Hodge Podge
The fall semester is officially underway. Most of us are teaching solely online, so we won't have the usual gathering in the hall to chat and catch up with one another, something we all looked forward to after nearly three months of not seeing each other. I miss my friends so much.
But I do enjoy teaching online. It's such a different animal from teaching in the classroom. I used to give myself little pep talks before going into the classroom, and I made a list of everything I wanted to cover during the class period. I'd check each item off throughout the hour and fifteen minutes. I never sat down, either, always moving around the room while I talked and worked with the students. Now . . . much of my time is spent sitting.
For hours I sit in front of the computer and create the materials that I upload to the LMS. At the same time, I check my email regularly to field any questions that might come in from students. But I have the freedom to stand and stretch, go to the kitchen for a cup of coffee or snack, take a break by switching my attention to reading the really good book that I'm currently into, or go out for a twenty minute walk with Ado. There truly is a lot of flexibility with teaching online that isn't available when teaching in the classroom. I've found myself being online later in the evenings, something I didn't do when teaching on campus, doing the bulk of my work during the more typical working hours.
Back in the spring I wanted to plant some veggies. Just a few. Tomatoes. Lettuce. Herbs. But I wasn't ready to go to the store to get the plants/seeds for these. This was before the mask requirement was put into place, and I wasn't comfortable being among others. So I did some research and found I could take some of the veggies I had in my fridge and use them to create my garden. The only one I actually did this with was the tomatoes. I had a container of campari tomatoes, so I took one, sliced it then planted the slices in a couple of planters I had in the garage. And, during my rummaging through my gardening paraphernalia in the garage, I found a bag full of seed packets I'd squirreled away. I knew the seeds might not sprout, but it certainly wasn't going to hurt to try them.
Today, I'm enjoying the tomatoes that are the result of my experiment with growing tomatoes from those that were in my fridge. I'm also enjoying the basil that sprouted from the seeds packed away in the garage. Those tomatoes, let me tell you, are the best I've had in a very long time. Pure heaven!
Another experiment with growing a plant is underway. The piece of turmeric I had on my cutting board sprouted. So I planted it. When I planted it, the stem was about an inch of growth. After a week, it was what is shown in the first photo. The second photo is from today. A leaf has unfurled. I'm so enjoying watching the plant change from day to day.
About a year and a half ago, I started eating by the 90/10 plan: 90% of the month was plant-based, with 10% allowing meat. I figured that'd be an easy way to keep track of how much meat I was eating. I gave myself three days a month to eat meat. And it really was a great way to reduce the amount of meat I consumed. Since it was going so well, I decided to make the plunge into full-on vegetarianism at the beginning of the summer. I reduced my three days a month to two through June, then one through July. As of August 1, I totally removed meat from my diet, along with all dairy and eggs. The only item I have yet to part with is mayo. I love mayo and will continue eating it until I find a substitute that makes me happy. If I never find a suitable substitute, that's okay. I'm not going to quibble over one food.
I did something the other day I've not done in nearly two years. I stepped on a scale to weigh myself. A scale I actually bought to have in my house. For many years, I refused to have a scale. I used my clothes to determine if I needed to shed a few pounds. If my jeans and shirts got a bit tight, I upped my cycling or walking and reduced what I ate. But for whatever reason, I decided it's time to tackle the phobia I have with the scale. So I researched scales, found one I really like, then bought it. I got it all set up and stepped onto it the next morning. I weigh exactly the same as I did two years ago. I figured I did. My clothes haven't gotten tighter, so I knew I most likely hadn't gained any weight. I'm okay with where I am with my weight, but I kinda want to try and lose a few pounds. Nine to be exact. I really don't know why. Maybe just to see if I can do it.
Just a week and a day remain for August. Then four months for the year. My favorite months of the year. And while 2020 has been challenging to say the least, I'm not ready for it to slip by just yet. I'm looking forward to the first fall in my new home, my most favorite place to be.
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