If you are counting, you will see that a day has been added. Due to travel restrictions, I am now leaving January 2. The Fulbright powers were concerned that I would be alone. I think it is perfect. I will have all Sunday, January 3, to work out the jet lag and reset my body clock without anyone around to watch what is sure to be an ugly transformation.
I took this picture in west Texas. The stratification is interesting enough, but do you see that upraised place? That is significant. At some point in time there was some force, some movement in the layers of earth. The two sides were pushed together. One side went up and the other went under.
Sometimes when we are under stress that is what we do. We push forward with what we can and push everything else underneath. That is what I have done for a while now. Finally I get to handle all the stuff I’ve had to hold back.
My visa came yesterday. I also received several reminders of other pieces of business that needed my attention. One is done. Three more will be handled tomorrow. It looks like lunch will be spent on the phone.
Yesterday and today I have been busy preparing for Thanksgiving and a house full of people. Fortunately it also helps prepare me to leave for six months. I believe I wrote about the downsizing efforts Paul and I already accomplished. We donated tons of clothes, household goods and books, sold some furniture, and threw away piles of debris: broken, stained old furniture, notebooks from the children’s educational trip through middle and high school, and items I’m not sure how to describe or how they came to reside in my house. I was sure our closets and the kids’ bedrooms were empty.
Not so. When the trash dudes pull up tomorrow morning, they will be greeted by a mountain of bags and boxes that rivals those we left twice a week just a few months ago. Where does all this stuff come from?
I have started packing. Yes, it is early, but I wanted to try out some packing cubes. I threw some clothes in a carryon and saw that it was soon too full to close. I put the same clothes in a medium packing cube, threw it into the bag, and was pleased to discover that I had room for another cube. To counter the weight issue, I will distribute shoes (lighter than the cubes but just as bulky) amongst the bags.
I took this picture in west Texas. The stratification is interesting enough, but do you see that upraised place? That is significant. At some point in time there was some force, some movement in the layers of earth. The two sides were pushed together. One side went up and the other went under.
Sometimes when we are under stress that is what we do. We push forward with what we can and push everything else underneath. That is what I have done for a while now. Finally I get to handle all the stuff I’ve had to hold back.
My visa came yesterday. I also received several reminders of other pieces of business that needed my attention. One is done. Three more will be handled tomorrow. It looks like lunch will be spent on the phone.
Yesterday and today I have been busy preparing for Thanksgiving and a house full of people. Fortunately it also helps prepare me to leave for six months. I believe I wrote about the downsizing efforts Paul and I already accomplished. We donated tons of clothes, household goods and books, sold some furniture, and threw away piles of debris: broken, stained old furniture, notebooks from the children’s educational trip through middle and high school, and items I’m not sure how to describe or how they came to reside in my house. I was sure our closets and the kids’ bedrooms were empty.
Not so. When the trash dudes pull up tomorrow morning, they will be greeted by a mountain of bags and boxes that rivals those we left twice a week just a few months ago. Where does all this stuff come from?
I have started packing. Yes, it is early, but I wanted to try out some packing cubes. I threw some clothes in a carryon and saw that it was soon too full to close. I put the same clothes in a medium packing cube, threw it into the bag, and was pleased to discover that I had room for another cube. To counter the weight issue, I will distribute shoes (lighter than the cubes but just as bulky) amongst the bags.