5/24/2010 Interesting Weather

At 2:47pm today, weather in Farmington ME and Richardson TX are exactly the same: 89 degrees and 43% humidity. What we call "unseasonably hot" in Maine is "delightfully pleasant" for this time of year in Texas.

Texas Office

In honor of Dana, who was worried I was losing my ties to Texas, I am posting photos of my office at UMF which I believe will dispel her worries. You can take the woman out of Texas but you can't take Texas out of the woman (and be sure to notice the bumper sticker on the west wall).

I didn't put a picture of the north wall, which is all bookcases. But I do have a section of books about Texas on my bookcase along with plenty of good UNT publications. Also, on the south side I have a little table and it's filled with Texas knick knacks. Don't Mess with Texas!

West Wall: To the left is the door into the office. The bulletin board looks a little junky but you should've seen it before I cleaned it up! When I put in the filing cabinet, I had to rearrange the bulletin board because part of it got covered up and part of it gets knocked down when you open the top drawer.

But don't worry about that. On this board you can see a picture of bluebonnets (the state flower) taken by my major professor, Gerald Knezek (from Texas), a few Texas postcards, a love note from Randall with a Texas picture on the front of the card, and above the bulletin board is "The Texas Timeline of Awesome Achievements and Events". Their words, not mine.

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South Wall Left Side: UNT diploma and PhD tam (hat). On the right side of this picture is my "heirloom" birth certificate. It's a certified copy that is legal. When you get a copy of your certificate, you have a choice of a business copy (traditional, boring, 8.5" x 11") or an heirloom copy. This one was a 50th birthday gift from my mom and dad. How fun is that??!! I love it except for the fact that it's signed by my least favorite governor in the history of Texas. Oh well.

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South Wall Right Side: Two UMF awards, a counted cross stitch made by my sister, a Hollins pendant that was my mom's from when she went there. The cool education art work was made by Tracey, a student of mine. And there are two awards that I've earned while at UMF. I guess this half of the wall isn't too much Texas (except for the edge of my heirloom birth certificate).

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East Wall: There's a window on the right. So we've got the Texas flag quilt that my sister made and a pencil sketch of the Dallas skyline that Mary S. gave me before I left.

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And though this isn't a photo of the office, I thought it appropriate to put here to prove I haven't lost my "Texas-ness". On the UMF Web site are profiles of students. In a Q&A format, they transcribe the interview with the student and you get to know each student and a little about them and a lot about UMF in the process. This is a part of Joel H.'s profile page.

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These photos and descriptions were originally published on my Facebook photo page. But I can't really backup my photos and text from there in a way that is acceptable to me. So I'm copying and pasting the information to Blogger. It's still not as effective as I would like it to be, but for now, it's better than nothing.

8/30/09 The Summer of 2009

Summers in Maine are what Mainiacs live for. Some say you "earn" the privilege after surviving the winter. I'm so used to traveling in the summer. I never minded being away from Dallas in June, July, and August. Next summer maybe I'll start spending more time in Maine. This summer, not so much. I spent 51 days out of the state. I traveled to 9 states (VT, KS, MD, VA, OR, WA, TX, NM, NY), British Columbia, and Washington DC. Unfortunately, I was having so much fun and accomplishing so many things I didn't find time to blog about the travels. But when I do, you'll find the stories in my travel blog, not here. I did do a teeny bit of traveling in Maine. Those travels, whenever I can find time to blog, will be described here.

My other big project this summer was to unpack the living room. In December I had the last of my stuff shipped from Dallas. It was all that sentimental stuff that you don't need but have to keep. When I thought I was only going to be in Maine for 2 more years, I put the stuff in storage in Dallas. When I found out I was going to stay for a while in Maine, I had the stuff moved here. For 7 months, I just lived with the stuff stacked in my living room. It took up over 40 square feet of my 600 square foot apartment. In July, I finally started unpacking. Then I built shelves and then filled the shelves. There's still a lot of stuff here but at least I can get to it now. AND I have 20 square feet of apartment back. :-) Phase 2 is to do the same for the dining room.

I took photos along the way. I compiled them into this 2 minute slideshow. Enjoy! My friend Michael suggested I should've had a last slide of me "collapsed in organizational exhaustion in the comfy chair." Great idea. However, I'll have to let you picture that photo in your imagination. Meanwhile, enjoy the transformation.

