Back to the Grind

Although I never blogged about it (we are wary of announcing online long absences from home), we spent the last two weeks of June in California with my family.  It was great. :)

I will spare you the details of our preparation and travel; but suffice it to say that neither was uneventful (unfortunately).  The Friday before our Sunday (eeeearly) morning departure, I nearly burnt down the house and had to spend all afternoon "mopping up" with the help of several bottles of cleaning fluid.  Then our layover at Gatwick airport turned into a nightmare when some poorly informed Norwegian Airlines employee insisted that we needed to show our return tickets in order to pass through to international connections...

...But despite a soot-covered home and British customs, we made it all in one piece and forgot every bit of the trouble we had getting there the minute we stepped through the doors at Oakland International Airport and were received by Maggie's smiling face (due to traffic, my parents got there shortly after our arrival).

We spent our first week camping at a plush KOA in Petaluma, where my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle John joined us with their grandkids, whom I had never met (they are nine and six!).  Emily was especially thrilled by the whole experience because we slept in my mom's fire tent pitched outside my parents' big fifth-wheel trailer. :)  We roasted sausages over the campfire and marshmallows, too.  We swam in the pool, visited the children's museum in Petaluma (twice), had a luau (!) and generally enjoyed each other's company.

During our stay in the Bay Area we also made a visit to the San Francisco Zoo and met up with friends who live in San José with a daughter just 10 months older than Emily.  It was such fun watching them play together.  They seemed to genuinely enjoy each other.  My best friend, Miriam, who lives in Philadelphia (!), was also able to visit us that first week and even spent the night with us after our day at the zoo.

We also squeezed in a visit to my Aunt Kitt and her husband Peter, who live in Sonoma.  Coincidentally, my cousin and his family were visiting at the same time so we got even more family time out of the deal.  We had a delicious barbeque feast and enjoyed their crystal clear pool to beat the 100+ temperatures.

The second week of our stay was all at my parents' home in Sierra Valley.  We had intended this to be a week of relaxation...and in the end it was, I suppose; but there are just so many people to see and things to do that inevitably we did end up feeling rushed on more than one occasion.  Still, on a whole we kept a great balance and didn't over-book ourselves.

Sunday the 25th we had a family reunion with the Barkley's (my mom's family) at a Reno Ace's baseball game.  My dad's Aunt and Uncle from South Shore came along, too.  It was a really fun event despite the high temperatures.  My mom had reserved seating adjacent to the airconditioned bar (good thinking) and the seats themselves, were also shaded during the game, so it was all good.  We got some good visiting in, but didn't see a whole lot of the game, honestly. ;)

My aunt from Portland made a trip down to Reno just to see us (!).  I was so excited that she was able to make it work with her schedule.  Of course, attending the family reunion was an added attraction.  She stayed through Tuesday with us up at Rainbow Ranch and subsequently got her fill of my little Emily (oh, us too!).

My second parents (Miriam's family), threw a potluck party for us--or as Miriam put it, a "Viola Viewing Party"--on Monday night and we spent another great evening eating delicious food to our hearts' content and laughing and chatting with friends.  Later in the week we got together with the Stantons again because there is never enough time with good friends.  We took a lovely walk out to Fraizer Falls in Lakes Baisin followed by lunch at the restaurant where Lucy is waiting tables for the summer.

The rest of the week we did actually relax around home.  We made a few trips to Reno for some shopping, had a quick coffee with my Aunt Su, and spent an afternoon with Auntie Maggie, who showed us her apartment, introduced us to her handsome kitty, Finn and took us to her favorite haunts around downtown Reno.  Sundance bookstore and ice cream on the shore of the Truckee river were highlights.

Lucy was working a lot of the time we were there, sadly; but we did get time with her and her silly, ball-obsessed dog, Diesel, too.  Tita Lucy spent a night out at the ranch and we made cookies together--a big hit with Emily!  But perhaps the most special thing we did with tita Lucy, was going for a ride on my mom's old grey mare, Hobo.  Emily seems to be shaping up to be quite the cowgirl, something her Ga and tita Lucy were happy to indulge.  Towards the end of the week we were even able go play with Lu's new baby filly, Scarlet.  Emily was pleased to see that Scarlet nurses just like she does (ha!).

