It's hard to believe, but I'm a little past the halfway point of my spring-term sabbatical. Although it's not really the half-way point, since I have the summer off from teaching as well. Perhaps because of this I haven't quite been able to kick into high gear. I've been productive, I guess, but not spectacularly so. Many days I get a good amount of writing and research done. Other days I just want to cook or organize or work in the garden or around the house. This is a form of productivity, I suppose, but it's not the way to get a lot of research done, which is one of my goals for this sabbatical.
I spent almost three weeks in April in Davis, California. It was an excellent visit. I also spent time in the Bay Area visiting family. Also excellent. All in all, it was great to be someplace different for a while.
Here in Maine, I've been enjoying watching spring unfold in slow motion. There are leaves on many trees now, our tulips are in full blossom, and yesterday a hummingbird returned to our backyard. I've done a lot of yard work and planted a bunch of plants in the garden. Spring in Maine seems like magic. It's hard to imagine that plants come back to life despite having been buried in snow and ice for months. I suppose it's biology, and not magic. But it's still quite impressive.
Just as spring has been in slow motion, I've kinda felt in slow motion too. I leave for another trip to California on Wednesday, and I've got lots that I want to get done before I split. So hopefully the next few days will be productive and fun. I've got much writing and coding and planning to do.
