I have always said that I lead a charmed life and little of what I encounter is ‘hard'. Often the response is a quizzical look. I go on to explain by stating that I have never known real, sustained hunger. I don't have a long-term debilitating condition. I have never lived in the middle of a war. I can't even imagine what it is to hurry your family to a subway station for safety and to try to conduct some semblance of ‘normal' under those conditions. During my faculty days, I made several trips to Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, to work with local faculty (Extension Specialists) to modernize the production of animal protein to enhance food security and improve living conditions. Regularly, the night before my departure I would be handed a stack of manila envelopes that contained applications from those seeking admittance to the U.S. through what was known as the lottery system. It has been many years since I was last there and I always hope things have improved, that our work made a difference and conditions changed. Each of us can do something, no matter how small, to ensure things don't go backward.
I started annual evaluation discussions this week. These are always fun; I don't spend enough time with the CE Specialists throughout the year. I had a chance to spend an hour with a few people from across UC ANR during a ‘coffee with leadership' on Tuesday. There was no coffee, but I think the conversation stood on its own. Then it was on to Program Council where we reviewed, discussed, deliberated, and developed recommendations for the CE Specialist positions. We had to whittle down more than we did for the CE Advisor proposals, so it took a bit longer. We came to a consensus, and I am eager to see the announcement go out in late March or early April after the Vice President has had a chance to review the recommendations and make final decisions.
I am in Davis most of this week. It is great to see the number of persons in the building continue to climb. Even the refrigerator looks fuller with lunches! Let's hope we have turned a final corner in the pandemic. I ventured out across the country last week for some downtime. We did some birding, though I must admit that we identify most birds by color or shape, rather than genus and species. We saw pelicans, herons, egrets, ducks, and the occasional roseate spoonbill. We went in search of ocelots but came up empty. The photos are not from my trip but from a friend in Colombia. Her birding adventures are far more exotic than mine. Definitely the dilemma of someone leading a charmed lifestyle.