20160216.0640

I am aware that I am later than normal in getting this bit of writing done. Ms. 8 woke me several times during the night, so I let myself sleep a bit later to account for the difference. Whether it has been helpful or not, I am not yet sure. I am not suffering the headache that afflicts me from too little sleep at a stretch, which is good, but I am still sluggish in my thoughts, which is less so (even if it does not show up in the writing that I do as others see it; I am having to retype things more than normal, however, so it shows up to me plainly). And, just so everybody knows, Ms. 8 is fine; she just needed to be reassured that her parents are nearby and that they love her. It helps her sleep, even if it has the opposite effect on me. (I shall have my revenge, of course. "Daylight's wasting" is among the traditional dad lines, and I am waiting for opportune deployments thereof...)

Aside from the delay, the normal work continues. My classes did their expected things yesterday, although I note that attendance was particularly poor; the school was not closed for the federal holiday, but many of the students seem to have thought that it would be despite having activities scheduled in class and being reminded--repeatedly, in print and mouth to ear--that the schedule was as it was. At least my grading was eased thereby; non-performance is quickly and decisively assessed. And I should have a few days free of grading that I can put to the service of other ends, for a freelance piece has come up (and I would like to get it done in some haste so that I can have more immediate cash-flow, as well as clearing my docket), and an ongoing project is moving into a high-paying final stage (hence the need for docket-clearing). So, as usual, I am busy, and, as usual, I will figure out some way to get everything done--and it will probably be the usual way.

Less usual is the weather around Sherwood Cottage. It has been unseasonably warm--indeed, the winter as a whole has been atypically mild. I am not complaining of the event, of course; milder weather means lower utility costs to me, and I am generally for lower costs to me. But I have to wonder about causes and effects. I have to wonder, too, if there is not a brutal snap of cold coming, one that will wait for the plants to grow--and they are beginning to green up again--only to sweep in and choke the life out of them all in a deep and arctic chill. Later freezes are problematic, particularly for a number of things I like to eat (or to have fermented tastily), and if a personality can be assigned to the world, it is surely a smart-alecky one.

No wonder I immerse myself in my work.