Hello,

Two weeks ago right now I was lying in the Emergency Room in Bloomer, WI’s little hospital. Since then, there has been a remarkable healing process that has occurred throughout my body. When I was transferred from Bloomer to Eau Claire that evening, it was thought that I would need facial surgery. As you can see from the picture in my last posting, my face certainly took the brunt of the accident. As my wonderful friend in California wrote in her card "You goof-ball! No helmet?!" I imagine I am probably poster-child for wearing one at this point. Through things like arnica gel, Vitamin E oil and wilted cabbage as well as real beef stock, whole milk and vitamin C, I have progressed light-years toward recovery in barely 14 days.

My left hand is in a cast, but that should be removed on Tuesday. I am presently typing with one or two fingers on my right hand, which also has a broken and splinted finger. That is really frustrating because it affects what sort of response I can give my students. Hopefully that will change this week

What I have been reminded of once again, however, is the goodness of people. Marco, the winemaker from Miraflores called me yesterday and told me in rather strong succinct terms that I should sell the Harley. That won’t happen. In fact, I signed the check today to get things fixed. Being more conscientious about the helmet will probably occur.

Again, I am so grateful to everyone who has been so supportive. I have been working with two wonderful people who are Total Boby Modification practitioners. Marybeth and John are amazing!! It is through their help I can post the picture above that dmonstrates visually my remarkable recovery.

Thanks for reading,

Michael

Hello from the corner of my study,

Last Saturday afternoon what started out as a normal wonderful afternoon of riding the Harley took an unexpected turn . . . the turn was a swerve to keep from going off the road and crashing my Sportster. The result was multiple broken bones in my face, broken fingers on both hands, a laceration that exposed my skull, and serious abrasions. Two ambulance rides, more trips to surgeons this week and upcoming surgery tomorrow to put pins and other hardware into my left hand. That being said, "I feel blessed." I was not wearing a helmet and if I would have been going faster I am not sure I would ever enter another word in this blog.

Life is fragile, and from time to time, I seem to be given poignant reminders of that fact. Likewise, I do believe we are provided care through a variety of mediums, most of the ways we neither see nor perhaps understand, but nonetheless, they (he or she) are (is) there. In the first minutes after my accident, I was tended to by an EMT that "just happened" to be at the resort I was at. She was quite wonderful. While in the Bloomer hospital, one of my former students actually stayed there with me. To hear that familiar voice as they worked on me did more to calm me than one can imagine.

When I was transferred to the hospital in Eau Claire, an amazingly talented facial surgeon with an outstanding bedside manner was available to operate on me. Since that time, the outpouring of support from colleagues, friends, neighbors, and students has reminded me that angels often are the people we see and walk among every day.

I have been so richly blessed throughout my life with wonderful people. It is for those reasons that I cannot do anything else than give back . . .  to do less seems ridiculous to me. It is difficult to type with broken fingers on each hand, so I will keep this short, but thank you to all of you who have sent emails, messages, called, provided food, rides or visited. I am grateful to you all. I am blessed by so many angels, and while I am still somewhat frail, I am recovering and trying to keep up. Not a pretty picture, but here I am.

Thanks and bless you all.

Michael

Hello from my office as I finish up the first week of classes.

It has been a busy few days, but as is always the case, there is a period of figuring out a routine. Routines are an amazing thing. As the cliche notes,"we are creatures of habit." It is only the second day of class and in my morning class, students sat pretty much in the same seat they did on Wednesday. That does not hurt my feelings because it helps me learn their names more quickly. I am always excited at the beginning of the academic year because there is no much new and there are so many possibilities.

I am finishing up some writing for the winery today. While it has been only shortly over a month, it seems so much longer since I was there in Placerville. I am excited though as I will be there a week from today. I will have a quick trip and try to finish everything up for the winery’s next newsletter which should come out the beginning of October.

Last night I had a Wine and Spirits course that I am sitting in on. It was great to listen to Peter and I come into it this time with some much more knowledge of viticulture and enology. I am excited to see what is happening with harvest. It will also be a chance to catch up with some people at Starbucks and try to get some other things arranged. I think some things have been figured out in that realm too. What I believe to be the case is that nothing in the long-term is figured out because the variables are so dynamic. That is okay, however, because it does tell me about options and things I must consider.

In a letter a short while back, there was a conversation about the "unpredictability" of things. I think things are perhaps most unpredictable when we feel helpless or unable to create a change. But such a place tends to create a sense of paralysis or that we are merely victims of circumstances. It is probably more accurate to say it is our lack of action that creates such a senario. That is not to say that sometimes we are so fragile or overwhelmed by those things that are beyond us that the result is our inability to "do something".

And so it is with students too, indeed, there are things that are assigned and decisions that are made outside our pervue of control, and certainly those things affect us, but we still have the choice in how we respond and what we do to manage those things. I think it is exponentially more complicated, however, when our emotions are a central part of that equation. You can also add that when small people are affected, the stakes are even more difficult and that terrain more treacherous. But ultimately, we have to make a choice and then go for it with all we can. If you give it your best and fail, failure is acceptable. If you fail because you did not try, for me that is an entirely different issue.

I will have a busy weekend as the first things come in Sunday and I have more work to do just staying ahead of the train, which is called the semester. I have appreciated your comments, so if you have a thought please do post it. The picture today is from below my house on the lake looking at the campus.

Thanks for reading!

Michael