Premier: Our First Home Movie!

Here is our very first home movie. Joyce filmed Scott during a long night of meatball making. This is the result. As you might have guessed, there was no script. Lucky for us, Scott is a natural on camera. You might need some popcorn, friends. Go get it, we'll wait!

Snow Falling on Hansens

It's quiet outside, this Monday morning. Joyce is getting ready to drive to campus to get some lesson planning done, and meet with her students for ongoing movie editing. Scott, working third shift this week, is home and learning German with Rosetta Stone.

Just a few moments ago, Scott took this video from our deck. It's snowing, the second time this season. (The first snow lasted only a couple of days, after falling around Halloween.) Wilson came with him, and played in the snow for a moment before returning to the house--all wet, of course.

Scott zoomed in on the Koi pond, so you can see the fish getting their second taste of snow in the north country. We're hoping our long winter won't shock them terribly, and that we'll still have five when we thaw next spring.

Joyce directed and produced her first movie

This October I went to the annual NYSEC conference in Albany.

My friends and I were given the opportunity to present the seminars we produced last semester in graduate school. It was so nice to be able to share my hard work and research with other teachers, from all over New York. My topic was "Representations of Autism in Young Adult Literature." Thanks to Kristy for helping me find relevant articles to use for my final draft.

While I was at the conference, I heard poet Joan Murray speak in a round table discussion. Her work just blew me away. After she presented, I asked her if she would allow me to take some short video footage of her, reading some of her book QUEEN OF THE MIST. Happily, she agreed. I hope you enjoy my very first attempt at movie making. I am hoping to use it for my internship at Career Services, as an example of having fun with professional development.

Smashing Pumpkins

Here's footage of the pumpkin launching trebuchet at Our Farm in Cazenovia. This is the most fun we had all day. (Except maybe for dinner. Or apple pie making at 11 pm.) Thanks to Dad for making this video. It's hard to see the pumpkin, you have to look really close. It was traveling at the speed of catapult. For more, go to Our Farm and check it out for yourself.

Apple Picking

Last weekend we went apple picking with Mom & Dad, and Kristy. It was a gorgeous day- over 70. The trees at Johnny Appleseed Farm were heavy with fruit. Scott and I picked a half a bushel; it's been a week and we haven't even come close to making a dent in the bag. It was so nice having you in town, Mom & Dad & Kristy. Thanks for coming to visit!

Yu Yuan Garden

Here's a video of our visit to the Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai, China. What a gorgeous sunny day it was--we were very lucky. We arrived before the garden opened to the public, and were some of the very first to be let in. We left with a feeling of tranquility, my friends. Hope you, too, can get that vibe from this short clip.

Inspirational Koi

Here's a video from the Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai, China. We were able to see many very large Koi swimming very close to the bridges. We just added five Koi to our pond on Sunday- thanks Rob and Nicole! Now we have five total. They aren't as big as the ones in this video. Stay tuned for an update on the Kenner pond.

Deck Before...

Here's the deck after Scott's power wash. This may be the last photo of the deck before it gets a weather-proof stain.

August is here!

Our Brown-eyed Susans just came up. We trimmed this corner back and put down a fresh bed of mulch. Looking good as August rolls in. Our Dahlia are beginning to bloom, and the Glads are just about to open. Looking forward to the full bloom this month.

Hibiscus 'Crown Jewel'

Our Hibiscus began to bloom this week. Under its frame, we can see the orange Day Lily and another Hibiscus (a transplant.) Behind that, Gladiolus is preparing to bloom.

The Deck

Here's the back corner of the shed and the deck. The Hibiscus on the corner is starting to bloom. Check it out. The deck is soon to get a coat of stain. Scott and I are taking our time to pick a color we both love. Yesterday, on Wilson's evening walk, we studied the houses in our neighborhood. A lot of decks around-- unfortunately, there are not many houses the same color as ours. Guess we'll have to trust our instincts. Check back for an update.

Koi Pond

Here's Wilson, enjoying the Koi Pond. In the front you can see Gladiolus "Peter Pears," though they haven't begun to bloom yet. Sadly, none of the "Blue Skies" seem to have taken. I'll have to try again next year.

Front Yard

July is looking mighty fine here. This year I planted a new lily called "Moon Madonna," which I found at a little garden center near Theresa's house. It's very small, but hopefully it'll proliferate after a wintering.

Presently looking for some August bloomers to round out the summer. Any ideas?

Shed

Here's a little look at the shed in June. The day lily on the right is new, I just planted it last year, so it's still catching up to the one on the left. The rose bush in the back has never bloomed more than a few roses in any given season. Last year I pruned it and what a difference that made!

Back Yard

Project 4: Planting the Back Yard

This is the back yard, and if you look close you can see Wilson nosing around under the shrub. On the right side of the photo are some lilies I transplanted last fall, so I'm looking forward to seeing them bloom this year.

In the back behind Wilson are three Rose of Sharon Hibiscus 'crown jewel' that Scott transplanted this year. They still look pretty good, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

The Front Corner

Project 3: 05-17-2008

Here you see the front corner of our property. Nice lawn, right? Scott just mowed. We added some (free!) mulch, we just love it so much we're putting it everywhere, EVEN on our houseplants. Just kidding. Sort of.

Our property is on the front left and our neighbors' is on the top right. Can you see the Mason Dixon of mulch? As an act of good will I plucked a few weeds on their side, too.

If you look really closely, you might be able to see the iris blooming near the fence. For a closer look, check the side bar. Also, check our azalea. First ever bloom, and glorious in all its tiny splendor.

Koi Pond

Project 2: Koi Pond

From the moment we received this fine specimen of molded hard plastic from Robert and Nicole (and Bobby) we knew we were destined for hours of enjoyment. Thank you for this wonderful addition to our landscaping; we're sure you'll enjoy seeing how far we have come since this moment!

Last summer, Rob and Scott strapped the Koi Pond to the roof of my Prius and we made the trek from New Jersey, all the while brainstorming. Where would we put it? Would it be above ground or in? And what kind of vegetation would supplement it in our lawn? This was only the beginning.

Free Mulch, People!

The good people of our town have unloaded mulch into a remote parking lot, and it is free and we are taking it- two bins at a time-to our house. Here you see the first of a series of freely mulched areas, as it looked a few days ago, around dusk.

Our first experience with the mulch involved two shovels (one traditional and one short-handled and rectangular) and a race. It doesn't matter who won. Free mulch, people. Everybody's a winner in the end.

Project 1. The Shed 05.2008
So you see here on the left some iris and a day lily. Same thing on the right foreground. In the back there's a rose bush and some verigated hosta (but they're small still, you can't really see them.) The hyacinth (the dead looking tree) that overhangs the path has small leaves just beginning, but is still very early in its bloom season.