Seasonal Change

"I like it warm outside," she says. I'm speaking with my little girl, who absolutely can't stand the cold weather. 

"What if we lived on top of a mountain, high in the Cascade Mountains?" 

A shrug of the shoulders. "I still like it better warm. I don't like the cold weather at all. It makes me cry."

Her and the rest of the peninsula. I just took a jog at the Jacksonville Arboretum, and folks out hiking the trails were seriously bundled up.

And it's only about 55 degrees!

I played golf on Monday afternoon, up at Deerfield Lakes in Callahan. It's a beautiful course and the folks were nice. I haven't spent much time on Lem Turner Boulevard, but I could get used to life in that part of the world. The lots are huge, the traffic slow and easy. There was livestock all over the place, and a couple of country restaurants and feed stores. Very pastoral, and very nice...

But I got out on the course in 82-degree weather and actually had to question whether I had brought a sweatshirt with me. Fortunately, it never cooled down and I played a quick eighteen holes in stunning weather for December 09.

But now we're supposed to get some cooler weather, including frost warnings for some parts of the area, and it always feels nice to get that seasonal change in the climate. It's that great time of the year when the parking lots at Deerwood are empty because students are only taking finals, but the campus has that anxious energy because students are wrapping up final papers or cramming for exams. We're just a few days away from the conclusion of the term, and it's been a great term for me to become re-acquainted with teaching. 

I spent last year on sabbatical, working with students down at UCF in Orlando, and I didn't realize how much I missed working with our kids up here at FSCJ. The seven (!) groups I worked with throughout this term did great work and made real strides. Many are moving on to other institutions, some as early as next month, and I'm hopeful they're well prepared to excel at the next level.

I'm hoping to get back to the blog more frequently now that I will have some more time to devote to writing for pleasure. I have my final three courses in the T&T program coming up in the spring, and then it's a full slate of summer courses before taking my comprehensive exams at UCF. 

Time is really cranking by, so I'm looking forward to it slowing down over the next month as I spend time with Jeanne and Lyla--even in the frigid forties that December visits upon Northeast Florida!