Many may wonder how much interaction I could really have with caterpillars since I grew up in the subdivision world, but I must say it might surprise you. In the ever-expanding list entitled "creatures I've run into while living on a farm," caterpillars are now found. Their appearance actually usurped the horseflies place of latest encounter. As I was walking in from church the other day, I noticed that our carport had become home to a rather large number of caterpillars. They almost seemed ubiquitous. I'd never noticed before how turbid and untenable these little guys are. They just seem to wonder around with no real clue as to what's going on. I must say that this did not really bother me because I really like the furry little guys. My parents actually still like to tell the story of the caterpillar I "loved to death" because I held it for too long, but I still claimed the thing drowned when the "home" I made for it flooded (first sign I should not build houses). Anyway- this was one of the more pleasant encounters with nature. Previously we have had run-ins with spiders, mice, skunks, ladybugs, and flies. Most of these were minor encounters--except for the mice and skunk. At least these creatures don't undermined anything.
Not only have caterpillars emerged as a result of this lovely weather, but my spring mindset has returned as well. I am not one of those who gets really bummed during the winter, but I definitely feel more productive and motivated in the spring. Something about sunshine and warm weather makes me feel like I ought to be doing stuff. :) So--in that spirit, I've been really trying to stick to a schedule I made for myself a few months ago. Truth be told, I am somewhat of an odd mix--I'm kind of an anal hippy. While I'm all into recycling, etc. I'm also a big stickler for structure in my everyday life. I seem to do better if I have some external force telling me what to do and when to do it. This is especially odd since, in reality, it isn't really an external force since I made the schedule. Confused yet? Good. You might have noticed that I said I made the schedule a few months ago, but I am just now starting to really abide by it. This is because I tend to vacillate between being completely organized and being a complete couch potato. I also have a hard time finding a balance between having a completely utilitarian schedule, and having a completely leisurely schedule. I think my latest efforts have somehow found some middle ground.
Along with this overwhelming desire to "be productive" in the spring time, I also tend to take on new adventures. My latest adventure is to expand my knowledge of history. I've noticed that teaching the books I teach in my classroom requires me to be quite familiar with many different aspects of history. I also just like the thought of being smart enough to carry on a conversation with people about different time periods. All of that to say, this weekend, I purchased a book about the American presidents. I'm planning to read about one president each week. So far I've read about George Washington. It was really interesting. I found myself being confronted with my previous attitude towards history books. The chapter I read really confronted some of the information I thought was unimpeachable. Basically the chapter said that Washington was unfeigned, but maybe not the smartest of the founding fathers. Although, looking at the brilliance found in that bunch, it would be pretty hard to be the smartest.
Well- I'm now off to run. Oh- but I almost forgot--here are the new words...
1. construct--something fabricated; an image or theory
2. collage- a composite made from odd parts
3. code- a collection of rules or principles; instructions in a computer program
4. colloquial (I always think of this as being a negative word)- conversational; pertaining to informal speech
5. cleave (this reminds me of that verse in the Bible that says a man should leave his parents and cleave to his wife)- to cut forcefully; to be faithful to; to bond emotionally
6. contrite (once again- Bible verse reference) - remorseful
7. crescendo- a gradual increase in intensity (this gives me images of my jr. high band teacher trying to get our little band to get louder)
8. culpable- deserving blame
9. deed- a conspicuous act; a document of ownership
10. complacent- contented
I don't have time to check this over, so I apologize for any glaringly obvious spelling/grammar issues.
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