Webs

There is one thing that bothers me when I go on forest walks in the morning.

Spiderwebs.

It's not as bad as walking into a giant web face-first - not an uncommon occurrence from my chilhood. Usually, these are just baby-webs that the spiders got started on but never got a chance to complete. 

Still, they cling to my face and arms, and I don't love that feeling.

There is enough human traffic on the trails to prevent anything big from being spun, but first thing in the morning, I may be the first one through, and oh boy, those spiders must have had a busy few hours since the sunrise.

So, if you happen to see a person waving arms randomly while walking along a trail - that's probably me, doing preventative arm movements to avoid getting the spiderwebs on my face. Or if you see a person waving a tree branch in front of them - yep, also me.

As little as I appreciate spiderwebs on my face, I have to say - I truly, really appreciate spiders. Anything that eats mosquitos is my friend.

May Updates - Mostly Not Great (But Nothing Terrible)

We had 5 bluebird eggs in the nest a few days ago:

And now there are none. I am so sad.

Not sure what happenned - a predator, maybe? Or could be another bird trying to take over the nest and tossing out eggs.

Kids are done with APs and Keystones. There is almost a month of school left, but all 3 kids complain that school is pointless and they don't do anything. 

There are bunnies in our garden. We set out a trap - will see if we can relocate a few...

Our fig tree has an infestation of some sort - I think we need to cut it down. I guess it could regrow from the root.

There were a few days below freezing in late April, so most of our azalea flowers were destroyed. Our mulberry tree was hit pretty hard by the freeze, too. It is bouncing back with some new leaves, but we won't be getting any berries this year. And I think a lot of fruit on the trees dropped, including pawpaws. 

Fast forward to mid-May: it's hot and humid. We have air conditioning running in the house. Even in the morning, the air is heavy and sticky.

What are your wins and losses this May?

A Walk in the Park

I've been going for walks at a nearby park, following the same loop (up the hill along the paved road, shortcut tthrough the forest path, down the paved trail along the stream, and back to where I started). There are a couple of things I've been noticing.

The path through the forest is always changing. It is is under constant attack from all sorts of shrubs, grasses, and briars - I need to start brining clippers with me, to help maintain the trail.

Today, there was a fallen tree blocking the way, along with a multidue of branches, vines, and shrubs that came down with the tree. My husband (he works from home on Thursdays and usually joins me on walks) and I contemplated turning back but decided against it. We considered going under the tree - but there just wasn't enough room to crawl through. So we had to go over it, which involved lots of hand-holding (literally), pulling each other, holding branches out of the way, and checking for poison ivy.

That adventure added about 5 minutes to our walk. 

I started to recognize the people that I see in the park. There is the man with the beard walking a hunting dog who never says hello or nods. He doesn't seem unfriendly, just deep in his thoughts. There is the man with two giant dogs (long-haired German Shepherds, maybe?) - we nod to each other but the dogs pretend like I'm not there. There is the lady with the dangling keys who is nearly always passing me (she walks fast! and I can hear her coming...). There is S., our neighbor, who recently lost her husband, and walks at least one of her dogs (Casey) in the park. Her other dog (Millie) prefers shorter walks in the neighborhood, so S first goes around the block with Millie and then drives to the park with Casey. We stop and chat for a few minutes. There is the couple who walk their mid-size white-and brown dog (I can't figure out the breed) who always smile and nod and the dog appears super friendly.

Occasionally, I'll see parents with young kids in stollers, but no one that comes on a regular basis.

Some people are running but I studiously ignore them (why does it feel somehow improper to stare at runners?)

There are a few bikers, but they all look the same to me in their helmets and bibs - it's quite possible that I've been seeing the same people riding bikes every day, but I really can't tell. The best I can do is "that one has a short gray beard!"  - which is about half of the men riding bikes. 

Dear Reader: any memorable walks laterly?

Work Madness

I've had a rough couple of weeks - overwhelming high-stress, super-urgent projects. I know that once I am done with these - I will be very not-busy, and looking for additional projects. I like being busy and having lots of work. I don't like starting my day and realizing that there is almost nothing on my to-do list. 

Apologies, I am rambling. 

It's not the work that is stressing me out. It's the new clients. It's the lack of a good process that I've come to take for granted when working with established clients. It's the fact that they ignore our advice, our recommended ways of getting from point A to B to C. They throw our entire way of doing things into disarray. 

