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| Passion fruit curd |
Summer semester ended on Monday.
Then I spent an enormous amount of time writing syllabi and getting ready for the new semester. Because all my classes are online, I modified syllabi and some of the course material, and made orientation videos for two classes. I'll be teaching 4 different courses (5 sections) and 3 different labs. Yesterday I finished modifying two sections of one course. 6 more to go!
Sometimes my eyes are so tired after working on the computer for hours, my vision gets blurry. I'm a bit stressed about online labs. The other day I woke up around 4 am and started thinking about creating new labs!
This week I attended 3 hours of webinars to learn about improving online courses. I wish I could go back to on campus classes, but I am grateful that we can still teach online. There are on campus classes for certain courses where students must have hands on training, but our labs do not have enough equipment or lab space for students to conduct experiments while following safety guidelines.
I wanted to crochet something new, but each time I started looking for a project a part of me kept saying I should be preparing for classes, not wasting time on crocheting! Sigh 😢
I did make two jars of passion fruit curd though. I have a very good crop of passion fruit this year. Each day I pick at least 3-4 fruits. I froze one jar of curd, and also froze several containers of passion fruit pulp. I wanted to make a loaf of no knead bread, but decided against it. I did not exercise for two weeks, and if I had bread I'd be eating more passion fruit curd than I should. I'm already adding it to everything - yogurt, oats, ice cream...😄
I was afraid that tropical storm Isaias would turn into a hurricane, but fortunately it stayed offshore and we didn't get much rain.
Not much happening in the backyard. Papayas are still green, and there are two skinny eggplants on the tree.
The tree is so short that the eggplants touch the ground. So I put a plastic bag underneath to protect them from ants. So far it seems to work. Or, ants don't like eggplants. 😀
Take care all. Stay safe.
This week I'm grateful for:
1) chats with Mom and sisters
2) having a good microphone and technology to create videos
3) being able to work from home
4) supportive colleagues
5) passion fruits
6) leftovers
7) no effect from tropical storm Isaias
XXX
Nil
You have been busy!! Wow. And the passion fruit curd looks amazing!
ReplyDeletexx
Oh it’s so delicious, Joy. I have Ben reducing the amount of a sugar each time, and still it is very good.
DeleteNil I have a friend in Florida so checke yesterday to see what was happeningmover there with the hurricane and thankfully all is well but I daresay there will be a lot of rain. It must be so stressful for teachers to put everything online these days. We have a Uni here and I am not sure if the students have gone back onto campus. Normally we have a lot of overseas students.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad your friend is doing well, Chel. If I remember correctly, she lives on this side of the state like me. I think the east coast got a lot of rain. We had about 10-15 minutes of rain last night.
DeleteI’ve always had course material online, even for face to face classes. But they were not really written for ‘online learning’ as I met my students twice a week. So I am modifying everything now. Creating videos takes so much time.
Sounds like you've had a very busy and stressful week! Productive, too, and that passion fruit curd sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get at least a little time to relax before you have to start teaching again. Online classes with labs sound very complicated! Hope it all goes well. I'm glad you were not too affected by the storm. Take care and stay safe!
Thank you Bless. My plan is to do as much as possible now, so I can relax just before the classes start again. 😊
DeleteMy head spins when I think about doing labs online!
I like your eggplants! The passion fruit curd looks delicious. I agree; working on the computer can be bad for your eyes and in-person instruction would be much better. Andrea
ReplyDeleteI too prefer in person teaching, Andrea. I hope we will get back to normal very soon.
DeleteI'm so glad Isaias stayed offshore. I was concerned about you. Your Papaya is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Belinda. With all the stress I had last two weeks, a hurricane was the last thing I needed. I’m glad it didn’t come this way. Though this is just the beginning of the hurricane season, I really hope there’ll be no major hurricanes this year.
DeleteI was thinking about you and wondered if you would be impacted by Isaias. Your curd looks amazing. I think everyone re-uses the same brand of jam jars (including me, but the name of the jam escapes me at the moment!).
