The pull

Here's what gets me out on my (somewhat) daily 4-miler: the scenery is both a distraction and a payoff.

Join me?

Fields of green and gold

 Shady, winding roads (the better to think on, my dear)

Sunlight through the trees (and, oh!, the hill...huff, huff)

And then my favorite part: the scene opens up and the sky is wide

(reminds me of home) 

What a vista. Chat with a woman in the field about a bird's egg she's found.  Say hi to the horses.

Lean over, hands on knees.  Breathe. Stand up, retrace steps, and head back home. (Downhill now!)

Splay on the grass for a few minutes' recovery and sport a red exertion face for the next hour.

Want to host a tour in your neck of the woods? Post scenes from a walk/run/ride around your neighborhood and leave the link in the comments here. Armchair travel, my favorite!

It turns out...

  l that hosting a teenage sleep-over on the weekend of the "spring forward" time change is a recipe for a very lethargic and sleepy Monday.

 l  that Miss Saigon was powerful and the lead voices really rose to the challenge (in particular our extremely talented neighbor who played Kim and the boy who played John--his "Bui Doi" was amazing and every bit as good as the one below...it's an amazing number. Have you seen it?-->)

...but I still feel like the production is beyond the developmental appropriateness for high schoolers (as young as 14).  Even though the message of the play is to criticize the objectification of women in that way, it's still wacko to ask young girls to dress and play prostitutes in the same mature way the West End and Broadway productions did.  In my humble opinion.

l that just because it's 55 degrees and sunny on Sunday doesn't mean you're immune to a Monday morning sleet and snowstorm.

l that having a "spring break" that is a different week from your kids' spring break is not a terrible thing.  (Although difficult when their week rolls around next month.)  I'm enjoying a relaxed schedule this week and catching up on some much-neglected house projects and reading (both for school and for fun).  Oh, who am I kidding?  I still have a to-do list a mile long but am giving myself a few moments of vacation-like indulgence.

l that I really enjoy trying some new recipes for the family (who knew?).  This is a new development, folks. Recent hits:

1. cinnamon waffles with caramelized apples
   
2. cauliflower soup (although the kids didn't love it)
   
3. Ina Garten's shrimp scampi
   
4. Sopa de lima from the Turtle Bay Tacqueria cookbook (one of our faves when we go to Pacific Grove)

Um...we won't talk about the quiche I made last night that somehow ended up with broken glass in it.  The only thing I can think of is the frozen spinach must have had some shards in it, since everything else (half-and-half? grated cheese? chopped onions?) was fine.

l that, in order to take advantage of an offer of two free airline tickets, we would have to charge $500 on our AmEx by tomorrow. Our own little economic stimulus package (or, rather, AmEx's). Not sure we're up for that, but just for the sake of discussion, what would you spend it on?

Taking a day

Maddy is home from school sick today with a sore throat and cough.  I have to admit (a little guilty confession) that I really enjoy it when my kids are home sick (as long as it's not something worrisome, of course).  A sliver of old fashioned Florence Nightingale-ness activates in me.  I like to check their foreheads and set up a little stool with good drinks and crackers next to the couch.  I give them a little extra attention and the pace of the day turns into something slow and cozy. 

Even now that they're older, I still want to hover. We read or watch a movie together. Maybe I'll take a little nap along with the patient, in sickness solidarity, eager to toss the to-do list for the day.  I happily cancel whatever's going on that day and settle in for some nurturing.  

That's the first day.

On the second day, I'm perfectly willing to turn over the t.v. remote to the little patient and get some things done.  The weak voice calling "Mom...can I have some more sprite?" from the other room may or may not be catered to.  My Florence nurses' cap slips a little. Or a lot.  There's a law of diminishing care that kicks in...it discourages faking sickness longer and sets everyone up for a seamless return to normal life.

Heaven help the child who stays home on the third day and beyond (because I'm much less likely to at that point).  I become more drill sargeant than Florence and start to say things like "turn that t.v. off and find out your homework that you've missed" or "pick up those socks off of the floor please" or "get on your clothes...you're coming with me to the grocery store.  We need food!"  I start to resent the germy mess we're in and long for the freedom of errands and schedules.  (And inevitably, the NEXT child will come home sick that day and never see Florence Nightingale mom for the whole sick cycle.)

Today we're on day two.  I'm enthusiastically encouraging a return to school tomorrow and so far no one else is complaining of a sore throat.  Everyone knock on wood for me. 

~picture above of a Sam sick day, 2006

Having my say

I put on my new red shoes and blue jeans and headed to my polling place...

where there were no lines! 

I was kind of disappointed because I came prepared 

with a novel and my ipod 

and had visions of in-line comaraderie--

maybe some joking and couple of new friendships.

But I waltzed right in, got my ballot,

stood in the booth, filled in the circles,

put my ballot in the box, and got my sticker.

5 minutes max.

Tonight we'll be making Gabi's pizza dough recipe, 

throwing together some voter map pizzas,

and gradually filling in the blank US map

with blue and red

as the results trickle in.

Hooray for democracy!

Hooray for the 19th amendment,

only 88 years ago, giving me the right to vote!

Next presidential election, 

my daughter will vote, too.  Wow.

On a serious note, I do have firm opinions about this election, as I'm sure you do, too.  I don't usually tout my opinions widely because I respect that everyone arrives at their political beliefs and opinions in their own way, prioritizing the issues that are most important in their own lives (the loudest I've gotten here is quietly putting a little image in my sidebar) but I do love to discuss things in person.  The thing is, I can see both sides.  I have both parties on my family tree, back several generations. There are stands on both sides of the aisle that I believe in. 

I am heartened by the fact that, no matter the result tonight, we have four good people willing to put themselves out there for derision/mocking/applause/support/commentary ad nauseum in order to serve our country, to lead us.  I'm sure these next years won't be easy for the new commander in chief.  So my best wishes to whomever it ends up being.

*Did you know my home state of Utah gave the vote to women in 1870, 50 years before the rest of the country? I think that's applaudable (&, as I remember, my great grandmother was a suffragette who pushed for the 19th amendment early on). Thanks, Grandma Achsa.  I thought of you today.

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