8/14/2009 How do you define hot?

I was at the mall today. In most cities, when you say "the mall" someone will ask, "Which one?" I was at The Maine Mall in Portland, which is named that because at the time it was built, it was pretty much the only one in the state. (Does that make it the main Maine mall?) So here, when you say, "the mall," everyone assumes you're talking about that one.

But I digress. So at the mall, I was in the parking lot and needed to cross the lane of traffic. The oncoming car stopped and waved me across. Maine has strong pedestrian right-of-way laws, so that wasn't unusual. I waved a thank you as I crossed and when I got to the other side, the driver rolled down her window smiling at me and then said, "Honey, you're the one having to suffer in 86 degrees, I've got my AC on. Of course, I'll let you cross."

And to think I was enjoying how cool it was on an August day in the "heat" of the afternoon with the temperature being only 86 degrees.

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On another note, it's been a long time since I posted anything here. Sorry about that. It's been a busy busy summer which means I have plenty to blog about but no time to blog. I hope to get caught up soon.

And one more note . . . Look Dad! I'm not blogging about snow!

5/18/09 Frost Advisory?

w00t! Gotta love it. There's a frost advisory out for tonight. Cover your new seedlings and little plants.

Wait! It's May! It's almost June! And we're having a frost advisory? Well, they say not to plant anything in your vegetable garden in Maine until after Memorial Day. Gotta admit, I didn't believe it when I heard it.

Frost advisory tonight for most of state

Submitted by The Associated Press on Mon, 05/18/2009 - 09:13

• Central Maine Newspapers
• Portland Press Herald

The National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning for northern Maine, while a frost advisory is in effect for most of the rest of the state.

The weather service said an unseasonably cold air mass combined with clear skies and calm winds will result in widespread frost from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Tuesday in northern areas, where temperatures are expected to fall below freezing.

Most other regions, including southern and coastal areas, are under a frost advisory in the overnight hours. Temperatures are projected to drop into the lower to mid-30s, but a hard freeze is not anticipated.

The weather service says potted plants that are normally left outdoors should be covered or brought inside away from the cold.

retrieved 5/18/09 from http://updates.mainetoday.com/updates/frost-advisory-tonight-for-most-of-state

5/12/09 Midnight Madness

So it's 12:38am and I'm driving home from work. (Can you tell it's the end of the semester?) I know it's 12:38 because the bank clock on the corner of Main and Broadway says so in large digital readout. Then I think my mind must be playing a trick on me because it then says 38. It's 38 at 12:38. What does that mean? It's 38 degrees?! On May 12 it's only 6 degrees above freezing?? It's MAY for heaven's sake! I knew it was a little chilly on the walk from my building to my car. The grass was a little slippery under my feet as I walked up the slight incline from the exit to the parking lot. But I thought that was dew. Now I wonder if it was frost!

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore. Nor are we in Dallas. No wonder the landlady didn't want to plant her tomatoes yet. She said there was still a chance of a frost.

Now I'll never get my parents to come visit me for Christmas. My dad doesn't like the cold. He for sure won't come at Christmas and now probably won't ever come in May, either!

5/4/09 Interpretive Dance

One of my assignments in EDU 101 is for a team of partners to take one of the Ten Standards for Initial Teacher Certification for the State of Maine and present an overview of the standard in a way that we'll never forget. (The standards tend to overlap and initially, they all look alike until you really get to know them, which our students do in their ensuing Education courses. But to start, I just want them to be aware that the standards exist and that there are 10 distinct points.)

I encourage a lot of creativity and I get some fabulous presentations: rap song, children's story, skits, board games, audience participation activities, weavings, mystery boxes, and more. After 11 sections of this course, you would think I had seen it all, but in fact, I haven't. This group had a balloon popping activity, a self-assessment to determine learning style, an acronym event, and more. In addition to all of that, this was the first time anyone had ever used an interpretive dance. I don't believe I'll ever forget Standard 7 (there's a vii painted on each of their faces) is all about Engaging Your Students.

4/23/09 Things you didn't know you would ever have to worry about

Rumford is not very far away from here. I stopped there on my way to Dartmouth last fall. I drive alongside the Androscoggin River on my way to Dixfield. It's a scenic drive. I'm glad someone was able to take care of this problem before it took away from the scenery and before it created a really bad stench. There was actually an article last week lamenting the problem and the fact that there didn't seem to be a solution. Hurray for public works employees who go above and beyond! The headline to this story tells it all.