Unfortunately the saying is true: Time flys when you're having fun.  Our time in Poonahphoonah (as Emily says, California...) was too short.  Two weeks flew by and before we knew it we were back on the plane and headed East.  Now it's been nearly two weeks since we've been home and the transition hasn't been easy, espeicially not for little Emily, who got very used to being with both of us 24/7.  I am working four mornings a week during the summer and since we've been back, she has spent the majority of my time away from home crying and making life pretty miserable for her poor mamá. 

Getting back to work hasn't been easy for me or Angelines either.  It's always rough getting back into the groove after a good vacation.  I think this third week will see things smooth out a bit more since our jet-lag is fully gone at this point.  We've got our refrigerator restocked now and menus made up for the coming week, too...so that is very helpful where I'm concerned! 

I'll leave you with some pics from our visit. :)

Barkley family reunion at the Ace's game in Reno :)

Luau at the Petaluma KOA.

Lucy let me play with Scarlet, too!

Three of my favorite cowgirls.

Fraizer Falls with friends--a beautiful day for a hike!

You may be seeing this one on a Christmas card... :)

Dinner after a day at the zoo.

Don't these faces say it all??  At OAK International Airport.

Airplane selfie.  Emily was the best little traveller EVER.

Brushing Mr. Finn with tita Maggie.

Between the Ears

My Whoa Whoa (my dad's father) could be a gruff man, although perhaps that was a characteristic he carefully cultivated, hiding that fun-loving sparkle in his eyes beneath his impressively bushy eyebrows.  The thick, silver, wirery hairs that curled up at the ends, gave him a look somwhere between severe and comic.  And I suppose that's a very accurate description of my grandfather himself.  He could be a force to be reckoned with, for sure; but he loved teasing and playing with us, too.  He was famous for complimenting my Grammie's cooking with the line, "Goooooood groceries!", which always got a laugh from us grandkids.  When I went to college, I remember him telling me (for perhaps the 100th time) that I should study psychology because in his words, "All we are is what's between the ears."

In light of that insight, it is perhaps ironic that he suffered dementia in his last years.  His brain began to fail him and play tricks on him.  He would have long conversations with a beautiful black and white portrait of my grandmother, who had passed away years before; and some times had trouble recognizing us.  "I'm Sam's girl", we had to say to jog his memory back to us, and a flutter of recognition would cross his face as he'd smile saying, "I'll be! Aren't you pretty!".

As most of you know, I didn't follow my Whoa Whoa's advice.  I studied Literature and Spanish Language, majors which might very well be oposite to any scientific study.  In the last few weeks studying my degree in Montessori education, however, I was reminded of his words.  We're nearing the end of our theorhetical studies and will soon begin more practical classes.  This final "module" (as their called) is titled Scientific Validations.  I wasn't sure what to expect from a title like that, but as it turns out it is the most thrilling and interesting module so far.

The purpose of the class is to take a look at Montessori's theories and methodology in the context of the most recent breakthroughs in neuroscience: mirror neruons, flow theory, emotional intelligence, to name a few.  It has been astounding to corroborate the observations of Dr. Montessori from more than half a century ago, with modern research which has become impressively precise thanks to technological advances (electrodes for measuring neural activity, for example).  I am in awe of this pioneering, Italian woman's insight and capacity for rigorous scientific observation.


Neuroeducation is a new term I've learned in this class.  It refers to educating with the brain in mind (pun indended!).  If we truly want deeper learning in our students and improved education in our schools, we must look at how the brain functions and develops in order to effectively adapt teaching and learning methods. Traditional teaching and learning ignore the fact that the brain is a social organ, for example, encouraging competetivity over cooperation.  But pedagogy aside, I am amazed by the marvels of this pinkish-grey organ of roughly just three measly pounds.

Mirror neurons, for example, are absolutely amazing.  Through the simple observation of an event, these specific neurons allow us to experience it, on a neurological level, as if we ourselves were participating.  The same neurons fire when we see a person eating as when we ourselves are enjoying a meal.  Not only that, these specific neurons also allow us to "absorb" the emotions of others in our environment.  Don't you automatically begin to smile when you approach a group of laughing people?  Haven't you ever felt your own happiness drain out of you when another person enters the room in a bad mood?  Mirror neurons are the biological reason behind those reactions. Ultimately, mirror neurons make up the biological hardware that allow us to empathize with others. We are hardwired to interact in society and to care for one another. 

