In the Meantime....

This is my first post since Christmas, and I'm not sure why I haven't written.  I don't live in a climate where one wishes to hibernate during winter months, emerging only with the return of spring.  There were a few bone chilling, damp days that only those who live in the Deep South can appreciate.  We know it isn't that cold by the thermometer reading, but the cold permeates and settles into your bones.  My Dearborn heater in the library quite satisfactorily keeps me toasty warm and there I sat and read.


Fun for all ages

Mardi Gras here in our Highland neighborhood was a grand success, and our annual Open House saw more than 100 friends and relatives pass through on parade day, the Sunday before Fat Tuesday, enjoying traditional Louisiana cuisine of shrimp and grits, two different gumbos, red beans and rice, king cake and much, much more.  Ricky then headed to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, while I headed to the sofa to rest!


Parade goers at end of our street

Some folks dress up

Besides the floats, there are other attractions....
 

I retired from my Early Head Start (EHS) position at the end of February, which necessitated packing up two offices and moving furniture and many boxes to our cottage in back.  Leaving was bittersweet as I was the "Mother" of the Early Head Start program here, having written the grant and worked with my wonderful staff to establish the program, then supervised it for over 10 years.  The staff gave me a delightful going away party at a local restaurant where it was like Christmas and birthday combined.  Some of my original EHS teachers returned for the party, and we laughed so much that our waiter was glad when we called it a night. 

Life rolls on in cycles.  After leaving Early Head Start (my first job the summer after college graduation over 40 years ago was teaching Head Start in my hometown), I returned to LSU Health Sciences Center, Allied Health, part-time as an Associate Clinical Professor where I worked for about 15 years before the EHS experience. 

So, the boxes are slowly moving from the cottage to my new office space at LSU Health.   I thought I might find academia too quiet after the excitement of working in early childhood centers filled with noisy young children, but I'm thoroughly enjoying my new position.  The job is "special projects," and, thus, still evolving but I love it.

My goals in my increased leisure time include: work more in the "garden" (I love the way our French friend refers to her outdoor space broadly as the garden, so I think I will, too!); write more; learn more about photography; travel; exercise more; try new recipes so we won't be tempted to eat out as often; and to read every book in my library!  I've started on the last goal with the books shown below.