Monday, March 21, 2011

Vernal Equinox, One Day Late

An attempt at taming the scheduling madness

I know it's finally spring because:

--we have been fighting the nasty virus of no-name for the past 4 weeks
--baseball and soccer season are in full swing
--horse riding lessons are happening again
--the Alaska conversations are occurring much more frequently now
--Samuel's allergies are back in full-force
--the long-wished-for banjo will arrive in a week
--I start teaching French at the college in two weeks.

I could go into great detail about the hacking cough that kept Grace and now me up all night; trying to keep all the practices and games and clinics straight (which involves exhausting and exhaustive flurries of emails arranging carpools); half-hour drives to horse lessons at $3.45 per gallon of gas; Alaska wishlists (refrigerator in my room, paved-over gravel for forklift safety, a dry floor in my office), Alaska discussions with my immediate supervisor who happens to be in Thailand about hiring or not hiring; trying to remember to give Samuel his nightly Claritin; wondering how to take banjo lessons, practice, and juggle all of the above; and finally but certainly not least, keeping panic at bay as I quickly approach the beginning of Spring Quarter, having not taught college-level French in 6 years. However, as I find it exhausting just thinking about it all, I can't imagine trying anyone's patience with a rant on any one of the subjects.

So instead, here are some pictures of the less-complicated heralds of spring.

Plum tree blossoms

The ugly hedge

My forsythia is trying to make a comeback after being "helpfully" hacked"--I mean "trimmed"--by my chainsaw-wielding neighbor.

Rhubarb planted last year, vigorously reappearing--hooray!

Newly planted hollyhocks--optimism reigns despite the chaos






No comments: