Revival

High 74 (expected), Cloudy!

Summer is upon us!  This past spring, I taught Zoology for the first time and loved every minute of it.  Well, not the minutes that were filled with the smells of the preserved animals.  Some of those really stunk!  But it was a pleasure to learn and teach about the animal kingdom.  I am currently teaching an Anatomy and Physiology lab (during the first summer session for the college), and I am having a great time with it.  The course is challenging for the students since it is an upper level Biology course, but the students are dedicated and strong.  Their patience, enthusiasm, and dedication never cease to surprise me.  I get to teach some real good people.

Out of doors, I have been coaxing my garden to bloom.  I had an amazing bunch of huge columbines, fragrant lilacs, vibrant tulips and fluffy apple blossoms (in no particular order).  As I look out my office window, I see the salvia, astilbes and feverfew all in bloom at the moment.  The yellow aster-like flowers of lovage are on their way. 

Although I haven’t been hiking much this summer due to the rain and other distractions, I have seen some fantastic wildlife!  Cardinals and catbirds are plentiful this spring.  I saw an oriole in Monson, and a few woodpeckers around the house in Easthampton.  On my way to work yesterday, I saw a bear in Holyoke !  Maybe that’s what inspired me to get back into writing this blog!  It was a young bear, and it seemed confused that it had found its way out of the woods and onto Jarvis Street.  This morning I was visited by a family of racoons.  Two young racoons pushed their way through my fence gate, followed soon after by their mother.  I got a couple  pictures of the babies, but of course my camera died when the mama came through.  She hissed at me for disturbing her morning stroll.

Pictures will be up shortly!