Retirement update #1

Yesterday officially marked the end of Larry/Paco/Dad’s last day as Chair of the Chemistry Department. No more fires to put out (play on words, in case you’re concerned about chemical explosions), no more department meetings, department chair meetings, faculty meetings…no more meetings of any kind. And today is Dad’s final day of employment at Gustavus, calendar-wise. He’s got the month of June to sort out 37 years worth of course material, lecture notes, books, and memorabilia.

Here’s Larry in a mid-1980’s vintage college publicity photo. Probably one of the only times he ever wore a lab coat. If it had been part of his daily attire, there would certainly be a pocket protector with several pens in his breast pocket.

Reserved for Potts

Here is some more old news. I'll get to the oldest soon, maybe within a few days. I can only flashback so fast.

A week ago right about now we (Dad/Paco and I) were at Gustavus, finishing a lovely dinner that I like to fantasize being in honor of my birthday. It WAS my birthday, but the dinner was actually in recognition of faculty who had held on for 10, 15, 20, and more years at Gustavus as also for the new batch of retirees. Charlie, Angie, Annie, Tanner, and Miles were able to attend (we missed you, ESPD, ESD, and HRD), Miles looking particularly collegiate in a white polo shirt and blue cords. Miley stuck around long enough to work the crowd and make some connections with faculty and alum, then hurried off to spend the evening with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Doreen. Here's Miley in his dress-up duds, trying to speak his piece:Retirees honored include: Greg Mason (English), Claude Brew (English), Bill Heidcamp (Biology), Kathie Martin (ILL), and Dad/Larry.

Here's Claude, a.k.a. "Claudy",

as Will Grimmius nicknamed him years ago.

Each of the honorees was introduced by someone of his or her choice, and Tom Gover did the honors for Dad. Fortunately, we had never hosted sketchy parties in our early days at Gustavus like one of the other retiring folks, so Tom couldn't pin any illegal activities on Dad...just a parody of Star Wars, which substituted a former Gustavus college president for Darth Vader.

Tom, introducing Dad...
Dad, rebutting (can you do that at a banquet?)
Charlie and Angie
Annie and Tanner
Annie and me

And one last picture of Miley, because he's cute. Where's his cousin?????

While Miley was practicing sitting, his adorable cousin Hannah
was wearing a French Foreign Legion hat at the beach in San Diego.
Am I not right about the hat?
Meet Pierre de les Chapeaux, current member
of the French Foreign Legion, and former Chippendale Dancer.

Out of date, but worth telling

It's time to sneak in a little out-of-date stuff that I've been too busy to write about. The Old News item for today involves decorations on my office door for my birthday last week, placed there by some of my current methods students.

Mary O., Michele, and I share methods students each semester, and I teach three of the courses that are part of the methods block. We had a small and particularly fun group of students this spring. Michele and I share the same birthday (but I'm 30 or 40 years older than she is), and our dear students decided to honor us with personal tributes. Michele has been teaching about monarch butterfly migration in science methods for several years, so the students each made a brightly-colored paper butterfly for her, and dangled them from individual ribbons hanging down from a wire stretched across the classroom. Sweet, pretty, springy, and festive, wouldn't you say?

Apparently the same delightful students who created lovely and gossamer creatures to waft gently in our classroom for Michele couldn't think of anything equally artsy and celebratory for me, because their tribute to my share of the birthday was this:
What is it, you ask? Why, exactly what it looks like. A door filled with masking tape loops. Every older woman's dream come true. Every semester I share a teacher pet peeve with my students--that I detest, I've always detested, and I will forever detest making masking tape loops to hang up posters, papers, and other student display-o-bilia on school walls and in school hallways. When we have items to hang up in our Mattson Hall classroom, the students have the task of making their own tape loops. It's good practice, and eventually they figure out that a half-inch piece of masking tape does not a sturdy loop make. Moreover, I get out of the icky, sticky, annoying job of masking tape loop production.

And so, while a gift certificate from my own personal children for Guthrie tickets will add to my cultural je ne sais quoi, the lifetime suppy--or at least career-time supply--of pre-looped masking tape loops from my methods students is a rather practical runner-up birthday present.

Stay tuned for more out-of-date stuff soon.

Remembering Molly and Melissa

Melissa and Molly in 2004

Non-newsy update

It was a busy Memorial Day weekend, with finals to give on Friday, Saturday, and today (yes, even on Memorial Day!). Dad/Larry has one left to give tomorrow. Grades for seniors are due on Wednesday morning, and then we have a few days to finish up the rest of them.

Charlie, Angie, Annie, Tanner, and Miles were here on Thursday evening for the retirement/recognition dinner at Gustavus. Since it was also my birthday, I was happy to go out to dinner with all of them! More on the retirement event later, when I have time.

