Early Morning Cafe Style. . .

A bit chilly here in Mid-Michigan this morning (it's 6:59am currently), so out came the 15+ year old rugby top from Land's End, or L.L. Bean, made and sold when they were still quite heavy material. It's beginning to fray a bit around the cuffs, but otherwise the shirt continues to hold up well, albeit a bit faded in places.

The Young Master finishes school for the summer -- He'll be in the 8th Grade in the fall and nearing his 14th birthday! -- so my early morning forays out into the world away from home will come to an end for a few months until my own academic year cranks into gear once again in late August. But, lots of interesting, even fun stuff will be happening there in addition to the usual teaching duties.

In the meantime, however, we've got the summer ahead of us with a couple of trips planned for Northern Michigan later in June and July. The Young Master has a week of overnight summer camp coming up (a first), the Grand Duchess heads off to Germany for 10 days later this morning for a quick research trip, and her parents visit in August with yet another visit to the Upper Peninsula in store for wife/daughter, grandchild, and grandparents.

Yours truly, will sit that one out and enjoy a week of absolute peace and quite at Totleigh-in-the-Wold with the cats.

In any case, a full couple of months over and above the usual lawn and garden games, which I actually kind of enjoy. Who would have thought? But when things finally begin coming together outside, the results are worth all of the effort necessary each spring to get lawn, beds, and pots into shape.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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Flannel and Suede Tuesday. . .

W hew! Almost three hours spent reading and providing feedback for 41 self-evaluative reflections submitted by students at the end of last week for one of my two courses this semester/term. A largely thankless task since most will pay no attention to the probing questions asked and suggestions made. There are ten such low risk (two points each) formative assignments between Week Two and Week 13 besides three collaborative projects (due at the end of Week Five, Week 10, and Week 14) and a semester capstone that students complete individually (due at the end of Week 15). The format is similar for all of the courses I teach whether face-to-face, hybrid, or asynchronous online. So, why spend the time providing feedback for the ether? To create a paper trail of sorts. That way, when students come to me with either belligerence or crocodile tears (it rarely varies) and complaints that they won't be able to earn their A+ -- a foregone conclusion out ahead of the invariable medical

Halloween Monday Style. . .

A dark, wet Halloween today, so time to break out the flannel three-piece, which is one of my favorites during the cooler/colder months. My sole concession to the day is the orange necktie which is a Brooks Brothers 'Makers' and, in my view, perfect for the fall season given its colors. The fedora, worn without irony, is a Borsalino 'Noir' model, which works wonderfully well with a trench coat. Hey, everyday is dress-up day in my little corner of the world. Here's a tip. When you dress everyday, and become used to doing so, it ceases to feel like a costume, and you become less self-conscious, eventually forgetting about your clothes all together once they are on your body. Which is what you want. Of course, it helps if you observe older male family members doing so routinely during your formative years, but that's not entirely necessary when you have the right approach. Take a page from Carol Dweck's book and adopt what she has termed a 'g

Fall Break Monday Style. . .

T he Young Master and I had some fun yesterday (Sunday) afternoon while digging out a few exterior seasonal decorations from the furnace room. Enlarge the top photograph to see what Mr. Bones is reading about at my son's suggestion. Personally, I would be happy to skip the Halloween decorations outside beyond a couple of jack-o-lanterns glowing on the front porch for trick-or-treat evening, but The Young Master, who turns 13 this week, still enjoys it, so what are you gonna do? He will be answering the door this year, however, rather than heading out himself. But fear not all you advocates of kids hopped up on sugary treats! His Tae Kwon Do studio has organized a trunk-or-treat for Saturday afternoon, in which our son will indulge following his morning classes toward Black Belt Recommended status (testing in December). Fall Break the first two days of this week, so a bit more work from home since, officially at least, the university is not closed for faculty and staff. J

Classic Style

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