Town breathes easier: Bull carcass removed

RUMFORD -- A public works crew in Rumford has retrieved the bloated carcass of a bull that had floated down the Androscoggin River and over a waterfall before landing on some boulders weeks ago.

Crewman Dan Peare told the Sun Journal of Lewiston that he convinced his bosses that he and fellow crewmen could and should remove the animal before warm weather arrived for the weekend.

On Wednesday, Peare climbed down the river bank and attached a rope to the bull's legs. They then pulled the 800- to 900-pound Hereford up the bank with a bucket loader, lifted it into a dump truck and buried it behind the town garage.

The animal was first spotted in early April when it went over the falls and landed in a seemingly unreachable position atop a rock pile about 100 feet below the top of the river bank.

retrieved 4/23/09 from http://updates.mainetoday.com/updates/town-breathes-easier-bull-carcass-removed

4/22/09 A&M in Maine?

WHAT?! I'm driving up Court Street and here's a maroon and white awning sporting A-M . . . does Texas A&M University have a branch in Farmington, ME?

Oh my. No, it's not Texas A&M University, it's Adams ~ McFarlane Funeral Home! At least they have good taste in company colors. Go Aggies! It's fun to think about you here in Maine, even if it is because of a bit of an unusual coincidence.

4/29/09 "The Way We Get By" movie

Finally! I got to see this movie. It was in Farmington over spring break and I was so excited to see it and knew I'd have the time to see it. It sold out all 4 nights!! I was so disappointed. Then they brought it back for 2 more nights. I went with my friend Nancy that I first met by Walton's Mill Pond my first winter here but have now spent a ton of time with and become good friends with through the history project. We went extra early, got tickets, and had a blast. It was an 8-kleenex movie for me but so worth it.

The film focuses on three troop greeters in Maine. But it celebrates all troop greeters across the country. I know there are similar groups in Dallas that greet the hundreds of thousands of soldiers that go in and out of DFW. Thank you to all Americans who are so supportive of our troops. This is a great country that we live in and we all need to do our part to appreciate it and support it.

Bangor's troop greeters film in Farmington

Submitted by Betty Jespersen on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 10:51

• Central Maine Newspapers

FARMINGTON - A documentary film that showcases three senior citizens who belong to the Maine Troop Greeters, volunteers who welcome every returning soldier from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan at the Bangor International Airport, will be shown at the Narrow Gauge Theater in Farmington at 7 p.m. tonight throught Thursday. Tickets are $5.

The film's executive producer is Warren Cook of Kingfield. The award-winning film, "The Way We Get By," is being shown at screenings across the country to wide acclaim.

Cook said, “This film touches on the themes that I think are most important in life: service to community, service to country, and honoring our elders.”

The documentary is directed by Old Town native and filmmaker Aron Gaudet and produced by television journalist and film producer Gita Pullapilly. It had its Maine debut on April 9 at The Collins Center for the Arts in Orono with Governor John E. Baldacci, Congressman Michael Michaud and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree in attendance.

It has been honored with the Special Jury Award at the South by Southwest Film Festival and the Audience Award at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. At the Cleveland Film Festival, it beat out 28 films to win the Greg Gund Memorial Film Competition, which recognizes films for their social conscience.

In Boston,movie critic Kerry Skemp called it, “A remarkable reminder of just how much we have to
learn from our elders.”

Yellow Light Breen of Bangor Savings Bank, which is providing the major financial support for the Maine showings,said the troop greeters are "quiet, homespun heroes in their own right. Their commitment has been ongoing for more than six years and hundreds of these volunteers have greeted over 850,000 U.S. soldiers, meeting every plane that arrives at Bangor International Airport."

"It is an inspiring and heart-wrenching film that had to be made and which needs to be seen," he said.

David Cornelius, a nationallty-known film critic who covered the South by Southwest Film Festival, summed it up in his 5-star review of the film by saying, “How many films are this effective, that with so few words, the viewer can become heartbroken? Gaudet’s film is a marvel of humanity, celebrating life (and lamenting the end of it) through its little moments. I adored every frame of this movie and every person in it.”