Miles and his parents stayed until Sunday. He spent time with G & G Grimmius, too. The little guy gets around! We also Skyped with the NC contingent, watching Hannah's newest tricks. Can't wait to see her latest act in person! Here are some Miley photos...

"When will my hair show up on pictures?"

Miles, checking out the high chair. "Why does this thing have a hole in it?"

"My mommy was never allowed to bounce on chairs
when she was my age!"

Working on standing up (like cousin Hannah Bear)

It's all over but the finals

Today is the final class day of Larry/Dad/Paco's illustrious career as a Professor of Chemistry at Gustavus Adolphus College. Let's not forget that he started as an Assistant Professor, was promoted to Associate Professor, and topped out at full Professor (should that "f" be capitalized??) I wish I had the first Gribly picture of Larry/Dad; I don't, but here is the most recent. I'm pretty sure he still has this sweater, but the glasses frames have been replaced.
So raise a beaker and drink a toast (or just have a piece of toast) in honor of Professor Lawrence W. Potts, who has devoted his entire career to teaching young minds (some of whom have seemed out of theirs) and who continues to remain enthusiastic about teaching, research, and learning. Oh, don't think it's been all sunshine and roses, though; Larry is fed up with the bullshit, and there's been plenty of it between 1972 and 2008. So good-bye bullshit and hello AARP. It's time to retire.

Larry, I love you, and I'm proud of the good work you've done throughout your career at Gustavus. I look forward to your retirement and the promises you've made to cook and clean and become a house-husband. Lord knows it's about time the furniture got a good dusting.

Two days left, but who's counting?

Today Larry/Dad/Paco will chair his final department meeting, pending emergency-last-minute-desperate chemistry issues arising from the bowels of the department (Eeuuw! That's an ugly thought!). Then, a last-ever monthly meeting with Mariangela, the Dean-of-the College-to-whom-Larry-reports. The rest of his day will be spent on department-related business, marking the last Tuesday of his career.

And just when I think I should go back and remove that "bowels" reference, this photo mysteriously appears...of Larry/Dad/Paco and Professor Thomas A. Gover, emerging from what might just be the bowels of Nobel Hall (in 1974)...you decide.

Countdown to the finish line (is that a mixed metaphor?)

Three class days left in the semester; two of them are teaching days for Dad/Paco/Larry, and he has his last lab EVER this afternoon.

Scattered across the country

I often imagine one end of each of eight invisible threads attached to my heart, the other ends attached to my children, children-in-law, and grandchildren. I feel the tug of a single thread, or the rhythmic tugging of several threads when my thoughts drift to one or more of the kids. Most of the time, the tugs are light and sweet, like when I think about Charlie and Angie relaxing on a Sunday afternoon, or the softness of Miles' skin, or the way Hannah smiles with her entire body. There have been persistent and disconcerting tugs at times, like when one of them is ill or under stress.

This weekend, eight tugs came at once, all of them from not-the-usual locations. Annie's thread stretched all the way to Florida, where she was attending a conference and having a reunion with Aunt Mary and Cousin Matt. It's almost the anniversary of Molly's accident and death; Annie's presence lightened Mary's and Matt's hearts.

Charlie and Angie took their threads to Fargo, ND, and carried them 26 miles to finish the Fargo Marathon. So Far to Go. Congratulations Chuck and Aunchie! We can't wait to read your blog accounts of the race!

Today, Elisabeth, Evan, and Hannah were pulling their threads to San Diego, and I imagined tugs as they flew from NC to CA, where Evan will be attending a conference, and Elisabeth and Hannah will visit a friend and talk to the animals at the San Diego Zoo.

Tanner and Miles didn't stray too far from O-Town, bringing their threads to St. Peter to stay overnight with Grandma Doreen and Grandpa Dave, then entertaining Grandpa Larry and me this afternoon before heading home to greet Annie.

Eventually all eight threads will return to their usual locations. In the meantime, I'm remaining hyper-vigilant for even the gentlest tug.

"Let me tell you a little secret, Miley..."

Mother's Day 2008

Fun time in O-Town today for Mom's Day. This is my first Mother's Day as a grandmother (think gray hair, wrinkles, sensible shoes, and a corsage). I can't imagine any better way to spend a day than with kids and babies. I got to see everyone in both categories except for Evan, who was called to the hospital to do a procedure just before Hannah and Elisabeth made an appearance on Skype. I guess the only better thing would be to have all kids and babies in the same place at the same time, but hey--technology provides the next best thing. Brunch was scrumptious (egg bake,--vegetarian or with ham-- monkey bread, fruit salad, spinach and strawberry salad), and all I had to do was show up and my work was done.

