Poem of the week

I've been putting up a poem outside my office door every week. I get them from "A Poem a Day," a collection for high school students curated by Billy Collins. It is here for now: https://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/p180-list.html

It's a little tricky choosing poems from this list. They can't be too long, or too overtly about death, love, sex, religion - any of the classic topics for poetry and high school students. Nature is a safe topic, but those poems tend to be long. It's fun to sort through and pick one that strikes my fancy!

This week I chose this one:

The Bagel

I stopped to pick up the bagel
rolling away in the wind,
annoyed with myself
for having dropped it
as if it were a portent.
Faster and faster it rolled,
with me running after it
bent low, gritting my teeth,
and I found myself doubled over
and rolling down the street
head over heels, one complete somersault
after another like a bagel
and strangely happy with myself.

—David Ignatow

I'm working long days the next few days so I would like to stay happy with myself as I roll along like a bagel too! Humans are tori after all.

Well hello there!

We were sick from Thanksgiving until about last week, and Eric is losing his mind with conferences and paper-writing and grant-writing and getting ready for prelims. But at least we're all better for the moment, and it's Friday! So instead of editing abstracts, here are some of the things we've been up to on our better days.

But first, a few jokes. Oscar figured out knock-knock jokes last night and instantly went meta and dada with them. We're so proud!

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana!
Banana who?

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana!
Banana who?

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Cabbage!
Cabbage who?
Cabbage pretending to be an orange!

-

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Tree!
Tree who?
Tree pretending to be everything!

-

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Very silent cow.
Very silent cow who?
[mouths "Moo"]

-

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Interrupting cow!
Interrupting cow who?
MOO!


Of course there are hundreds of pictures so I'll start with the old ones from way back when.

On Oscar's first day of school

 Oscar is wielding a potato masher.

"Up please!"

 Oscar has been doing some psychedelic drawings and paintings.

 Oscar took this picture! He added the filter himself too.

We went on a test-drive of Oscar's birthday bike and John got in the helmet-wearing spirit.

And these are the boys on the way to Christmas in Castle Rock!

Super awesome.

Oscar has been doing super awesome. He's at preschool and loving it (and doesn't want to leave). He had a great birthday with us and his grandparents. He's getting in the Christmas spirit with the Advent calendar every day.

John is also doing super awesome. He only wants to run. He has started talking - he's still a big fan of "fsh" but he also likes "socks" and "shoes". He will say "See ya! Bye!" when he leaves Becky's.

Eric is doing super awesome. He just got back from the North-Central Weed Society conference where he got to tell everyone about the awesome kochia genome they just finished assembling, and finagled a few more collaborations with people working on other glyphosate-resistant weeds. He is a co-author on another publication about EPSPS gene amplification in kochia in sugar beet fields (in PLOS One!). He is finding out new fun facts about the kochia genome on a daily basis.

I am doing super awesome too, I suppose! Our paper on RNA in dry soybean seeds was favorably reviewed, so we need to respond to the comments and send it back and it should be published in Journal of Experimental Botany (JXB, not JEB). I'm working on the next paper about how the kind and degree of death (this is a thing, I swear!) affects RNA in soybeans, and starting to get data for the next paper that will NOT be about soybeans. I also had a really nice time visiting with Eva in Boston two weeks ago - such a relaxing treat!

And now, the pictures. They are mostly of Oscar - a lot of him from his school that I thought you all would enjoy, and some from his birthday that Sue and Lloyd took. The ones of John are all on the camera so they will be aired later.

These school ones are in order, starting from his first week back in November. Guess which is his favorite shirt?

Flower arranging

Listening to silence with the 1-minute sand timer. "Oscar chooses this work every day!"

Our two-layer chocolate cake that we baked together - Oscar cracked the eggs and mixed the batter.

And now he enjoys his double-decker slice!

In his giant fuzzy big-boy robe. I didn't realize until I saw this picture how he kind of looks like a ninja turtle in it.

And here we all are at the Spring Creek Gardens Christmas light show. 

happy halloween!

All the boys (I mean Ash, Pikachu, and Pichu) went trick-or-treating together, and had a great time. John said Hi to everyone, and Oscar figured the deal out pretty quickly, after he walked right inside the first house they went to!

Oscar was most excited about all the trick-or-treaters who visited after they got back - he got to give candy to all his friends!

The felt, hot-glued together:

John of course loves hanging out with Oscar, and especially in Oscar's big boy bed.

They had a suspender moment too:

And here the veterinarian and his nurse give all the animals their flu shots!

Oscar's last day at Becky's was today - we managed to forget his coat, too. Good thing we'll still be going there every day anyway. Monday he starts preschool and I start my early work schedule. I'm looking forward to hanging out a little with Oscar in the afternoon before the dinner chaos starts. I don't think Oscar quite knows what he's getting into - how could he? - but I can't wait for all the fun he'll have!