Just life...

I haven’t blogged in awhile. Usually, when I have a blogging hiatus, it meant life was too crazy, I was too overwhelmed, or the like. Those things are probably all currently true but I think the main reason is honestly that I haven’t had a “theme.” Yes, I’m the quintessential English-major type that organizes her blogs, even the mental ones, by theme. But, because I know the blogging habit is one kept up, even sporadically, here I am.

I’m calling this one “just life” because that’s what’s been happening. Neither the horrible nor the wonderful, just the usual. We have been busy, no doubt about that. We’re at the time of year when one kid activity hasn’t quite ended and yet another has begun and so they run head into tail into another one (Fionna has three semi-overlapping activities happening right now). The time change has the kids just a little overtired and myself just a bit worse at keeping us on a semi-routine.

I am feeling some urgency in regards to my yard and garden. Spring is springing, that bright new golden green graces so many trees and bushes and plants here where we live. Bulbs are blooming, as are fruit trees and other hardy plants like some of my sages. We’ve already seen early frogs venturing out although, alas, we found one oh-so-tiny guy frozen and dead on our concrete in the back yard. We had a few surprise almost-freezing nights. I guess he should have consulted the Froggers Almanac. Our young chickens (the one-day-old chicks we purchased mail-order in November) are maturing and venturing into the egg laying kingdom. Their eggs are so small compared to our mature layers, very cool to see. They live with the "big" chickens now; we opened the barrier between their two pens so both groups could have additional space. There's definitely a pecking order, younger hens seldom get first pick at choice scraps, but nothing truly amiss has gone on between the two groups. Pretty good, I'd have to say, for nine "women" confined together.

Our turtle, Myrtle, is once again an outdoor turtle. She seemed particularly mopey of late, venturing out of her rock cave less and less often. She would come out for a few bites of banana every few days but she hadn’t been cavorting in her water dish, or chased crickets in several weeks. My comfort level with keeping a wild animal captive is never very high….so, we released her into our backyard last week. She’s in an area with ivy growing on the ground and low on the wall. It has some nice cypress mulch from a previous gardening attempt (trying to keep violets moist enough here to survive. Didn't happen. I still didn't keep them wet enough). We do have some garden edge pavers bordering it but I think if she badly wanted to, she could get out. However, at this point, all she seemed to want to badly do is to burrow deep and dark. Perhaps we interrupted her normal hibernation by keeping her inside and semi-awake all winter. I’m glad she’s back in the big world, but I hope she’ll share the occasional glimpse of herself with us, ever so often.

I have, essentially, one month of school left. Although there’s a bit more than that on the calendar, by the end of April, most of my assignments will be (or should be) wrapped up. I eagerly await it although mounds and mounds of work will have to be scaled between then and now. I’m already mentally struggling with the question of summer school. Right now, for us school equals loans and loans equal income, so I should go. The question is can I swing it? I’m not sure how online summer school classes would work; I’m imagining they are intense.

Well, my upcoming week holds busyness – typical school and kid park playday schedule, American Indian week at the University including a couple of functions I’d like to attend (Parade of All Nations and an Expo this weekend with drumming and dancing), Fionna has a museum field trip that the little ones and I will tag along on, La Leche League meeting at my house Thursday night, two birthday parties this weekend, a visiting Irish fiddler I’d love to see on Saturday night…

Like I said, it’s just life.