The complex neural circuits that develop in our brains even from before birth change daily and throughout our lives.  The famous saying about old dogs and new tricks isn't exactly true.  The human brain maintains it's most unique characteristic--plasticity--until the end of our days, though in a varrying degree.  Every interaction we have with our environment and the people and things that surround us has a chemical and often physiological impact in and on our brains--actually changing the existing neural connections and or creating new ones.  Humans are a complex whole, that cannot be denied, but certainly the single most influencial organ in making us who we are does in fact lie right between the ears.

April Showers, May flowers and Pilgrims

April showers bring May flowers...

And what do Mayflowers bring?

Pilgrims! 

The last week in April, after a straight 31 days with no precipitation of any kind and record high temperatures for the season, we got rain.  Not much, but it was damp for a few days anyway.  The fields were already browning mid-April, so I'm not sure about the promised flowers in May.  In my patio at least the flowers have taken a beating, but not for lack of water.

Don't worry, there are still plenty of blossoms.  My roses are budding out and a few are blooming.  My California poppies have been at it for about a month now and I've got bushes of daisies.  But there is one bed in my patio that I've been thinking about replanting for some time.  It was full of calla lillies, which are beautiful, but only have flowers for a month or two and then their huge green leaves seem to weigh down those crispy stalks and rather than a nice neat bed of plants, it becomes a tangled jungle of green-going to yellow.  Then in September-October, we've got to cut back all the dead (now completely brown) leftovers and the bed is completely "empty" until around January when little shoots start coming up again.

Such is the life of a bulb, I suppose, but it just seemed a waste of space in my opinion, so last weekend I went to town and ripped out the whole bed.  Those of you who garden will be pleased to know that I gave the bulbs to my neighbor who has a beautiful flower garden outside her house.  She was very happy and my conscious was clear--it wasn't outright "plant"icide.

I have since added new soil and planted six little tomato plants. :)  For some time now I have been wanting to plant veggies.  Having such a big patio in a place with such a looooong growing season (provided you have a sprinkler and some shade, that is!), it seemed a pitty not to take advantage and grow some good vegetables.  Now that I've got my 'mayters, I'm thinking of going really crazy and planting some peppers and maybe eggplant, too, in some of the pots that are currenly inhabited by ailing flowers.  I'm looking forward to homegrown gazpacho!

May flowers also come in other forms in La Roda, namely in bouquets.  This weekend is the romería, pilgrimage for Saint Pancras and we have purchased a flower offering for him.  As you might remember, he's the patron saint of work, health, youth and bread...a good guy to give flowers to, if you ask me.  Tomorrow we'll accompany him from the church out into the countryside and up to his chappel.  Emily and I will be getting dressed up in our flamenco garb for the occasion so I promise some pictures later.

Tonight is the pre-pilgrimage party...but in typical Spanish style it didn't begin until 10 pm and as much as you all may think I'm raising a wild child with total disregard for what could reasonably be called a "normal" schedule, she does in fact have a bed time (around 10:30ish) and so we had to skip the party.  I was tempted to make an exception and take her out anyway, but tomorrow we'll be getting up early to go with "Pantancasio" (how Emily says, San Pancracio) and so she wouldn't be able to sleep in, nor will she get a nap tomorrow since we'll be out in olives all day picnicking and merry-making.  So you see, I am in fact a responsible mother...just leaning a bit more towards a Spanish definition, rather than an American one in this respect. ;)

¡Viva San Pancracio!

Compassion

When I cam home from work Monday, Angelines told me the following story:

She and Emily had gone to the park.  While they were there a morbidly obese little girl of between three and four arrived accompanied by an older sister.  She had trouble even walking because her little thighs were so big.  The dress she was wearing had a huge chocolate stain down the front.  She somehow worked her way up the slide, and after a long while of working herself around once she'd reached the top, she was finally able to get into a sitting position to slide down.  On the way down, however, the poor thing actually got stuck she was so fat.  Her sister had to tug her down the rest of the way.  The little girl then decided she wanted to swing, so her sister stuffed her into the baby swing (the kind that's basically a box to sit in) and the girl was happy as could be.

