Nature has sent us a brood of stray kittens who had just been weaned and abandoned. We said let’s feed them just once. That was many years ago as now the 6-week street kittens have grown to mature beloved cats named after four nearby streets of Atlanta–Chamblee, Tucker, Norcross, and LaVista.  In this blog page we update friends on the cat doings, house projects, and other events that make us smile.

[October 2024] ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ (Keats’ Ode to Autumn) is in the air now. And for us, autumn has been dogwood berries, spider lillies, and house projects. Spider lilly bulbs sent to us last year bloomed really well.

Early this year, we visited Joey’s fav work restaurant Samurai Blue, farmers’ markets in Decatur’s Freedom Park and another over near Tucker. For Joey’s birthday, we spent a couple of hours at the Atlanta Zoo and the Panda Exhibit. The elephants were probably her favorite though.

This year was pretty important for us as Joey served as one of the accreditation team for Miami Dade College. Freedom Tower has its own story as does the Versailles Restaurant.

For me, there was work with many faculty in Louisiana’s Regents program Meauxmentum Scholars, a course enrichment and pedagogy effort across the Louisiana system of universities. This year we learned to make our own pizza and participated in early voting for the fall election.

Now, we are planning a fun Thanksgiving and Christmas together. Oh, that’s after Halloween. Hmmm.

[March 2024] Spring is busting out all over though the nights are still cool–azaleas, redbuds, viburnum, cherry are all in bloom. Daffodils already bloomed. And tomato plants are in the ground. We added another eight plants this year, so hoping for an abundance of homegrown tomatoes for soups, sauces, and sandwiches! Joey and I really love the acidity of Celebrity. Finally, the cats are coming out to enjoy the warmer weather. Various spring pics are below.

[December 2023] For us, 2023 has been good. In August, the newest academic book came out, and the title Putting it All Together suggests that pedagogy at scale across one’s courses and also across a college or a full state system is possible. The new book is a culmination of the topics and research of the other six completed over the years.  Inquiry-guided learning, High Impact Practices, classroom engagement strategies, and many more pedagogical strategies are made available through well-supported faculty learning communities that can span a department or an entire institution. The publications that involve multiple authors, disciplines, and applications of the pedagogy really enrich the book for readers. In the same vein of collaboration, continuing the kind of work of previous years is of central importance going forward.

This year, we also made a small, raised garden bed of tomatoes this summer. Because we had heavily fertilized the bed over last winter, the harvest this year was pretty good— and delicious!  Joey has always told me, and now I can testify: there is nothing like the taste of homegrown tomatoes. 

Now that we have more time, we often cook or grill at home.  Usually, we make big pots of chili or soups of various types, but we sometimes make stir-fry or red beans and rice or grilled chicken or fish. 

Chamblee, Tucker, Norcross, and LaVista have kept us busy. At dinner time every day—-three of them line up outside the back door for their daily meal. Note: Tucker has become an indoor cat over the years as he has difficulty getting along with the others, or they with him possibly. It’s complicated.

For 2024, I have been working on a book set in NYC in summer of 1976 when I turned 21.  The focus is on my relationship with dad in the early years and leading up to that pivotal summer. I am working with a 125-page manuscript at this point, and have some major decisions ahead as things move closer to final form in the next months.

Next year, we hope to visit friends and family in Louisiana and to see Joey’s homeplace again. If you are coming to or through Atlanta in 2024, please feel free to reach out and perhaps we can set up a visit or simple meal together.  

Sending you warm wishes for the best holiday and upcoming year! Jeff

 October 2022