Bob's nightmare continues. Sigh.

What a heartbreaking story. I'm so glad she is going to be OK. She's precious. Beagles are my favorite breed of dog (although I always take whatever is there at the pound). What scum did such a thing? I hope they burn in hell.

I didn't win!

They only got 42 entries. The criteria were appearance, flavor/taste, filling, crust. A woman just ahead of me at the registration desk said they were still taking entries and she had only enrolled yesterday (even though the rules said you had to mail in the form by last Saturday). Her pie looked absolutely awful. She had glued red food-coloring distorted heart shapes to cover up holes in the top and the crust on one side was crumbled. I think it was in a glass dish and was a 10", both also rules violations. Her pie was picked for the finals, I don't know how delicious it would have had to have been to have made up for the point loss on appearance. Another rules violation, there were several Dutch apples, at least three, and I think all of them made the finals. Several of the early numbers that got into the finals were clearly Pillsbury crusts, they were perfect and beautiful-looking, like Mrs. Smith's or you had bought them at a bakery.

When they called the numbers, it went something like this: 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 20, 30, 37. I didn't go in during the judging, but Bob did for a short time. He said four teams of two were tasting the pies and they were up to the teens, so I guess they went in order. There was an advantage in getting one of the low numbers (I was 22). When Bob went in they were cutting slices for the judges. He said they were working on a lattice-top pie that was so hard they could barely cut it. They did not sample a full piece of mine, but instead seem to have eaten it right out of the tin, wedge of top crust only and a few apples, leaving the bottom crust and most apples intact. I guess once they hit seven, they saw they were only at number 12, were getting full (4 teams would have to eat 10-11 slices each?), had 30 more pies to taste, figured they needed to pick a few higher numbers, and just quickly tasted the remaining pies right in the tins?

I'm also thinking that if they allowed rules violations on so many things - maybe they also allowed it on filling, and some of the pies were apple walnut, etc.

Anyway - we got the Swine Flu pie back and Sophie was so happy when we got home! Of course the dogs had to have all the parts of the pie near where the judge stuck a fork in it. (Eww.) I had a piece to be sure my judgment wasn't off and concluded that it is one of my best pies ever. Even Mimmie would have approved, I think.

I had a good time yesterday baking, feeling better, thinking of Mimmie. Also, it's a nice area up there at the orchard - my first trip out of the house since Tuesday. The weather was nice so it wasn't too bad. Not doing it next year though!

I came down with the flu on Tuesday night. I developed an odd cough. I was in denial until Wednesday, but it was hard to ignore the fever (at times 101.7). I had only one other symptom, a headache.

It's no wonder, many students in my classes have it.

I basically slept for two days straight. Today my fever is gone!

I must have had a mild case. I've had many colds that were worse. I am not sure if that is due to my age (it hits younger people harder) or if the panic is way overblown.

I thought I might wind up missing the apple pie contest, but today I baked my entry and a spare.

Ten years ago today, Penny died. I remember it was election day, a Tuesday. She was a sweetheart, a grand little old lady of over 16 years, a black miniature poodle that we got as a companion for Howie. She adored him, and sadly, the last 4 years of her life, after he died, were not as happy or carefree as the first 12. I've never seen two dogs who loved each other more. RIP Penny Poodily.

Today I registered to be in an apple pie contest on 11/7 sponsored by a local bank, at an orchard. It is open to 50 contestants, and all must be amateurs over age 17. The apples have to be "real" but the crust can be store bought! How lame! Naturally, I will be making it all from scratch, using this recipe. First prize is $450, and 10 runners up will get $50 each. I think I can win!

I have had an account on facebook for a long time, but only recently started to use it. I was skeptical, but it is fun. I downloaded the "app" for my blackberry so I can easily access it from there, too.

My classes are humming along. I'm behind in assessment (what else is new?) but overall they are going great. Next week is presentation week in all the on campus sections. I get to sit and just be a spectator! Early in the semester I joked (to myself) that I should whip out the b'berry during the presentations of groups with the most egregious texting violators. But in reality I would never do that. Also so many students have smart phones on their desks during class that I have decided to accept it as part of modern culture. It is as common as a notebook, and there is no use fighting it.

One other thing that seems to have accelerated this semester is the number of students who use my first name without asking me. Not just to my face (where maybe it could be explained by my having a hard to pronounce last name?), but in emails as well (is that because I have a hard to spell last name?). I don't think that is it, I think it is more a combination of modern times (again) and my personality with students (open and easy going). I don't think it makes me a snob or unapproachable to prefer to be called Professor or Dr. I've never indicated that I didn't mind the use of my first name, and on the syllabus and the first day of class, I make it clear that I use Dr. But like the smart phones, I ignore the familiarity, except sometimes in email I respond by appending PhD to my name.