Like my boss says, the work is great - interesting, challenging... The only problem are the clients...

Dear Reader: In your line of work, what would you get rid of?

What We Saw, With Feelings

C and I were sharing our hammock yesterday, relaxing and enjoying the nice evening.

Here's what we saw:

• Bats
• Fireflies (in early May!)
• Geese flying in formation
• Bluebird sitting on top of the bird house
• Robins
• Tree branches swaying in the wind
• Rabbit
• Squirrels

We read a bit, we chatted a bit.

We had a pretty intense weekend and I'm not back to normal yet. We had a health scare with C - she is OK, everything is OK - but I still have this underlying sense of dread. Even though I know she is fine, that spike of terror at the possibiliy of a major health problem, it doesn't just dissipate immediately. It's strange how emotions play catch-up with facts.

In other news:

• H is done with her AP exams
• E has 3 AP exams coming up
• My father, husband, C, and I went to a Kazakh restaurant - the food was delicious and we chatted with the friendly waiter, whose father served near Baikonur around the same time my father was there as a military doctor
• Mom and E went to see Itzhak Perlamn and other musicians 
• We planted 2 baby fig trees. Our older fig trees show no signs of life - but they typically leaf in pretty late, so we are not loosing hope yet. Mulberry tree is also leaf-less.
• H is preparing for Envirothon competition

What do you notice when sitting and relaxing someplace quiet?

Walks and Talks

When I go on walks, I daydream.

Listening to audiobooks while walking may be tempting, but I already have such a gossamer connection to reality, I'm worried that loosing myself in an audio book means I'll become completely oblivious to the real life around me, including traffic, bikers, holes in the ground, etc.

In the meantime, as I am walking, thoughts drift in and out of my head.  I notice flowers, invasive species of plants, poison ivy popping up along the path. 

• I see you, you nasty multifloral rose, invasive and indestructible 
• Awww, goslings.

• Bush honeysuckle - invasive!
• Loose rocks on the trail - careful on those, don't want to turn my anke.

Random musings and concepts that flitter in and out:

• Kids do not clean their rooms, fold laundry, or help out much.
• Math and English curriculum and the sad state of the current school system
• Perfect school: what would it look like, what would be the dialy structure, what kind of academics it would have, lunch ideas (note to self: ask the kids for ideas about perfect schools)

Other things that keep my brain occupied while I'm walking:

• Imaginary conversations with people I haven't seen in ages, or with fictional characters
• Discussions of books (as a stream-of-conciousness-monologue)
• Remember? Thnking back to embarassing moment that I am still ashamed of
• Remember? Thinking back to fun times I wish I could do again
• Meaning of life, parenting woes, goals (usually together with bullet 1 from this list)

I noticed that if I'm thinking about something that makes me angry, I tend to walk faster. If I'm thinking about books or philosophical matters, I slow down.

What does your brain do when you go on solo walks?

Real Estate Drama

We have a bluebird box in our back yard. 

We'been watching bluebirds hanging out on top of it, going in and out. 

Guess what's inside the bluebird box? This:

This is not a bluebird nest. This is a very cozy feather-lined chickadee nest. 

The bluebirds got scooped. They were not quick enough to move into the box. 

Update (about a week later):

There is a nest on top of a nest.

Bluebirds swooped in to reclaim their home.

We are keeping an eye on this to see if wrens or sparrows try to move in. Last year, wrens evicted the bluebirds (eggs and all...) and built their own nest.

Dear Reader: do you like bird watching? Do you have a favorite bird?

Life Savers

Sometimes, life gets very busy and very "omg, we only have 20 minutes to eat before the next activity, where's dinner - oh wait, there is no food!".

April has been a month of extreme deadlines at work, multiple kid activities (Envirothon, track, swimming, rehearsals, piano/violin/cello/Hebrew lessons, soccer, clubs, teen jobs), and weather that absolutely screams "go for a walk" and "plant those seeds!" 

May is going to be all that plus multiple concerts/shows (middle school and high school spring performances, youth orchestra, Itzhak Perlman in Philly, Cirque du Soleil), AP exams, Envorithon competitions, Keystone exams. Not all of it is on my plate (I don't have to take any exams..) but this just adds extra stress and kids (who do minimal chores to begin with) will be even less likely to help with the dishes...

