Flower picts and one more day at WKU

I have one more day at the WKU / AP Institute.  Today we did several alternative labs.  We visited the project of our TA ... a graduate student at WKU.  She is working with piranha and pacu ... both fish we saw and ate on occasion when we were in Peace Corps / Brazil.  I did not know that pacu is related to piranha but it is a vegetarian.  They can get really large!  Mario Sabatel use to catch them by the dozens.

Stopped a school to download some of my files I will need in the share time tomorrow.

Got the mower going just before dark and mowed part of the yard.

When I got home, I took the pictures below.  This year, there has been several large colonies of this flower in open fields and I have mostly bush-hogged around it.  I hope to ID this tomorrow with some help from an expert in our Institute class.

WKU all week ...

The AP Institute at WKU is wrapping up on Friday ... The best part of this event has been talking to other teachers.  One played 3rd base for Barren County in the late 1990s and still disliked Brandy Meador and another coached at Apollo when I was helping with girls basketball.  An interesting collection of AP Teachers with lots of stories.

I got home in time to bush-hog about 2 hours.  I am over half way finished since I have been leaving some areas around fields for wildlife ... but, all looks good from the road!

Have to go!
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AP Week at WKU ... Granny is 88

Sue Neal and I (and several other ACS teachers) are at WKU this week for AP Training.  I went to two back in the 1990s so it has been a while ... all part of the Advance Kentucky program.  The AP Biology curriculum is going to change in 2012-13.  Out of the 55 chapters in the Campbell book, they are removing 22 chapters of content ... all organ systems except for nervous, endocrine and immune, all taxonomy/phyla review and plant structure is out ... a few other parts of chapters ... More importantly they will revise the lab list which will significantly change the course.  Next year, will be like all previous years but ... 2013 will take some work.

Granny was 88 yesterday ... we went out to eat and Sue Neal had family members over for cake and ice cream in the evening.

No other news ...

Rings, Rotary and a wedding today!

Yesterday Sue Neal and I continued on our yard work ... since we did not do much during the Spring, it is a daunting task ... Hopefully we can get done before school starts.

At 10:30 our softball team met at the high school to size their championship rings.  The players were excited but, it will take about 6 weeks for them to get in ... Coach Mark was the winner for size ... a 16.5 ... wow!

Our team attended the Rotary Club luncheon.  The food was great ...  I only had about 10 minutes to address the group about this year's season and introduce the 14 girls attending.  Uncle Glen made a presentation ... I am now a Kentucky Colonel ... can you believe that ... a Ohio farmboy makes good.

Returned home to work on the mower and mowed about half the yard after making some repairs.  Yesterday evening continued on making more frames and will check hives this morning.

Today is Coach Bunton's wedding.  He not only helps me coach softball but was a former student ... he was in AP biology and my multimedia class ...  and attended our '97 trip to the Keys to snorkel at MarineLab ... telling me he couldn't swim when we got to Miami.  Best of luck to them!

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Picts from the Fields ...

Today, our softball team went to the Chamber of Commerce breakfast.  We had 13 varsity players in town and attended along with coaches ... I gave a little run down of the tournament and introduced the players attending.  Former science teacher / coach and now Mayor Rob Cline gave us a plaque and an official day for our team ... I got the official key of Scottsville.  Judge Executive Hobdy gave us a large road state champion sign for our building.  It was a good time and it was good to see several former Patriot Coaches in the crowd.

Tomorrow is the Rotary luncheon.

Afterwards I took our truck to town and got a large load of mulch ... this afternoon mulched several of our flower beds but, will need a lot more.

Bush-hogged this PM and saw my first snake of the year ... a black racer about 3-4 feet long.  I don't think I could out run a black racer.  It zipped along beside the tractor before veering off.  I don't like snakes!

While bush-hogging, I mow around milkweed, especially butterfly weeds (orange below, first with a honeybee)

Also there was a patch of bee balm in the middle of one field ... pale lavender (you know I am color-blind).  It was beautiful and so was spared the bush-hog.  I will try and harvest some seed.

Summer solstice, bush hogging and sunflowers

Summer vacation continues ... summer vacation started a couple of weeks ago for most but, with the state tournament and all the paperwork to finish the year, I felt like it started yesterday.  Today is the summer solstice ... summer begins and the longest day of the year, the sun is at its northernmost elevation.  The sun was up before 6:00 this morning which give me lots of time to work today.

Tonight is the the softball teams banquet ... catered instead of pot-luck ... which means we have to charge for parents and guests to attend which is not good for any team concept.  In high school sports, team dynamics is as important and at times even more important than skill development.  It is not just about throwing, hitting and catching the ball.  I would rather have less or nothing to eat and have everyone attend without paying.

Last week, Sue Neal and I got to see our three kids ... visited Rachel and Kyle in Champaign, IL to pick up Hannah.  Hannah stayed until last Saturday which was great ...  Our son, John came over from Bowling Green to visited his sister a couple of times.  It was a fun to see them and hear their stories.

Yesterday, after I planted several flats of sunflowers out by the road entrance.  I am hoping the rain today and tomorrow will help them take off.  Took our Elantra to have the oil changed and checked out and Napiers.  I am going to sell it after I get the brakes checked and it cleaned up.

In the afternoon, I bush hogged in the fields near our house ... leaving the weeds and wildflowers 100 feet or more around the edge for wildlife.  In the field in front of the house, there was a patch of bee balm which I mowed around.  It is pale lavender and I will try and get a picture of it today.  Also, I leave all the butterfly weeds (Asclepias tuberosa) I find.  Butterfly weed is a milkweed with beautiful orange-red cluster flowers ...  they have a seed pod like common milkweed only significantly more narrow and elongated.  I will try and get a picture today of this plant also. I mowed down lots of nodding thistles in our back field but some had already gone to seed.

Leaving plants/weeds in a field would not make my grandfather Roberts very happy and require an explanation for which he would not like.

Softball wrapping up and picts ...

Yesterday, I finished up the stats from softball - 2011.  I prepared the applications to NFCA for All-American and finished up some other paperwork trying to get out of the softball season.  Our players will have some community obligations over the next few weeks ... rotary, chamber of commerce and little league appearances.  Our banquet is next Tuesday, June 21 at 6:00 PM. Today we have a couple of players on Sports Connection - WBKO.  It will be a busy summer.

We have four players playing in the East - West All-Star games at UK this weekend.  It will be great for them participating as the state champs.  Good luck this weekend - Catie, Amanda, Sandy and Kelsi.

Adding a couple of picts to wrap up the season ... the first is from the Lexington Herald - Leader ... no award could equal the joy of that moment after the last out of the championship game.  It was a good year.  We have already started getting ready for 2012 ...

Monday ... Paperwork and paper pushing

Went to town early AM for milk and groceries ... got in at midnight from visiting my father and sister in Ohio.  It was the only chance for them to see Hannah on her trip in from San Francisco ... a long cut from Champaign, IL.

John came in yesterday from Bowling Green and spent the night so we had breakfast together later in the morning.  

I got my tractor going greased my tractor and bushhog ... mowed a little in the morning in light rain.  I went back to town to finish my paperwork for hotels and food at the state softball tournament.  Ms. Sullivan took all the receipts and we finished in less than than an hour.

Made some stops in town and got home in time to bushhog a little more before dark.  I saw one fawn and an assortment of other animals while mowing.  

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State Tournament - ACS wins!

Not much blogging the last few days ... we were in the state softball tournament and won without a loss.  It was a total team effort.  Each player contributed to our state championship ... it was wonderful, exciting, crazy ... full of nervousness ... breathtaking ... and a relief.

I was so proud of our players.  They played with focus and composure.  Most of all, played in the NOW ... concentrating on the next play and never got shook.  Battled with two strikes to put the ball in play ... shorted to make contact ... smart!  Took the outside pitch to the right side of the field ... smart!

Big moments for me was the "last stand" drill with Emily in the sixth inning of the Central Hardin game ... throw out at home with Taylor ... stayed with a difficult pop-up ... ground ball with throw to Catie.  A turning point in the game when they could not score with runners on 2nd and 3rd and no outs!  AND what about little Young's home run with two strikes and bases loaded ... priceless and unforgettable!   Play after play with each player contributing ... I was so proud of you ... every one of you!

