Hello from Nancy

Good afternoon, dear family,
I've just come in from potting some plants (ivy geraniums in two and sweet potato (!) vines in another) and feel like I've really accomplished something. I do like the smell of potting soil and the sense of creating by putting together some hanging pots.
I appreciate the thanks you sent for being at Uncle Winfred's b-day party, Suki, but there are none needed here; it would have taken a lot for me to miss that gathering-- it was such fun!
We're in the end-of-the-year rush that happens annually, with the addition of having to interview candidates for my job and the ESU administrator. I think we have two good candidates for my position, so that should be OK, but since no one from Nebraska applied for the administrator position, we are interviewing four from out of state. The ESU 6 board has created quite a reputation (and not a positive one) across the state, so much so that the two Nebraskans who initially applied withdrew early in the process. It's much too long a story to go into here, but suffice it to say that when you get people in a majority who consider themselves to be more Christian and more correct than anyone who dares to question their positions on issues, what you get is a board that is intolerant, accusatory, lacking trust, and generally nasty. We have lost two high, high quality people and more are looking because they can no longer work in such an environment and it's a shame. Enough of that....
Allison and I had a fun day yesterday. We went to Mrs. B's place looking for living room furniture and she was a bit overwhelmed by the magnitude of choices. She's gradually narrowing things down and as we were leaving, found a kitchen set that she really liked. I have a fried who gets Berkshire Days passes and she's going to lend Allison one so she can go back next week and take advantage of Warren's discount.
We then went on to Syracuse b/c Stan's good friend owns the furniture store there. He was very accomodating, suggesting that she go to Ernie's to check out some of the pictures from the catalog that she liked and willing to order and deliver anything she wants. We went for ice cream with Erma after that and she was delightful, as usual. She will be 80 in two years and is generally healthy, but moves much more slowly than the 80 year olds on this side of the family. We stopped at Walmart on the way home and got some plants and that was fun, too. All in all, it was a great day.
I told Allison about the planned field trip to her house during the Bull family picnic and she did not panic, protest, or faint :) She's very much like her father that way. Actually, I think she was pleased to have a chance to show off her new home.
Keep the entries coming, everyone--I love hearing what's happening around the family.
Love,
Nancy