In the meantime, I feel compelled to ensure that we have healthy meals as much as possible. Because feeding people is important to me. But right now, I don't have much time to cook. Also, when I  get a bit of time in the middle of the day - I've been going on walks instead of cooking, because nice spring weather is a terrible thing to waste.

So I wanted to call out one thing that's been amazing this week:

Costco salads* that come in bags - so, so easy. I love their Sweet Kale salad kit. Mediterrenian Crunch is also pretty good. If I have a few extra minutes, I add a few extra ingredients - cucumbers, sweet peppers, tomatoes. When I don't have any extra minutes, we just eat the salad as is. These salads have made a huge difference this week - total sanity-savers!

*So... making a salad from scratch does not actually take that long... but it does take some time and then there's the decision factor of what to include. Definitely more energy-consuming than a salad kit, especially when I feel overwhelmed with work and stuff. 

Dear Reader: what's your life-saver this week?

Happy Things

Life has been a bit stressful - nothing new there

I figured it's time to mention a few things that are nice and help me remember that life is good!

1. Dogwoods! Our dogwoods are absolutely stunning this year. There are flower-covered branches right outside our bathroom window, so every morning, first thing I see when I look outside - dogwood flowers.

 

2. This was a great year for daffodils (well, every year seems to be a good year for daffodils) - so nice to see the blooms in the spring.

3. Azaleas started to bloom, too. 

4. Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson - I am less than half way in, but so far, I really like it. I've been looking for solid sci-fi and I am very excited to have found this author. I like it how he weaves the narrative using logical extension of current science. Using genetically-engineered fast-growing bamboo cultivated on the moon as a construction material instead of wood -yeah, I can buy into that. Monologues on the formation of the solar system, Earth, and Moon - yes please, especially as it send me down the rabbit hole of fact-checking. And so far, I like the cast of characters.

5. Bike ride with my husband - it's been almost a year since I've gone biking, so this was a bit painful. In the meantime, all 3 kids went to a nearby park to fly kites (possible because our son drives). Everyone had fun, and we did not have to deal with whining (looking at one child in particular, not naming any names). My husband did complain a bit - sort of - he is used to going fast, and I can't keep up, so he was forced to slow down (normally, he and E would be lightyears ahead, and the girls and I would be lagging behind). I told him this was supposed to be a social event - like a date - and not a workout.

6. Pawpaws. Because the flower are delightfully weird.

7. The smell of lilacs

Dear Reader, what's making you happy this week?

End of Sourdough

I've been baking sourdough bread for 5 years now. I grew the starter from scratch at the beginning of the pandemic (at one point, there was no yeast in the stores and I was determined to ensure my family was well-fed with home-made bread no matter what). I've been maintaining the starter since then.

Last evening, I threw it all out.

Over the past year or so, I've been slacking off with regular feeds. I haven't been baking bread as much as I used to. The starter (my kids named it Sarah-dough) started getting a little peaky (and a little pinkish around the edges). 

This morning, I woke up with a heavy feeling in my heart. No more sourdough. My youngest nearly broke down in tears - because what about bread? I reassured her, we were still going to make bread - I have oodles of yeast (that my husband bought at Costco a while back, and it has been sitting in the freezer with barely any use) and it would be fun to try new bread recipes. 

I am sad. 

I will take a break from sourdough.

At the end of summer, I will re-evaluate how I feel and will decide if I want to make a new sourdough starter. 

I feel bad about throwing my Sarah-dough out.

Weekend Snapshot

Friday:

• C had swimming
• H had envirothon 
• E had track practice
• E and I went to see a documentary on Apollo 11, followed by Q&A with an astraunat/scientist (not from the Apollo program, but he was in space for ~20 days in the 90's)
• We watched the lift off of the Artemis II when we were on vacation, and kept an eye on the videos and images during the whole time the team went around the moon
• E and I came back home just as the Artemins II astraunats safely splashed down

Saturday:

• I made a giant pot of Borsch
• Husband did some yardwork
• I read and watched Bones with the girls
• Kids practiced their instruments and the older 2 studied and did homework
• Laundry! Loads and loads of laundry.
• Worked for a couple of hours

Sunday:

• C went to Hebrew School
• I baked Apple Cake (aka Guests at the Threshold, aka Sharlotka) for mom's birthday
• Girls and I went to a local produce market that sells plants and got a gorgeous planter for my mom, as well as a pile of strawbery plants for ourselves
• Husband and I planted flowering stuff around the back yard 
• Note: dogwoods and redbuds are in bloom! So is Japanese andromeda. Daffodils are on the way out. Apple trees are getting some flowers. Pawpaws have flowers, too.
• Went to myparents' house to celebrate mom's birthday! 
• Did a bit of work in the evening

Musings on Athletic Stuff

 I think I'm mising some sort of "exercise-endorphin release" loop.

