The month of Augustus

Now entering the month of grandeur, the garden glowing in all its majestic dignity. August, once called Sextilis then renamed in honor of Augustus Caesar, is a long month of 31 days that speed past all too quickly for teachers as well as for students and their families.

Thanks to last week's drenching rains and cooler temps, my Akron garden is in full glow under the August sun. A bee is feasting upon this sunflower. I am relieved to see the bee -- may his hive never collapse. The vegetable garden has given up two squash, three tomatoes (with bountiful harvests ahead), and a first harvest of green beans. The lettuce bolted two weeks ago, but there are baby eggplants and bell peppers now emerging.

I spent the last half of Julius Caesar's month off line more than on, reading, writing and tending the garden. The smaller writing project is all finished, but the major one needs more work. The good news is that with one project finished, I feel much better about putting some time back into the blog once more. I've missed it a whole lot, I do confess, and there were days when I was sorely tempted....

But I resisted and looked toward activities that restored frazzled nerves and relaxed tense muscles: writing, yoga, good music, and time well spent with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

If teaching is your passion, you will throw yourself into it with all your mind and heart. Your body often suffers due to the accumulated stress of so many pressures to succeed. There are negative and positive ways to handle that stress, and this summer I've made it a point to incorporate more good habits into my daily routines.

Blogging being a good habit, I'm happy to return to it and you can expect to see me back on a daily basis from now on. I'll be writing here at the end of the day, after putting in quality hours on the major project (thesis).

However, be advised --

sometimes, it is absolutely essential to sit under a tree and contemplate all that grows, blooms, dies and turns into compost in the garden.