the cogs of life

Well, the transit of Venus is approaching, and oh how I look forward to those sweet days of summer.  For now, though, a good part of my waking energy goes into the nurturing of eleven dozen young adults who collectively have the math gumption of a thimble.  My biggest challenge is in connecting with these dear students, that our classes may be sweet paradises of learning instead of tense and volatile zoo scenes.

You could call me Peter these days.  Not because I am a rock, but because I've been quite the pumpkin eater. And Bonnie and I were working out the details of that nursery rhyme, and correct me if I am wrong, but Peter offed his wife and buried her in the garden.  Not exactly the nursery rhyme book illustration of a little woman in a pumpkin shell home.  With such lovely rhymes we pacify our children's need for rhythm.  Call me Peter, but only because of my pumpkin eating, and not because of any homicidal transgressions whatsoever with any wife at all.

Three of our pumpkins this year rotted and molded before Halloween actually arrived.  We had carved them up nicely like professional pumpkin carvers, but the weather got warm and flies and fungus had a field day.  So we got a couple more and left them intact.  Until today, for one of the fruits.  I came home to Bonnie hollowing one out, ready to stuff it full with goodies.  And then it baked in the oven for a couple hours, and let me tell you, that was an excellent dinner. Like on NPR: Stuff, Bake, and Devour a Pumpkin.  It was a practice pumpkin for when we go to the in-laws for Thanksgiving.  On top of that, we got some pumpkin ice cream, which I think we can make ourselves, and yes, we even got a pumpkin pie blizzard at Dairy Queen.  And we got some pumpkin flavored toothpaste for our bathroom.

Just kidding about the toothpaste.

Our Halloween was wonderful.  We got together with some church friends, all the kiddos played around, we dressed up and had a great time.  On Halloween too we went around and greeted our neighbors and greeted some of our neighbors who came to our house.  One of my students lives a few houses away from ours.

Time is flying.  Maybe because I am so anticipating the transit of Venus.  Orry spends way too much time at school learning too little.  He did a report today on the job of a paleontologist.  Isaac, in pre-K, is learning his letters and writing a little and drawing discernible things.  He has turned into quite the little communicator.  And Annie has taken to running to keep up with the boys and making her upset and pouty faces.

Well, I haven't been the most current current troydanielbecker, but the cogs of life are still turning for us in Houston, and one day spins into the next much in the manner of the school days of our youth, if you can remember those.  Thanks for reading.