To Be Continued...

Might be awhile before I post again...

You can catch up on what I've been up to at http://bodynotes.blogspot.com and read up on the latest developments at http://teamjost.blogspot.com.

Much love, all.

Wrapping Up

I've been keeping things low-profile this week, which has been nice. I taught my last class on Monday and spent the rest of the week close to home, working on some grants, visiting with some friends, and keeping my feet up. Another week or so of grant-writing, and I'm officially on maternity leave!

I was kind of sad to finish teaching this year. I had some really sweet students and great partner teachers, and it was really wonderful to finish the year not feeling burnt out. I can't believe it will be another four or five months before I'm teaching again, and I hope that I don't completely lose my touch in that time!

Here are some cuties that made my springtime sing:





I have a whole long list of things I want to do in the final weeks before the baby comes, like organizing photos and making blankets and writing letters and generally wrapping up all the projects I've been putting off for the last...year...but who knows if I'll actually have the time to do them. Maybe I'll have a nice, long month before he comes. Maybe not. Who can say?!

There's a Hole in the Pond!

For those of you who have not enjoyed the delights of the Team J backyard, there is a pond. It's small - about 2 feet by 4 feet - with a small waterfall in the back. Each year we clean it out, buy a pump, fill 'er up, and enjoy the gentle gurgling of our urban water feature. And each year, about three weeks later, the mosquitoes arrive and make our lives hell and the backyard impossible to enjoy. We've tried pumps and dunks and plants and torches and last year even resorted to pesticides, but nothing seemed to help. So we decided that the pond had outlived it's delightfulness.

Turning the pond into a flower bed seemed like a perfect plan, but when you consider that it will rain an inch or two in an afternoon during a June thunderstorm, we had drainage concerns. No point in putting in a flower bed if it will just turn into a bog. So we set upon the task of busting holes in the bottom of the pond before filling it up. Well, ZPJ set upon the task. My role was more along the lines of idea-deviser and task-supervisor. We tried drilling, but after bending three masonry drill bits, ZPJ just started attacking the cement with a hammer. Two evenings and several blisters later, we had a couple good size holes at the bottom of the pond. Success!Note the marigolds - for extra mosquito protection. And after this picture was taken, a big ol' mint plant was put in the middle...big enough, hopefully, to keep us in mojitos and mint juleps all summer!It's only the first week of May, and already the lawn and beds are starting to look pretty good. I love this time of year when you can watch the plants growing, literally day by day. Soon the whole yard will be filled with greens and pinks and oranges and purples. I can't wait!