Lucy's New Routine

Heidi is allowed to walk as much as she can, but not with Lucy since any pulling could harm her newly-configured gut. So this afternoon when we ventured forth for a little fresh air, it was I who held the leash.

Oh my!

Despite the fact that I walk Lucy alone every single morning, the fact that Heidi was there, too, seemed upsetting to our dog. She looked back and forth between us and gave the leash that I always use (but Heidi never does) a very suspicious look. Once she was sure that Heidi had the treats, though, Lucy agreed to leave the house, even with those unexpected details.

The rest of the walk involved a lot of looking over her shoulder and crossing in front of us, almost as if she had never walked on a leash before. Who knew that our little red dog was such a creature of habit?

Not I!

We Are Not Getting Any Younger

The waiting area was comfortable and I had plenty to do, and yet I was feeling a little teary. Heidi was in out-patient surgery for a relatively straight-forward procedure, and I knew everything would be fine, but still.

"Is it awful being at the hospital again?" my sister texted.

"Kind of," I replied, realizing that the hours I had spent in hospitals over the last year had taken a toll on me. I had never once considered asking someone to come with me to wait, but I knew then that I should have.

In may ways I am stoic, like my mother. She understood that there are certain things you have to do and do alone, and I know that, too. In those situations, I lift my chin and walk, steady on, toward the unavoidable, like she did.

But those occasions are relatively rare; what I don't often do is ask for company when it would be welcome. Today, I learned that I should do that.

And the other side of that coin? Is to remember to offer my company to others in a similar position.

As it Happens, No

"Are you Vegan?" one of the students asked me this morning, and before I could answer she continued, "Yeah you are. You just look like a Vegan."

"What does that even mean?" I asked her. "What does a vegan look like?"

"Like you!" she answered.

Warm and Light

Another unseasonably warm day, this time with sunshine, made it a little easier to pack up the Christmas decorations. But although we are on the waxing side of the solstice, the daylight was still rather brief, and so rather than curse the darkness, we lit some candles. It wasn't too warm for that.

Climate Change

What is this day like? I asked myself as I walked about in 73 degrees in January. The light was a dull winter gray, the trees were bare, and the grass was dry and brown. Winter in the tropics? Would be greener and a little more lush. Early spring? Would be brighter and more verdant. As it was, the weather today was nothing like any I can remember, and I find that a bit unsettling.

Brain Break

One of our squirrelier sixth graders was particularly restless today.

It was his last core class of the week after Winter Break and we were working on organizing and outlining our argument essays. About halfway through the workshop, he stood up, tucked his black turtleneck into his black track pants and pulled the waist up as high it would go. Then he bent to roll up the cuffs to mid-calf.

The kid is natural clown, and he had the attention of the whole class. "How do you like it?" he asked in a warbly falsetto.

"Only you," I told him, "could rock that look."

"Do you really like it?" he asked, still in that silly voice.

"Oh yes," I answered. "But?"

He looked at me; it was I who had his attention now.

"Now that you've rocked the outfit, let's see you rock the outline."

He gave that one some thought. "I can do that," he said and sat down at his table and resumed working.

Opening the Basket

One of my not-so-binding New Year's resolutions is to use the food in my pantry and freezer before I go out and buy more food to sit in indefinite storage, or at least by the end of 2020. In addition to the staples, we have a lot of weird stuff, some of which has been given to us, some of which I bought for a one-time recipe or forgotten reason, and some of which I have no idea of its provenance. As such, committing fully to the concept would mean that every day would be like an episode of Chopped.

Still, so far, it's been going okay, and tonight I'm using some artichokes and an eggplant and tomato thing along with shrimp, salad greens and pasta to create a version of our go-to meal of the fall: a hot and cold pasta salad with butter, lemon, and a protein. I have no doubt it will be edible, although probably not super delicious. I guess it could be worse, though. I set aside the bonito flakes, rose petal jam and chickpea flour for another day.