I do not feel better or happier after I exercise. I just feel more tired, sweaty, and grumpier than ever. Sometimes, there is a grim sense of accomplishment. As in, I hate this but I did it anyway. Woohoo for me. 

I do love going on walks in the woods. Or some other nature area. Preferably with no people around. And while this is also exercise, I believe the happiness factor comes from being out in the woods. Not from huffing-puffing up the hill. 

I do believe exercise is important to stay healthy and active long-term. Which is why I make an effort and do things that do not make me happy.

Interestingly, my kids are so much more athletic than I am. It's always a surprise - these humans who came out of my body are so radically different. My son does cross country and track (and actually loves running!), my older daughter dives (and is absolutely fearless), and my youngest is very well coordinated and likes soccer, volleyball, and swimming.

I'm going to try and find the time to get out for a walk today.

Does exercising make you feel good?

Spring Break Sadness

We've done quite a few family road trips. We drove to Maine, and to South Carolina, and upstate NY, and (a few times) Virginia. We also had long hauls between Washington state and Montana, and Montana to Calgary. For many, many years, starting with a long drive to Bar Harbor when our youngest was only about 2, we listent to audio books. We called our rental house near Acadia "Villa Villekulla" because we were listening to Pippi Longstocking. We listened to The Mysterious Benedict Society, and The Penderwicks, and multiple Harry Potter books. It was great.

And it seems like we've come to the end of that era. We spent the spring break driving to see colleges in Virginia, North Carolina, and (very briefly) Maryland. I got a few audio books from the library (our car has a CD player). Because the kids are so much older now, I figured it would make sense to get more grown-up stories. Well, sort of. I had The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and a book by Frederick Backman, thinking that both were quirky and funny (with some sad mixed in, in case of Backman). And for old-times sake, I got The Penderwicks, too (per my older daughter's suggestion).

Guess how many of those books we listened to as a family? Zero. Because the kids are at a stage when they have strong preferences and don't want to compromise. And, the older two have Libby apps on their phones. The girls shared headphones and listened to books by Gordon Korman (and then some Harry Potter on the final stretch). My son listened to a nordic thriller (The Chestnut Man) - he liked it so much, he said I should read it (I did, in a book form. I couldn't put it down, so I can completely understand why he just wanted to keep listening to it non-stop).

So, the trip was very quiet. I feel kind of sad about that. Not sure if this is inevitable (my oldest will be 18 in a few months!!!), or if I just need to work harder on organizing experiences that we can all share as a family, be it audio books, movies, hiking trails, or beach time.

What are your favorite family activities, either current or from your childhood?

Dear Jack, Dear Louise

 We went to see "Dear Jack, Dear Louise" at a local theater. It was funny, and sad, and emotional, and yes, they were "reading" letters to each other, but it was more like they were "living" letters to each other. Oh, and the story was based on the playwright's parents and the letters they wrote before finally meeting in-person.

Louise was an aspiring actress and dancer - and oh my, her description of auditioning for a part in "Arsenic and Old Lace" was hilarious. (Also, I really like Aresenic and Old Lace). Jack was a military doctor, who was initially stationed in Oregon but eventually was sent to Europe to treat wounded soldiers. His experiences were harrowing (but he mostly kept it light and soft in the letters). 

My grandfather was a military doctor during the WWII. He was drafted in June 1941, just as Germany invaded the USSR. He was finishing up medical school - they were done with all their exams except Ethics. 

The town where my grandfather went to medical school was bombed, and students were told to evacuate their dorms and gather in the nearby forest. They never got to take that final Ethics exam. Instead, they had their graduation ceremony and received diplomas in the forest. My grandfather, along with everyone else, received his "officer" status and got to pick what regiment he was to join. My great-uncle (from the other side of the family) was there, too, graduating at the same time. He chose a different regiment. Soon after, he was taken a prisoner. He did not survive.

