Two down, ten or so to go

Classes, that is. Hurray! I’ve got one semester of grad school under my belt! It feels good to have made it safely to the other side. Of course, I won’t know my grades for a few days, so I’m trying to take an “it’s out of my control so don’t angst over it” (or as Jim would say, “it is what it is”) approach. And since I have two weeks of “free” time, I’m going to distract myself by catching up on the gardening I’ve been missing out on and maybe getting some inside projects completed if the weather is bad. At least that’s the plan. On the other hand, I may just sit around and read the mystery novels piling up on the coffee table or catch up on HGTV shows I’ve missed.

But soon enough, it’ll be time to start over again . . .

Fleeting attraction

As I was heating my lunch in the lower level break room, I checked out the vending machines, just out of curiosity. And that’s where I saw them – at the bottom of the snack machine, directly beneath the peanut M&Ms – a package of Twinkies! I don’t know why I was surprised to see them in a vending machine, after all, they have a shelf life of practically forever. But I was; and there they were, those spongy little yellow cakes puffed up with gooey cream filling, just waiting for me to insert my dollar bill and swoop them up. Because I haven’t had a Twinkie in years. But alas, I didn’t bring any money down with me and by the time I got back upstairs the spell was broken and the desire gone.

Digging in the dirt

I was able to leave work a little early today, and was rewarded with a chance to spend a couple of hours moving plants and weeding. It felt good to be outside doing something that didn't require memorizing formulas and checking assumptions and conditions! We are continuing to fill in the new planting bed in front with stuff we're thinning out in the back. I'm beginning to refer to this as "frugal gardening." So far, all we've spent any money on has been the sweet peet, and we've managed to fill in the new planting area and some empty corners with what we have.

My nail tech was telling me how she and her fiancee helped his grandmother mulch her flower beds with 6 yards of mulch and how much she hated doing outside stuff. And I heard myself saying, "Oh, that's not so bad. And mulch is pretty light."

So now I'm wondering: when did I become this person who would rather muck about outside in the yard? Or was she always there and I just didn't know it?

May 4, 1970

Federal troops, sons of WWII veterans, fired on unarmed college students, also children of WWII veterans, who were exercising their constitutional right to free speech. Forty years later, four families still grieve. And both sides are still sniping at each other.

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.
(lyrics by Neil Young)

Food for thought

Remember that post I wrote about having too many reusable grocery bags? Well, I may have been a bit hasty. Jimmy has started cooking for us. The good news is that we're eating really well. The bad news? Well, look at the results of this week's grocery shopping (I think I counted 8 bags). It's been ages since I bought this much food! Now I'm wondering how I managed when the kids were growing up!

Where in the blog-world is Pat?

Hiding in my office, actually.

It’s been over 6 weeks since my last post. Unlike the other, more prolific blogger in the household, I often seem to lack interesting subjects and/or the creative energy to formulate a post. But I want to keep this blog current, so I have promised myself that I will make an effort to be more productive and post on a regular basis. So here’s a quick recap of what I’ve been up to lately.

In the past month and a half I have

• Read 6 chapters of Statistics
• Completed 6 chapters of Statistics homework
• Taken (and completely bombed) 2 tests
• Read 8 chapters for Fundraising Class
• Wrote 3 papers for Fundraising Class
• Composed, produced and mailed 2 SWL newsletters
• Read Eudora Welty short stories for book club
• Hosted said book club meeting
• Spent a weekend in DG helping Sarah move

All this while still holding down my day job, trying to keep the house from getting buried in dog hair, and putting in some time in the garden.

But wait, there’s more! Coming attractions include prepping for the Statistics final and completing a 10 page paper and a class presentation summarizing the paper. Then I have a week's respite during which I can start working on the new vegetable garden. Oh, and sometime in there my mom is coming to visit.

Hopefully by then I'll figure out a routine.

The first day of spring

It's a gorgeous day, temps in the 50s and very sunshiney -- fitting for the first day of spring. It's one of those days that demands that you work (or play) outside, because you know that spring weather is fickle and can turn ugly at a moment's notice. So here I am, sitting in my office, staring at my statistics book, while Jim (and the dogs) are outside, digging in the dirt.

--sigh