Today Sue Neal and I drove up to Champaign, IL to pick up our youngest daughter, Hannah.  We took a short trip to the edge of town to see Rachel and Kyle's garden. We went out to supper and celebrated our son-in-law, Kyle's birthday.  Will be home tomorrow and spend the week with Hannah before she returns to San Francisco.  It was so good to see Rachel and Kyle .. and Hannah!

Still cannot believe we won the state tournament ... we have had a lot of great teams and could not break through ... I am so happy for our players and community!

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And a state championship for your community ... the first team state championship for our school ...  a weekend to never forget!

Off to the state tournament and jobs unfinished!

Today was Sue Neal's Uncle Burl's funeral ... he was 85.  A WWII veteren of the navy.  The only long period of time he ever spent away from Allen County.  He was stationed in San Francisco on his return after the war.  He had some great stories and I am going to miss him and them!

I worked in the yard some today ... mowing and fertilizing flowers ... a little weeding and some Roundup spraying ...  After the funeral, I trimmed the yard and cleaned up some around the house.  We had softball practice (last one of the year!) at 6:00 and only practiced about an hour ... the hay is in the barn!

We are going to Owensboro tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM.  I feel good about our chances to go deep in the tournament.  It will be interesting!

After practice I took two supers off of one of the mega hives and put them on other hives to store them.  Also planted some gourds I had started in flats in the garden ... at dark with my head lamp on ... not good ... bugs were everywhere!

Still really hot here ... high was 94 today!

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Practice, bees and the yard

Today we had softball practice at 9:00 (hitting at BSA) and 7:00 (cookout followed by practice on the field).  We will have two practices tomorrow before leaving at 8:00 AM for Owensboro on Thursday.  We will be playing East Jessamine from the 12th region.  We are one of the favorite in the tournament.

2011 Tournament link
http://scoreboard.12dt.com/scoreboard/khsaa/kyfp11?id=tournament_106200

This year the tournament is a three day affair with only 4 teams making it to Saturday.  Hope we are one of them!

Today I finished mowing the yard and worked on our bees.  All is well but not much going on ... lack of nectar or just too hot!  I am going to split one of the mega hives tomorrow morning and give a report back ... will have to try and find the queen in the middle of about 40,000 bees.  Good luck with that!

My two new hives I made with Gordon's help after we found a hive with queen cells are thriving now as in the the swarm I captured in our barn. We will have 19 hives if the split in the goat field works.

Tomorrow is Uncle Burl's funeral (my wife's uncle).  He was 85 and died of a heart attack last Saturday.  I will miss his stories on the mornings I attend the breakfast club at Granny's in Holland.  I enjoyed everyone of them told many times!

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Summer science and a pict!

Summer vacation starts tomorrow as does our softball team's preparation for the state tournament.  We will do some 2-a-days for the first part of the week ... hitting in the mornings and field work in the late afternoons.  Our first game is Thursday late afternoon against East Jessamine ... one game at a time!

Graduation was Friday night.  Hopefully our alumni ... formerly seniors will be ready to go tomorrow.

I have moved the yard, picked up limbs after a storm today (got a little less than an inch of rain in a thunderstorm), worked on bees this weekend and rested up a some from a very busy week to wrap up school and the regional tournament.

While working around the house, I found a 4 foot snake skin by the front porch ... you know how I feel about snakes.  took the pict below of a little part of the snake skin with my USB microscope at low magnification.  I am looking forward to a lot of science this summer!

Region 4 Champs and School is Out!

School ended this week ... students last day was Wednesday.  We had closing day on Thursday and a teacher work day on Friday.  It was an exhausting year and I have found it harder to get everything done with coaching.

Graduation was tonight and I will miss several of the students.  We had some great students in this year's class and several that were just passing through.  Good luck to all!  Especially Erika, Bradley and Krisston ... do something big!

We won our third Region 4 title in a row last night with at 8-0 win over Bowling Green.  We hit their rather slow pitching well and KP/Taylor were awesome.  On to the state tournament on Thursday, 5:00 PM ... East Jessamine.  Congrats to those selected to the All-Tournament team ... Catie, Sandy, Taylor and KP ... Amanda MVP!

A little video from after the game!