My grandfather, on the other hand, made it all through the war, was at Berlin, and came back, if not "whole" but mostly intact and with no visible wounds. He did not tell many stories about the war - not to me (I think he may have shared more with my male cousin) - instead, he would tell over, and over again, how they got their diplomas in the forest, how he found his regiment (nearly getting arrested because he looked like a spy), how he was shot at by the Germans (they missed but killed his horse). These events all happenned before he was actually a doctor at the field hospital. I've heard almost nothing (but I can imagine the horrors) of medical work near the front line. I know that his field hospital was hit by enemy fire. My grandfather happenned to be outside. He was hit by the explosion wave, but survived. I know that he got a medal for pulling a commanding officer out of the line of fire (but he did not talk much about that, except for saying that the commander was drunk). 

Do you write letters? As in, real-life, snail-mail letters?

Good Book/Bad Book Test

When I was a kid, I had a simple test to see if a book was good or bad.

I would flip to the last page and read the last sentence. 

If that sentence answered the question "How does the book end?", I could put that book away. 

If that sentence made no sense and was not a spoiler, it was a sign of a good book.

Simplistic? Yes. Did this always work? Of course not.

But think about it: when you are immersed in a good book, you travel with the characters, you learn and grow with them. If you skip all that and simply jump to the last sentence - of course it wouldn't make sense, because you haven't put in the work required to "get it".

I don't do this much anymore. For the most part, I read books that have been recommended by friends (or by you, dear fellow bloggers) and/or that had good reviews on Kirkus. Also, for many fun-read genre books, the last page with all the answers is part of the game.

***

I'm reading "Piranesi" right now. After I got about a third into the book, I flipped to the last page and read that last sentence.

Nope, did not make much sense. 

I'm sticking with reading the book and taking it one sentence at a time.

Do you have a method for "screening" books?

Weekend Report

Friday

• E and husband came down with bad colds, but they still drove to Penn State for an engineering open-house event. They came home late, exhausted, barely able to move. 
• C went to a sleep-over birthday party
• H and I went to a French restaurant for dinner
• With C being away, the big kids and I watched "Silence of the Lambs"

Saturday

• E and husband are not feeling well at all. 
• E had a meet - he let his coach know that he was sick, but the coach said "the team needs you" - it was a relay race. So E went... he ran OK and was happy with his time (it was 5:30 for the mile), considering he hasn't been training much and was feeling terrible. He nearly blacked out at the end, but made it.
• I did not go to the meet (I asked E - he said, don't come; it turned out to be super long - E left at 8 and did not get back until 2 pm) - instead, I went for a walk in the park.
• I picked up C from the sleepover and we went food-shopping.
• Cleaned up around the house a bit, did laundry
• We were supposed to have friends over and I was going to have to cancel (my husband was barely awake and miserable), but they beat us to it - they were sick, too. I guess something bad is going around and it's only a matter of time before I get it (the girls had somethign last week, but it was mild and they felt better after a day of resting).
• H went to a friend's birthday celebration

Sunday

• E and husband are feeling terrible. E was agonizing all morning about work and if he should call in sick. He emailed his manager to see if he could do something that was not customer-facing, only to realize a few minutes later that he was not scheduled to work today.
• C and H went to Hebrew school. C then went to help out at a local foodbank with a friend.
• Husband and I fertilized trees and took stock of our garden (we need a new fence).
• C and I went shopping - stopped by Eddie Bauer and then Costco. Eddie Bauer is going out of business - I am so sad. I love that store. I love their jeans. I have 3 pairs of their hiking pants. My favorite summer dress is from Eddie Bauer. And my hiking shoes. And my leather jacket. And my favorite sandals.
• E felt better in the afternoon and had a couple of orchestra friends over to practice for an upcoming performance - and then they stayed for dinner.
• The girls and I watched "Bones" while E was finishing up homework.

Hope you are all staying healthy! What's been happenning this weekend for you?

Third Child Blues

I was "in the zone" working on a manuscript and missed a conference call with C's teachers.

I felt so, so bad.

I did not go to her "back-to-school" night. I did not attend the parent/teacher conference in the fall. I did not meet her teachers!

A lot of it just feels so repetitive: I'already had 2 kids go through the middle school, so I am lacking the motivation for yet another meeting, or yet another middle school presentation.

C is not impressed and I feel like I'm letting her down, like I'm not treating her middle-school years as important.

