Day 39 - Mmm Mmm Good!

Tammy made a big pot of homemade vegetable beef soup on Monday. I mean a BIGGGG pot, like a 3 or 4 gallon pot. We enjoyed it for supper that night. Then she put 10 quarts of it in the freezer. I can't wait to have it again.

Day 35 - Goodbye Mt. Dew :-(

Today I isolated and confirmed what has been causing me so much gastrointestinal distress the last few months. It was not anything I would have imagined. I'm 99% sure it's Mt. Dew. I'm saddened and disturbed because Dew was my drink of choice when I go out. Someone asked me why all of the sudden after 40+ years. I don't know except perhaps the intolerance has built up over time. What I do know is that I have drunk my last drop of this extreme minded ambrosia.

Image of "Black Death" from the Tonngeburg Bible courtesy of Wikimedia Public Domain.

Day 17 - Sights of Home

Sights of Home
Originally uploaded by mattguthrie

While spending a few days at my mom's, I decided to drive down to where I grew up - Harkers Island, NC. I took some pics of the sights and places that mean home to me, including the no-longer-owned-by-my-mom-house-I-grew-up-in. Locals will immediately recognize the bridge that took me home everyday and the daily cruising destination of Shell Point. Our old elementary school still looks the same. My siblings will recognize the volunteer fire department where my dad served as chief for many, many years.

Close friends will note the two things that are glaringly absent. The Cape Lookout lighthouse - there was just too much mist on the sound today, plus my phone would not have been able to capture it - and the Free Grace Wesleyan Church where I grew up. The buidling was destroyed in a fire two years ago after it was struck by lightning.

Day 16 - The Curious Cat

Curious Cat
Originally uploaded by mattguthrie

This morning as I was writing, I watched a stray cat walk across the fields behind my mom's. I love cats. Dogs make better pets. I enjoy watching dogs play. I enjoy playing with dogs. But I LOVE watching cats. There is something regal and majestic about them. There is something about the way their face is shaped and how they look at you. There is something about the curiosity that sometimes directs their paths. I especially love how no matter the size, whether the stray behind my mom's or the cougar high in the mountains or the lion on the plains or the tiger in the jungle, they all look the same. They each carry the same qualities that I love in them all.

I watched this little gray cat follow his curiosity. He stopped at a couple of holes along the way and furiously clawed at them. I thought for sure he was going to bring up a small mouse or a mole. Eventually his curiosity led him up the steps of my mother's deck. As long as I stayed on the other side of the glass door, he was content to watch me. He so wanted to give in to his curiosity and investigate further, but his instincts saved him. When I finally slid the door open very slowly, he scampered down the steps, but not far. For a few minutes he continued to deliberate about whether he should give in and see what I had to offer. I love how you can see his little head just above the step and below the gate.

Instinct took over and my friend ran away. But it was a nice visit.

Day 4 - my messy workspace

1st day back - my workspace
Originally uploaded by mattguthrie

This what my classroom looked like when I returned today after Christmas break. Notice how messy everything is. I probably should have taken a photo of all my counters as well. This is what happens when you don't start the year off with good systems in place. I blame it on coaching a fall sport. The goal is to get everything straightened up and in place by next week.

Technical note: The picture was taken with my Palm Centro and the collage was put together using Picasa.