Kittens vs Ted Lasso vs Rhubarb

The remedy for everything unpleasant in life is holding kittens.

Seriously, somebody should develop "kittens therapy". 

C's friend's family are fostering kittens. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures when we were there. Because I was too busy holding kittens.

If no kittens are available, watching Ted Lasso also helps. I feel pretty much the same fuzzy warm feelings when watching the show. 

I wonder if the effect is additive... holding the kittens WHILE watching Ted Lasso.... Hmmm... How would I test that?

In other news: we had a fairly low-key long weekend. Celebrated my parents' 50th anniversary, our 31 years in the US, and a couple of birthdays all in one day (very efficient!) - went to an Uzbekistan restaurant. The food was delicious. I had soup Kharcho - so, so good.

Also, my husband went food shopping and got an insane amount of rhubarb. It took us hours to process it. I made a couple of pies but we still have so much rhubarb! I am freezing some and the rest will be pies and sauce and... I don't know. Any suggestions? What do you do with rhubarb?

On Monday, we made a quick trip to a local arboretum. We found chickadee babies! The nest is so cool, made of moss!

This week: school is still in sessions but everyone is abuzz because - it's almost over! There are end-of-year performances, concerts, recitals, recognition ceremonies, etc, etc. 

My youngest will be starting middle school next year... I don't know how to feel about it. On one hand, I'm happy and excited for her. On the other hand - our family has been part of that elementary school community for 10 years. The next couple of weeks will be like a countdown of the "lasts". Last time she takes the morning bus there... last time we go see a musical there... last time we see her teachers... last time we sit in the cafeteria... last kid to go through elementary school...

Disappointments and Learning Curve

I experienced a (very minor) disappointment this weekend.

Even though, in all ways, this disappointment (a minor award that was expected but did not happen) will not have lasting consequences and will be forgotten in a few weeks - it still did not feel good.

Like, really, really, out-of-proportion not good. 

It's funny, how your logical brain can be oh-so-reasonable... and it just barely makes a dent in how you actually feel.

To add insult to injury, this feels like there was an oversight, one of those "this does not make sense and is absolutely not fair" mismanaged situations.

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There was one thing I just learned (from my son's track coach, of all things - and I never ran track). Things that happen to you - do not define you. What defines you, is how you react to what's happening.

I keep thinking about this.

It is easy to be gracious, and nice, and sweet when everything is going peachy.

It's when things are NOT great - challenging life events, or political turmoil, or stressful situations - that's when it truly matters, how you react...

I do not react well to difficult times. I don't deal well with obstacles. I've been a mess because of world events and local politics. I have not reacted well when under stress or having to deal with unpleasant behavior from my teens. 

But this is one of those beautiful things in life - one can learn, and grow, and change.

I've got a lot of growing to do.

Little Things

that make me happy:

• Nice soap
• Re-reading books
• Flowers
• Fresh bread
• Rhubarb pies
• Birds making a nest in our window air conditioning unit (because cute)
• Hugging kids
• Fake-coughing just to annoy my husband

that annoy me:

• Laundry piles that are never put away
• Backpacks that are left out in the hallway 
• Multiple pairs of shoes that are not put away
• Laundry room (renovation project in progress - we are about 1/10th way in with no finish line in sight)
• Bad traffic
• Idiot drivers that pass me on a local no-passing road in a school zone
• Rabbits
• Birds making a nest in our window air conditioning unit (that can't be good)
• Teens watching idiotic youtube shorts for hours at a time
• Dirty socks and bowls left in random places

Yard and Other Updates

• We've had some beautiful sunny days and we've had some rain, too. 
• This year, forsythias did not do well and most of our azaleas did not do well, either - barely any blooms.
• Rhododendron bushes look nice. The new baby-bush we planted a year or two ago has nice purple blooms.
• There was massive pachysandra death all over our yard (but mostly around trees and next to our house). Possibly the result of last year's draught?
• If I don't plant my cucumber seedlings in the garden soon - they will die. If I plant the cucumber seedlings in the garden, the groundhog and the rabbits will eat them. I do not foresee any home-grown cucumbers this summer.

Other news:

• We went to see The Hobbit at Arden theater. It was well done, but probably not my favorite theater production ever. E couldn't come (he was working), so we took one of C's friends instead.
• We had both sets of grandparents over for Mother's Day. It was nice. I did not cook. 
• We all went to see E's youth orchestra concert. 
• E had his first AP test ever. He seems happy with how it went.
• Kitchen is almost done. But not yet - a few things are still missing or in-progress. It is functional - so we are mostly moved back in and using it all the time.
• C had a spectacular game last weekend (football/soccer). She contributed to quite a few close-call-saves when she was playing defense. Then she played mid-field and scored an absolutely breath-taking goal at the very end of the game.
• We are working out the details of our summer Baltic trip (we will be in Finland, Estonia, and Latvia).

