Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Ever since I was 16 and received my driver's license, I have driven used cars. I have never, ever bought a brand, spankin' new car. Until yesterday. And the car I bought isn't even for me. Now that Lovely Beautiful Daughter is working three jobs, I just couldn't stand by and watch her put over $100 of her money into gas every 10 days or so. Our ten-year-old SUV is sucking her dry. In addition, the two used vehicles I'd bought for her over the last five years ended up being more trouble than they were worth, the last one running for a month before it died, never to be resurrected no matter what was tried. After that little debacle, I thought long and hard about the situation. Since she's working, and her brother is just a few months away from getting his license, I decided to buy a new car the both of them could use. Lovely Beautiful Daughter is going halvers with me on the payment, and Funny Delightful Son has offered to chip in once he gets a job this summe...

I lost my cool in my English 101 class. I try really hard to never let this happen, but . . .. I could tell my ire was rising when a student who missed class on Tuesday came in and said, "I wasn't here on Tuesday. What did I miss? And I don't know what you mean by annotated bibliography." In my head, my answer was, "Ummmmm, you missed the explanation for the two assignments that are due next week, one of which is the annotated bib. I spent an hour and fifteen minutes going over both assignments on Tuesday, making sure those who were in class understood what is being asked with the assignments. That's what you missed." Out of my mouth came, "I went over the two assigments. What exactly about the annotated bib don't you understand?" And for the next ten minutes, I stood by this student, explaining again what I explained on Tuesday. A few minutes later, another student asked for help. "I'm confused. I went to Google and typed in ...

Bacon wrapped chicken thighs, creamy mashed cauliflower, and fruit. The smokey spice blend on the bacon and chicken added some sass, and the herb spice blend mixed into the mashed cauliflower created the illusion that they were actually mashed potatoes (though Hubby kept asking what veggie I'd used as he wasn't convinced they were mashed potatoes). The fruit offered the sweetness to balance all the spices. Probably too many carbs with the fruit along with the cauliflower, but there wasn't any added sugar so I'm not going to stress over it. Definitely my kind of meal.

I know Hubby meant well in making the decisions he did for our dinner this evening, but the meal we just finished was probably the most disappointing one I've had in a long, long time. Because I try to eat sensibly for breakfast and lunch, I really look forward to topping off the day with a good, healthy meal that makes me feel like I've accomplished what I set before me in regards to food and my health. I admit, I veer off the healthy foods path far more often than I like, and that's why the last meal of the day is so important to me. Tonight, that still-bleeding, three inches thick hunk of meat with all that fat running through it, well, let's just say the dog enjoyed it. I felt immense sadness as I walked away from the table after only eating a sweet potato and a piece of birthday cake made for Angel Baby who turned 14 today, and now my mind is in anguish over not having eaten a healthy meal. This evening's dinner ended up being one of those moments that can'...

From the train, leaving Chicago. I should have sat on the right side of the aisle--the graffiti was much more colorful and artistic on the other side of the tracks.

This morning a fine dusting of snow lay on the streets, sidewalks, and trail. I couldn't wait to leave for work, riding the blue cruiser and leaving her tire tracks in the white powder. The temps had risen slightly overnight, and the wind blew from behind. I didn't have to double up my gloves or wear my scarf over my nose and mouth, and my heart didn't pound like the last few days because I had to push into the wind. No. This morning was quiet. This morning was still. This morning the daylight offered a glimpse of purity. And this beauty against the white sky.

The wind blew out of the north this morning as I rode to work. Smack into my face for most of the three miles. I thought what a great ride home I'd have this afternoon, with the wind at my back. The fickle Illinois wind, though, had other plans. When I walked out to my bike after work, I looked up at the wind turbine to see from which direction the wind was blowing. Southeast. Smack into my face for nearly the entire three miles home. The upside was the temperature had risen from the 7 degrees of this morning (real feel of -10 degrees) to 22 degrees (real feel of 12 degrees). At least the ride home was warmer. Another upside to my day was the response a student offered to my essay, the one I'd written over break to share with my colleagues at our beginning of the semester meeting. I shared my work with my students to show them how I enter into a writing project and how I weave in primary as well as secondary sources. During class, I noticed many of the students reading the es...