On vacation

Someone needed to tell me to back away from the window and stop taking bird pictures this morning.  There was so much activity that I couldn't stop.  Every time the action died down, I set aside my camera.  Two seconds later, more birds would be back and once again, I would try to catch the sweet song birds eating at the feeder.

My favorite moment was catching the baby chipmunk scoping out the feeder with the papa cardinal looking on.

And then he stretches over.  I love the back left leg.  There is something so delicate and endearing about it.  Call me crazy.

Both the papa and the mama cardinal graced us with their presence.

The woodpecker that escaped the camera lens last time wasn't as fortunate this go around.

And the yellow finch.  How lovely and bright he is!

Selim got ready to bike over to Jacob's without my being totally aware.  He stopped at the top of the stairs and I made him pose for a second so I could capture his cool look, complete with his shark teeth helmet.  His is coming into his own in every way.  I just love him to bits.

Amy's daffodils are beautiful.  I have flower envy.

I think I need to move some of mine around, closer to the base of the tree.  Some of them are too far out in no-man's land on the lawn and are not thriving.  I got one last hug from my guy before leaving.  The boys were playing with the double rope hanging down from the ceiling.

After I left, I went to see the doctor to get my results from Friday's test.  I have a tiny kidney stone and a small cyst, not bladder cancer or failing kidneys.  That's a relief.  I treated myself to lunch after the appointment.  I had the most amazing appetizer -- dates with blue cheese and chili infused honey.  Sounds a bit bizarre, but the combination of sweet caramelized dates with tangy cheese and hot honey was divine.  The  leftover container picture does not do it justice.

Boston in lockdown

Boston is in lock down right now and police are on manhunt for one of the bombing suspects. People are being asked not to go outdoors.  I watched the news for a few minutes this morning before bed at 12:30 and all the Boston channels were carrying live coverage of the search for the shooter of a MIT security guard.  When I woke up six hours later, the story had developed that one of the suspects of the bombing at the Boston Marathon was dead and they were looking for the brother.  They are still looking for him.

Public transportation is grounded.  Governor Patrick has requested that businesses close.  The pictures on twitter of empty streets in Cambridge are eerie.  The suspects made their home in Watertown, just outside Cambridge.  Selim Kortoglu's family (the man in whose memory we named our Selim)  lives there.  We haven't been back in a while, but I am somewhat familiar with a few sections of that suburb.  I can't wrap my mind around any of it.  

I don't know what impact this will have on the ongoing immigration debate, or religious tolerance.  According to reports, they were Muslim.  The combination of non-American born and Muslim associated with a domestic terror event might have long lasting consequences.  I expect the hidden pools of anger and prejudice left over from 9/11 will bubble up as this current drama unfolds.  All of it makes me sad.

To counterbalance all the ugliness of the past few days, I have been taking an inordinate amount of pleasure in my daffodils and the daily morning routine.  Yesterday there were three flowers bobbing in the breeze.

Today, there are five!

And what could be more sweet than my Lovey Lamb at the bus stop -- wearing his bike gloves and showing off his dance moves.

At one point he got down on a knee and gave us the Tebow pose yesterday.  I'm not a big Tebow fan or detractor...I'm pretty indifferent.  So where that came from, I'm not sure.

I come by wearing sandals in 40 degree weather honestly.  I may be clad in fleece pants and a jacket, but if the ground is frost free, hey, I'm staying true to my early So Cal roots and showing off my toe nails.

Daily changes

I ran yesterday after I saw Selim on the school bus.  My heart was heavy, but as I ran my body felt lighter.  My stride found a rhythm that seemed to be pretty fluid.  I let my thoughts drift from work to the Marathon, from all the items on my to-do list and imagining my soon to be thriving garden.  Soon enough I reached the junction of Salem and Applevale -- sweaty, breathing hard, and resolved to keep at it.  Reverting to my words of the year, acceptance and action.

This morning I decided to run again, my first back to back days since last year.  Time was not my goal, but rather to finish strong.  The first two miles felt like a chore.  Just before mile two my breathing was less labored and my pace had picked up.  Like a golfer who doesn't scoreboard watch, I forced myself not to look at my watch during the run and was pleasantly surprised to see that I wasn't too far off yesterday's pace when I finished.  And upon completion of my route today, I have run more miles this April than January, February, and March combined.  That is a victory and a sign that I am on the right track.

Today is gorgeous.  When I opened up the curtains, there was a purple finch sitting at the feeder.

We had a mild night and there are subtle changes out.  Two of the daffodil blooms popped this morning.

The buds on the mystery plants are turning pink.  Nedim understood the farmer who gave him the saplings that they were cherry.  I'm not sure about that.  They are pretty and pink none the less.

Are these primroses?  I can't remember, but their white faces are wide open to the sun and looking happy.

And another sign of warmer weather -- my laundry on the line.

Boston Marathon

I spent Monday morning sitting on my bed, the TV tuned into the live coverage of the Boston Marathon as background noise while trying to write rough drafts of eight progress reviews.  I looked up when the wheelchair champions crossed the line.  I rooted for the American from the North Shore as she finished fourth, just missing out on the top place.  The group of three elite men seemed to finish just minutes behind.  And then I turned the TV off so that I could get ready to go to work.

As the second shift folks started arriving, whispers about the Marathon started drifting between cubicles and along the corridors, "Have you heard?  Can you believe it?  Oh my God!  Bombs!  Terrorism, for sure."  My thoughts immediately went to a former team mate who was running his first Boston marathon today.  Both of us worked overtime on Sunday morning and I teased him about not being down in the city getting his gear and taking part in the festivities.  Was he OK?  When did he finish?  Was his family waiting for him at the finish line?  Were they OK?  What about his training partner?

