Monthly Archives: August 2020

The long days are not so sluggish as long as Zoom cooperates and doesn’t slam the process. From 3:00-5:00 PM the system was down with “technical difficulties.” To be expected, I suppose. I have a love-hate relationship with September. I … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day It feels like a premature October morning with a slight chill to the air, red leaves falling from the tree that shrouds the deck, and the overcast sky. Yesterday, when I began teaching, it … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day This morning’s slight coolness mimicked a mid autumn morning and with September moving in within 48 hours, I’m reminded that my much loved deck time is coming to an end. I was in bed … Continue reading →

I was so energized and productive the previous two weeks and by Wednesday night of this week, I was a limp dishrag and could not find strength nor energy to make a dent in anything. There was lots of reading … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day Some mugginess clings to the air but the day dawned beautiful, bright, and clear, embraced by the crisp tones of our female cardinal who is perched, for the past twenty minutes, above me as … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day Today, I begin the academic year’s schedule with teaching and I am so excited to get started. 64 students are on the Zoom schedule and I’m thrilled to meet 8 new students, with two … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day If I had a cornfield and a horse, I’d be riding along, singing, “Oh, what a beautiful morning” as I’m surrounded by a song-belching cardinal, the breeze sweeping down Shroyer Road, swishing traffic as … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day Early Monday morning, August 20, 1990, I got into my car, packed with last minute items and backed out of my West Washington Street driveway for the last time. The cassette tape, inserted from … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day Quarantining, for many, is miserable. For others, it’s imprisoning, oft from those who find it illicit. This pandemic has led many to anxiety and depression; it appeared, somewhat suddenly, and without toleration, forced us … Continue reading →

1969. A year with tremendous highlights. As if landing on the moon, Nixon’s inauguration, Woodstock, the release of The Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” the premiere of “Sesame Street,” “Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid” is released to movie theaters, and the … Continue reading →

I posted a photograph of Queen Victoria which sparked discussion. My friend, Elizabeth “Liz” Bryant, commented that she’s had a lifelong love with British history. I can remember what sparked my interest in the royal family. When I was four … Continue reading →

It’s been a bit muggy, today, and there are some swift back and forths between still damp air and abrupt cool Southern breezes to aide in some comfort. Thursday, Friday, and today have been fairly idle with a few house … Continue reading →

My maternal grandmother, Donna Clary Barmes, grew up in northern Boone Township of Madison County, Indiana, an area her ancestors helped to settle a century before her birth in 1924. Grandma Donna had a favorite aunt, Vivian Jones, a beautician, … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day It’s a very quiet morning despite a few chirping birds, Shroyer Road traffic, and some children playing across Rockhill. It’s 71-degrees and the deck still feels damp from Monday night’s heavy soaking yet, the … Continue reading →

As August continues, my recently graduated seniors are dwindling down to just a few more remaining seniors as college campuses beckon their arrival. Tonight, Anthony Comunale had his last lesson. AJ just graduated from Centerville high school where he held … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day The substantial rain last evening left us very soggy this morning and as I was sharing this with my Taco Tuesday loving son, he commented that he hoped my tacos weren’t soggy. – is … Continue reading →

From early this morning I knew we had a huge storm heading our direction and after a humid day of anticipation, it arrived around 9:45 PM. My friend, Nancy Sumner, in Chicago, was giving updates as the storm ripped through. … Continue reading →

We were vacation in Myrtle Beach, staying in a motel where our second floor room faced the swimming pool. I was in the pool when Mother ran to the balcony and said I needed to come upstairs and to hurry. … Continue reading →

I’ve enjoyed a day entirely free of any business, emails, purging items for Goodwill, and other household needs. Mama Kay delivered my China Cottage order and the Cottage vegetables and hot and sour soup hit the spot. I made a … Continue reading →

It’s been a terribly busy day around the neighborhood with all sorts of sounds and activity. The parking lot construction at the high school auditorium, the cutting and mulching of the tree across Shroyer, kids playing across Rockhill, birds, a … Continue reading →

As a young kid, my parents went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee every October to enjoy the Autumn foliage and to visit the attractions. For any of our trips, Mother made a pallet for me in the long back seat of our … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day This 68-degree and just-enough-breeze morning is rather jolly and the crew trimming trees on the east side of Shroyer Road adds a new layer of color to the typical score of birds, rustling leaves, … Continue reading →

The teaching day is over, except for one lesson that’s always at 10:00 PM and it is on to my three day weekend. Last night, all four dogs were exhausted from the excitement of having my sister and her children … Continue reading →

MIAGD: Make it a great day The morning was too beautiful to not participate in it so I wrapped myself in a blanket against the 73-degrees and continued with breakfast on the deck. Our educational world feels as though it’s … Continue reading →

This has been a fantastic week of surprises and other wonderful things happening. A former student returning to college gives me an artistic gift with a witty reminder of my JOSEPH years, a former student’s mom and friend gives me … Continue reading →