I have had a repeat performance today of another Friday a couple of years ago where I injured my eye.  Then, I got straight shampoo in my eye just as I was going off on a weekend writing retreat to Cape Cod.  This time, I somehow got my hairbrush in my eye this morning as I was getting ready for school.  I cried the whole day, literally.  Made for a strange day of teaching, with the students thinking they'd brought me to tears!

I came home early and just closed my eyes and rested them.  It felt good, although I also felt guilty for leaving early when I know it was adding to the burden of others.  Fortunately, I stuck it out until just before school got out, so it wasn't too bad (I hope!).

Meanwhile, my poor neglected blog!  I have had things to blog about...all the lovely birds I've seen in two weekend visits to my parents...the joy of sitting on their back patio and just listening, and watching, and reveling in the colorful birdlife around me:  humming birds, goldfinch, bluebirds, orioles, indigo buntings, purple finches, tree swallows to name a few...  

But school is just sucking the energy out of me right now.  There are just three more weeks left.  Sometimes I think that's too much time, others I think it's not enough...  All I know is that the time will pass quickly, and then I will be able to catch my breath and get back to regular blogging.

For now, some of the birds I've been enjoying...except that blogger won't upload them right now.  I'll have to do that later =(

Mass Routes

One of my friends (a former student, actually) is conducting an interesting project. He's literally driving all the numbered routes of Massachusetts and blogging about it here at Mass Routes. I've known him since he was a very young boy and I was in college (we were neighbors for awhile). Several years later, I taught him (all four years of high school). He went on to college and is now married and has an adorable little boy the same age as when I first met him!

We have stayed in touch all this time (going on 25 years since I knew him as a student), although now mostly through blogging. Anyway, I've just been taking a journey through Massachusetts via his Mass Routes blog. It's actually quite cool! I remember him writing in high school how he wanted to travel all the "blue highways" and how he once took a cross country trip mostly off the main highways. This project of blogging all the numbered highways in the state is ambitious, but very interesting. Knowing him the way I do, I'm sure he's having a blast.