ReplyDeleteAnita, mine are Bonne Maman jam jars. 😊
DeleteGlad to read that you were not affected by the hurricane, Nil. It's hard to believe that this is already August and you will be starting to teach again. I cannot imagine how much more difficult online courses must be, especially labs. Hopefully, you may be able to get back to classroom work by the spring semester. Like you, I have not made any homemade bread in weeks and for exactly the same reason, minus the passion fruit curd and butter instead.
ReplyDeleteI can’t wait to go back to classroom in spring, Beatrice. Labs are very hard to do online. Even if we use a lab kit, it’s expensive for students.
DeleteI understand your stress about online labs, I've been working on creating online labs too. I've had dreams (or perhaps nightmares is more accurate) about prepping online labs. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteOne of my colleagues who has been teaching an online lab since last year is sharing her labs with us. So that’s one less thing I have to do. But I still want to do each lab by myself.
DeleteI hope your course prep is going smoothly, Jules.
You are such a busy working lady Nil and I admire that you still find the time to make home produce. I didn't hear about that hurricane, so pleased you weren't affected. All of this online teaching sounds like so much work for you. I wonder when the on campus university experience of old, will be safe again. Such difficult times.
ReplyDeleteYes, Pauline. Hopefully next year on campus classes will open.
DeleteOh my goodness, so many courses! How do you manage? My teaching is all online and has been for a long time, even the face to face classes. I feel a bit lonely sometimes, just seeing students on the screen. Ah well, I am employed and I am grateful for that.
ReplyDeletePassion fruit curd sounds amazing, I have never tried this. We have to buy passion fruit by the piece here, quite expensive. You are so lucky to live in a climate where you can grow amazing (and exotic to me) produce in your back garden. Good news about the storm, I am glad to read that your area has not been affected. Have a good week x
Very true, Christina. I too am very grateful for being able to work from home.
DeleteI’ve been teaching the same number of classes for a long time. Our department is small - only three full time faculty members- so we each teach a lot. 😊
Passion fruit is usually expensive here as well, but during the season it’s a bit cheaper. The other day I saw in a grocery flyer two for $3.
Wow, that is quite a workload Nil! I hope you get a chance to relax a bit -we all need down times. I have just planted a new passionfruit -my old one died about 12 months ago and we have used up all the frozen pulp I saved!
ReplyDeleteI hope your passion fruit vine grows well, earthmotherwithin. I planted 5 along the back fence, and they are already spreading. 😊
DeleteYou sound a little anxious, Nil. You are such a hard worker. It must be stressful to have to do so many online lessons. I hope you can get back to your crocheting and relax. I am in awe of your garden. That passion fruit curd sounds delicious. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteI think I am a bit stressed, Stephenie. It happens when I have too many things to do. I love reading, but can’t even concentrate on that now. I think once the semester starts I’ll feel better. 😊
DeleteYour passion~fruit curd looks delicious Nil!
ReplyDeleteI love your grateful list at the end of the post. I am working on being more content and thankful in these trouble times.
I hope you are able to do something {like crochet}for relaxation soon, we all need a little rest from time to time.
Take care,
xTania
Every night before going to sleep I think about things I’m grateful for that day, Tania. Just reading daily news can be depressing these days.
DeleteI hope you are doing well. xxx
I honestly don't know if I have ever eaten passion fruit but that curd looks delicious! Your photos are just lovely, Nil. Wishing you a wonderful, happy Sunday- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI’d give you a bag full of passion fruits if you lived nearby. 😊
Deletehi Nil
ReplyDeletei love citrus curd. i often make lime or lemon, and have made coconut curd too - which was so fabulous. keep safe.
cheers
sherry
I love lemon curd and it looks so cute in the jars. Sounds like you have a significant amount of preps for all those classes and it will be quite a challenge. Good luck with it.
ReplyDelete