What's been going on

I thought I'd write a post today about what's been going on this summer and some changes that are coming.

Our farming season has been one of the best in years. We went from 2 restaurant/food coop accounts to 5, and the sales here at the farm have also increased significantly. Luckily, we have our amazing worker, Dan, who's been doing all the field work, while I have been doing deliveries twice a week (up from once a week in past years), and taking care of the sales side of the business.

I've also been milking once or twice a week, and making cheese sometimes, but not as much as I used to because I'm trying to get some rest.

As of next week, my farm contribution will decrease dramatically. I am starting my school job on Monday, continuing as instructional assistant in the Science department at EO Smith High School. In September, I also start my teacher certification course, so I can become fully certified by the Dept. of Education to teach Physics. This will be once a week, every Saturday, from Sept to Feb, and then more intensive after that.

My routine will be very different starting next week, and I am trying to enjoy this last week at home as much as possible. I've been spending most of my days outside with my plants and animals, some of which you can see in the pictures below. I'm very grateful that I was able to be here with Sena and Aiyana every day since March. Honestly, I am not sick of being home, but that is because we are so lucky to be able to have access to the outdoors any time we want and in a safe way.

I was able to review almost all of AP Physics this summer, so I'm feeling in good shape for teaching next year, at least content wise. I'm really loving the fact that somehow (certainly this was not a long term plan) I came back to Physics. I feel that it's really my thing. I've always felt this way, but after University, I barely got the chance to use what I learned. I mean, Engineering, of course is grounded in Physics, but in my job at Pratt, I mostly did the same thing over and over, and I never really got to explore the fundamental concepts and ideas that excite me so much right now. Anyway, I'm glad to be back in it now, and hopefully I'll be able to channel my excitement into becoming a good teacher and helping kids understand and develop a passion for it too.

One of my favorite things I did this summer was to listen to Richard Feynman's lectures and interviews on YouTube. I really like him and think he is a phenomenal teacher. All his lectures from Caltech are available in print, and I plan to get them soon.

One day, my sister came over, and I told her that I felt kind of guilty for watching Physics videos when I should be doing farm work. She laughed and said that I'm the only person she knows that feels guilty for binging on Physics videos, so after that I stopped feeling guilty about it.

As for the rest of the family, Ed has been back at work for a while now, and the girls are starting school soon. Sena is taking 5 classes at UConn, 2 of which are in person and the rest online. Aiyana will be starting 10th grade remote. She had the choice to go fully remote, or two days per week in person, and she decided to go with fully remote, which worked great for her last spring.

Our animals are all doing well. We had 2 new calves this summer, a bull and a heifer, and they are super cute playing with each other.

That's about it for now. I hope that you are all staying healthy, and I wish you well.

Peace