During this same time period, it was a serious period of grant submission. I submitted three grants in nine days - one to the National Institutes of Health, one to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and one to National Science Foundation - all with very different formats, requirements, and explanatory components. By the time it was over my head was spinning. To top it off, I had a manuscript due for publication right in the middle of this same time period. I met all the deadlines [insert the sound of heavy breathing here and picture my tongue hanging out], and I hope the quality of each is as high as I think they are. On an aside, I was made chairman of the Library Committee at our lab. I have a nice budget for next year to buy periodicals and books. We are shifting to electronic journals, so our small budget will purchase quite a bit. I am pleased. I have also been assigned to the Education Committe which is working to form an official relationship with a local college here in Maine. This will allow me to maintain the Teaching portion of my resume; a very good thing!
Now to catch-up with Davis... He has this new girlfriend (Morgan Howe) that he really likes, but is not LDS. He has been spending a lot of time with her, including time at Youth Conference and parties with other school friends. She also went to New Beginnings with Lynda, so has been sort of indoctrinated, etc. Davis also was just accepted to BYU-Idaho and is very excited to leave home and get on with his life. He just got a letter in the mail today (he hasn't read it yet - I opened it) saying he has been accepted for the Winter/Spring track starting January 2010. This way he can get one semester of college in before he leaves on his mission. This will also allow him an extra four months to earn money before he has to leave for school. I couldn't be more pleased!
Evan and Danny are doing great. We just completed February Break (they have another one in spring, too) on Friday. Sunday evening we had a tremendous snow storm that dropped nearly a foot of the wet, sloppy snow endiginous to Maine. Our power was out when we woke up, and when I ventured out to dig the car out, I found nearly a dozen trees bowed over with masses of wet snow blocking the driveway. School was cancelled and the lab where I work was closed for the day due to the power outage and bad roads. Davis and I had just cut down a half-dozen trees and knocking the snow off of others when the snow plow showed up. We were able to get the van out of the driveway, although hundreds of branches hung down so they hit us half-way up the windshield, so the plow guy could clear everything out of the way. We spent the morning cooking beans on the top of the wood stove and fetching water from the stream so we could flush the toilet. I love Maine! Where else in the US could we have such an experience without leaving civilization? To make a short story long, Evan and Danny enjoyed the extra day of break. They played games by the wood stove with their mother, played with the dog, practiced the piano (Lynda took advantage of the day off too - even Davis practiced!), and generally had a great time. They are now officially ready to go back to school.
By the end of next week we should have a brief period of 40+ degree weather to help melt all our snow. That's the break I'm looking forward to. I'm ready for the green to come back and restore my paradise. We don't have very much longer to wait according to my estimation. The snows melt for good toward the end of March and by May it is shirt-sleave temperature. By the end of June it is full summer until mid-September. Fall lasts until nearly the end of November, then winter again. Four distinct seasons, and each beautiful in its own right. I hope we can stay here for a very long time.
Me and the boys at Pemaquid Point - the lighthouse on the back of the Maine quarter.
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