Just checking in

Hi everyone,

I've done it again -- I've gone months without checking the blog! Horrible, I know, since I really do enjoy reading the updates from everyone, which I'm looking forward to doing again now. My excuse, if there is one, is that I post lots of photos and the occasional inane update on Facebook and figure that's enough of a mass dissemination; my relatives really enjoy being able to keep up with their Nebraska crew that way.

But anyway, everything's good here. Little Z is 20 months old already and is a big chatterbox. She's getting long and lean and is generally a blast to hang out with. W and I are doing fine. He continues to tinker with honeybees as a hobby, with 4 hives in our backyard. He's also just about to start an MBA program, a little bit at a time. I have the summer free to spend with Z-toddler and O-dog, but as I got a decent state-funded grant to do 1 year of research with some students, I do that twice a week this summer, too, and will have 1 course release in the spring as well as 3 weeks in Costa Rica during our J-term. A requirement of this state funding is that I submit a full NSF Career proposal; that July deadline is looming. In the fall, I'll be teaching comparative (supposedly vertebrate) anatomy, which is freaking me out a little. I've never had anatomy and have had ornithology and mammalogy but no other vertebrate-ologies. I'd frankly rather (and be more qualified to) teach botany or entomology. But I digress. Any ideas you guys have got would be welcome! I've assigned a typical textbook as well as "Your Inner Fish" by Shubin.


W and I just got back from a week in Alaska. My parents insisted we leave Z with them for a while, so it was our first time away from her. Everything was great on both ends, although the packaged tour was a little too packaged-tour-y for me. We got to see great views of McKinley and plenty of critters, too. My favorite part of the trip was an air tour of McKinley that turned into a glacier landing at the climbers' base camp.



Otherwise, we're just rolling along here. I'm looking forward to going through the last few months of posts and hoping that everyone's well.

knitting update

So amongst all the teaching and insanity I have actually finished a baby blanket for my hubby's first cousin's new baby. Here's some pictures of the blanket which is the yarn color carousal but was being called "skittle barf" or "starburst barf" by all those that watched me knit it. It was about 2 feet by 3 feet. Anyone else have ideas on what to call this color. The parents and baby I've been told love the blanket. :-)

The pictures were taken with the blanket on my lap in the car with my cell phone so sorry about the quality.

Gardening

After going to the farmer's market this morning and buying three tomato plants, I was inspired to do a bit of gardening this morning. I cleared out the weeds in my vegetable patch, transplanted a couple of coneflower plants, and planted my tomatoes. In addition I planted seeds: basil, sugar-snap peas, and Alyssum.


The lettuce and spinach are growing well - the lettuce is a bit happier than the spinach.

Lettuce

Spinach

There are also buds on the larkspur and spiderwort that were left by the previous tenant.

Larkspur

Spiderwort

Well - back to exam writing. I wonder if my tomatoes have grown any.

Shaving a yak

Ever heard of shaving a yak? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaving_a_yak. Seems to be the story of my life (and CERTAINLY describes doing my dissertation).