05-DEC-A-2
THE FLURRY OF ACTIVITIES AS RE-ENTRY
OCCURS
BACK INTO PAST-DUE ELDP ASSIGNMENTS
OF “DELIVERABLES” AND FINAL EXAMINATION
SERIES WHICH PRECEDES CHRISTMAS PARTY
AND PLANS FOR THE HOLIDAYS,
FOLLOWING A FULL DAY RAKING A TON OF
DERWOOD LEAVES
December 1—4, 2005
I have
passed a very domestic weekend, despite the fact that the car was still packed
with my multiple hunting weapons and outfits, and I had several standing
invitations to return to the Eastern Shore. I have reluctantly unpacked the car, and put
away all the deer season already, since I have been absorbed in the same
processes of an overwhelming workload of the ELDP. I have gone through multiple conference calls
and re-writing chores, and also heard on the Saturday conference line that I am
one of the few “unassigned” for the five-person groups for the “Comps.” Apparently, we were to align ourselves into
five-person teams to study for and take the April Comps as groups for oral
examinations, and then we are broken into individuals for the written. Since I will be gone for the March session of
the ELDP in Rwanda, I will be coming in cold to the Oral and Written Comps in
the Spring, whereas several of the groups have already been meeting regularly
and in virtual communications in a methodical study for the questions which may
be given out in advance for each of us for the orals to gather up the
literature references.
I have been
working hard—on what? Clearing the tons
of leaves form Derwood’s drives and grass!
It took every daylight hour of Saturday to use the leaf blower and rakes
to clear the heavy rain of leaves onto the surfaces around me, and with a
predication of freezing rain and snow forthcoming, I figured that first of
December would be a good time to try to consider that most all the leaves have
fallen and I will not have another chance.
So, instead of sitting in a tree on the Eastern Shore, looking for deer
or eagles, I went to Ritz to print up the digital images of the experience and
look back at the two deer I got in the closing moments of opening day in MD as
my “hunting activity” this weekend, while I will be in the ELDP sessions and
final exams next weekend, the last of the deer season in MD. I read on the emails that I am not alone in
the harvest, that the Griffioens and Snoeyinks have been packing away venison
as well.
I have
begun making plans to perhaps come to Michigan
for Christmas as I had done last year. I
will have to await any semblance of an abbreviated year-end letter, not that
the activities of this year have been in any way abbreviated over most other
years!—until after the next weeks’ ELDP finals.
At least I
am making further plans for the spring—since I now have received acceptances
form both Jill Seaman as well as Rick Hodes, my two nominees for the MMHOF
Award this year, so I will be in Toledo
to introduce them on March 18. I also
have multiple last minute new joiners form senior surgery applicant students
who desperately want to join me in the Mindanao
mission, despite my already having both John Sutter and Leslie Keck signed up
and the new joiners may be an overload!
But, I am starting to re-pack for the holidays, and then for the coming
missions, after unpacking form the hunts.
The pictures will tell the full stories, and I may pack along almost a
score of albums, as well as those digital images stored up this year in the
laptop now that I have capacity enough to carry them!