Even though I have many other things to do and the deadline isn't until 1/30 - I couldn't resist. I trimmed my story to 1200 words as they requested, and sent it to Kaatskill Life. Watch for it in the "Kaatskill Sketches" section of the Spring issue.

My story, "It's a Wonder We Didn't Get Drownded" will appear in the Spring 2010 edition of Kaatskill Life!

Yesterday we went to Cooperstown to visit Hyde Hall. This is the view from the front of the house of Otsego Lake. Afterwards we went to Brooks' BBQ.

When the sidewalk was redone during the summer, it was about a foot above the old one and as a result, we have a major step down all around. Our trash can sits on a little deck on the side of the house, and was impossible for me to haul up to the new sidewalk on garbage day. So, here is the new little deck that was finished yesterday.

Our front door's condition had really deteriorated lately. Most significantly, it was completely out of alignment, needed to be re-glued, and dragged so bad it was nearly impossible to open. It must be over 100 years old (the house is about 107), and has magnificient hardware - the hinges in particular are stunning. So here it is - restored and in all its glory!

Coincidentally, yesterday the village poured a new stoop from the door to the sidewalk. That's the end of their street renovation project.

All this improvement makes the trim needing to be painted all the more obvious, though! Next Spring, we'll have to have the flower beds on either side of the house raised to be level with the new sidewalk. But maybe we'll be able to get the painting done before then.

Unrelated: On Friday, I was talking to a woman who asked me what I did for a living, and when I responded, she asked me what I taught. Her reaction: "I don't mean to be offensive, but isn't that just bullshit?"

I decided to write a post here on this subject rather than a direct comment. I have to react to two aspects of this post.

First, on the writing skills of students: I think five years ago, I would have agreed with the post completely. However, for the past few semesters I have noticed an improvement in the quality of my students. Granted, I have been teaching 9 years, not 46. And this is a new semester, so I'm not able to judge my current students' work yet. (I have not read the most recent batch of essays, since they were only due this week.) Also, the improvement in quality that I observe is not only (or maybe even primarily) in the area of writing. Finally, it is quite possible that the improvement is (at least partially) in me...I know I have gotten a lot better at engaging students. In fact, in recent days I have been doing a lot of thinking about how great my classes are. Sure, there have been semesters that were uneven, and individual classes that were particularly memorable (in a good way), but I haven't had a truly disappointing class in years.

But I guess I could agree that there are a small minority of students even now who have terrible writing skills. I'd say excessive television viewing, doing very little reading (not just what is assigned for class - I detect a lifelong deficit in pleasure reading, something I find very sad), and an abundance of communications technology (email, texting, social networking, cell phones) all contribute to this problem. I point this out as someone who appreciates communications technology a lot. One of my challenges is figuring out how to co-opt it into meaningful learning, because it isn't going away.

Next, on the subject of the SUNY System implementing something to rectify the problem: 15 years ago was the heyday of MAP. I've no doubt the then-Chancellor responded that System was working on something. There were hints of expanding the program to reading and /or writing. That idea died, even sooner than MAP. Until recently, there hasn't been a shred of academic leadership in the System. Will this change now that there is a new Chancellor? I hope so.

On Friday night, Sophie finally passed the peach pit! I can't believe it took almost two months. We had stopped worrying long ago. Still, it is a relief.

Four years ago today, Mr. Wuj left us. It still miss him, and think of him on a daily basis. He would be 14 if he was living, and given his lifelong youthful looks and activity level, I thought he would easily live until age 14, so I'd still have him if that had been true.

I'm sick! I came down with what I thought were seasonal allergies on Wednesday, but at this point I think it is a mild cold. It isn't any surprise because the students are all coughing and sneezing up a storm. I'm really careful around them but I still must have caught something. It isn't the flu, I don't have a temperature and it only involves my nose and sinuses. We have 31 suspected cases of flu on campus so far, but none confirmed. RPI has 5 confirmed. Anyway, I hope I don't give it to Bob. He isn't concerned. I'm not coughing really so maybe if he does catch it, it won't impact his stomach at all.

Happy Birthday to me. 48 today.

9/11. Hard to believe it has been eight years. It seems like 20; at other times, it seems like 1.

Yesterday I was remembering that it was the 14th anniversary of Howie's death. Howzerdo. That was his nickname, and now it is my Internet identity. Because on the Internet, no-one knows you're a dog. Howie didn't know he was a dog. I've never had a dog that loved me so much. He was a one person dog, and didn't care much for other people.

