Right now, Fall is hanging in the air. The theme this weekend was rain, rain, rain. The ground is absolutely saturated. We go so long with out clouds or rain here that when they do come you feel like doing absolutely nothing but cuddling up under a blanket all day long. Needless to say, my weekend wasn't as productive as it could have been, both because of the weather and because of family events.
Today at three in the morning my sister had her third child, a girl, who at this point and time still remains nameless. She had been in and out of labor for five days, and last week even went to the hospital, thinking it was time, and ended up leaving after ten hours of labor pains with not one hint of progression. Then, last night around midnight I got the call from my mother that they were headed to the hospital, and I to my sister's house to watch over her other two children for the night. Everyone ended up being fine in the end, but I think everyone was worried for my sister as she has been through a previous difficult delivery, and more recently been stressed with a large scale move. The baby is sweet and quite, as all babies are, however I must admit that I feel awkward around children. I never really do or say the appropriate thing, and I am always on edge, not wanting to incite unnecessary emotions.
In other news, class officially commenced a month ago. I don't like it any more than I thought I would, but such is life. I only have nine more class meetings to go, so it could be worse. I have come to accept the fact that I don't like my professor in the least, and all I can do now is watch her and learn how not to teach my future students. My father likes to call her an "educrat", which I can't say is very far off. In the world of schooling, many people fall into this category. After years of being a big fish in a bathtub, I think most teachers and scholastic administrators fall into this "educrat" slump. It is unfortunate, really. In almost any other profession, if you become burned out, you may be unpleasant but still able to complete your work without effecting others. In the teaching profession, being burned out could make the difference in a child's future. But, here I am standing on a soap box, and I hate that BS.
On the crafting front, I have begun a new cross stitch project. I still have not quite finished the second bunch of roses I was stitching forever ago this past Spring, but I'm tired of that pattern and needed something fun, fast, and new. I thought about taking pictures of it, but I intend for it to be a Christmas present for a very lucky friend across the ocean, and have therefore decided to keep it a secret. I will take a picture of the finished design and post it post-Christmas for everyone to see.
In the gardening area, I think I have totally failed this fall. As you know I had planted a late summer crop after my first summer vegetables began falling off in the heat. Well, for some unknown reason both my beautiful zucchini plants and baby pumpkin plant were totally annihilated by aphids. I'll take some responsibility here, as I totally neglected the garden for at least three weeks while doing some last minute cramming for my big state exam. In the weeks after I discovered the infestation I started using several types of organic garden spray, one, "Worry Free Garden Tech" worked OK but I didn't like that it killed all the beneficial bugs in my garden. The other "Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew" was a joke. Recommended by the local garden center (I'll never take their advice again), I was extremely disappointed in the results. The fact of the matter was that the infestation got so crazy, I simply wasn't going to be able to kill them all. So, last weekend I bit the bullet and pulled up all the infected plants. Now all I have left are my Opalka tomatoes which flower and then never produce any fruit. It's been a lame summer, to say the least. Better luck next year, I guess. Now all I can do is keep my fingers crossed for a really cold, harsh (well, for Texas) winter in an attempt to kill all these pesky bugs.
Last, but not least, for those of you who don't know, I did end up passing my TEXES teaching exam for mathematics. It has been a weight lifted off my shoulders and I am so relieved for it to be over with. I do still have one more exam to go, but it has to do more with the legalities of teaching, and I am just not as worried about it. Everything is on track for me to graduate in May 2013, and I couldn't be more ready.
In closing I would like to share a few pictures with you that I took over the summer, but never quite made it on the blog. Enjoy!
Every morning my cats are in my sink waiting for me to turn on the water for them.
Sun made tea. This is so quintessentially Southern I can't stand it. Yes, it does get so hot here you can make tea on your front porch with nothing but tepid water, tea and sunshine. The pictures below are the progression of the tea over the course of three hours.
My tree has been shedding large limbs all summer. I keep hoping it is not a sign of the tree dying. I'll be in deep trouble if that happens any time soon.
I picked these up at the garden store recently. I plan to plant them in my front garden this fall. Nothing is more beautiful than the state flower of Texas!
Annie napping. She's so cute.
My tomato plants, with no tomatoes on them. I just don't have the heart to pull them up yet.
