Back in Massachusetts

I returned from the west coast at 11:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Friday was errands and cleaning and laundry.

Saturday was in-law's yard sale and friend's graduation party.

Today my brother graduates from Clark University.

Tomorrow, my loves, I will spend lots of time posting on this here blog.

I've missed you!

View from Here

With the husband home sick and the Liz Funk interview I could work on transcribing and editing from home, I decided not to go in to Teen Voices today. I opted to work at my desk with my sleeping husband in the next room.

The view from my desk. Note the fresh squeezed, homemade lemonade.


Perfect Lemonade Recipe.
The kitty came from here.

COMEBACK!

I am back and I hope you'll all come back to reading my blog! I've missed you <3

This week was an Alice in Wonderland Dorthy in Oz one for me.

I won't bore you with the details.

Suffice it to say, I believe I have found my way back home and am happier for it.

Groceries: A Mr. B&B Anecdote

Glued to my computer working on my paper this weekend, I decided groceries would just have to wait until Monday. We would not go hungry.

Much to my surprise, Mr. B&B popped his head in our office late Sunday morning. "Just wanted to let you know, I will take care of the groceries today." he casually remarked. "You will? Are you sure? I was planning on doing them tomorrow..." Then I paused, looked at him, and said, "Thank you.", motioned for him to come closer, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Mr. B&B is very helpful around the house ALWAYS. He washes laundry, sweeps floors, cleans bathrooms, hangs pictures, and removes snow and ice. He dusts, builds things, weather seals doors, grouts window frames and tubs. There are not many things Mr. B&B won't do. I am a lucky and very thankful woman. Though I am capable of doing the things Mr. B&B does, it is nice not to have to, not to be the sole proprietor of our "home sweet home".

On the other hand, I do not take advantage. I recognize that he works hard every day not only for self-fulfillment, but to keep our little family afloat. When he comes home and the dishes are done, laundry clean and dry and put away, floors swept, bed made, everything dusted, and dinner on the table, he is far more relaxed and just as appreciative of what I do at home all day as I am of what he does at work all day.

Having been together eight years and lived together for quite a few of them, some household tasks have naturally divided. Groceries have traditionally been done jointly or by me. So, when he made his "casual remark" on Sunday, I was floored. He recognized how hard I was working and this was his way of showing me support. My heart was full. I got up and, holding his hand, floated on air to the kitchen where together we made a grocery list. Moments later, Mr. B&B was en route to Trader Joe's.

Typing away in the middle of a thought I was not about to lose, my phone rang and I ignored it. When my thought was typed and saved, I picked up my phone. Mr. B&B, no doubt in the midst of a grocery store crisis, was the mystery caller. "Ring, Ring, ring, ring..." and I am through to his voice mail. Must not have been that important. Five minutes later, he called me back. Before I could say hello, "I decided to save all of my questions until I got to the last aisle so I didn't bother you over and over." He then proceeded with a barrage of questions which I answered deftly and expertly. One never fully understands how complex a seemingly simple task can be until one attempts it one's self.

Mr. B&B returned unscathed with bags full of yummy. With gusto, the receipt for "only $53!" (well done) was unfurled. While we put away the groceries together, he regaled me with supermarket stories and I listened intently as if he were describing a foreign land and the people who live there. "I'm glad you had a good time. Thank you SO MUCH for taking care of the groceries for me! It means more than you know."

The little things go a long way.

Home Unhealthy = Unhealthy Home

As I said yesterday, I have a cold. Mr. B&B has one, too, and stayed home today.

Evidence Mr. B&B stayed home sick.
#1 Coat, shoes, and hat

#2 Approximately 6 foot 1 inch lump in bed with feline protector

Our home is feeling a bit under the weather, too.
#1 (2 & 3?) Messy counters, dishes in sink, pre-compost container in need of emptying



#2(?) Dry Laundry on Laundry Drying Rack


I am not crazy enough to post pictures of my unshowered, noseblowing, coughing self.
Instead, I'll show you where I've been spending my time.


Hoping you are all well and stay well! I'm on the mend. Evidence? No fever today!

Would you like flies with that?

We moved into our first-floor-of-a-1920's-two-family condo this past spring. By June, the top floor was purchased by a lovely couple who share similar values when it comes to community, house care, health, and the environment, among other things. By July, a composter moved into our backyard. The upstairs neighbors and I wasted no time in using the composter, but Mr.B&B has been slower to respond.

For months Mr.B&B has been reluctantly placing coffee grinds into the pre-composter container I placed on the window sill above the sink in the kitchen. Occasionally he inquires about its contents. "Hair? Dryer lint?" I patiently list off some of the items that are safe for composting and why. Last week things changed.

Last week was a big adjustment for me and Mr.B&B. In addition to class two nights a week, homework, housekeeping, and errands, I began my internship on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and my volunteer position at Perkins School for the Blind on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. This meant that the composting really piled up in our kitchen and Mr.B&B couldn't take it anymore. He asked to be introduced to the composter. I showed him how to line up the arrows to remove the cover. As the cover came off the flies emerged and Mr.B&B let out an "Ewwwwwwwwww!" I told him the flies are integral to composting and to please bear with me. After the cover was safely locked back onto the composter, I more fully explained the importance of the flying bugs, that the compost is their food and that they are needed to help break down the materials in the composter and turn them to nutrient rich soil. Innocently he asked, "Do the flies come with the composter kit?" I let out a giggle and told him that the flies are naturally drawn to the composter in their quest for food, but we can manage them by adding more leaves, mixing more thoroughly, etc. Now, when we sit down for a meal I let out a teasing, "Would you like flies with that?"

The flies got me thinking about bigger things:

All beings have the same basic needs (food, water, shelter).
With the desirable comes the not so desirable.
We should think about what we put out into the world because it attracts certain results (people, things, opportunities).
Balance is the key to a peaceful, fruitful life.

All these thoughts came rushing forth thanks to the innocent question, "Do the flies come with that?"