Tweet First...then Blog

Fall is in the air.  Yesterday I scraped frost off my car windows for the first time this season. It was wonderful. I am very much a winter person.  I could do without summer.  The other thing I really like in summer is the Fair.  And I would probably enjoy that more if there was snow on the ground.  Don't get me wrong, I love the Fair, but sometimes its not so fun when you are sitting in a building in ninety degree weather, 100% humidity, no air conditioning and no air flow.  I'm excited for all the things winter brings: apple cider, hot chocolate, snow fall, snowmen, baking, pumpkin pies, sweatshirts, and mittens! I've been working on crocheting alot lately.  I've made a few pairs of fingerless mittens and have given two pairs as gifts because I liked mine so much and they are a super easy pattern.  I can finish one pair in just a few hours.  I'm also working on a pair of texting gloves right now, meaning they have flaps for the index finger and thumb.  I'm excited for these.  I also hope that this year I get to go on a tractor ride through the snow....I'll have to drop a hint in someone's ear.

As far as work goes, its been a typical week I think.  On Monday we had a staff meeting as usual.  Then I just planned out what I wanted to get accomplished this week.  The Community Resource Development Agent in my office told me about the Marathon County Life Report.  I was intrigued, so I started reading it.  Basically, it is a book of all the data collected through surveys and the census about different aspects of the community.  These include diversity, economics, education, resources, safety, social amenties, unemployment, alcohol and drugs, obesity, basic needs, aging, domestic abuse, and many other categories.  This report breaks down each of these categories, defines it, explains what the county is doing well, what it needs to work on, and gives an action plan to make it better.  This study is done about every two years so it gives an update as to how the are doing since last year and all that.  It was really interesting to read since I've lived here all my life and have never really thought of my community in the ways they are describing. 

I've also been working on cleaning the craft closet a little more.  I'm just reorganizing things and finding project ideas that I could suggest to the leaders of the afterschool science program I'm putting together.  I've decided to just take it one box at a time.  My idea was that I would do one box a day, but maybe it will be one a week.... yeah....

As far as the afterschool program goes, I've gotten as far as writing a position description for a leader for the program.  The roles of this leader will include writing the lesson, organizing supplies, and teaching the lesson.  My role in this is just to help the leader, and to organize the volunteers.  This is one of the important things about VISTA.  Our goal is to build sustainability, so what I am trying to do build a relationship with the UWMC for a service learning project that the next VISTA can just keep going.  Hopefully this goes well.

The youth at the JDC finished painting the bowls for the Empty Bowls benefit.  Hopefully I will be able to post pictures of the finished ones.  I've got before and after pictures. Now I just need pictures of the final project.  But I should be getting those soon after they are fired. I think the best part of that, was discussing our Zombie Apocalypse plans with one another while they painted.

Next week looks like much of the same as this week.  If anything super exciting happens it will not be here first. Probably on Twitter actually...but it will make its way here eventually.

Until Then!