Dame Kind

"Dame Kind" is a name for Mother Nature. After a dry spell at the start of the week, visits from Dame Kind included a rainbow in a rainless sky on Tuesday, a white egret yesterday at the river, one of the black birds I've yet to identify (grebe?)

Today, wonders! A double rainbow in a rainless sky, then a gentle rain in the sun. I was driving east to work, the rain was overhead, but the sky to the east was clear. And looking back over my right shoulder, that double rainbow all the way from Stinson and 33rd to the merge onto east 94, when I turned and couldn't see it any more.

Colors

Kiwi
Periwinkle

Refdesk.com

Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est.
Knowledge is power. - Francis Bacon

This is the motto for refdesk.com, one of the best reference sites on the web. It contains encyclopedias, dictionaries, unit conversions (e.g. kilos to pounds), newspaper links, almanacs, amusements, editorial links, and a host of subject links. You could play here for hours.

More running around

We are still racing around like mad fools all the time. I hardly remember myself from one week to the next what is keeping us whirling around! This past weekend went like this:

Saturday:

Evan had to be at Minnehaha Academy at 7:45 to take the SAT college entrance test. Came back from that and drove to Maplewood, to get a tree at a bargain price from a non-profit group, but it didn't work out.

Then drove Marius down south to the same area of town I'd been to with Evan, to be at someone's house at 10:00 to do chores to raise money for their trip to Boston with the church youth group.

While I was gone, Jarrett got himself up and dressed to his job, working from 10-5 Saturday at Party City.

I went home and seemingly a few minutes later (I got lost reading) Evan called to be picked up, and we picked up Marius too. Jarrett got home under his own steam. Evan's girlfriend Mikaela came over in the late afternoon.

What on earth did we do that night? I don't even remember! I think just watched TV at home.

Sunday:

A phone call to come in to work woke Jarrett up at 10:00. *Amazingly*, he woke right up and tottered out the door! I think he likes working, likes his job, likes the people, and likes the manager. *Yes!!* He does stocking, blowing up balloons, and cash register; "everyone does everything."

Marius, Evan, and I dropped him off at Dennis's on our way to church. He keeps his uniforms at Dennis's house since it is closer to the store (at the Quarry.)

We had to leave church early because Marius and the other YFU kids were going to a Twin's game, and Evan had to be at work at Orchestra Hall.

IMAGINE THAT, BOTH OF MY BOYS AT WORK! Somehow, I never anticipated that.

I took myself out for a pre-mother's day visit to the arboretum. There is a three-mile trail that winds around, and I walked that through blooming magnolia trees, flowering crabs, and lilacs, as well as woods and prairies, and little gardens of azaleas, bushes, etc. Up near the main building they have tons of tulips, hyacinths, and hosta. I've always driven around, stopped and parked at various spots, got back in and drove, but walking is MUCH better. What was I thinking? The walking path goes through wooded areas the road doesn't. I spent a lot of time in the woodland garden, enjoying hepatica, trillium, bluebells, wild phlox, marsh marigolds -- tons o' stuff. Took a lot of what will be probably the same bad pictures I take at the arboretum every time. I'd love to have a camera that could do closeups and macro photos. Someday.

Came back home , picked up Evan from work; and was deep into post-game traffic and one-way snarls around the Metrodome when Marius called to say he'd gotten a ride home from someone else (grr) then we all did homework and housework and watched TV.

On Monday I had a follow-up mammogram. Didn't sleep too well on Sunday night. After a mammo and then an ultrasound that seemed to take FOREVER, I was pronounced healthy, the lump non-malignant. Weak at the knees with relief. On Monday night Marius and I went to rent his prom tux.

Tuesday, Evan had a concert with the jazz band, and Jarrett had school and work.

On Wednesday, we went to see Spider Man 3, except for Evan, who had tons of homework. I did dishes, laundry, and housecleaning when I got home (second wind) and couldn't slow down. Another night of only a few hours of sleep.

Thursday night I went to pick Marius has a game (he is on the Ultimate Frisbee team) and was wrestling with hot slow bogged-down traffic and almost to the park where they play, when he called me to tell me he was at home, that he didn't go to the game. Ahem! With my "detour," it took me an hour to get home. Had trouble sleeping last night, too. A rash of insomnia lately, for various reasons.

Tonight is Friday. Evan and Jarrett go to Dennis's house, and then on Saturday, it's more chores fundraising for Marius and Evan, work for Jarrett, and then Prom for both Evan and Marius. Sunday we'll go to church and so far, that's all that's planned for that day!

I am actually going to go out with two very fun women from work tonight, to shop and have a drink before Evan's concert. Marius was amazed and pleased for me – I don't think I've had an independent social event in the whole time he's been here. (I have usually brought him along to things if at all possible, but this is definitely Girls Night Out.)

Next week will be quiet with Jarrett and Evan gone but I still pick up Marius after his sports practice every night. The SPPS headquarters building is about the same latitude as Powderhorn Park, near South High, so I go across town and read for a bit until he's done. Otherwise, it takes him an hour and a half and $2.00 to get home. And with the price of a tux, prom tickets, and dinner, he needs those $2.00! (Just as an aside: prom tickets are $45.00 each, not per couple. His tuxedo was $170. Dinner, who knows. The tux was a little extra because in our ignorance we waited too long and the less expensive tuxes were gone, and we also had to pay a late fee. But: Going to prom in America? Priceless.)

It's only going to be like this for another year, and I'm sure I'll miss it when it's way too quiet. Then I'll have a chance to try online dating.

Best wishes for a wonderful Mother's Day. God knows we've earned it. J

Lunchtime Walk

My one hour lunch-time walk on the walking path by the river is the absolute highlight of my day. Time to go now!

Sock Watch Back

The sock watch has been on hiatus due to lack of interesting sock pairings. Yesterday, however, Ms. Sock Watch observed M. wearing one red sock and one orange sock.

We're back!

Credo 1

"Credo" means "I believe." It's a part of Mass, at least Mass as I know it, which is sung Mass. Particularly Bach's "Mass in B Minor," which belongs on any list of my favorite things in life. Here are some of the words I live by, from the quotidian to the hearfelt.

Credo:

"I play it cool and dig all jive
That's the reason I stay alive.
My motto, as I live and learn,
Is dig and be dug in return."
Langston Hughes

- There's always time to go to the bathroom.

- You get what you pay for.

- "Laugh hard, hang tough, lend a hand."

- Non scholae sed vitae discimus--Seneca
"We learn not for school, but for life."

- Wisdom from the e-mail signature of a co-worker:

Life is short! Break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Leave the rest to god.

OK, I can go with that.

I'll return to this thought in later posts.

Shift Happens

An interesting video about the rapid change in work, education, technology.

Shift Happens

Bullet Train

Spring is going with bullet train speed. On my noon walk I saw bloodroot (an early ephemeral) and lilacs blooming. I don't think that's usual. I have to go to Eloise Butler to see what's going on there.

Planted peas, raked, dug up dandelions, and trimmed around the muscari stream so the blooms show. Last night from 8:20-9:00. Zooming the whole time.

Then called Cindy, Darcy, and Marti, and to bed. Anxious about mammo on Monday.