Sometimes I watch the deer, and sometimes the deer watch me.

Check out Michael’s whole thread.

Sunday morning coffee view. Life is good on The Farm.

New post by Anna Ryon, an Iowan living in Washington, D.C.: Sending armed out-of-state troops who are neither trained in policing nor familiar with D.C. does not increase public safety. www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/08/22/f...

Pedaled around on the pond this morning before it got too hot. Finding happiness even when it’s hard. 🇺🇸

Shot two of the two-shot shingles vaccine. Heading out to water the garden. Looking forward to lunch. Planning to go to a county fair this evening. Happy Tuesday everybody! This is what retirement is like.🙂🎉

Sometimes you look out the window at The Farm and you see something other than rabbits and squirrels. Often, actually.

Yup, it’s a bleeding heart. Me too.

It’s that time of year when local news stations post about graduating seniors earning up to 1 million dollars worth of scholarship money. Lots of “Wow, that’s amazing!” comments. Sadly, I think many folks don’t realize that students only get the scholarship $$ offered by the school they attend.

Pete Buttigieg breaks down DEI for everyday folks… “The opposite of diversity is uniformity. The opposite of equity is inequity. The opposite of inclusion is exclusion.” @petebuttigieg.bsky.social Our problem: too many value uniformity over inclusion and they’re the ones running the government. 🧵

I was nominated to deliver “The Last Lecture” on my campus for 2025 and I am a finalist. I just submitted the outline/synopsis of my proposed talk for further review by a campus-wide committee. It’s kind of a big thing, so I am keeping expectations low. Proud to even be considered.

Worth reading. Real impacts in real classrooms. I’m retired, but I’ve committed to continuing to do our fall TA training program for a few more years. Definitely concerned about what I will say and do with these students. Lots of best practices have DEI undertones. www.chronicle.com/article/chan...

Lunar eclipse during totality (blood moon), iPhone handheld, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 14, 2025.

Lie after lie after lie.

Scary.

Delusional.

Sandhill cranes in Indiana die en masse #H5N1 #BirdFlu. Endangered whooping cranes next? www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Calling research on gender identity “unscientific” and stating “no corrective action is possible here”…this letter should alarm all scientists. The scientific process refers to how you approach answering anything unknown about the natural world around us, not OPINION about the questions asked.

Crazy 6 weeks, and it just keeps getting worse. I stand with Ukraine. I also stand with science and scientists, government workers who keep us safe in a hundred different ways, and everyone that is being attacked by this corrupt, hateful and stupid bunch of faux leaders.

Here’s a bit about what I was doing last Saturday! Fabulous students raising money for a fabulous cause. experience.iu.edu/jagathon-2025

Weather app is confirming that mosquito risk is low. Good to know.

I’m not sick, but I’m sitting in a doctor’s office with a LOT of obviously sick people. Note to self: consider changing endocrinologists to one that doesn’t share space with a primary care doctors group. Just hoping my N95 mask and my pneumonia and flu vaccines save me at this point.

👩🏻‍⚕️💉🩹 Got first shot of the two-shot shingles vaccine this afternoon. I had shingles a number of years ago and I definitely don’t want to do that again.

😳😳😳

Didn’t go anywhere today because the roads were going to get bad at 10am … or 1pm … or 3pm …. Still waiting at 7pm.🙂 No worries. We have a well-stocked fridge and pantry. Tonight’s dinner: chicken and vegetable stir fry and cream cheese & green onion wontons. All homemade. Team effort.😋

A lot of folks calling in sick, skipping class, etc. Not me. 😂 IYKYK

Never was a scout, but feeling like I earned my “trailblazer patch” this morning. Created a new trail loop down and back from a small stream in our woods. It is free(ish) of tripping hazards, greenbrier, barbed wire, and low-hanging branches. Pretty good exercise. No injuries to report.

Retirement update. I have more time for all of my harmless compulsive behaviors.

