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?

Lisbon Adventures

Fun adventures:

Wondering through the streets of Lisbon, losing sense of direction, and stumbling across cute restaurants and shops.

Taking the bus to another part of town and trying to (frantically) figure out when to get off.

Looking for a tram stop and walking farther than anticipated, and unexpectedly stumbling across Praça do Comércio! I am so glad we did - there were people making giant bubbles and lots of opportunities for both people watching and appreciating the monuments and architecture.

Exploring Castelo de São Jorge in the rain, and then again in the evening (with my son who missed the rainy excursion because he was sick). Did you know that peacocks roosted in trees overnight? Well, they do, and they look somewhat ridiculous (so many peacocks perched high up on branches, tails hanging down!), and they make a ruckus when you walk under them. 

Meeting and catching up with an old friend.

Borderline fun adventures:

Getting soaked in the rain. We had rain jackets, which offered limited protection. Our pants ended up soaking wet. Walking around and sitting down for lunch in soaked pants is not the funnest thing in the world.

We had no phone service but were able to use wi-fi for calls/texts. For the most part, it worked fine, but google maps refused to provide directions when we were off-line, even if we downloaded the local maps. 

Decidedly do-not-want-to-repeat adventures:

One of our teenagers got lost when we were exploring a castle in Sintra (Quinta Da Regaleira). We got separated when taking different sets of stairs down from the castle - she was with her brother, and the rest of us were all together. I could see E and H, and I called them over. I saw E coming towards us and I assumed that H was with him. Except she wasn't... My husband, E, and I started checking various locations (exit, entrance, bathroom, cafe), while our friend waited near the exit with our youngest. The castle grounds were extensive and included tunnels, gardens, etc. We ended up talking to security. They were super nice and reassuring - this happens all the time, don't you worry, we will find her. Ten minutes later - she was spotted walking outside the walls of the castle.

Turns out - when she saw that we were not following her to the exit gate (we did talk about being done and walking back to town for lunch - but needed to use the bathroom first, which was in the opposite direction), she got mad and left through the exit, thinking that she'll wait for us there. After a while, she got worried, and tried to get back in - but couldn't (there was a guard stationed at the exit). She ran to the main entrance - we weren't there but she saw a sign about how to connect to wifi.* She couldn't call us (because our phones weren't working) so she called her grandmother on WhatsApp (great, let's give grandma a panic attack!!!). She ran back to the exit, and by that time the guard was on alert and flagged her down and let her in. 

H got pretty freaked out and did not wonder off without telling me for the rest of the trip.

Lessons learned: when visiting museums or parks, have a designated meeting place in case people get separated. If possible, connect to wi-fi and send a message. Do not call grandmother. (I finally managed to connect to wifi and send my mom multiple "everything is fine! Really!" messages.) Also, kids should be responsible for keeping eyes on the parents and making sure they can see at least 1 parent** (or tell the parents where they'll be heading and where to find them).

Perspective: this is not the first time H just runs off when we don't do exactly what she wants... She's done it on hikes, too (which is nerve-racking when we are in cougar or bear country...). There was a memorable incident at the Olympic National Park about 3 years ago, where she ran away because she was mad about gong on a hike - we found her, eventually (she left a sort of a crumb trails, using sticks and her hat to point which way she was going). She was grounded all summer (she couldn't go anywhere without adult supervision, even to a corner store to get ice cream with cousins - we told her we couldn't trust her to be responsible)***.

*It did occur to me to try to connect to wi-fi, but we found her before I had a chance to figure out the network/password stuff.

** H said: isn't that the parents' job, to keep eyes on the kids? Yeah, if the kids are toddlers! (Speaking of... there was an adorable 4- or 5-year-old we saw at the airport, who was jogging along, following his mom - she checked on him periodically but he was so good at sticking close to her without hand-holding or nagging! I pointed this out to H - she harrumphed). 

*** There is clearly some sort of parenting fiasco here. I give up. 

Do you have agreed-upon "what-to-do's" when going places together? Ours always was (since I was a child): if separated when taking the subway, get off at the next stop to meet up. Also, if our kids are doing things on their own but we plan to meet up afterwards, I try to have a just-in-case meeting place/time (in case cell phones fail).

Hacked - Watch Out for Fake Invites

Off-schedule post here, because: 

My yahoo email has been hacked.

As far as I can tell, my google account is still secure.

Warning: if you get an email with a clickable invite or RSVP envelope - make sure it is legitimate. Contact that person (preferably by methods other than email) to confirm it's a real thing. 

If you got a recent (end-of-April) invite email from my yahoo account - please delete.

Lisbon Impressions

Old men, sitting at tables in the parks, playing cards and gossiping.

Old ladies, hanging out of the windows, people-watching.

Peacocks (like, 50 of them?) roosting in a tree. When they scream, it sounds like someone stepped on Vlad's (our cat) tail.

Hills, hills, hills. Stairs, stairs, stairs.

People of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, hanging out at the nearby square, shaking hands, chatting.

Very well-behaved dogs that don't require leashes.

Fresh bread. Everywhere. All the time.

Laundry hanging on clothing lines - outside the windows, on the balconies, over the roofs next to attic apartments.

Sunday must have been rug-cleaning day - everywhere I looked, there were rugs hanging outside.