September is a month of birthdays for me, also a month of sad anniversaries. Mimmie's birthday was 9/13. Mine is 9/18. Rudy's was 9/17, the day Don died. Rudy died in September, too. Mimmie's birthday is also the two year anniversary of the day I found Ande, who loves me almost as much as Howie did. But he likes other people too. And he's a cat.

Classes zip along. Again this semester, we have been asked to plan what we will do in the event classes have to be suspended because of the swine flu.

I'm in the second week of the semester and so far, my classes are going well. I am having one hassle with a book going out of print (I only found out in August, which left no time to find a replacement, and there really isn't anything great out there anyway). But I am hoping to resolve that soon.

We managed to go to Samsonville for Labor Day weekend, Bob's first trip since July 4. My biggest concern was Sam. He is a real handful and Bob always walked him. He can't do that now - or maybe ever again. But Sam-Sam was a real angel! The travel went so well that we are going to go down again this weekend. A company is coming to close the pool (which is freezing).

The following weekend we are having a yardsale, part of the Village-wide, here in Castleton. It is also my birthday.

I've been doing some pleasure reading; currently I am about halfway through Lucky by Alice Sebold.

Bob is making good progress; he went to work related meetings yesterday for the first time.

I picked a handful of green beans and two tomatoes! Must be 50 dollar tomatoes.

I'm back on campus on Tuesday.

And I am absolutely disgusted about that scumbag Michael Vick playing football for Philadelphia. I'm certainly no football fan - but this sinks to a new level of low. I hope they lose every game, and the fans (who did not "boo" him yesterday; in fact, they applauded) all get head splitting hangovers from the popcorn buckets of beer that are consumed at games. Oh, and the televisions of all watching at home burn out. Ugh. I can't even come up with something mean enough to write that would capture my feelings.

Bob's surgery went fine and he came home a week ago. Still a long road ahead, but I am cautiously optimistic. He's doing well, which is what we expected after the first surgery. The day of surgery was both a nail-biter and unpleasant (for him of course, but for me too) and on the Friday after surgery I would up filing a complaint with the patient relations office at the hospital for reasons I won't elaborate. This really made them snap to attention, I got several apologies (which mean jack, about apologies I feel this way: don't screw up in the first place and there will be no need for them later) and they gave him a private room (or rather, they didn't put another patient in his semi-private room).

We are now in a heat wave, the first of summer. So, I may yet get some produce out of the sad excuse for a garden. In S'ville, we are missing haying...and the pool. Sigh. It's too hot to work on my Fall class materials, so I am spending my time sitting in front of a fan during the day. Late at night is when I do laundry, etc. In the morning, I check my email.

Sophie either passed the pit without me knowing, threw it up, digested it, or it is still in there somewhere. But no matter which, she seems fine.

Tomorrow is Bob's third surgery. It will be a long day at the hospital, and then he will probably be in there about a week. He says he is "psyched." I'm not. But I will manage.

Today was the deadline for grades. I finished at about 5:30 - one Z (meaning the student did not attend), two incompletes, two failures, two Ds, two Cs, and the rest (30) As and Bs.

On Friday, I found out that a tooth implant is in my future, and sooner rather than later. (Oh well.)

Sunday night I dropped a peach on the floor and Sophie ran over, grabbed it and gobbled it up, practically whole. We both freaked. I ate another so I could see what the pit was like, it is a local peach and the pit is pretty solid and small-ish. Bob Googled and it is a pretty common problem with dogs - lots of hits. It sounds like the cyanide in the pit is not much of an issue, especially when the dog doesn't chew on the pit, but getting an obstruction from it can be. For dogs under 30 pounds it is may be a problem, for those over 30 pounds it usually isn't.

Most of the postings were from people with small dogs like pugs and the majority even of those small dogs like that pass them. I am thinking Sophie is a fairly big dog and will probably pass it eventually but naturally we are both worried. I didn't call the vet but the ones on the Internet say to feed the dog canned pumpkin. That's what we have been doing. She is going to the bathroom just fine and acts normal but so far, no pit. The only good thing, if you can call it that, is that it transferred some my anxiety from Bob to Sophie!

It's always something. Bob originally said if she didn't pass it by Wednesday he wanted to take her to the vet for an x-ray. But he changed his mind since nothing has happened at this point. He said he doesn't want to go into the hospital with this worry, and me not being here to monitor her. The posts on the Internet say to watch for not eating, throwing up, etc. She loves to eat and rarely throws up, so if either happens it will be obvious, and so far so good. I am not sure what to do if she doesn't pass it, though. I wonder if it will just take a few days or if she may never pass it at all?

So tomorrow will be a day of worry - for Bob, and for Sophie. Send a prayer and a good thought our way.