asides and sightings

This blog has been thin on the content posts lately (as has been my history blog).  The crush of the new semester has been leaving me feeling rather, well, crushed.  For time, anyway.  Departmental utility player is a difficult role, although I'm thankful to be blessed with the opportunity to play it.  I truly enjoy learning new things and exploring different eras and areas of the world; sometimes, though, it can be overwhelming trying to serve my students well.  While I would be happy to continue teaching a diverse array of subjects, I do hope that someday I'll have a chance to spend more time sharing with students the knowledge I've poured so much time and effort into researching.

Meanwhile, I should really be prepping for the history of the Ottoman Empire, Part II, on Thursday :-) -- but I was inspired by a fellow blogger's recent foray into Kingdom of Heaven sightings and I wanted to share one of my own.  It's been a warm late summer/early fall, and most mornings as I've sat here working before an open window I find myself listening to the hum of what sounds like a tiny motor.  Turns out this miniature Spitfire is a large-ish green hummingbird who enjoys some of the flowers that volunteer along the side of the house in the area of overgrown roses and hydrangea bushes my daughter refers to as her "secret garden."  What an amazing creature.  The intricacy of his (her?) diminutive anatomy is a reminder to me of the care God has lavished upon creation.