Olbrich Gardens

First off, you'll all be happy to know my cellulitis is gone. It isn't just recently gone. It's been gone for quite a while. Which is good. I don't think I could have handled two months of an itching rear end. It would have made for very uncomfortable commuting to Mequon, near Milwaukee, where I am teaching two classes at a small Lutheran university.

And it would have given my students at Madison Area Technical College another reason to complain that I'm not very teacherly. They insist I am only pretending to be their professor, although I don't know any reason why someone would--for kicks only--create and grade essay assignments, let alone wake up early to teach at 7:30 AM.

Thus I have turned my attentions to healing from colds and cellulitis, and also to convincing my students I am, in fact, a professor. I try to wear frumpy clothes and get chalk lines on my rear and tummy. I think that helps a little. I'm also developing an intense technological inprofficiency, which, although helpful, also means that I have forgotten how to access and publish posts on my blog.

Today I've suddenly remembered how, mostly because I have several essays to grade and midterm grades to calculate, and I need some sort of project to distract me from my work.

So here are the fruits of my playing: pictures of Ethnee, Mindi, Jonathan, me, and pretty orchids. We also had fun looking at the butterflies. Jonathan took about seventy pictures, so we did end up getting some good ones of the butterflies and the orchids.

Mindi came to visit us in August, and I am anxious to visit her again in November. I'm going to bring a picture songbook we used to sing from as kids--Jonathan has a copy. I'm sure she'll love singing, "Choo Choo Choo, What's coming down the track?" and, "I've got something that you haven't got. It's a little puppy and I call him Spot."

Ethnee and I might spend time throwing her sunglasses in the pond. She had fun with that at Olbrich gardens. I think she was upset because we wouldn't let her fall into the pond, so she threw her sunglasses into the darkly dyed water.

Jonathan rolled up his sleeve and felt around for them for a few minutes, but to no avail. So Jonathan and I walked around with a very mommy-sick Ethnee while Mindi went inside to find someone to fish out the glasses. In the end, Ethnee got both her mommy and her glasses back.

Ah, Ethnee was so cute, and so fun to play with. Her cuteness (and my failed efforts to pretend to be a professor) make both Jonathan and I anxious to be parents. Or at least visit our families more often. Thanksgiving will be wonderful when we crash Mindi's place. But Mindi and Rachelle better keep a tight hold on Ethnee and Caleb.