Independence Day

Just a few small anecdotes to report this time around.

Last week I met with Dean Susan Henry of CALS, as a favor to my grandpa. He'd asked me to go introduce myself to her back in March, but I couldn't find time with the end of the semester rapidly approaching. I always had intentions to meet her, but it wasn't until after Grandpa died that I realized that it was the only thing he had ever asked me to do. Dean Henry is intelligent, kind, and quite helpful, and I'm only sorry now that I can't report back to Grandpa.

Dean Henry connected me with a professor in the Applied Economics and Management department, since I was foiled in my attempt to take a prerequisite for a prerequisite for Agricultural and Food Policy (one of this professor's classes). I'll be meeting with him in a couple weeks, and hopefully we'll come up with a plan for me to be able to take the course and/or study ag policy in other ways.

My family had a wonderful low-key family reunion yesterday for the 4th of July. For once we didn't run out of strawberries and I got to have two helpings of strawberry shortcake! We also received our copies of the book that my grandpa wrote about his brother, who turned 90 a few weeks ago. I've never heard much about my great-uncle as a young man, but it turns out that he's had as profound an impact on the community as my grandpa did, albeit in different ways. It was a joy to read, especially since it included letters from each of his children.

My summer continues to go well - it's hard to believe that it's half-over already!