Big day today. Mark and the Hondurans started to clear out and clean up the back yard and the gutters. Yeah!!!! I love these guys. I am proud that I limited myself to only a few rows of the lace shawl today. It is looking nice. I love that with lace you have to wait for quite a few rows to really see anything except some random knitting and a what looks like a bunch of knots. But at the magical point you start to see the patterns emerge. Knitting is so zen.

My second batch of Leland Blue came out of the tumbler today. They are AWESOME! I'm not sure what I did differently this time, but this batch came out really shiny. Maybe I left them in longer or putting in more Beanie Baby pellets did the trick. Several of the pieces have big blobs of metal in them that came to the surface. Really cool. Hopefully I will find a more efficient and less expensive way to drill holes in my rocks. Mark says he knows what to get but I'm not holding my breath. Maybe the rock hounds up north will be able to hook me into some cheap drilling places.

I really have to get back to practicing the viola. I have to play the Bach Chaconne in about 2 weeks, so it is imperative that I get off my ass and start practicing like yesterday! I'm just having too much fun being a lump -- call that a "crafting lump."

Ah, that unique end of the year time slot when my work is over at the university and Jake is still in school. It is a true luxury to have entire days all to myself. It makes me realize the beauty of pre-marriage and pre-child days! I wouldn't trade my life now, but it was so much easier then! I've cleaned out my bedroom and the closets and took bags of cloths and shoes to the resale store and to the charity. The only reasonable way to justify buying anything new! I finished knitting my Aran sweater and it turned out awesome -- just like I wanted it to. It hardly needed any blocking, just a light steaming from on the reverse side. It's big and baggy and comfy. Yeah!! I've started (for the 3rd time) a lace shawl. Lace is frustrating!! Lifelines, lifelines! And I've been buying way too many beading supplies and making way too many earrings. But it is so much fun. Hopefully I get to sell some to reduce the stock and to fund more jewelry making. Everything in Iowa is popping with green. It's amazing how the desolate, barren winter landscape literally bursts with green in just a few days.

Day 1 of string juries are over. One more to go. I'm bummed at myself for forgetting Cameo's recital yesterday. Sorry, Cameo! The gutters need to be cleaned. I'm almost finished with the first sleeve on my sweater. And I've run out of yarn and had to order a new skein. Good excuse to take a break from this project for a while. I get pretty obsessive with my projects. The beginning of the summer break is within sight and I'm happy about it. I can't wait to get back to northern Michigan and enjoy the sunsets and beachwalking again. Beachwalking is such a wonderful way to destress and focus. Very meditative. I have some good ideas of the types of rocks I will collect this summer. My first stop will be my secret beach for collecting Leland Blue; if you go at the beginning of the summer you can find all of the rocks that have washed up over the winter. And of course Petoskey stones. I have a batch tumbling that just went to the fine grit stage. A batch of Leland Blue is about half-way done with the fine grit stage, then the polish. I'm anxious to see how those turn out. And I'm starting to see the South Africa trip looming in the not-so-far distance. Only 2 months!

Jake's play is now over and it was a great success. It was so fun to watch him blossom from the fall's play. He certainly has not trouble expressing himself on stage! I'll try to post a video clip if I can figure out how to do it. I also enjoyed being a stage mother for a week. It was great to have the week free enough to take him to practice and pick him up for most of the rehearsals and performances. Young Footliters is really a great organization. I'm glad we've stuck with it.

It's Mother's Day today. Jake bought me red carnations, a wonderful funny card, and cooked me scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee for breakfast in bed, which is where I remain. I have read most of the NY Times, finished the crossword puzzle in record time, and am goofing around on the computer, downloading cool iPhone apps, and cuddling with the dogs. It is a beautiful day outside, sunny, cool, and breezy. Hopefully I'll get off of my butt and do some weeding in the front garden, which looks like some empty Detroit lot at the moment. (Hey Detroit, I love you!)

I only 2 days of string juries, starting tomorrow, then I'm done. I've got too much practicing to do, but lots of time to do it. I have to learn the Bach Chaconne on baroque viola for several performances starting in June. It sounds so beautiful on baroque viola and is so much easier to play as well. There also lots of things to do around the house, such as cleaning... God, I hate to clean. And Linnet Press editions to finish and have printed. Looking forward to the Farjeon and Dale releases this summer. I bought the domain name finally, and need to construct a site for that.

Last night my student Diana Mayne gave a truly great recital. I am very proud of her accomplishments this year. The last movement of Der Schwanendreher as solid as a rock! Today is the last day of classes for the year. It is a relief, but kind of weird, just like the entire year. I'm about to head over to The Wedge to pick up the pizzas for the studio party. Yum. I am hungry! Tonight is the premiere of Jake's play, "Fairy Tale Courtroom." He is playing the Bailiff in the trial of the Big Bad Wolf. His costume rocks! I think he's having a good time. But at Wednesday's rehearsal the BBW said something to him he didn't like, and Jake stormed off the stage saying that he could not work like that. A diva is born. Needless to say I was choking trying to hold myself back from grabbing him and dragging him back on stage. But he recovered. This is part of our ongoing issue with Jake: he is a target for bullies. Well, more on that later in another posting.

I'm new to this blogging thing, but it has always intrigued me. I should have started a long time ago. It's been such a stressful year. Life gets complicated. Work IS complicated. It's amazing how much an angry river can affect life. After teaching in a basement for a semester, then teaching in a very non-soundproofed and small office, I will move again to another location. That will be in a shopping mall! I never thought I'd work in a mall again since I was 17! But it will be much better than the current location.

So that's all I'm going to post now. I'll get the hang of this!