged in, I rose to the bait.  This then turned the experience into a muddy "fight" until the bitter end (we were all too cold).  As we emerged from the pit, we asked an unsuspecting person enjoying a stroll on campus to take our picture.  Little did we know that during dinner that night, we would be the topic of conversation for the surrounding tables.

And my skin felt amazing for weeks after.  Perhaps from the mud.  Perhaps from the scrubbing.  Perhaps from just letting my hair down for a bit and enjoying nature in its finest.

the un-wizardly Dumbledore

I introduced you to my boisterous basset so now here is my fatty, furry, friend--Dumbledore.

Dumbledore was an impulse Wal-Mart rescue on a hot summer day when he was only 4-weeks old.  My mother and I didn't have high hopes that he would make it through his first couple nights.  Two years later and this cat has had spunk since day one.

I never considered myself a cat person even though cats have been present in our house since our relocation to Texas.  But here I am with a 15 pounder full of orange fluff and I can't imagine a day without him.

He is my spider eater now that he learned not to share his prey with me.  My confidant as he talks to me about his day when I come home.  My midnight cuddler whom I discover in my bed when I roll over in the middle of the night.  My destroyer of shoes (make sure to place them up high or in the closet when you come for a visit).  And the klutziest cat I've known.  Don't ask him to take a sobriety test because he will fail!  Can't even walk the back of the couch without falling off a time or two.  I've never seen so much thought put into a jump either but this stems from all of the failed jumps he has undertaken.

Several weeks ago I heard a noise in the chimney.  This noise was unlike any I had heard before and was very persistent.  Thinking that there was a bird trapped, I opened up the flu only to have a furry, four-legged, animal drop on my arm.  Not my smartest moment.  I found myself with a very angry, very shrill, screaming squirrel in my fireplace.

Being the helpful hunter that he is, Dumbledore kept an intense vigil as I attempted to figure out how to neutralize the situation.  Sitting in front of the glass, pawing at the grate.  I had to resort to locking him in the bedroom because he wouldn't abandon his post so I could capture the unwilling detainee.

Even after the squirrel had long since been relocated to the great outdoors, my ever present cat would inspect the fireplace just on the the off chance that the squirrel made an unwelcome return for a couple days after.

Should you drop by for a visit, Dumbledore will vie with Basil to be the first to slip outside--err, greet you.  He will twine himself around your legs as you stumble to take off you shoes.  Should you make him mad, before he can exact his revenge, stroke under his chin.  This was how I calmed him when he was a kitten and still causes him to go limp.  And remember, no matter how tempting that exposed underbelly is when he is fast asleep in the sun belly up, resist or else this cat bites and twists.  I'm convinced that hurts more than any claws do.