Walking in the Rain

Over the months I've been retired, Lucy and I have established a regular walking routine, usually covering from three to four miles daily. Of course, that was all blown up recently, first by spring break in Buffalo, and then by my temporary return to teaching. But today, the first Saturday of my working month, I was determined to resume our outings despite gray skies and predicted rain. 

Lucy had a grooming appointment this morning, and we had baseball tickets for a 4 o'clock game, so the window of opportunity was slim. We set out at about 1:30; the air was cool and damp, and it felt good to be doing something that had felt stale just a couple of weeks ago. 

About a mile from home, a steady rain began. We paused for a moment or two under a young sycamore, sheltered by its canopy, but soon enough the drops filtered down and we started getting wet. There was no way out but through, but as we stepped into the storm, I realized that I didn't care. 

Screen Test

As April draws to an end, I'm thinking ahead to May and the new challenge I have set for myself.  My intention is to make it a media-free month, which for me would be no news and no social media. I've taken a month off from social media before, but I want to see what difference taking a break from the news might make.

To prepare for that endeavor, starting tonight, I'll set down my devices as soon as I finish my daily post. And while this evening won't be completely screen-free because I am going to watch a little TV, it will be just the one screen.

Student IDs

This morning, we resumed our old habit of parking a little further away from the school building. The move may actually save a little time, because it spares us from fighting the other drop-off and arrival traffic. It also gives us a chance to stretch our legs and enjoy a wee bit of fresh air and sunshine before entering the school building for the day.

The final benefit of parking down by the tennis courts is that at the end of the day, we have to walk through the fields, which our school shares with the county parks and rec department. On a pleasant afternoon, there are probably between two and three hundred people playing soccer or lacrosse or field hockey or tennis or basketball, running the trail, or walking their dogs. There's always a lot of active energy in the air, and it feels good to be part of it even for a little while.

Today, there was also a track meet, and as I walked I scanned the events looking for kids I knew. In some of my spare time I have been studying the rosters and pictures of all the students in the science classes I'm subbing for, working hard to connect the faces to the names. If only I had that field guide with me this afternoon when several kids I recognized waved and greeted me by name, I might have been able to return the courtesy. 

Division of Labor

I knew that being retired would free up both my and Heidi's weekends and afternoons simply by virtue of the fact that I would have time to run errands and do chores while she was at work. And that's been true. 

And although I'm fond of pointing out that when you're retired, it seems possible to do every chore and errand you ever wanted and still have plenty of time to be bored, it's only taken two days back at full-time work to feel that time crunch again. In addition to being away from the house 9 or so hours a day, we also have plans this weekend, and Ive got my eye on the weather to pick a day or two I can get some work done in the garden after school.

That's why I dropped Heidi off at home this afternoon around 4:30 and headed straight back out to get a few essentials for her. It really wasn't a hardship, and it gave her a little extra time to spend walking Lucy, something I know she treasures.

 

Get Down

One of the items on our 25 for 25 list is to dance every day. To be honest, daily dancing? Has been a stretch. Sometimes Heidi will turn on the tunes, and I'm just not feeling it. Even so, if I make myself get up and boogie, I always feel better. So that's what I'm going to do today. 

Psst: for a couple of fresh, new, fun-to-dance-to songs, check out APT by Bruno Mars and Rose and End of the World by Miley Cyrus.

Making the Call

I have been meaning to call my aunt for weeks, maybe even months, and today, before I sat down to review the material for my debut science classes tomorrow, I took a deep breath and stretched my arm out to reach for my phone. As I tapped on her contact, I knew she wouldn't be mad-- she hasn't called me either-- but I missed our connection and regretted not reaching out sooner.

She didn't answer her cell, so I left a message and then dialed the number I knew by heart, the one she has had my entire life, and she picked up on the first ring. Oh! What a pleasure it was to hear her voice and spend time catching up. When I told her about my sub gig, she made me promise to send updates. "Kids are so different today!" the long-time middle school secretary lamented.

"I don't think they're that much different than last year when I was teaching!" I answered, and we laughed, acknowledging that at least that much hasn't been radically altered in the last few months.

Before we hung up, we promised to do a better job of keeping in touch in the future, and when I set my phone down, I breathed easy, because that promise didn't feel like a stretch at all.

Shopping for the Rainbow

I wasn't sure if the grocery store would be closed on Easter, but in this diverse area, of course, they were open for business when I ran up there for some last-minute additions to my menu. Since it's Sunday, the produce department was pretty picked over, and they were sold out of the microgreens and fennel I wanted to garnish my crudo with, so as I shopped, I pivoted, considering instead some of the ingredients I had on hand. 

I added radishes and a jalapeno to my hand basket, certain they would complement the snapper, along with the apples, chives, and redbud blossoms at home. With white balsamic, a little lime, and some meyer lemon olive oil, I'm confident the dish will be just great!