Thursday, December 25, 2014

What a Brilliant Idea!

Tonight, seemingly out of nowhere, Anya declared that when she has a house or apartment of her own, she's going to have a doormat that reads "Next time bring cookies."  

Can't argue with that.  Wonder if I can find one for our house, come to think of it...

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Breathe Out...





The past month has been intense, with administrative duties and teaching and job search committee work. But the beauty of academia is that every 15 weeks, there is completion followed by a break. Granted, this break is short--just a month--and there is some work that I will have to do, but at least I get to decompress.  

For two precious weeks, I can focus (mostly) on other things.  On family and Hanukkah and home-made presents.  We can see family and friends without having to cram visits into already too-busy lives. I can play with kitchen toys like my new dutch oven and tea kettle.  I can be bold and get three novels from the library and believe that I just might have time to finish them before they are due. I can drink tea in the afternoon and go over material from last year's Hibernate in order to plan another winter retreat.  I can take walks as often as I like, and do yoga every day if I want.  

It will pass too quickly. I know this because it always does. But right now, there is much-needed time to relax and regenerate.  I plan to make the most of it.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Keep it slow.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Memory and Song

Tonight at dinner Anya told us that she learned about the constitution in her social studies class.  Howard and I both sang the preamble to it.  

Anyone else remember Schoolhouse Rock?