A glorious and unseasonably warm day in the high 60s at The Farm. After stomping around some in our own woods and doing a bit of trail maintenance, we headed over to nearby Brown County State Park for some more exercise. Retirement life is good!

Don’t make it so obvious that this is your first chariot race. Act like you’ve Ben Hur before.

Check out this chemistry faculty position. Chuck would be a great person to work with and learn from!

At “The Farm” today. Shoveled some space at the end of the lane to get our SUV off the road, then carried things in to the house from there. Driving in was definitely not feasible. Enjoying new toys in our winter wonderland. Retirement life is good.😊

“Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Chem C101. It’s 9 o’clock. Let’s get started.” Oops. Never mind. Old habits are hard to break.

Lots of friends will start the spring term tomorrow. Thought about them today, and even helped one a bit by sharing some files and information. Nice to have someone ask for my assistance. All the best, everyone! Have a great term. Stay safe, and keep on learning while you keep on teaching!

It’s the weekend … but that changes almost nothing about my present life.

Jimmy Carter was the first President I voted for. I’ve admired him for so many years. Such humble beginnings. Such an impactful life of service to our country. Someone who made the world a better place. Rest in peace.

Current stage of retirement: wake up, eat & drink coffee, check on news, go for a walk, drink more coffee, do some housework, eat & drink coffee, check on news, avoid unpleasant tasks and procrastinate, drink coffee, have snack, rest, make plans, discard plans, drink coffee, plan dinner, eat, sleep.

Reposting this at roughly the time of day that all hell broke loose on January 6, 2021. 😔

My haiku on that other site on January 6, 2022, the one-year anniversary of the “peaceful protest.” I’m still triggered by memories of that horrible day and disgusted by how it’s been whitewashed. Raw scenes I can’t quell Leaders scared, crouching in fear One Six … infamy #MyLifeInHaiku365 6/365

All excellent choices!

You know you’re old and retired when you shovel your driveway and the sidewalk in front of your house every few inches or so. a. You don’t want to let it get out of hand. b. You don’t want to die. c. You don’t have anything better to do. We’ve shoveled twice today. Probs again after dinner. 👴🏻👵🏻

A week before classes start, and I haven’t published a single Canvas course site.

Made chocolates today at The Farm. Chocolate-covered peanut butter balls (marked with a peanut), chocolate mocha “truffles,” and peanut clusters just made to use up the extra dipping chocolate. Shown on a plate with a tree motif … because that’s what our dishes (and our woods!) look like here.

I have a plan for a new income “stream” in retirement. We have a pond at The Farm that is full to the brim with R … A … Water!

Hmm. First day of the new year. First day of retirement. Seems like I should have some big plan for a daily post with a theme like I had for a few years over on that other site. Nope. Not right now. Not yet, anyway. Seems too much like work. Less structure and more randomness feels better for now.

Our adult children (and grandchildren) have been visiting for nearly a week. They control most aspects of our life and home at this point … including the thermostat. 🧊🥶 I thought my body would eventually adjust. So happy to see that Lowe’s is open today. A space heater is needed. Maybe two. 😂

It’s here! Day 1 of my countdown. The Board of Trustees won’t sign off until their February meeting, but Academic Affairs informed me that I am officially “Teaching Professor Emeritus” and that I should use that designation as of today. I guess I better update my email signature. 🤓😂 Life is good!

Day 2 I had something I was going to post today, but then Jimmy Carter passed away. He was the first President I voted for. I’ve admired him for so many years. Such humble beginnings. Such an impactful life of service to our country. Someone who made the world a better place. Rest in peace.

Day 3 … as in 3, 2, 1 blastoff? I got a very nice email from a student. He talked about having 2 years of chemistry as a high school student, but that it never clicked for him until this term in my class. He closed with well wishes for my life in retirement … in the form of a haiku. 😊❤️

Day 4 Unusually warm weather for the end of December in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Sure makes traveling easy and safe … especially for old people. 👴🏻👵🏻 😂