My husband and I are musicians. And we’re parents. Our “backstage” experiences with our son (our little frog) deeply affect who we are. Recent insights:
Hooray for the cheery people out there. I’ve been trying to dial in sustainable optimism through snowstorm after snowstorm. But after the pile of snow we’d built up to clear the sidewalk collapsed, I gave up.
Today, I’m pulling the covers over my head (metaphorically… I can’t really, because I need to invent and supervise indoor kid activities, especially because preschool has been canceled again for tomorrow…). So, here are a few simple schemes, to get me through the day.
- Work on Thai trip for next February
- Pray that the snows have been cleared by Tuesday night so I can get to the Midway to hear Matt Heaton and the Electric Heaters as part of an awesome surf/instrumental band showcase
- Make a baked dish that needs to be in the oven for a loooong time, so the house warms up. It would be fun to try something new; but it’ll have to be with ingredients on hand, since we can’t drive to the grocery store. While I’m at it, maybe I’ll play around with my new online menu planner called Plan to Eat. (There are cheaper/free apps to help with family food management; but so far this is the best I’ve found for generating shopping lists along with the week’s menus.)
- Wait to shovel until the VERY LAST MINUTE, because all the advice about going out several times during the day means the whole day is spent shoveling. Back health be damned. I’m up for minimizing my time in the dreary winter world…
New England is a treasure. The history, architecture, neighborhoods, amazing regional accents and international and small town/local situations lead to inspired collaboration and community mobilization. The Autumn leaf display is stunning. Late Spring and Summer brim with creative natural and cultural offerings. And in early Winter, a light dusting of snow on early 18th century homes can be quaint.
But I’d trade it all for one inch less of snow today…