Frankly - well, there's nothing particularly critical or important going on. She is doing all the things she is supposed to be doing in school. She is on top of her work. She participates in clubs. She is doing well, academically. I am kind of over asking the teachers about more challenging work - this has not worked well for the 2 older kids. Sadly, C is bored in math and does not seem to be learning much in her English class. She would absolutely benefit from additional challange. Perhaps I will try again, reaching out to the teachers and asking if there is anything we can work out. 

And speaking of doing things again... C's Bat Mitzvah is in less than a year.  Do you know what my feelings are? "But I've already done this twice... Do we really need to do this again?" (yes, we do... and I will adjust my attitude).

******************

I sent a very apologetic email to C's teacher, after missing that virtual conference. The teacher was amazing - she called me back a few minutes later and we had a brief chat about C's progress. 

Alright - parenting fail and partial save...

***********************

Dear Reader - care to share any recent fails and associated guilt?

Favorite Books 2025

The year of 2025 was not a great one for reading - I did not get through a whole lot of books. That said, I do have a couple of favorites to share.

Katalin Kariko. Breaking Through: My Life in Science

I am not usually a big reader of autobiographies, but this one - I loved from beginning to end. Katalin Kariko won a Nobel Prize in 2023 for mRNA therapy research that was instrumental in developing Covid vaccine (and mRNA therapy is currently being explored in a wide variety of therapeutic areas, including cancer and rare metabolic diseases).

The book provided an interesting perspective on a very strong-willed scientist with outstanding work ethic. It was not self-cenetered and told the story of scientific discovery in a way that was accessible but not dumbed down.

I spent so many years doing research in a lab - everything she wrote rang true and familiar. The science was honest. The amount of work and perserverence it takes to do solid science is true.

Herve Le Tellier. The Anomaly

I loved this book. It was a good blend of science fiction and realism, with interesting characters and thorught-provoking themes (what is real? and does it matter?)

The ending was spectacular. 

If you've read these - let me know. Curious to hear your thoughts!

******************************************************************

Runner-ups: not as memorable, but there were a few additional books that I enjoyed.

Mike Herron. Slough House

Excellent book: well written, sarcastic, with characters that feel real and sympathetic even when they do dumb things.

(This one is part of a series and it makes sense to read them chronologically. So far, all the books have been good, but I can't read more than 1 or 2 at a time and need extended breaks. Too much sarcasm and human stupidity, I guess).

Emily Tesh. Some Desperate Glory

I stumbled on this book exactly at a perfect time. I needed sci-fi that was not too heavy but was thought-provoking and relatable. 

Plenty of tropes here - but the story was well done and one of the themes was close to my heart (realizing that your way of thinking and living, everything you've learned as true, all your values - have nothing to do with reality).

Kate Quinn The Briar Club

Well-written, full of interesting characters - this was such a nice read. I did not love it as much as "The Diamond Eye" or "The Huntress", but it was still a very good read.

Travis Baldree Legends and Lattes and also Bookshops & Bonedust

 I did not expect to like these books. (I usually stay clear of fantasy, or romance, or books marketed as "cozy"). And yet - this was exactly what I needed at a time when I was stressed out and all other books just felt like too much. Very enjoyable if you are burned out and need a break from life.

Can't Rush Cooking

I meant to start dinner prep earlier, I really did. 

But I forgot to get the frozen chicken thighs out to thaw first thing in the morning.

Worry not, family - I hurried the thawing process by plonking the package into a large bowl filled with warm water around lunch time. Surely, by 4 pm, the chicken would be ready for baking.

So here's the Tuesday dilemma: I need to have dinner on the table by 6.  Because my oldest child has an orchestra rehearsal that's a good 30 min drive, and my husband usually goes with him, and they need to leave by 6:15 or 6:20. 

I work from home, so preparing things for dinner and getting things into the oven is not too much of an issue.

Except when I have "hot" projects. And then the combination of stress, exhaustion, and being "in the zone" and so hyper-focused on the work I disassociate from realily - that can really mess with me. I have 2 manuscripts in-progress, one on a crazy timeline, the other one slightly less crazy (but I'm running late on it). 

So back to the chicken. I thought - no problem, around 4 pm, I could peel and cut the vegetables (how long could this take - 20 minutes, maybe less, right?), add the oil/vinegar/spices, put everything on the cooking tray and stick it into the oven. Everything should be ready around 5:30. That gives plenty of time for the chicken to cool a bit and for everyone to eat! Ha, I so got this.

