Early August update

Life continues to be rich and full here in Enoughsville.  We've been lucky to have enough -- and more than enough -- of the stuff we love.  

For example, last week, Inkling worked 49 hours at her part-time job.  If that amount of time sounds a bit more "time" than "part", it's a testament to how much she loves the stuff she does, and to how much the owners of her Ye Olde Yarne Shoppe trust her to take over when they're out of town.  Having said that, she's glad to be going back to "part" this week.   Also, she tells me that the Tour de Fleece is over. 

My guy has had more than enough military paperwork; he's needed multiple iterations of his multiple D-something-something forms in order to join the local Red Rose Honor Guard.  Fortunately, the 8th time is the charm, and he's now officially honorable.  

The "Take A Cow/Leave A Cow" display is another kind of successful, so much so that I had to bring it back inside before I left town, so my husband wouldn't have to deal with replacing cows that people took.  At first, it was all "take" and no "leave"; then a mysterious person who might possibly (definitely) be related to me left an eraser cow and a hand-crocheted sheep.   However, after I left town (and the box was inside), we got a donation of a farm set!  I'm so excited that I'm getting some partici-cow-pation!

(donated cows, etc)

In another "more than enough" story, I had my second train experiment-cum-adventure, hopping aboard an Amtrak train for a 25-hour ride down to MathFest in Tampa.  When my husband and I trained our way up to Boston, we rode mostly with business types, and what we learned is that it's helpful to bundle-up; the trains were ice cold (some people were wearing winter coats!), but otherwise relaxing. 

Not an Amtrak Train,
but rather a beautiful trolley that's free to ride in the City of Tampa

For this trip, I wisely packed a comforter to bundle up in.  The train was not nearly as frigid.  The passengers were not the highly focused business types, but rather gregarious families and wayfarers.  This matters mostly because I learned that long-haul trains don't have "Quiet Cars"; I spent my long-day-and-night in  the opposite: the Quite Noisy Car.  There were many loud conversations all around, videos and games with no headphones, kids singing to themselves.  At night, after the conductors dimmed the lights and announced that meant "quiet conversation" mode, it didn't get much quieter.  I gave the kid behind me some earbuds so they could listen to their movie without me listening to it, too, and I eventually worked up the nerve to ask the people across the aisle to please, please hold their conversation in a lower tone.  Even after that, there was loud snoring, people waking up and interjecting loud exclamations.  I had a hard time finding a comfortable position in my seat.  I ended up throwing my comforter (so glad I brought it!!) over my head and resting on my tray in front of me.  

Outside my hotel in a city with blue skies.

The sun set over the tobacco fields of Raleigh, North Carolina and rose over the palm trees of Jackson, Florida.  The people who had had animated conversations late into the night surprised me by waking early for even more animated conversation.  I sprung for a $5.15 coffee and nursed a headache.  And that ended my most recent train adventure: as I write this, I'm bracing myself for the 25-hour trip home.  (So far, it seems to be much quieter heading north than heading south.)

Singing and dancing at a Jam session

Tampa itself is a lovely city, and the math meetings likewise were wonderful.  I got to be with 1500 people who I love being with; I particularly appreciated getting to room with, and even go swimming with, a friend from my department.   (After she heard about my train trip, she made a point of being almost comically quiet in our hotel room, but fortunately I recharged quickly enough that we could have some good chats together).  I got to reconnect with some of my mentors, catch up with colleagues I haven't seen in months, hear a bunch of great talks, lead a minicourse, sing and dance on stage during a "Math Jam session", and go out for dinner with a group of AWESOME, energetic, creative, and funny friends.  

A group of mathematicians
enjoying a great dinner outdoors.

After a week like this, I feel kind of unreasonably fortunate.  It's such a joy to get to take trains -- even uncomfortable trains -- that can whisk me into a joyful intellectual community, and then that whisk me back home to the home, the husband, and the little city I love being a part of.  (And my ear seems to be getting less painful and less noisy slowly, so that's good, too).  So, I think that's more than enough news from our family, which continues to be wealthy in our adventures.  May you and yours be similarly prosperous.