Daybook 3.6.16

Outside my window: hail. We had a stunningly beautiful weekend with blue skies and warm sun, but this morning the light was greeny-yellow and made me think TORNADO. I don’t think I’ve ever seen hail this early in the spring. Especially since it’s technically still winter.

In the garden: I watered the trees this weekend. I’ve been on crocus watch for ten days, and yesterday they hit their glory. I love crocuses. Spring bulbs remind me of the mystery.
Last week:

Yesterday:

It’s still too soon to pull all the leaf-mulch off the perennials, but I’m hoping to put carrots and some spinach in the square foot gardens this week.

In the school room: we are hoping to make it to the Denver Art Museum’s Star Wars Costumes exhibit. It’s supposed to be excellent. I’ll let you know.

Friday is the end of our third quarter of school, which has me thinking about pulling it all together: reviewing, reflecting on the essentials during these last nine weeks.

In the kitchen: We had pancakes and sausage for Shrove Tuesday last week, and then fasted over the weekend (with a few meals between Tuesday and Friday night.)  This week is busy.  We’re all going in different directions with long hospital hours (Sam), tutoring (Jonah), swim practice (Owen), dance rehearsals (Moriah), and gymnastic (Phoebe).  It’s lots of driving during the hours I would like to be in the kitchen, so there will be lots of prepare-ahead but low-key cooking right before dinner.  Pot roast with kale and blueberry salad, chicken-coconut-lime soup and homemade bread, crock pot carnitas tacos, and vegetable frittatas, and brined pork chops with wild rice and broccoli.

On my reading shelf: I have a few titles queued up to read, including Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry and Bitter Medicine by Sara Paretsky, but they may have to wait until spring break. No free time right now.

On my mind: I have my Family Practice board exam next month, so much of my “free” time is going toward studying. It’s once every ten years, which seems like a long time, but every time it rolls around, it catches me off guard. Not already?

Grateful: for this year’s 30 hour famine, which we completed over the weekend. This was the first year all six of us have fasted together. It was a great way to begin Lent.  Every year it blows me away how much our lives revolve around food.  More on this to come.

Also, we had a spontaneous trip to the movies last night to see the Lego Batman Movie. I couldn’t say I want to see any of the previews, but I laughed all the way through Batman. No spoilers here, but it somehow succeeded in simultaneously being deep and making DC child appropriate.

 

Praying for: so many dear friends in the middle of huge (and hard!) transitions. The persecuted (the list is growing longer here). The hungry, both here and around the world.  Refugees and immigrants. Truth and wisdom for our government. The press.  My boards: for the discipline to study and the ability to update my knowledge. Jonah’s National History Day this weekend. Mandy, Ruth, Judy, Mick, Christine, Mary, Anne, Clare.