Randomish

It's 7:20 PM and K is 30 minutes into his nap.  Student teaching has been draining his system and I only partially judge him for his decision to try to sleep when bedtime is so very close.  It's also Friday night and I am in pajama pants, and we're 25 years old.  Although, I don't really know what I'd rather be doing right now.  Maybe having friends over for dinner and challenging their relationship skills with a long game of Catchphrase.  But, that seems like an old thing to do too. 

A lot has happened this week.  I was going to title this post "Bittersweet Week" , but decided to go the Randomish route instead.  Sometimes, rather than explain yourself and connect one thought to another, you need to just number things. 

1. On Sunday, K was inducted into a very special Honor Society, devoted to the adult student.  He was one of two individuals chosen from his class for this club.  We were very proud as we watched him pledge to this fraternity and receive his membership and certificate.  He will be graduating in May, but continues to work as hard as day one.  Hence the nap at 6:30. 

They had a very unique keynote speaker.  She went back to college when she was 27, and went on and off for years, until finally receiving her bachelor's.  She then went on for a Master's, but that stuff didn't really matter.  Her speech was about all the in between.  She had fifteen different jobs, ranging from gardener, pottery teacher, to professor at Penn State.  All these experiences mattered.  Each one brought new people and lessons into her life. 

She told us, "Say yes.  Just say yes to things, and you'll be so suprised with what they will bring you." 

Her whole point was, just because we're not doing things the traditional way, doesn't mean it isn't the right way.  And, I really liked that because it hit home.  I didn't go right from high school to getting a four year degree.  I was a LPN for a long time.  Even now, it hits me because I'm still not where I thought I should be.  That doesn't matter.  You keep going. You keep searching.  Keep saying yes to things in your life. 

2. I said that my goal for this week was to get a job.  I didn't get one yet, but I did get an interview, and that's farther than I've been so far.  The interview went well and they said they would call me back in.  So, we wait. 

3.  Seriously, I am obsessed with Adele's new album.  Seriously.  And, I rather like the fact that her album titles are how old she was when she put them together.  How interesting it would be to compare the albums of our different ages.  My 20 year old album would be rather gloomy, while my 25 year old album would be a little less gloomy, with a slow, steady grand finale.

4.  It's March, and I don't care what it looks like outside, I'm going to start gardening. 

The ground is still frozen, but there is stuff to do already.  Like clean up the yard. 

Last Fall, we had a Halloween party, complete with spooky decorations, a roaring fire, and a bale of hay to sit on outside.  We ran out of firewood and started using bits of the bale for warmth.  Then, some nut job started rolling around in the hay and it was all over the yard.  So, I decided to sprinkle it on naked garden beds, for nourishment and protection.

I don't know if it did a damn thing.  But, it looked nicer than frozen dirt. 

So, I raked as much of the hay that I could, uncovering an abundance of ready to grow irises and daffodils.  Come on flowers, we're ready for you.

I also noticed just how crappy of a job our neighbors did staining their fences. 

I guess that meant I'll have to grow more. 

The seeds have arrived, but I can't do a lot with them just yet.  Last year, I was overly ambitiuous, starting all of the seeds inside (with the exception of the zucchini).  It was too much, and most of the crops failed.  This year, I'm just starting tomatoes inside.  The basil showed me last year that seeds grow outside, and do very well for themselves thank-you-very-much. Which reminds me: Martha Stewart shows how to make basil soap in April's magazine.  If I only knew that was possible last Fall.  Sigh. There was so much basil. 

I found an old weight loss notebook, that I had used for three weeks, recording diet and exercises, which I will repurpose as a gardening book.  The pages are colorful, so it pretty much meets the criteria.

I can probably use this for a couple of years.  Not sure how to organize it yet. 

5.  I have rediscovered Lilly's Kong.  I fill it with dog biscuits and peanut butter, and have bought myself 30 minutes free of a bored dog bothering me, with her teeth. 

6.  February has passed.  I'm so glad.  I'm not really overzealous about March, but it's not February and it will do. 

7.  I put the patio furniture out.  You can't comfortably sit outside for very long yet, but it's a reminder of what's around the corner.  Along with raking, I cleared the patio off, cleaned off overturned pots, and rearranging the yard a little bit. 

And I much prefer my windchime to be at the end of the yard now; it makes more noise that way. 

I also turned the outside lights on.  Sure, they were on here and there this winter, but they're on almost every night now.  There's no more snow, so its more appropriate.  Still, I'm sure the neighbors are thinking, "Who is she kidding?  It's not Spring yet."  To which I say, "Paint your f-in fence."

We do what we want. 

And please note, that when I said "we" just now, I was referring to me and the dog. 

8.  I will write about the "bitter" part next. 

9.  This weekend, I plan on mapping out the garden and writing a Spring List.  Enticing, no?

10. I didn't have to use spell check for this entire post.  Or, it's broken. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to conclude this bittersweet week with a talk with my sweet best friend, Nettie.