At 3:30 I made my usual rounds of saying good afternoon to all the members of my team. One woman was trying to reach her step-daughter who was at the finish line working as a nurse because she specializes in sports medicine (if I am remembering the particulars correctly).  Anyway, her step-daughter was there and her status was unclear at that moment.  

I felt sick.  My stomach was cramping and I had shooting pains in my abdomen.  I thought I was going to cry.  The rumors of other bombs and an explosion at the JFK Library started swirling around.  It was hard to get accurate information at work while trying to conduct the business at hand.  Around 4:30 I found out that my friend was in his car and headed home with his family, all safe and unharmed.  They had left prior to the explosions.  Relief.  My core muscles started relaxing.

Later on in the evening, my team member had heard from her step-daughter who had been in the thick of it all and was able to help the victims with her training and console others with prayer.  The tension in my shoulders dropped.  I took an early dinner and watched the coverage on the evening news.  It was so hard to swallow food and see the images at the same time.  They kept talking about all the people who had lost their legs and feet in the bombings and showing the bloody pavement.  Gruesome.  Horrific.

Going to the Boston Marathon is on my bucket list.  It is right there with going to the Rose Parade some New Year's Day.  For so many years I have lived within a 2 hour drive and have never made it down to watch the runners.  I think Heather took her place on the side of the road when she was at Wellesley College as the even goes right by the campus.  This year I had thought about taking the day off, but with Selim's school vacation next week and taking time off then, I couldn't see how I could afford to be away an extra day, just for fun.  I had imagined that watching the event would inspire me to get back to my own running routine.  I've struggled with going out more than two times a week.  I have lacked motivation and discipline.

Tomorrow (or later on this morning as it is now 1:17am) in my own way, I will run in memory of those who lost their lives or were injured.  I will reflect on the event and think about the victims and their families.  I will lace up my shoes and head out the door, once again grateful for the life that I have and the ability to have both my feel slap the pavement on two good legs while pumping both my arms and sight in both eyes, face intact.  There are many who will no longer be able to do the same after such a senseless act of violence.

Signs of Spring?

We haven't been experiencing the warmest spring on record.  But we have had a few days of warm weather.  Wednesday night it rained.  Driving back home there were so many worms on the street that I could see them glisten in the glare of my headlights.  Walking out of the house on Thursday morning to take Selim to the bus, we had to tread carefully.  The driveway and street had turned into a worm festival/rave/party/extravaganza.  I've never seen so many worms stretched out on pavement before.  It was kind of icky.

However, there were other signs of spring.  The tete-a-tete bloomed.

And the hyacinth that escaped the repaving of the driveway last fall also begun to flower.

The daffodils are getting ready to pop.

What is the saying about New England weather?  If you don't like it, just wait a minute because it will change?  Anyway, right before I left to go to work the next day, I looked out the window and saw ice on my car.  Really?

Today Selim and I went to the  Durham playground.  I wore jeans, long sleeves, vest, jacket...and sandals.  I'm sick of socks.  I want warmth.  There were a few moments when the sun came out that my toes weren't cold.  But mostly I tried to ignore my foolish decision.

Selim had fun.  One of his classmates and another second grade boy from his school were there.  They had fun playing underwater divers and space guys.

Since I brought my camera, I kept interrupting the play and saying, "Selim, look at me."

Or, "Can you just hold that for a minute?"

"Turn your shoulder and look back at me."

"Stay right there!"

After a while, we went down to the water and the boys threw rocks in and watched the ripples and splash.  It was nice for me to be able to talk with the other moms.  Even though it wasn't warm, it was a good day.

Rough week

Last week was pretty rough.  I felt tired.  I experienced conflict at work that took a while for me to process and then address.  I realized that I had gained almost all the weight back that I had lost last year since I didn't exercise all winter.  It was just cruddy.

But today seemed more hopeful.  I shaved 2 minutes off my time for the 2.5 mile loop that I'm back to running.  I wore short sleeves and sandals.  In the afternoon it was warm enough to open the windows.  I managed to put in three hours of overtime in the morning and still get some chores done before I met Selim at the bus.  I bought gas for $3.34 a gallon.  We are getting a tax refund this year.  Driving across Route 4 last night, the little nursery in Northwood was selling kale plants.  Selim was sleeping so I didn't stop.  But maybe tomorrow I will plant the seeds that I ordered a couple of months ago.

In the news today, Margaret Thatcher died today.  There are things that I remember about her leadership, but listening to the commentary this morning was very interesting and added perspective.  Another death at the end of last week took place in Afghanistan.  A convoy was hit and a 25 year old Foreign Service Officer was killed along with servicemen and a doctor.  I've caught a glimpse of the Foreign Service world and I think the people who pass the test and then serve are so brave.  I was reading reactions on various blogs about Anne Smedinghoff's death and was reminded a new that it isn't only the military who risk their lives to further the interests of our great country.  She was only 25.  There are lots of people writing about it, here are a few perpectives from Jordan, from Estonia, Santo Domingo, Ankara, and this one (be sure to read the comments on that one) on her death.  

Tonight is the NCAA Men's basketball championship -- Louisville versus Michigan.  And tomorrow is the ladies game -- Louisville and Connecticut.  In sports, this is the week that makes me crazy because of the deification of Augusta and The Masters.  I enjoy watching the golf, but hate the reverence.  And the Boston Red Sox are on top of the American League East, nine days into the season.

Because posts need some photos, here are a few from the bus stop at the end of March.  He was giving me lessons on how to throw a football.