This week for me was ALL STEM CAMP

I was so anxious and felt the stress of teaching once again, but by the end of the week I did enjoy my week with 16 middle school boys and 1 girl. 
On the plus side one of my helpers was a former student of mine from teaching 10 years ago.  He is a kindergarten teacher now and I loved having his help.

Neighbors

Our yard has been even better for foraging then the farm.  We have found morels, holly hocks, and now wild black raspberries by the garage.  Al. N our little corner lot.

I have adjusted well to living in town.  I love the proximity of everything.  Not being trapped with just one car.  Knowing the community so well.  

Our own block is still a little foreign to us.  Our closest neighbor is a duplex that switches pretty consistently.  Our favorites have been Ryan and Kim who we are still friends with, they now live across the river, Kari and Josh who we were still friends with until their divorce, and Caitlyn, one of my former art students who moved after getting engaged.  She is still our hairstylist.

Next to them is a couple who would do better in the suburbs.  The have a well manicured front lawn with stone statues and the back yard, which is as big as our, is completely paved.  Not my thing.  They are friendly when you walk by them sitting on their lawn chairs on their cement lawn and usually know too much already when asking questions.

Then there is a catholic snowbird woman who reminds me of my grandma, which isn't really a good thing.  She sees everything and critiques everything.  She will enter into the next neighbors story in just a little bit.

Finally there is Bob.  Bob is new, but not to me.  I first met him through certified mailings to the newspaper that he was going to sue me for using photos of his daughter in the paper with his ex-wife's last name and not his.  His ex was one our reporters so her daughter was in a lot of photos.  But he is actually a great neighbor.  He redid the pavement to be wheel chair and stroller accessible.  He is always friendly.    

He asked to buy one set of our large t post laundry lines, those big iron white things.  We only use one set so we sold it to him for $50.  He even dug them out, filled the holes and reseeded himself.  He has to deal with Grammy neighbor the most and he has some funny stories.  Yesterday while he was sweating his little heart out she runs across the three yards to ask what he is doing.  When he tells her she says the laundry lines are not the Durbin's but the neighbors.  Fortunately the duplex owner was there mowing lawn, so it was an easy question to ask.  He said no, but Grammy neighbor insisted.  Oh my.  Well at let she didn't call the police on us for selling something everyone but she agreed was ours.  

After so many photoless posts

Agnes' Final Days

Strawberry Days

Rainy Days 

Independence Day