Spring Break...

in Oregon means anything goes weather wise, even as we pray for sun. This year we had rain, wind, hail and finally some sunshine. As for the last several years, we spent the week at the Dunes.

Brotherly Love

The kittens are growing fast. They have a new windwo perch (had to save the window treatments) and they spend a great deal of time hanging out watching the bird and squirrels feed.

Crocus

Spring is in the air. Monday was absolutely beautiful. I had the day off and opened up the windows and back door to let some fresh air in. Today, when I arrived home from work I noticed that the crocus are starting to pop in the yard. I'm ready for spring.

Kittens

Losing Kit in November was really hard. I miss him, and probably always will. And the house was just too quiet. Thanks to the generosity of a friend, I now have plenty of noise and chaos. Charlie and Greyson arrived this weekend. They are brothers and about seven months old.

Charlie

Greyson

The boys are settling in and I'm remembering what it's like to have kittns again after all these years.

Those Moments - Challenger Disaster

Thirty years ago today the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after taking off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It became one of my "Where were you when?" moments.

I was sitting in the library with my classmates watching the launch on television. We were excited by the prospect of a teacher, and ordinary person (astronauts were extrodinary) being launched into space. The media had been hyping the mission for weeks. We all watched in anticipation. Up it went and then it was gone.

I don't remember who I was sitting with that day. I don't remember what channel we were watching (this was before cable tv and internet). I do remember the on air reports hesitating to announce that the shuttle was gone and that those seven people were dead.

Almost 18 months later, on a class trip to Washington DC, we visited Arlington National Cemetery and saw the memorial to those men and women.

In 2008, I visited Arlington again and the Challenger memorial had been joined by another, honoring the astronauts of the Columbia disaster in 2003. 

Two similar events, (Challenger exploded shortly after take off. Columbia shortly before landing) seventeen years apart that really bookend the shuttle program in the United States. Thirty years ago the prosepct of going into space was exciting and captured the interest of people. Today, it probably never crosses my students' minds.

The Challenger disaster keeps coming back into my life. It' one of "those moments." Last summer while visiting the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama I found a wall of mission patches and pins for sale. I love label pins and I wanted one, but only one. I wanted the pin from that day in 1986. It took some searching, but I found it. 

Rest in peace Challenger Crew. You are not forgotten.

And they're back!

The gobblers are back in the neighborhood. I'm pretty sure it's part of the same flock of juveniles who were hanging around last fall.

Race Day

This morning my friend Tina and I braved the wet, participating in the 17th Annual Cascade Half Marathon events. No...we don't run, and we don't do 13.1 miles. We take advantage of the short 2 mile walk, as we have for the last several years. We started with the 10K in 2011 and that was not fun.  I missed 2012 due to a broken foot. From there we've done the two miles. Get it done in 30 minues, eat some soup and home to do whatever for the rest of the day. It's a good January tradition.