A Bit of Random

Right now, my days are just packed! 
*The kitten nursery has started up again to take care of litters of motherless kittens that arrive at the local humane society and are too young to fend for themselves. Like last year, I will be volunteering once a week with my daughter Clara. Get ready for cuteness overload. We are also still volunteering at Guide Dogs for the Blind. For those of you who asked about the blue bottle of liquid in this still life post, it's a ChX wash that is used to clean dog's ears and lots of other things (it reminds me of how the Grandmother used Windex in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding).
*I am done teaching classes for the term, and I spent many many hours grading exams. This week there's celebrations and graduation to get to. Plus, I'm on the bargaining team for our faculty union, and we're working on creating a new compensation structure. It's an interesting and stressful assignment, but will be very satisfying if we can work something out. I also agreed to teach this summer. I'm putting together a negotiation class that focuses both on basic skills and on cross-cultural issues. It will be a jam-packed  five weeks.
*Most of the TV shows I watch are over for the year. Loved watching the Mad Men series finale. As a result, I'm reading more (and listening to more books on Audible).  Right now, I'm reading Denali's Howl (a nonfiction book about a fatal climbing expedition to Mount Denali in Alaska) and listening to All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. 
*I'm doing a lot of traveling. Last weekend I was in Chicago. I'm heading to Seattle at the end of the month and then to Detroit the following weekend. All work-related, sadly.

*Clara's got a few more weeks left of school, and she's struggling to keep her head above water. The Junior year of High School in the U.S. can be very stressful because the grades are key for university admission. She has been suffering from a hip injury for most of the track season and not competing. But, she did come back to compete in the season finals. She decided to run the 3200 meter race because (oddly) it puts less stress on her hip than running 800 or 1600 meters. For someone who didn't run all season, she did great. She notched a personal record and qualified for the sectional championship. That will take place this Saturday. This summer, Clara will likely go to Peru for a Spanish immersion/ community service trip. More on that later, if it comes off.
*We lost another chicken. One of the Buffy's succumbed to something. On the upside, our dog Aria's leg is healing nicely. In another month, we hope she will be running along the beach again. 

*And, I'm getting really excited about June 1 and the start of the 2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt! Read more about it here.  There's an instagram hashtag at #rindas2015photohunt and a facebook page called Summertime Picture Scavenger Hunt 2015.  Come on over and join there if you want. But, as always, the main portal for the hunt will be right here at Gallo Organico!
*Not too much time for creative pursuits right now, but I do have some scrap book pages for you on Scrapbook Fridays this month, so please come on back then.