Columns

Often I appreciate and therefore adopt new words. At a gathering where I ran into a niece, I heard her say, “You’re so avuncular.” The “ular” ending told me the word likely is an adjective, which it is. I’d heard and used the word before, and I’m glad of my specific relationship with Kathy: I’m her uncle, and to her, I’m avuncular, I suppose because I act like an uncle.

Education is about much more than textbooks and classrooms. It’s also about the multitude of unanticipated life-challenging situations that affect our lives. It even goes beyond teachers and students. It is a lifelong journey, and we need to celebrate it as such.

In this year of tumultuous political uncertainties, a viable third-party candidate could easily emerge —perhaps in the form of our own Gary Johnson.

Johnson, New Mexico’s former Republican governor, is hoping to run for president for a second time as the Libertarian Party nominee. With his adopted party’s national convention less than two months away, he’s the clear frontrunner for the nomination.

Last November, I attended Associate Professor Craig Conley’s lecture at Highlands. He spoke as part of the Hermit’s Peak Watershed Alliance Land Stewardship Series. I was mesmerized by his passion and enthusiasm.

His topic? Dirt and what it has to do with climate change. Actually we talked about soil, which is the proper way to refer to what covers our earth and isn’t water. Now I am a water nymph, well, maybe not a nymph anymore but certainly a fan.