After some time when the elder sister announced it was time to go and began pulling on her sibling to remove her from the swing, a drama of tears ensued.  The older girl quickly gave up trying to extract her little sister and began to walk away saying, "Fine! Stay here!  I'm leaving!"  Of course,  you can imagine the reaction that got out of the younger girl, who couldn't, even if she wanted to, get out of the swing on her own to run after her sister!  She was bawling full blast at this point and according to Angelines, Emily was watching in complete horror as the whole scene developed--with eyes like saucers, she was looking back and forth between the two sisters with an expression of shock on her face.  I can only imagine what she must have been thinking.

Finally the big sister turned back and somehow successfully wrenched the little one free.  The girl was still sobbing, her face completely wet.  At this point, my extraordinary daughter stepped forward, taking the crying child's arm in her hands and gently gave this stranger a kiss.  Then, as she continued to stroke her arm, she said soothingly, "No llores, estás muy guapa." (Don't cry, you look beautiful.)

Tears welled up in my eyes.

Emily full of grace

About a month or so ago, Emily became obsessed with ballet.  I'm not even sure how it happend...but suddenly her auntie had bought her a tutú and the crown my mom bought her in January is now being put to regular use.  We even bought her a pair of ballet slippers (two sizes too big were the smallest we could find).  At some point, Angelines discovered the wonders of modern technology--wifi (read YouTube) on our new TV (thanks mom and dad). :)  She began putting on videos of classical ballet dancers and Emily went nuts.  She would stand for a full twenty minutes immitating the jumps and moves of the dancers to Swan Lake and the Nutcracker.

It warmed my heart to watch her earnest concentration and sometimes quite acurate moves, especially having grown up taking my little sister Maggie to ballet classes.  In my house, Christmas without the Nutcracker ballet wasn't Christmas at all!  However, for a few weeks now she seemed to have lost interest, moving onto other more exciting conquests--namely going to the bathroom on the lawn (!).

SIDE NOTE: Potty training is in progress and Emily is most interested in her peepee and poopoo.  The other day she pooped in her bucket outside and proudly showed me (yuck...I made Angelines clean it out).  Then on a walk with the dog she declared that she, too, wanted to peepee in the campo "like Bela".  She's taken to running around the patio naked since it's already very hot here, and loves peeing down the drain on the lawn.  I'm affraid she likes going to the bathroom everywhere but in the potty!  ...I'm hoping this is all part of the process.

Anway, back to what I was saying.  Her interest in dancing had somewhat waned over the past weeks, but this evening she put on her crown, tutú and slippers before dinner and asked for the "bailarinas" on TV--I was astounded by her graceful moves!  She's improved incredibly since she first started and it doesn't even seem she practices much.  Anway, here's my little Sugar Plum Fairy for you to see for yourselves. :)

Easter Eggs

Our Easter fun really started on Thursday when A good friend and her son came over to deccorate eggs.  This was a first both for Emily and 5-year-old Nico.  Last year at Easter my sisters were here and Emily wasn't old enough to really know what was going on so we dyed the eggs ourselves.  This year I wanted her to have some company, but of the people I invited, only Nico and his mom were able to come.  Easter is a busy time here and most people are ocupied with processions, etc.  Still, we had a fabulous time just the four of us (and Bela).  I was grateful for our little plastic table that didn't absorb dye!  The paper towels we used to mop up spills were almost too beautiful to throw away, and the eggs themselves came out quite nicely. :)

Thursday there is also another procession in town.  I was ready to clean up the egg paraphernalia and call it a day, but when Emily and I headed out to walk Bela and she heard the music in the distance, she began begging to go see the "pums" (drums).  Of course I caved in the end because I love that she is so musically inclined  So after our walk, we changed out of our campo clothes and got dressed up to go down to the main street in town.

At Semana Santa, at least in small towns like La Roda, there is always a man pushing a big cart selling junk snack food (generic cheetos, chips, nuts and gummy candies), cheap plastic drums and trumpets, balloons, and other random but equally poor quality toys.  His presences clashes full on with the religious esthetic of the festivities; but he is always there, tailing the procession through town at times, or parking for a while on a particularly busy corner to do business.

You can imagine that the streets are full of kids with their Sponge Bob, Peppa Pig and Dora the Explorer balloons.  They run around honking their shiny, plastic bugles and stuffing their faces with saturated fats and simple carbs.  This is one aspect of Semana Santa I absolutely abhor.  Aside from the obvious health reasons, I just hate the consumerist mentality that acccompanys these kinds of pointless purchases: buying garbage just because it's there!

