Okay, I slept in. A lot. Got up just before ten. It felt GOOD!

Moving at a slow pace today. The burn on my face is starting to peel and it hurts. I have some ointment on it to keep the air from drying it out, but this is not fun. Kids, listen to your mothers! Don’t get burned!

I have vacuumed the sofa, swept the living room and the top of the area rug in there, turned it over and vacuumed the back… will wait until the kids get home and I have help to turn it over and sweep up the dirt that fell out!

A load of laundry or two… caught the fellow who was picking up the donation before he disappeared down the driveway — it’s raining, so naturally the boxes were under a tarp! So those are gone.

I looked at the office
       — and promptly retreated, post-haste!

It’s a bit of a jumble at the moment and I wasn’t up to trying to sort it out before lunch.

There are a couple of magazines I am going to read today… Blogs and a story to update. A bit of letter-writing to do. And if the office still has all the same items in the same places tomorrow, I can deal with it then.

Today is my day off!

It’s here — almost. It’s coming!

The bulbs are past pushing up — the buds are beginning to burst open! Pink tulips by the front steps are soon to be joined by dozens of gorgeous narcissus… daffodils for us U.S. types.

And the branches of the plum that I pruned a couple days ago and put into vases burst into flower this morning! I love the pretty little white blooms, but it is the subtle, intoxicating scent that draws me in. Tomorrow, I will add some pictures to this blog so you can see them. For now, just imagine…

Delicate, five-petaled, crepe-paper blooms about a half-inch across, dancing along the reddish-brown, smooth branches. the bright yellow stamens punctuate their statements with notes of joy. The branches bend and twist, catching the light from the windows in the morning, from the lamps at night. Soon, the tree outside will be a cloud of white… perched momentarily in the orchard, then off to join the clouds in the sky again, leaving future plums clinging to the limbs of the trees.

Heaven!

And for a quick update on the comings and goings of the family, remember to check out my other blog stidmama.blogspot.com…

Blessedly uneventful. Was able to spend some time reading and catching up on email and news.

Well, pretty much. Was able to speak with school principal about something I was worried about. Was able to speak with specific teacher about the same something. We are all on the same page and matter should be resolved with luck before the end of the school year.

Tutoring own kid has its advantages… like using school time for the tutoring! Kid is almost caught up to the rest of the class. Another week may be enough.

Same kid forgot this was a Knowledge Bowl day, so I made an extra trip to the school to take a snack and some cash for the customary stop at Dairy Queen (the only time this kid ever goes places like that!). Decided to run some errands while I was halfway to town anyway, and won’t have to leave home tomorrow except for the tutoring.

Did I mention that he is almost caught up? This might be the last week I need to be at school on a regular basis.

Lovely dinner tonight, soup (chicken, hominy and chorizo sausage) and souffle (two layers, carrot and broccoli). Kid’s knowledge bowl team won the day’s event.

Tomorrow? hopefully I’ll have the energy to clean the house a bit. It got somewhat disheveled over the kids’ vacation!