Month: April 2021

Edwin got a job! He called me right after his interview to tell me he needs dark jeans and a blue t shirt, and his orientation is Sunday morning. He’ll need to bring his birth certificate.

“Wait, so you got the job?”

“Yes, and the manager is really nice.”

This is happening a bit faster than I was prepared for. He’s not vaccinated yet, so we’re not sure how to handle this. We hadn’t had to work hard to find a vaccine until now, since we were put in a high priority group as teachers.

Now, I’m on vaccinefinder, I’ve registered him in Virginia, DC, and Maryland, and I’m scouring through CVS, Walgreens, and other pharmacies in hopes of snagging an appointment where they’ve opened it up to 16+. I’ve broadened my search as far as Waldorf and Harpers Ferry. I have the distinct feeling I’m missing out on some top secret intel.

The tulips Edwin and I planted in the fall of 2019 are in full bloom, scattered about the front garden in sprays of colorful stands. We also planted hyacinths and daffodils, which came up nicely earlier this spring, but the tulips are currently stealing the show.

The tulip is my earliest memory of a flower. My mother planted them in the sunny back garden, which has since become shaded by the trees that have grown up over the years.

I remember having to wait for the bees to leave so I could stick my entire face into a tulip and inhale the mildly sweet and slightly spicy aroma. My parents have a picture on their wall of me doing just that when I was about 18 months old. I wonder how much of my memory is real, and how much is from that picture, though the bees aren’t in the picture, and I distinctly remember them as my rivals for access to the tulip.

Family friends of ours continue to have Wine Spectator Magazine sent to us once a month. I hope they get it for free with their own subscription because I don’t have the heart to tell them we really don’t need it. They inform me every year, a little before Christmas, that they’ve renewed our subscription, as they drop off gifts for the whole family. They usually give Chris and me two very nice bottles of wine from their cellar (now, those I can use).

I do peruse the magazine once in a while, and the May cover caught my eye when I pulled it out of the mail box. There was Carmelo Anthony, NBA star, dressed in matching burgundy, corduroy button down shirt and pants, sporting corn rows and elegant glasses, holding a glass of deep, red wine.

According to the article, he’s been into wine for about 15 years and has spawned a wine culture in the NBA. He and his buds, LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Dewayne Wade, enjoy the finer wines. Anthony is on a mission to show people, especially people of color, that the wine style of life is something worth exploring, “whether you are drinking at a $20 bottle price point or $2,000 per bottle.”

My price point is toward the lower end of that spectrum.

*I must explain the title: I decided on “Poor Doggie,” but Rick the cat sat on my keyboard when I got up. Edwin said I should leave it.

Anyway…

Sasha went in for a teeth cleaning today. She was born with bad teeth. Just plain bad. She’s had several teeth pulled in the past, and I had a feeling the vet would recommend more extractions today. When Chris dropped her off this morning, he told them that he probably wouldn’t be able to answer the phone during the day, so to just go ahead and perform necessary extractions – no need to call.

Well. The doctor did deem some extractions necessary: nine of them. Some were tiny, but this girl is going to be gumming her food for a while. They gave us a pretty deep discount, but it still wasn’t cheep. We do love her so, and periodontal disease can be deadly. So, here we are with a very drugged up and sad looking doggie. Good thing the kids are doing school virtually and can babysit her tomorrow.

Things are picking up here in the backyard. While we were away last week, they poured the pad for the shed Chris will build (more like a tiny little house for storage, his beer making, and the kids’ hangout- wait: that sounds very wrong) and the pad for the hot tub. Our cedar hot tub, which we ordered way back in October, has finally arrived.

Just as I was about to start class this morning, our decking material arrived. They’ll put in the deck this week and dig the pond next week (I need to find some frog eggs so we can listen to the spring peepers next year). Then, it’s on to the stone patio, and, finally, the plantings in May.

Needless to say, we’re never, ever moving.

Edwin got up early this morning to metro downtown with a friend to see the cherry blossoms. They peaked a few days earlier, but they did not disappoint. I know because he showed me his photos, and also because he inspired me to make a trip to Tidal Basin, myself.

I parked at Gravelly Point and did a six-mile loop: along the river, over the newly repaired Memorial Bridge, up the sidewalk by the Reflecting Pool, and finally over to the Tidal Basin. The crowds were nowhere near as thick as in previous years, which I attributed to COVID, of course, but also to the fact that it was 9:00 AM on Easter Sunday.

As I dodged family clusters, stuck to clear areas, and intermittently pulled my mask up and down, I reached a spot that made me put the brakes on. The branches formed an arch over the sidewalk, the pink and white blossoms hopeful against the pale blue and white sky. I saw an opening and slid in under the branches, walking with my face tilted upward. When the row of trees broke, I cut away from the banks and headed toward the 14th Street Bridge and back across the river.

I don’t know how I came so close to missing them this year, but I sure am thankful I managed to make the short trip downtown.

Here are some photos Edwin took this morning:

I decided to pop into my favorite little gift shop today, Le Village Marche, in Shirlington. I was out of diffuser oil and in search of a fresh, new scent. This was the third time I had been in since the pandemic. The two previous times I had visualized what I needed and where it was located before entering so as to make it as quick as possible.

Not today. Being fully vaccinated, I browsed at my leisure, smelling numerous candles, meandering through hanging aprons with brightly colored flowers, lemons, and French scenes. I flipped through dainty little handbags and linen tea towels.

I was about to grab the diffuser oil I had selected and head to the checkout counter when I spied a beaded, glossy white vase with a spray of elegant purple-blue berries. They were fake but every bit as pretty as the real thing. This would look perfect on my dining room table, and it would even match the painting of a rainy street in Paris my mom had recently passed on to me.

I picked up the vase: $40. I could live with that. I carefully lifted out one of the eight little bunches of berries: $12. Yes, $12 apiece, and it would take all eight of them to make it look right. Nope. I’m not spending nearly $150 on a vase and some fake berries. At the very least, I need to obsess about it for a while. What a wonderful thing to obsess about; this time last year I was fixated on wiping down my groceries with a Clorox wipe. This is so much better.

Clothes to wash

Mail to read

Meals to plan

Groceries to buy

Cat-sitter to pay

Kitties to pet

Favorite pizza to order

Movie to watch

Favorite pillow to sleep on

I guess it’s good to be home.

I am pleased to report that all family members enjoyed today’s hike. We gave fair warning that we would leave before 9:00 AM this morning for today’s adventure. Half-hearted grumbles rolled across the living room, which translates to Chris and me as, “Sounds great! It’s a plan!”

After my morning coffee and a soak in the hot tub, I opened the door to the lair and roused the slumbering teens. With minimal protest and not-so-sullen looks, we actually managed to pull out of the driveway at 8:45! Success!

We popped into the bakery in Woodstock we had been eyeing since our first foray into town. I cheerfully suggested we split a few pastries and was roundly scoffed at. A morning bun, chocolate croissant, and two apple chaussons later, we were only about 15 minutes from the trailhead at Wolf Gap. We opted for the 5 mile out-and-back that takes you to Tibbet Knob.

This ranked up there with some of my favorites. Since the trail begins a good part of the way up the mountain, you don’t have to hike far before beautiful views greet you around every bend. The climb was moderate and meandered among moss-covered rocks.

As we reached the ridgeline, light snow dusted the mountainside and wind whipped around us as we looked out over the valley. Edwin Facetimed Nana to present her with the view, and Maxine recorded videos to share with her friends. Chris admired the campsites at the top of the mountain and made a mental note to get us back here with his lightweight camping gear. Fun was had by all.