On Palm Sunday, a friend insisted (against my pleas) on buying Emily a Peppa Pig balloon.  She had seen them, of course, when we first arrived at the procession, and had pointed them out to me.  My reaction had been simply to say, "Oh, wow!  Those are pretty, huh?"  But of course when my friend noticed her observing the balloons that some other kids were holding he said, "Do you want a balloon? I'll buy you a balloon!"  And so Peppa Pig was floating in our house all week and into the beginning of this one.

At Thursday night's procession a similar situation played out when another friend insisted on buying her a crappy little purple robot dog that yaps and walks.  It's eyes glow fluorecent green and it's tail glows red.  It wears a little pink hat and has a pink and red bow on each ear.  Everything about it is hideous!  It looks demonic and the barking is extremely annoying.  However, this friend's nieces had one each and when Emily was attracted by the obnoxious barking and deamon-green eyes, my friend of course decided that she must have one too.  This, in my opinion is far worse than the balloon--just a true piece of trash that costs a pretty penny and to top it all off is irritating!  But even threats that I was just going to throw it away couldn't dissuade her from her purchase.  We are now the proud owners of a possessed purple puppy.  Oh, and Emily also scored some nasty cheeto-type chips on the deal as well (those did get thrown out immediately).

You may think I'm extreme as you read this...  Or maybe you're shocked by the Spanish disregard for parents' opinons/preferences/values.  Yes, maybe I am a little extreme.  And no, Spaniards don't give a hoot about parents' opinions in these and many other cases.  Of course, niether of these singular incidents is going to corrupt my child.  I do know that.  But to my mind they are reflections of a profound illness in society.  Disregard and disrespect (because that's what it really comes down to) for parenting aside, I want to teach my daughter to value money and what it can buy.  It is not something to be thrown about thoughtlessly to satisfy a fleeting whim.  I want her to care for the things she owns, rather than getting caught in the throw away and replace cycle that consumes so many people nowadays.  I do my best to buy her quality toys, books and clothes for just this reason.  Above all, I want her to be her own person, not someone who looks at others and their belongings as a means to measure her own self worth. 

Admiring herself in the mirror

What really bothered me about both of these situations wasn't what was bought.  I actually, in some way was happy that my friends love Emily so much they can't resist buying her a little something special.  I know that their intentions were good, but then, you know how the saying goes...  It wasn't even that they completely and shamelessly were going against my express will NOT to buy those particular things.  No, what really upset me in each instance was the fact that they were foisting upon my daughter desires that she herself had not expressed (and which I'd just as soon she didn't!) along with a value set completely opposite to my own. 

If you ask a two-year-old, "Do you want a balloon?" you'd better be ready to buy one because of course the answer will be yes; but a child this age is too little to know in the first place that having one herself is even a possibility (unless you're already in the habbit of indulging your kid this way)!  I hate those kids who beg and cry and pull at their parents to buy them this or that, but it's exactly moments like these that create those future tantrums.  Emily would have happily played with my friend's nieces little robots and when it was time to go, that would have been that.  She would have admired the balloons from afar without a whimper.  But what my friends inadvertantly were teaching my daughter is that if someone else has it, she needs it too.  Disgusting.

 Sorry.  Enough raving...back to the week's celebrations.

Heading out the door.

I mentioned in a previous post that Emily was going to dress up for Friday's procession.  In her purple tunic and white cape, with those killer blue eyes and a big purple bow in her flaxen hair, she was more of an attraction than the pasos! (Is that blasphemy?)  Seriously, though, she was the total center of attention and loving every minute of it.  Everyone was cooing over her and taking her picture and she was telling everyone who'd listen how guapa she was. :)

Emily is a very sociable little creature, but I was surprised by just how independant she was during the procession.  As I said, she was talking up a storm and it didn't much matter to whom; but she was also going off with all kinds of people to look at the pasos or babies in strollers.  They weren't strangers, of course, but she's usually not so keen to just up and go with people who aren't family.  The nazarenos, the ones wearing tall, pointed hats with their faces covered, give out little pictures of the Virgen or Jesus to people watching; Emily collected about fifteen of these!

On Easter Sunday we ran into a friend from Seville and her family.  She has twins born just three days after Emily.  I invited them to come to the house for an egg hunt and was so happy they agreed.