Right?

Wrong!

I was so busy editing and revising one of the manuscripts, I lost track of time. Oops - it's 4:40! No worries, quick, to the kitchen.

So, to cut to the chase: I didn't get the chicken + vegetables into the oven until 5:10. Normally, I cook for 30 min, baste the chicken thighs, mix the vegetables, then back into the oven (@400F), another 15 min, repat basting/mixing, and then do final 15 min in the oven. So, 1 hour total - with ETA at 6:10.

On any other night, that wouldn't be a problem.

But remember, the guys had to leave by 6:15... so I decided to skip the final 10 minutes in the oven. 

The vegetables turned out great.

The chicken, sadly, did not. 

You can't rush cooking, you can't cut corners, you can't get the chicken out 10 minutes early. We ended up "nuking" the chicken (my mother-in-law's term, not mine) in the microwave. It did not taste great.

Note to self. Think ahead! Set an alarm! Start earlier! I could have spent 30 min peeling and cutting vegetables earlier in the day, like during my lunch break, when I got the chicken out of the freezer. Be pessimistic about time - assume that things will take twice as long as anticipated. 

(It's funny - I am fairly pessimistic about most things in life, but I am an idiot of an optimist when it comes to planning time.)

(I realize that one thing could have saved the day - spending some time thinking through the meals/deadlines/ingredients for the week. However, I am allergic to meal planning. Just thinking about it makes me break out in hives.)

Do you have favorite dinners that you can make from scratch when pressed for time? 

Pullman Trilogy

Well, this was depressing.

It started out so well - I really liked "La Bell Savauge". I enjoyed "The Secret Commonwealth". (There was plenty of weirdness, but it was interesting weirdness that was well within the parameters of the story). But then, the inconsistencies and illogical things kept piling up.

By the time I was half-way through "The Rose Field" - I really could not tell if I was missing the point, if my book was missing pages, if the author got bored of the whole thing, if I was stupid and just wasn't "getting it", or if the whole grand finale was just a pool of unresolved goo that I was drowning in. 

Also, Malcolm and Lyra, romantically interested in one another? No, thank you.

And what's the whole point of that angel creature being wrong about the whole thing with Will and Lyra not allowed to ever see each other, or about only being able to meet in their imagination? OK, so that I can sort of buy into - say, even if you loose a loved one, they are still there in your hear/mind/soul, etc, etc.

But what about having to separate from daemon before entering the Red Building? What was the point of that? And what happened to the guards, at the very end? And what in the world happenned to that woman who was cleaning up and experimenting in the lab?

Look, I am all for "open-ended" endings, where things are not spelled out, and you have the freedom to interpret things as you wish. 

But at the end of this trilogy, there are just so many things piling up that are illogical, disconnected, and make no sense.

Stories - especially long long stories - especially long stories that have multiple books - they need internal logic that the author sticks to. Otherwise, it's a betrayal of reader's trust.

There were moments of brilliance. There was a sense of adventure. There were fascinating characters. And then it just all went to pieces.

Ah, well.

Note to self: beware of sequels.

Also, Mr. Pullman, the whole thing about needing to look sideways in order to see "the truth", or "the secret commonwealth", or what not - it was all said already in "The Litle Prince." To paraphrase: That which is truly important cannot be seen with one's eyes.

I am going to re-visit thinking about "The Book of Dust" in a few months. Perhaps, time away will give me a better perspective.

Dear Reader: What are your thoughts on "The Book of Dust" trilogy?

Still Standing and It's March 2026: Favorite Things

I am still here, still standing, treading water, putting one foot in front of another, taking one day at at time. There are so many metephor-like expressions for "I'm here". 

I haven't posted in a while.

As the weeks went by, I composed so many posts in my head. They were oh-so-witty and insightful. I forgot them all. 

There were moments that were meaningful, that I meant to write about, but now are lost.

There were moments that were aggravating (thinking back, it feels like there were a lot more aggravating moments than meaningful moments).

I do want to share a few things that made me happy in Feburary and continue to make me happy in March.

1. NOVA. 

Now that we have PBS Passport, we have access to a lot of shows and documentaries. I tried watching historic Ken Burns documentaries (namely, about Benjamin Franklin) - and while well-researched and well-told, I just wasn't into them.