Tiles - everywhere. Somehow, in Portugal, it just works and looks gorgeous. I can't imagine tile-clad buildings in Philadelphia...

Narrow cobblestone streets, mosaic sidewalks and tiled stairs that are like secret shortcuts. Slippery in the rain.

Our neighbor's cat was named Salsa, which means parsley in Portuguese. 

Wine was cheaper than orange juice.

People standing on the right side when using escalators (and leaving room for those in a hurry to run up on the left side).

Windows that can open part-way on the top or swing full open sideways. No screens.

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

I loved the city. It felt real, authentic, no-nonsense. I could live there... except I would probably miss winter and snow. If only I could somehow transplant the culture of fresh bread and standing on the right when using escalators to PA!

A few photos...

Attic door and laundry in the foreground; tiled buildings in the background

Stairs

Narrow Street

Salsa

Updates April 2025 - Spring Break is Over

We are back from Lisbon! We had a wonderful time exploring the city, catching up with an old friend, and having adventures (we are all OK and relatively unscarred!).

Kitchen: not done yet, but getting close. We are able to use it in the evenings and on weekends but haven't moved all our stuff back in yet.

• Tiles look great.
• Old-ish diswasher (5 years old) with previous issues started leaking again, so needs to be replaced.
• New cabinets look great (handles are being installed as I am writing this)

Kitchen in progress (handles are in!)

• Countertops - hmmm, not sure. We (I, mostly) picked a light quartzite stone with lots of veining (looked beautiful at the storage facility). From what we read, quartzite is considered to be hard and durable. However, there are a few issues that are coming up already. Note to future self (if we ever end up replacing the countertops)- do more research before installing countertops and examine the slabs much more carefully .
• Water stains - if there is any water on the counter, like droplets near the sink or a moisture under a glass - the surface in that area turns a darker color. The water mark lingers for a bit (depending on how long the water was sitting there) and then disappears. This is probably OK, but I'm going to keep and eye on it and will ask the company that did the installation if there is anything we need to do.
• Hairline cracks or fissures (not sure which). I can't tell if these happened after the installation or if they had been in the stone all along. Because this is natural stone, imperfections are normal and to be expected. There are all sorts of striations going on there, which, on one hand, make the countertops nice to look at but maybe also making it more prone to cracking along the layers (maybe? not sure, not a stone expert here). There is one particular corner that seems to have quite a few fissures/cracks, including one that seem kind of deep (I think it was filled and sealed, the surface feels smooth with only a slight imperfection), but there are plenty of tiny ones all over the countertop. Will it get worse with time? Do they need any additional fixing/sealing? Will keep an eye on it and will check with the granite people. 

Cracks or Fissures

• I am choosing not to stress about the countertops. If things look imperfect - ah well, we use the kitchen a lot, life happens. If things break down... well, we will do our best to fix things. The slab we bought was pretty expensive, so if we will need to do frequent repair or will need to replace the countertops - that's going to be a bummer, but... life is life. 

Life in general: I am having serious anxiety about all the events and activities that are happening over the next couple of months. I am afraid to look at the calendar (which makes me worried that I will miss stuff, but just thinking about the calendar makes me anxious, and round and round we go). It's kind of funny and stupid, but I just can't bring myself to sit down with my planner and go through the next few weeks. Ugh.

A worry list (in no particular order):

    Political situation, financial situation, government, collapse of society, job security, summer camps, SAT prep and college application prep for big kids, potential regrets about kitchen renovation, not having enough money (omg, all 3 kids need new summer clothing!!! and food is getting expensive!!!), potential health issues (these tend to happen when you least expect them), mood swings, deer and other pests eating everything in our backyard, new bluebird nesting box (is it a wren nest in there? do we need to remove it?), blackbirds are attacking our birdfeeders and the small songbirds are no longer coming. Oh, and did I mention mood swings? Is this perimenopause and will things get even worse? (Ha, I know the answer to that one - it can always be worse).

Bird box with a nest.. I think it's a wren nest

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I feel better already - nothing like dumping worrisome stuff into a blog post, reading through it, and realizing that half the stuff is just plain funny, most things I have little control over, and all-in-all, things can certainly get worse but we aren't there yet!

Dear readers: what are your biggest joys and regrets with home improvement projects? 

Shostakovich

 As I was sitting in the concert hall, listening to Shostakovich Symphony #5, I was thinking about strange forms resistance can take. 

Symphony #5 was written during Stalin's reign. Shostakovich had to write for the times - his life depended on it. Literally. The Party liked and approved of the Symphony - Shostakovich conformed just enough to appease the higher-ups. He gave them what they wanted. But he also managed to make a statement. 

His resistance is embedded in the music. From homage to Mahler (Stalin, apparently, did not approve of Mahler), to the remembrance of those murdered by the regime, to the forced rejoicing of the last movement. 

A true mark of genius is when their work remains relevant century, after century, after century. It has not been quite 100 years since this music has been composed and performed for the first time. Today, it rings strong and true and empowering.

Resist.

Through fiction, through diaries, through music. Resist in your mind. Do not conform to what you know is false and terrible and immoral. 

We are heading into some terrible times.

We are not there yet.

When we get there, remember who you are. Resist.