Sweet Tea

I know for sure that spring weather has arrived when I get out both pitchers and have a batch of sweet tea to go with the regular house wine of iced tea.  Last Sunday was warm and I got my fingers dirty in the garden.  Then I came inside and enjoyed a nice glass of sweet tea.

 Howdy, Spring.  I hope you stay for a spell.

Daffodils

The year that JT was born, I took to buying a bouquet of daffodils when I went to the grocery store each week.  There I'd be, with my fresh babine and some fresh flowers to see us through another chaotic week of new babyness.  Since that year, I've not looked at daffodils the same.  For the last few years, I've planted some daffodil bulbs each fall, in anticipation of a lovely spring display.  One day, I hope to have a front yard daffodil display worthy enough to cause folks to pause when they drive by my house.  I'm not there yet, but I had enough this year to cut a few for the Easter supper table.  

 They remind me of the fresh promise of new life and a love so great it astounds me even today.

Easter Supper

My friend S and her son D joined JT and me for Easter supper.  I made some familiar favorites and the food was delicious, though I say it myself.

But the real pleasure of the evening was the company of good friends and plenty of laughter.  For that blessing, JT and I are incredibly grateful.

A Cast of Fairy Godmothers

 When my car was in the shop last week, I asked for (and received!) loads of help.  Much to my surprise, my admission that I need help did not cause the earth to stop rotating on its axis .  To thank my cast of supporters, I hit the kitchen and got to work on a batch of brownie bites, to be distributed as a thank you to my fairy godmothers.

Thanks, y'all!

Hoppy Easter!

JT's away for the weekend, so we organized our Easter celebration for Friday morning.  It featured the usual cast of characters.  There was an Easter basket with a large chocolate bunny.

And some other happy treats that the Bunny knew a boy would find delightful.

In the backyard, there were plastic eggs filled with candy to be found.

And a lovely pink tulip.

JT was a fervid searcher. 

And he enjoyed a sample of the harvest.

Then we had some French Toast and blackberries for our spring breakfast.

It was a lovely morning and we hope that y'all have the same.  Happy Easter!

The Secret

I have a student who comes to school on dress down days with the whitest sneakers I have ever seen.  They are amazingly clean and always induce a comment or two from me.  Mostly, I just want to know how he keeps them so clean and so white.  I'm convinced there's a cleaning secret involved and I want in on the action.  But Student T isn't talking.

Friday was a dress down day and I saw the sneakers in the morning, all white and lovely.  And secretive. T wasn't revealing how he keeps them this way.   Then, in the afternoon I saw Student T playing ball on the grass in the quad.  The white shoes were carefully removed, sitting on the sidewalk in their clean splendor.  Student T was playing in his now very grass-stained socks. 

The secret is now revealed.  I wonder what his mama has to say about those socks?

Tulip Wednesday

I've spent the better part of the last few days fretting about my car, sequestered as it is in the mechanic's shop while I begged rides off of my very kind-hearted friends.  My spare time was devoted to worrying about the water which arrived in the basement when 4 inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours.  Add to that my usual anxieties and 3 days without working out and I think you get the picture: Crazy, party of 1.

This afternoon, the mechanic finally figured out the problem. The car will be fixed and ready tomorrow.  Soon after that, the sun came out (it may be coincidence, but I'll take it).  Supper was served in the sunshine on the warm back deck.  The bulbs in my shaded front yard got in on the happy warmth and the result is a lovely mid-week treat of blooming daffodil loveliness.

The hostas are joining in.

And the tulips are coming along nicely.

Ahhhh, spring.  You always manage to be well worth the wait.

Maintaining Standards

My car is in the shop ----- I'm working on day two of an undiagnosed car problem ---- and I'm not amused.

As it turns out, it's not just day two of no driving privileges, it's day two of not being able to go to the gym, which messes with the well-oiled machine of sanity maintenance I've got going around here.  What I really wanted when I got home today was a rather generous serving of an adult beverage.  But I'm out of whiskey, my preferred lubricant, and I'll be damned if I was going to walk to the liquor store and carry my plain paper bag home.

As it turns out, I'm just not that pathetic.  Which is to say that I have standards, low though they are.

Faking It 'til I Make It

I had a few rough days last week and at one point I sat down and wrote about how tired I am of doing it all alone.  I debated putting it up on my blog, where I usually vent these feelings, and then decided that everyone is by now tired of my whining about my solitary existence.  Plus, for all the frustrations in my life, I know that I am blessed.  Things seemed a little brighter the next morning.  The post never went up.

In short order, over the next five days, my car started misbehaving (necessitating a trip to the mechanic and a need to request rides to get to and from work) and then the basement got rather wet, thanks to 4 inches of rain which fell in 12 short hours. 

I'll deal with both of these developments (I'm dealing with them today).  Part of me suspects that the Universe is just showing me that even my reserves have reserves.  It helps that I got some rest this weekend, hit the local Latino grocery and planned a week of Mexican food to cook, and that my boy is a trooper.  Plus, I have to put a good spin on this mess or I really will take to my bed and give up.

But, honestly, Senora Universe, how about I distract you with a tostada and you play nice for a few days?

Durable

When I was selecting the new sofa and mentioned a need for something sturdy and durable, it was incidents like this that I had in mind.