Emily greeted the girls at the door with a chocolate egg each and then we hid our dyed eggs around the patio.  It was such a hit that we hid them a second time. :)  Then we adults spent the rest of the morning sipping beer and wine, munching cheese and picos and observing the three of them running around the patio, playing with (and sometimes arguing over) Emily's toys. 


The twins are in day care and anyway they have each other's constant company so they are very used to other children and the necessary possesivness that comes along with "sharing" toys when you're two.  Everything was mío, mío.  Emily (unfortunately) learned very quickly.  Even with a few scuffles, it was a wonderfully relaxing morning and such fun watching their little personalities interact.  

Happy Easter!

Sara, Eva and Emily :)

The Last Snow of the Season

Mama and Emily hunting for snow

It's Semana Santa and that means a week vacation for me! :)  I'm doing my best to milk it for all it's worth...sadly, tomorrow's already Thursday. 

Monday we went to the pool and got things taken care of around here: cleaning at the bar, stocking for the weekend, etc., Tuesday was a stay-at-home day (those are good now and again), and yesterday we took a day trip up to the mountains again.  We wanted to get in one last visit to Frosty Snowman before the season's over for good and I think we were just in the nick of time.  There was very little snow as we've had no precipitacion for several weeks now together with record high temperatures.  On the mountain it was only 16ºC and breezy--slightly on the chilly side--but on the drive home the car thermometer read 30ºC!  Even without the snow, I think the drive would have been worth it just to beat the heat!

As it turns out there was actually a great patch of grey-brown snow clinging to the mountainside on a perfect sledding angle.  Once again, we had out sturdy plastic sheet with us and got in lots more sledding even than last time.  The snow was actually easier to form balls with than last time, too, so we were able to quickly build a little family of miniature snowmen for Emily.  She for her part, was more interested in eating the filthy snow than anything else...so Angelines and I took turns sledding while Emily ate mineral encrusted ice off the ground. (I promise we aren't negligent mothers!)

Em's feet got wet so we slipped her mittens on for the walk back.

We packed a gourmet picnic and feasted among the rocks and scrub at the edges of our snow field.  As I said, the day was chilly with the breeze blowing, but the sun shone so hot that I was fine in a T-shirt with just a wind-breaker on top.  The icy snow did seem to penetrate more than the powder we had last visit.  We were all a bit wetter when we finally headed back to the car, but it was a fantastic day, and of course we had brought a change of clothes for everyone.

...And the rest of the week is going to fly by...

Midnight tonight is the beginning of the most important processions here in town and Angelines has dressed and gone.  It's the first time she's dressed in this procession in about 15 years she estimates due to conflicting work schedules!  This year she decided to close the bar.  I'm glad she's finally able to do it again.  Meanwhile, I am here with a sleeping baby waiting up for her return.

Tomorrow, aside from a procession, Emily and I are going to be dying Easter eggs. :)  We've invited a friend over, too.  Maybe we'll do some hunting in the patio as well.  Emily has become a Peppa Pig fan and recently saw an Easter episode in which Peppa and all her friends were hunting for chocolate eggs that Grandpa Pig hid.  She was pretty excited when I told her we'd do that, too.  At the supermarket on Monday we saw a chocolate Peppa Pig Easter egg and snuck one into the cart.  So Sunday she'll get a big choco-atay (her word for chocolate) egg surprise along with some good hunting fun.

Friday is the day that we've dressed Emily for the procession. It's silly, I suppose because she doesn't actually participate, but she's just so cute!  Her auntie got her clothes all put together this year again so she'll be donning the purple tunic and white cape again this year to accompany "el Anol" (el Señor--the Lord), Jesús Nazareno, during his procession through town.  All of Angelines's family gets together on Friday evening, too since the procession passes by her mother's house.  I am anticipating some homemade arroz con leche as an evening snack. ;)

The weekend will be spent cleaning up after what I hope will be some good nights for business.  It's hard to tell because even though there are loads of people from out of town, our bar is a bit hidden and people tend to stay with the processions.  We've made advertisements with maps indicating the bar, so maybe that will make a difference.  The truth is that plenty of people would actually not mind getting away from the crowds for a bit if they only knew where to go.  So Saturday and Sunday will be spent sweeping sunflower seeds off the floor and sidewalk...

And there goes my week.  It's great to be home though, just cooking and organizing and enjoying my girl and the good weather.  Even if we don't do anything else for the rest of the week, I'll be a happy camper.

Happy Easter, all.

Selfie on the way back. :)