And then I happenned to watch a NOVA documentary on quantum entanglement. Then I watched a few more NOVA documentaries on chemistry. And on rockets. And about renovating an aiport. And about evolution of birds. I loved them all.

That has been my happy space on Saturday and Sunday mornings. While the kids are still asleep, I fold laundry (or just sit back) and watch NOVA. Then my husband joins me "just for a minute" that typically turns into a full episode. 

2. Listening to music while cooking.

I listen to ABBA, Splin, Stromae, random Russian stuff, random French stuff - as long as music is (mostly) in a minor key, I'm in. I do not like happy music. Give me rage, and despair, and sadness. Je suis malade - yes, please. 

I tried listening to podacsts while cooking - that didn't work. I can not multitask. My brain does not process 2 things (cooking and interpreting language) at the same time. 

3. Puzzles.

My youngest daughter and I have been working on a very hard puzzle for - oh I don't know - a month? It is about 90% complete now. Why is it so satisfying to put the correct piece into the correct spot, seeing how a piece with random color spots now fits in (perfectly) into the bigger picture? I don't know, but oh man, endorphin release, right there.

4. Crosswords

We have one of those daily rip-off page calendar thingies that has a small crossword puzzle on each page. Same as with jigsaw puzzles, making the words fit together on the grid = happiness.

Dear Reader - what is making you happy this year? 

Pet Peeves

A few housekeeping-related annoyances

• Dishes stacked on top of glasses in the sink
• Dirty utensils sunk deep inside a pot soaking in water
• Knives left out with food stuck to them
• Cutting board left out after cutting up avocados - with chunks of avocado dried up and smeared
• Bowls, mugs, glasses left sitting all over the house
• Waste of paper towels (we have rags! and tissues! and cloth towels)
• Shoes, bags, violins, and backpacks left all over the floor and blocking my way
• People not responding when I ask a question
• Forgetting that I have bread in the works and the dough over-proofing
• Making mistakes when mixing ingredients for a recipe that I've done a 1000 times
• Setting the wrong temperature on the oven
• The sound on my phone failing to work, so no alarm to wake me up on time!
• Clean laundry sitting around in baskets (or in the dryer)

And what about you? What's annoying right now?

Snow and Weekend

We got snow.

The temperatures are below freezing.

Real winter, at last! (At least for a few days.)

The start of the weekend was a bit stressful because of the snow-storm-induced changes to events, which caused my careful stack of kid activities to nearly collapse. Specifically, our son's concert was moved to an earlier time, which meant I no longer could pick up one of my kids from a get-together with friends or drive another kid to a birthday party. Luckily, they were able to get rides with friends.

Speaking of the concert: it was high school musicians playing Shostakovich Symphony #5. They were good!!! It was quite competitive to get into this districts-level orchestra and E was very happy with himself. He auditioned for the next level (regionals), but didn't make it. The kids had 2 all-day rehearsals, and then they performed. E was bummed he didn't make it to the regionals, but he loved playing Shostakovich. 

When everyone was finally home (before the storm hit) - I was so relieved. Our youngest was very unhappy about having to skip a sleepover, but I just didn't feel comfortable leaving her at someone else's house with the crazy weather coming (although the other girls stayed). 

Sunday was very laid-back: we did some sledding, I read in front of the fireplace, the kids watched a movie... E made his signature Shepherd's Pie. 

I do love sledding. 

Are you getting a lot of snow in your area? Do you have a favorite snow-dependent activity?

Acquired Taste

We had dinner with friends last Saturday, and we talked a bit about food likes and dislikes. And that got me thinking - some foods that I really like now were not an instant hit for me.

Examples:

• Sushi/sashimi (went from "I don't know about this" to "love it", but it took a few tries)
• Indian food (first time was "hmmm interesting" but now I love it)
• Fresh figs
• Coffee (I always loved the smell but didn't particularly like the flavor or how it made me feel - all hyper and chatty)
• Eggplant (did not like it as a child, grew to love it as a teenager)
• Peanut butter

And in reverse, there were some foods I used to enjoy but now can't deal with (not sure if it's a temporary oversaturation or a permanent change):

• Pineapple
• Nutella
• Avocado
• Sweet tea (tea without sugar is still lovely)
• Cranberry juice (too sweet)

How about you? What are our acquired and dis-acquired tastes?