Here's Miles, after pulling and then tasting his mommy's hair.

Kids and babies, thank you for a lovely day. Happy Mother's Day to all, and to all a good night.

Not so blissful

A new coffee place opened in Mankato recently, right next door to the Fillin' Station, a rival coffee joint. Bliss, the new business, actually occupies the space the Fillin' Station used to occupy (which makes it easy to find coffee on that block in downtown Mankato). Bliss had a debut story in the Mankato Free Press last week, so when my friend LaVonne invited me to meet her there for coffee this morning, it seemed like a good thing to do.

Bliss's claim to fame includes the promise of good coffee and great chocolate, and the fact that it has solid granite countertops. There was no chocolate of any kind in sight today (apparently it's "on its way"). The latté I had was great, the service was slow (forgiven; it's a new place), and the countertops were solid granite. Not sure how granite contributes to the taste or quality of the coffee, but at least there is some truth in advertising at Bliss.

The music was overpowering and nerve-grating (apparently the management is going for hip and hop rather than sit and chat), so LaVonne and I went outside to the sidewalk seating area. Sunshine, fresh air, a souped-up car with an extra-loud engine being worked on by one of the coffee shop employees, and two motorcycles without mufflers zooming around the block, created a not-so-alluring ambiance.

It was nice to see LaVonne for the first time in 2008, but it would have been nicer if I could have heard her as well. To sum it up, I'd give Bliss 5 out of 5 stars for delicious coffee, 0 out of 5 stars for promises made about great chocolate, and I'd have to go looking for stars for a relaxing atmosphere. If they add a drive-through, I'll go back.

An otherwise quiet evening

Our neighborhood is usually quiet, with only the occasional speeder zipping down the Church Street curve, hell-bent on hitting 50 mph before skidding to a stop a half a block away at Traverse Road. Wintertime is especially quiet. Now that spring has decided to stick around, open windows invite siren sounds in as ambulances hurry along Sunrise Drive to the new hospital.

This evening when I heard sirens several times--ambulance and police--I let the sounds in, then out, of my mind. What I didn't realize was that the last set of wails stopped next door, at Mary, Darrel, and my other brother Darrel's house.

Dad/Paco/Larry saw the ambulance and police car in their driveway, so we waited anxiously out on our front steps to find out who was in peril. It could have been Mary or Darrel, of course, or a visitor who had left a bike outside the house. As we sat there trying not to appear nosy, which we weren't (we were worried about our neighbors), EMT's went in and out of the house, taking objects out of the ambulance and putting them back shortly afterward. The bike owner soon rode off, and the police car eventually left (which was either a good sign or a bad sign).

Finally, all three EMT's came out of the house without a stretcher carrying either a live-but-ill or a dead Mary, Darrel, or my other brother Darrel. The jocularity exhibited by the EMT's led us to believe that M and D were upright and breathing, which Dad/Paco/Larry verified after a quick visit to see if they needed anything. Turns out Darrel had passed out for several minutes, a replay of a similar episode a year ago. Mary tried to cancel the ambulance call when Darrel came to, but apparently cancellation is against emergency protocol. Darrel is fine, Mary is fine, and neither of them have a brother named Darrel.

Facsimile of ambulance referenced in story

Milford J. Grimmius

What could be more heart-wrenching than a little boy having a miserable day? Miles had one of those days today, and instead of laughing and playing, he whimpered and looked hang-doggy. It was oh so sad. He managed to share a few brave but weak smiles, and even a faint laugh or two. Not the usual happy and playful Miley we know and love. Are erupting teeth contributing to the little guy's listlessness? Constipation, perhaps? All we can hope for is that tomorrow will be a better day.

Bright spot: sharing a story about a brave (and foolish) little fishy

Blue-eyed baby boy with glistening tearsSleepy-tighty, Miles. We hope you'll feel better in the morning.

The haircut story, or bye-bye bangs

Note: This was printed in the sidebar previous to today. I didn't want to dump it, so I added it here. It's not new; just recycled. I'm going green on my blog.

Here is a visual record of the lovely haircut inflicted upon me by my four-year old neighbor, Barbara Snyder. We were playing beauty shop, so I share the blame. This picture was taken in Winona, at Grandpa and Grandma Reps' house on King Street, on one of the rare visits my cousin Diane made to MN with her parents, Aunt Marguerite and Uncle Lyman (my postal employee uncle who "went postal" with a female co-worker several years later. They didn't shoot anyone, but they cancelled each other's stamps, if you know what I mean. Marguerite dumped Lyman's mailbag as a result.).