Reading:

• Random old Russian books that I happened to have on my kindle (thriller/mystery type stuff by Polina Dashkova and Tatyana Ustinova) - I was in between books and needed something light and instantly available and not requiring deep commitment.
• I have a pile of books waiting to be picked up at the library. I am having a bit of decision-paralysis because I am not sure what type of book is going to work for me right now and I don't want to start a book only to realize that it is not quite fitting my current mood.

Watching

• Ted Lasso - waiting for the second season from the library.
• The Rig - entertaining but annoying (because it is just...too much and hard to suspend disbelieve and over-done in terms of tension and emotions)

Loosing the Plot

I had to return Orbital (Samantha Harvey) back to the library (it was over-due). I got through maybe a quarter of the book. It was beautifully written, I liked the characters, I liked the setting... and I just couldn't stick with it. 

It appears that I am at a point in life where I need a clear (and easy to follow) plot. I need books where things are happening, where the storyline grabs my attention and diverts it from the sad state of current affairs.

I am a little ashamed... As much for missing the library due date as for not being able to stick with this book.

I do firmly believe that, for maximum impact, you have to read a book at the right time.

Perhaps I'll give it another try at a later time. A time when I am not mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. A time when I am not worn out. A time when I don't feel like the world is falling apart. A time when I can loose myself in a book just to enjoy the language. Perhaps it will be never. Perhaps it will be a month from now.

In the meantime, I'm reading "Here One Moment" by Liane Moriarty. 

Post-Trip Catch-up (and Kitchen Update)

Amazingly, when we are away, the following things around the house do not get done:

• Laundry
• General clean-up
• Dusting
• Yardwork

I would think that for the first 2 items, there shouldn't be any more than usual, provided we were all away. It's not like dirty laundry is breeding in our absence! And there is no one home to make a mess! 

I was proven wrong. 

We are still dealing with piles (and piles, and piles) of laundry catch-up - weeks after we got back from Lisbon - and there is always another basket (or pile on someone's chair) that needs to be folded and put away. 

Random things seem to be out-of-place and impossible-to-find (this may have something to do with our kitchen renovation project). I have a long list of places that all of a sudden absolutely, critically, immediately need cleaning and organizing (like our hallway closet - oh what a disaster). I don't know if this is just seeing things with "fresh eyes" after coming home, or if somehow everyone just throws random objects into the closet (or shoves them under the bed... or kicks them into the mudroom...).

Kitchen project - we are almost, almost there. There is a cabinet under the island that needs to be replaced, and that's been taking forever. Once that piece is delivered (tomorrow? next week? next month? no idea...), our contractor can finish installing the island and wrap things up. There are a few spots that need a bit of touch-up, some drawers and doors need final adjustments, and there are a couple of cabinets where the back walls need to be patched up. That said - the kitchen is useable and we are slowly moving everything back in.

We had to get a new dishwasher - the old one (5 years old) started leaking (again). We had issues with it about a year ago, but my husband managed to fix it (after multiple weeks of struggle and cursing in all available languages). So, we made an executive decision to not mess around with it and get a replacement.

How do you manage post-vacation pile-up of tasks and chores? Is there anything preventative that can be done?

Beethoven

We took my mom and H to hear an all-Beethoven concert last Sunday. 

It was initially supposed to be Yefim Bronfman and Schumann's Piano Concerto, followed by Beethoven's Symphony #4 in B-flat major. Then, the first part of the program was changed to Beethoven's Piano Concerto #5 in E-flat major (The Emperor). 

And then Bronfman pulled out because of an injury and Garrick Ohlsson was to perform instead.

I headed into the concert hall with low expectations. As much as I enjoy Beethoven, I really wasn't super excited about 2 orchestral pieces in major keys. I am not a fan of happy music. I love dark, dramatic, emotional, turbulent, depressing stuff. 

Well... I absolutely loved the concert. Turned out, I was in dire need of something at least slightly positive (and Beethoven's music is never all-happy, there's plenty of drama there). Beethoven performed by Philadelphia Orchestra, with amazing acoustics - that was an absolute treat. The conductor was fantastic. 

Also, I absolutely loved Ohlsson's performance. He was truly phenomenal. He had such control and precision. It's been a long time since I've heard a piano performance that was so... powerful and energizing. And then he did an encore - Debussy (Claire de Lune) - and it was mesmerizing. The entire concert hall was holding breath.

This was H's first time attending a full-length grown-up symphony concert. She was slightly bored but did not complain. Classical music is not her thing, but I do want to make sure she is exposed to it at least on occasion. Plus, she plays the piano - so I am hoping hearing a professional pianist of that caliber would give her some perspective. I know I also need to find a jazz/blues performance to take her to - that would probably be a better fit.

What type of music to you tend to gravitate to? Do you have a preference for minor (sad) or major (happy) melodies?