Fleeting Summer; Lingering Heat

I don't really remember June. I think we spent a lot of it in the car (mostly driving to Knoxville). I. did a lot of grading and class prep, while I spent many of my mornings trying to make the house a little less crazy and to figure out dinners that didn't require preparation when we returned home. Our typical weekday began with breakfast a little past 3 before I. went to work. We often met up at 10 or 10.30 to drive to Knoxville, where I. would go to class and I would go shopping or read or study at Panera (yay big cities!). Along the way, I found a well-organized thrift shop, a $2.50 movie theatre, and an Indian grocery store (hurrah for food with flavor!). Knoxville is okay, and if we end up staying here for a while, I hope we end up moving a little closer to it.

June was also a month for houseguests: we had the pleasure of entertaining my friend R. for a week-end, and then my mother visited as part of a trip to learn to weave. As July began, she and I took a short trip to Gatlinburg, TN. so she could take a weaving class. I spent several days in the local public library, which boasts some spectacular views and occasionally has functioning wifi.

Here's the view from the library parking lot:

More recently, I. and I have gone on our first hike of the summer, in Panther Creek State Park. I was a bit disappointed to have taken a giant loop to nowhere (despite the fact that we live in the Smokies, there was not even a hint of a view), but I. enjoyed the proximity to wildlife. He was particularly entranced when we crossed paths with some deer.

Last week, I painted the bookcases in my new classroom, and this week I have been putting books on shelves. Over the past year, I've assembled a rather formidable collection of dictionaries, and I recently scored another set of 1960s dictionaries from the free bin at a major Knoxville bookseller. I need to spend some quality time prepping for classes now; with six preps in the fall, I expect to be more than a little overwhelmed.