Leaping from retirement back into the classroom

SACRAMENTO, Calif. USA - I ended my second week of teaching today and I remembered - as I dragged my butt off campus to the bus stop - why retirement most of the rest of the year seems, so, well, retiring.

Ahhhh.

My four classes are actually good: smart students, good in-class topics and even new computers in the laboratories where I teach three of the four classes.

It just that, well, there's some other things I would reallllly like to be doing instead, that I don't have a lot of oomph for when I get home.

Like blogging! Instead, I prep for classes, grade papers and read endless stories, all of which I have assigned to turn my undergrads into journalists. And the Admiral is doing the same, with her four classes.

But we are squeezing in a trips to see Sacramento granddaughters Sami and Kami Allen and hope to get up to the mountains to see Sanders and Pat Lamont. The Four Headlamps need to practice if we are going to survive open mic night at Palapa Joe's in La Manzanilla next winter.

Still, by mid-December, the Admiral and I will be catapulting our way down the highway back to Arroyo Seco in Mexico and our life there. That time should go by very fast. Hell, it already is.


Victoria Campbell with a friend on her head

My last day in New York I sold our fabulous and loyal Jeep Cherokee to a great home. People think I am weird about my cars and boats. OK, I am. But I hate to sell something that I have to someone who won't appreciate it. That was not the case with the Jeep.

Through a Craig's List posting, Victoria Campbell popped up and after a quick test drive (a drive that included Arnold the Wonder Dog as a passenger) she was hooked and bought the car a few days later.

She will be using it as part of her rescue efforts of wild animals, a project she started herself and which is growing fast - too fast maybe - as her reputation is growing and so is the number of animals she has to rescue and then care for.

Wild Things Sanctuary

When she dropped me off at the Valois house after buying the Jeep, Victoria said it might make just the right spot for her to release waterfowl that have recovered from injuries. It might work, I suppose. We will just have to keep Arnold away next summer when that happens.

Earlier this summer, Arnold (ok, maybe Arnold's owner Brad) gave me a great birthday card, along with several bottles of wine so I could celebrate my milestone birthday.

I have it on the wall of my office at work now to remind me about time Seneca Lake, Red Cat wine, and of course, Arnold, Brad and all the great cousins and friends we have there.


Arnold wishing me a happy birthday