| March 2011 Daniel Taylor |
March 6 (Sunday) 8:37 pm
Spring break draweth to a close. I am off tomorrow (Monday), of course, but it's back to school on Tuesday.
I have managed to do a bit of school work over the break, and we have eleven weeks of school left, if I am
not mistaken. [deleted] has been here since Wednesday, and she returns to her home probably leaving
Tuesday morning.
The redbud in the front yard is in full bloom, and daffodils abound. The camellia trees have been in bloom
for nearly two months. The dogwood is ready to bloom, and I am hopeful that some daylilies show their
bloom soon. There are also some nice quince in the yard and bridal wreath blooms as well. I am hoping that
the forsythia blooms soon as well.
The yard has two very large and very old magnolia; two very old pecan trees; and a few old and stately
cedar. There are several very, very old pine trees; and there are several crepe myrtle. Riverbend is well
populated with many blooming shrubs and flowers, and the Willow Oak (now Riverbend) crew is doing well.
| Bridal Wreath in Full Bloom |
| Redbud in full bloom |
| Buddy, Pete, BKI, BKII, and Tiger vie for position |
March 12 (Saturday) 7:01 pm
A beautiful day we had. I mowed the yard and planted two cherry trees. The trees will bloom pink, but
probably not until next spring at the earliest. I spent some time with the cats, all of whom appear to be in
good fettle -- the dogs too.
| View from the southwest |
| A bed of irises |
| Pruning the Gladiolas |
| A Southern view. |
| White bells around one of the pecan trees |
March 17 (Thursday) 7:56 pm
I am really starting to enjoy my job. I very much enjoyed engineering computer programs, but I am fired up
about what I am doing now. The challenge of teaching now is a bit different from what it was when I last
taught in a public school classroom in 1998. Nowadays students are required to pass a battery of
state-regulated standardized tests in order to graduate with a high school diploma. That presents teachers
with a whole new and different challenge.
Grace and Sam managed to escape their kennel today, and when I arrived home neither could be found.
They stayed away for two more hours until they finally returned. Both were soaking wet and covered with
mud. Riverbend is located next to the levee that holds back the Ouachita River. It appears that Sam and
Grace found the river.
March 24 (Thursday) 5:19 am
I've managed to figure a way (for now) to stop the dogs from escaping their kennels. Monday evening was
not good. Fred and Sam got into another big fight, with Grace and some of the other dogs pitching in. I
never actually see the fight starting, but Fred is definitely the aggressor. Sam, however, usually gets the
better of things, and now Fred is sore all over. Those two will play and play and play, but once in a while
one or the other crosses the line and then we have a melee. At least everyone is still in one piece.
[deleted] has come for a visit. She has the entire upstairs, and I the down. She likes dogs, but is not as
crazy about cats. There's gotta be something wrong with someone who doesn't absolutely adore cats. But
[deleted] loves the dogs and every time she comes for a visit, she brings presents. She even brings
presents for the cats. I think that she would like to try and get to know the cats better. The dogs now all
have new collars. [deleted] usually takes one or two of the dogs on walks. Grace broke free one evening
when [deleted] did not have a good grip. We recovered Grace, but for now there is a moratorium on
walking Grace.
One of my colleagues at work gave me a peach tree, which I've planted in the front yard. I also bought
some azaleas and have planted those. I hope to have a pink dogwood soon, along with a few other
flowering trees and shrubs.
The state of Louisiana administers a battery of standardized tests to its students. There are several tests,
some of which require minimum scores for the students to be allowed to advance from one grade to the
other. Judging from the ineptness of some of my students, the tests must not be very rigorous. Be that as
it may, I have been working hard to prepare my students for their upcoming End Of Course test, the "EOC."
I have actually taken on the task as a challenge to my manhood, in a way. The EOC is required for
graduation. Students must pass three of the tests, among which are Algebra 1, Geometry, English II and III,
Social Studies, and Biology, I think.