Settling in

It's been a while since my last post and posts lately have been very inconsistent.  The change in routine, preparing to move, and moving made it hard for me to settle down enough to write.  During this down time, I have receive quite a bit of encouragement to continue blogging and it's good to know that others enjoy my blog, too.  I really appreciate the encouragement and thank you for reading!

We are now in Chaplin, CT, and Jacob is working at UCONN in Storrs, CT where he is a post doc working on a frog genome.  We arrived on October 8th, about 2 weeks ago and I am finally getting a rhythm again.  However, the routine is subject to change as I in the middle of a job search, hoping for something in environmental education and with kiddos.  For now, I am going to be volunteering at a greenhouse on campus once per week and helping out with nature programs when I can at Goodwin Forest Conservation Education Center both opportunities should provide lots of blogging material.  

So far my I really like Connecticut.  It is very beautiful, and both Jacob and I are very happy to be in a rural community rather than the noisy city.  The trees are enormous with fall colors painting the landscape.  Farm fields with dairy cows and rock wall fences break up in the woods as you drive a narrow winding road.

The climate is much different than any I have experienced.  It is wet and there are mosses, ferns, mushrooms, and big leafy vegetation growing everywhere.  Giant Night Crawler earthworms under every rock (no more buying earthworms from Walmart for programs!).  Slugs and salamanders are also found hiding under rotting logs. Since, it is fall the weather is cool, cool enough for jackets and long pants, and it keeps insects in hiding.  An insect program here at this time of year would be a failure in contrast to Austin, TX where it is possible to find bugs in the middle of winter.  I am anticipating winter with a bit of apprehension since this will be the first 'real' winter I will experience with long nights, lots of snow, and average highs in the 30s.  But I just have to think of the endless summers with temperatures over 100 in Austin, TX to remember change is good even if it's a little scary. Stay tuned for to come in the Chaplin, Connecticut.