The film is slated for national broadcast on PBS later this year on the program POV. The film was made in association with American Documentary, Inc./POV, ITVS, MPBN, WGBH. Fiscal sponsors are Documentary Educational Resources and ida. Additional sponsors are Bangor Savings Bank and Manatt, Phelps & Phelps. To view the trailer and to obtain more information, visit www.thewaywegetbymovie.com.

retrieved 4/20/09 from http://updates.mainetoday.com/updates/bangors-troop-greeters-film-in-farmington

4/20/09 Happy Patriots' Day

Though April 19 is the real Patriots' Day commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War, it is now celebrated on the third Monday of April. It is a Massachusetts holiday but since Maine was originally part of Massachusetts, we get to celebrate, too. The University of Maine Farmington is closed today to commemorate the event. Of course, it fell during our spring break, so it's a holiday for staff who are on 12-month contracts but was already a holiday for students and faculty.

Wikipedia has a nice article with more than you ever wanted to know about Patriots' Day including its timing with the Boston Marathon and Red Sox games.

I was going to go into the office today (I have a key to my building, so even though the University is closed, I can get in) and get work done but I slept in this morning and am still in my pajamas at 12:30 in the afternoon. I have been busily working on our Maine Community Heritage Project over the weekend and am tempted to stay home and work on that some more. But I have a giant list of things to do at the office, too. Oh the dilemma!

4/17/08 Red Flag Warning

I just saw where Franklin County is under a Red Flag Warning. What is that??!!

From the National Weather Service:
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...
A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING.
WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH ARE EXPECTED THIS
AFTERNOON WITH MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES BETWEEN 15 AND
25 PERCENT. IN ADDITION... VERY DRY SOIL AND FUEL CONDITIONS CAN
BE EXPECTED. THESE CONDITIONS WILL CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR
DANGEROUS FIRE GROWTH DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING
HOURS TODAY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

Well now I know. I think in Texas we just called this a wildfire advisory. So did we have a different name for them in Texas than in Maine or has the National Weather Service come up for a new name and I just happened to be in Maine when the new name was used? Either way, I'm surprised with all the melting snow that we would be under any kind of warning (Red Flag or otherwise) related to wild fires.

4/12/09 Easter Dinner

Ashley invited me to Easter Dinner at her house. It was a Southern Style Eastern Dinner complete with fried chicken and "extra bacon in everything". (That's what her mother told her to do. However, since she had a vegetarian friend attending, she put the extra bacon in a dish and we could all add as much extra bacon as we desired to anything or everything.) There was Southern-style corn (Ashley personally husked and de-kernelled 16 ears of corn), fried okra, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, biscuits (I had to correct someone who called them rolls), fried cabbage, and I don't know what all else. We overstuffed ourselves and then out came dessert: 7-layer chocolate decadent brownies and a triple berry cobbler a la mode. It was incredibly delicious. And the company was awesome. Such fun people. The conversation and the laughter never stopped. What a glorious way to celebrate.

4/12/09 Easter Bunny Delivers!

After returning from the Easter Sunrise service, I took a little nap and when I awoke, I found this between my door and the storm door! There was a cute little white Easter basket filled with goodies (including my first Peep). I do not know if the Easter bunny purposely snuck up and delivered the basket anonymously or if the generous bunny attempted to deliver in person and I slept through the event. Either way, the result is, I do not know the identity of my Easter Bunny. It's almost like a May basket and an Easter basket combined.

Whoever you are, Thank you to my personal Easter Bunny!!!

4/12/09 Easter Sunrise Service

At 6:01 am the sun rose and the trumpets sounded at Farmington Area Ecumenical Council's Easter Sunrise service. It was awesome! The service is at the top of Voter's Hill. It used to be held on the side of the road and then a family in the area let the group use their driveway (and the trumpeters use the garage to keep their instruments a little warmer). Then after the service we went inside for a light breakfast (pastries and coffee mostly) and an opportunity for fellowship with fellow worshipers. It was a very very awesome Easter. The original family that hosted it has since sold their house and the new owners inherited the event but have continued being gracious hosts. The original family was in attendance! Andrea and her sister (who was visiting from Massachusetts) picked me up at 5:30 so that we could carpool and arrive in plenty of time to park and get to the event. The two of them have been attending since childhood and they knew many of the people in attendance.