Yard Update

I don't have any current pictures of our yard or my rock/dirt pile to post today since we have been blessed with some much needed rain.  I will try to post some pictures next week.

I have started going through the rock/dirt pile once again, and I hope to stick with it and have it completely gone through by the end of summer.  Our backyard was a mess when we moved in (I wish I had taken pictures of the strange landscaping) and we have not been as committed as we should be to getting it made right.  My plans for this summer are to eliminate the rock/dirt pile, bring in more dirt to fill in holes (if needed), and hopefully put down some sod (I'm so tired of dealing with grass seed).  We also plan to replace the front part of our fence which is standing up only by a prayer and possibly create a barricade around our back deck so that the little ones can go out and play and not fall off.

In the front yard, I have been buying perennials to plant so I will not have to keep replanting each year.  When I post some pictures, you will see the huge planting bed the previous owners left us.  We have done some work to make it more manageable and hopefully after this summer, we will have a nice bed of flowers and plants in front of our house.

Current Reading Selection

I am currently reading East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart.  Actually, Matt purchased the book to read himself, but I don't think he has every gotten around to reading it.  It has been awhile since I have read a biography, so I started reading it myself.

The book begins by covering her childhood and the years she spent in Atchinson, KS with her grandparents.  Amelia seems like she would have been a fascinating person to grow up with as she had a great imagination and people skills.  It continues through her teenage years when she moved from place to place with her parents.  Even though her parents did not get along well, the books shows Amelia as one who did not let those circumstances get her down or stop her from pursuing her dreams. 

I am currently at the point where she becomes the first female to fly across the Atlantic (at least as a passenger).  The book goes into great details showing the dangers of flying at the time.  With all the safety features on planes today, one forgets how treacherous flying once was.  Of course, the attitude of the people then differs greatly from people's attitudes today.  Back then, people knew the risk that lay before them and they willingly faced those risks without placing blame on anyone. 

I need to focus myself a little better on taking the time to read the book (as opposed to watching television or playing on the computer) so I can finish it while I still remember the beginning of the book.

We're All Still Here

I was surprised at the amount of news coverage over one man's prediction that the world would end on Saturday.  I was equally surprised at the time and energy that many Christians put into posting verses that state that no one but God knows the time or place of Christ's return.  While I agree with these verses, I don't think that this was the best response to the situation.

How many Christians used this event as an opportunity to talk to others about salvation and being ready for the real judgment day?  I know that I did not.  I will freely admit, not proudly mind you, that this is one area with which I struggle in my walk with the Lord.

How many Christians prayed for the man who made this prediction and the many people who truly believed it would happen?  How many of us are still praying for these people as they deal with the reality that they are here and not in heaven?

My goal is not to pass judgment on anyone's behavior, but just get some feedback on how we should respond when we hear people misrepresenting scripture.  Praise God that He is not hindered by our foolishness and stupidity.

What's there to Blog about Anyways?

I think I stopped blogging on a regular basis because I felt like I needed to focus my blog on one idea or topic, but I could not decide on what topic to focus.

I consider reading through a list of one hundred classic books and writing up my impressions of each book on the blog, but I worried it would take me too long to read each book (since reading time is limited these days), and I worried about students plagiarizing my ideas since I find students who do this to other people's blogs.

I could blog about raising a little one with one on the way, but I doubt I would have much new insight to share on that topic that the hundreds of other blogs don't already share.

Perhaps I should focus on our adventures in yard management and trying to make something out of the mess the previous owners left behind. 

I want to make my blog meaningful and interesting as well as unique.  I want to use the knowledge I gained from my schooling and teaching as well as life in general.

I'll keep pondering this problem, but I would appreciate any feedback that you all might have.

What Happened to All the Blog Posts

I'll be the first to admit that I have not been very faithful to keep up with my blog these last six months.  I've noticed that I apparently am not the only one to put it on the back burner.   It's funny because I come to my blog everyday to check other blogs, but I just don't take the time to add a new entry.

I hope to be more faithful to add thoughts and insight to my blog on a regular basis.  I hope that some of the rest of you will consider doing the same.  Seeing status updates on Facebook just isn't the same as seeing thoughts more fully developed on the blog entries :o)

Dirt and Lava Update IV

I really do not have an update except to say that I have been taking a break from the work for a while.  The thumbs on my gloves were nearly non-existent and the ground was getting too hard to easily separate the rock from the dirt.  Since we just had an inch of rain the other day, I might go out and work on the pile here in a couple of days, but then again, maybe I won't.

What Was She Thinking?

This semester I am teaching two online classes for my former employer.  Today I was grading essays in my Intro to Lit class, and I found an essay plagiarized from an essay on the Internet.  The student took the time to change the essay by not including all the sentences and changing some of the wording, but the order of the ideas were the same as were many various phrases in the paper.   She likely would have been able to write her own essay with the time it took her to alter the one from the Internet.

Any teacher will tell you that finding a plagiarized paper is the best way to make the teacher mad.  It is frustrating to think that the student is trying to pull-on-over on me.  Since I usually find at least one plagiarized essay each semester, I now check nearly every essay that I read (unless it is obvious that the paper was not plagiarized).  I hate the lack of trust it creates between me and all the students all because one student decided to cheat.

The essay she used came from a blog that another student had created for an American Lit class at another university.  I had been thinking about posting some thoughts on various books that I am reading in order to keep up my analyzing skills, but now I do not think that I will because I do not want a student to steal my ideas.