tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88938602024-03-06T23:51:33.573-06:00Gradual DazzleGradually dazzling my reader since 2004.Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.comBlogger4158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-11270585512214698442023-03-05T19:21:00.003-06:002023-03-05T19:21:50.958-06:00Aslan, you're bigger. A circle of grass, smooth as a lawn, met her eyes, with dark trees dancing all around it. And then -- oh joy! For he was there: the huge Lion, shining white in the moonlight, with his huge black shadow underneath him. But for the movement of his tail he might have been a stone lion, but Lucy never thought of that. She never stopped to think whether he was a Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-82999390949040409322021-03-10T07:33:00.001-06:002021-03-10T07:38:40.057-06:00Michelle... my belle... Sont les mots qui vont très bien ensemble! To Michelle...I can't believe it took me this long to check back in... I think I must not have all my settings correct, because I thought it was supposed to send me an e-mail whenever I get a comment. Boo!! Anywho -- you can e-mail me at kl yw ood - a t- p r oton m ai l -d ot - co m (weird formatting so bots can't scoop it up, there aren't actually spaces) and I'll send you my actual digitsKrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-2113882552470872372020-11-27T10:18:00.002-06:002020-11-27T10:18:25.095-06:00Another belated announcement In other news, I chose to take a medical retirement after the 2018 school year.I just simply had too many physical issues preventing me from doing my job effectively.During that first six months or so afterwards, I crawled into a mental hole of depression... I got to where I never even went out my front door (other than trips down to Dallas to my doctors at UTSW).Eventually one of those Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-11958584580882004622020-11-27T09:53:00.001-06:002020-11-27T09:54:05.558-06:00Few and far betweenYeah, yeah. I make these well-intentioned promises to myself that I'll come back to posting here. And here it's been two and a half years since I posted.Hey, at least I didn't completely nuke this blog like I just did to my Facebook account.I finally did it. I deleted my Facebook account. Not deactivated. DELETED. Every time I've thought about this in the past, I've tried to see if I could Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-58828563787092094632017-05-04T08:04:00.000-05:002017-05-04T08:04:27.389-05:00Encouraging newsTwo days ago, I *finally* got a call from the scheduler at UT Southwestern to set up my appointment. He cheerfully chirped, "Looks like we can see you sometime in... uhh... August!"
I chuckled and told him that if that's the soonest they could squeeze me in, I might as well not make an appointment at all, because I'll be completely paralyzed by then. I briefly outlined my issue, and he said, "Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-8582844198579057512017-04-29T14:49:00.003-05:002017-04-29T14:49:51.471-05:00Weighing all my optionsThis spring, I've felt strongly that I'm standing (well, sitting) at a fork in my road, that I'm somehow in a "Sign From God" point in my life.
I could continue down the road I've been on for the past decade. Plus sides: same salary, same co-workers (who I love), same daily schedule. Downsides: I would have to continue doing part of the job that I was told last year would only last for one year Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-59280191465098567032017-04-25T13:40:00.002-05:002017-04-25T13:40:31.404-05:00Tired...Couldn't cope yesterday, so I called for a sub. Husband calls the neurologist when they opened and they were able to work me in, so he took me. She basically threw her hands in the air and said she just didn't know how to help me, so she's sending me to UT Southwestern med school in Dallas; surely someone there will know what to do!
In the meantime, I'm extremely discouraged by the contract my Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-5752725378190434392017-04-17T11:31:00.001-05:002017-04-17T11:31:37.057-05:00Well, sometimes you learn the hard way.I arrived at school today and found that my desk computer had lost connection with the network. Being the DIY type, I carefully leaned out of my wheelchair and got to the floor to crawl to the router to reset it. I couldn't reach it. And also quickly realized I couldn't get back into my wheelchair.
I'm grateful that I had some students already in the room; two big burly fellows rallied to my aidKrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-15492273651713171262017-03-22T08:51:00.000-05:002017-03-22T08:51:02.002-05:00And the CUlprit is...At that last appointment, Rick was right -- the issue was just too complicated to summarize on the phone. The neuro ordered three more tests: Copper levels, Vitamin E levels, and then a test for Neuromyelitis Optica (which is a very unpleasant disease that doesn't always have a great life-span). I was relieved to find out that I did NOT have NMO... but they said that my Copper levels were way tooKrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-90100762782013326512017-03-07T10:28:00.001-06:002017-03-07T10:28:53.071-06:00I'm not going to obsess. I'm not going to obsess. I visited my neurologist, who was extremely concerned by my condition and ordered a series of MRIs for me. When I had those scans, they called me and said that it *appeared* to indicate severe B12 deficiency. They asked me to come back for some blood tests to determine this.
Yesterday, I received a call from the neurologist's PA -- the blood tests had come back, and they wanted me to come Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-7801485393030459012017-02-23T07:52:00.003-06:002017-02-23T07:52:33.051-06:00Health & MobilityFor the past year and a half, I have been progressively suffering from peripheral neuropathy. It began on the palms of my hands, causing me to have difficulty playing the piano. I had an MRI of my neck at that time, showing herniated discs and spinal stenosis, and last May I had two of my neck vertebrae surgically fused. The problem has not progressed in my hands, but has not improved since then.Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-66472159220575600982016-02-23T13:42:00.003-06:002016-02-23T13:42:35.494-06:00Retro Future
There's something vaguely comforting
about taking photos out on the playground
and seeing that Red Rover is still a thing.
Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-80112989272282699472015-12-10T09:41:00.002-06:002015-12-10T09:41:32.225-06:00Peace
One of the redeeming qualities of the job of school bus driver is that I'm up so early, I get to watch the sunrise from the very beginning. This morning it was a particularly breathtaking show. I wish a camera could truly capture just how wonderful it is. I was also playing George Winston's December album (an oldie now, but a perennial favorite for me) on the speaker, which really made it a Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-53032371885434195022015-09-11T13:49:00.002-05:002015-09-11T13:49:29.749-05:00Eryngo
Eryngo is an oddball wildflower I usually see in late summer here in Texas. The purple and blue are quite eye-popping. And the honeybees love them.
Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-31007027764762382372015-09-08T21:23:00.000-05:002015-09-08T21:23:20.396-05:00Piano lessons always make me feel better
After yet another unbearably hot afternoon bus route (they claim my bus is air-conditioned, but the only A/Cs that seem to work are the ones back in the back blowing on the students... the one that's supposed to cool down the DRIVER don't seem to do a blessed thing), I got back home, grabbed a three-minute rinse-off shower, and dashed over to the church for a couple of hours of piano lessons.
Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-65747764577643034672015-09-08T15:10:00.001-05:002015-09-08T15:10:03.509-05:00Oh, joy How much more heartbreak do I have to endure today? One of my best art and choir students suddenly dropped both of my classes saying she was too busy. Now I get to spend my afternoon bus route fighting tears just like I spent the morning bus route. Why I left myself get upset by this stuff is beyond my ken at the moment.
Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-23419583694932044892015-09-08T13:51:00.001-05:002015-09-08T13:51:50.127-05:00Explanation and apology
I often make handmade greeting cards and Christmas cards; if I need to send a card, I prefer it to be personally FROM ME.
To the left is a card I had made for a friend who had given me an exquisitely lovely gift; I wanted to thank her and tell her how much she means to me.
Before I could even get it in the mail, however, she suddenly ended our friendship.
When someone assumes ill intent on Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-74132719590828086962015-09-08T05:22:00.001-05:002015-09-08T09:19:20.639-05:00Bye, Facebook.
For anyone who might possibly be checking here for an explanation for my disappearance from Facebook (I know there really are only about two people who still check here occasionally, and that's fine by me)... I'm just done.
I'm going to be combing through the posts here in the next few days if I can get the time, deleting any that I think need deleting, and then I'll start using the Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-62527905099871659802015-08-16T12:39:00.001-05:002015-08-16T12:39:08.199-05:00Aundrea has a boyfriend! A few days ago, Aundrea moved of her own volition up to the corner of the porch, which is the perfect spot for her. She's out of the way, but I still get to see her. And this morning I saw that she was entertaining a handsome (albeit diminutive) visitor! The male Argiope aurantia is much smaller than the female, as you can clearly see. Looks like maybe we'll get an egg sac this fall!Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0Valley View, Valley View33.488167 -97.165016tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-54784161967925603572015-08-05T17:04:00.003-05:002015-08-05T17:04:41.048-05:00My pet spider now has a name.My niece Ava, age seven, has declared that my spider's name should be:
Aundrea
which I believe is lovely and befits her.
Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-9702858868726091102015-08-04T19:10:00.000-05:002015-08-04T19:23:34.475-05:00My pet spiderThe lovely Argiope aurantia is looking much more filled-out and healthy after a few days of feeding her grasshoppers that I catch and put in her web for her. The webs that she's made even look nicer and neater, with the characteristic zipper-pattern and everything.
At the moment, she's enjoying a delicious feast for her dinner:
It's fascinating to watch her spring into action when I put Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-42126463208747231282015-07-31T20:16:00.002-05:002015-08-01T22:26:37.244-05:00Argiope aurantiaYesterday, one of my colleagues brought me a big box of cow bones. Of course, this delights me... bones make EXCELLENT drawing subjects in art class.
But the big box had apparently been sitting out in her barn, because it also houses a lovely Argiope aurantia:
I'm delighted by her presence; tomorrow I plan to catch a fat, juicy grasshopper and pitch it into her web. These Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-26701350179241212292015-07-23T19:38:00.002-05:002015-07-23T19:38:53.232-05:00Texas Chicken & RiceI regularly "invent" recipes around here; most of the time they're MEH and not particularly noteworthy. But tonight I whipped one up that made everyone quite happy, so I wanted to write it down here for future reference.
TEXAS CHICKEN & RICE
1/3 cup Ranch Dressing powder
3 cups milk, half-and-half or heavy cream (I prefer the heavy cream, myself)
4-5 cups cooked white rice
3 cups diced Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-28772265505681484742015-07-22T22:19:00.000-05:002015-07-22T22:20:35.155-05:00Stuff I saw todayI decided to take a short drive around some of the smaller county roads near my house today and I took the camera to record anything interesting I came upon.
A lovely chestnut mule...
This chestnut tobiano paint turned to face me as I drove past, and had absolutely no intention of running or shying. In fact, I got the distinct impression that I was being surveyed and found Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8893860.post-74569271452381071472015-07-10T14:41:00.000-05:002015-07-12T22:16:00.134-05:00Baby birdsOne particular corner of our back porch has a barn swallow nest that stays there year after year. Each spring/summer, five or more clutches of baby swallows emerge from that nest. This year I decided that I would put my brand-new selfie-stick to use in extending my phone up high in order to photograph the babies down in their nest from the time they were still just eggs up until they left the Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590077183728861237noreply@blogger.com2