#SOL16 Day 27

There’s only one day at a time here, then it’s tonight and then tomorrow will be today again. ~ Bob Dylan

So here it is the night before my last day of Easter break. Where did the time go? I had long “to do” list when my vacation started on Wednesday. I was going to take care of everything in my house that had fallen by the wayside. Right. Didn’t happen. Why do I always set myself up for failure when it comes to my breaks from school? I make long lists and think I can get it all finished like a superhero. Wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, I did accomplish a few things, but the bulk remains just where it started on Wednesday morning. I would hang the list on the fridge, but I am afraid it would taunt me as I pass by each day.

Yelling things like, “Hey remember me? That closet you were going to clean out.”

“Look, over here, I’m that bag that needs to go to Goodwill.”

“You who…did you forget that you were going to sort and file this pile over here?”

So instead, I am going to rip it up and through it into the recycling bin. When tomorrow comes I will choose ONE thing to try and accomplish for the day. If I try and get to one thing each day then the list will get completed. One day at a time my friends, one day at a time.

#SOL16 Day 25

There is only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on. ~Leo Christopher

Today I didn’t worry about time. I planned to do my traditional Easter baking – Ricotta pies and Easter bread. I dug out my handwritten recipes that are stained from years of use and nostalgically thought about the people who generously shared their family recipes with me. I have been making these since I was first married over 35 years ago.

Easter bread takes time and patience. You must melt the butter and let it cool. You must warm the milk but not too hot. Add the yeast and wait for it to bubble. Mix the ingredients then knead the dough for eight minutes. Then it rests and rises under kitchen towels and a homemade afghan – have to keep it warm. Again I wait until it doubles in size. Again I knead in the raisins and nuts (some with no nuts because that’s how my son likes it). Again I wait for them to rise.

Finally they are ready to bake. The house is filled with the aroma of love. Once they emerge from the oven I wait one last time for them to cool so that I can drizzle them with a confectioner sugar mix and nonpareils. It takes me all day.

Today I moved a little slower than I have in years past. I remember years when I made a dozen batches of Easter bread; today there were only three. I remember when I kneaded those 12 batches by hand – two times for each batch. Today I let the Kitchenaid mixer do the work. My hands are not as strong and agile as they once were, but they got the job done. When I said that my fingers were locking up a bit, my husband said that maybe this should be my last year to make the bread. My reply was quick – “NO.”

My family waits almost 365 days for a taste of this bread. We only have it at Easter. It is tradition. I know that someday someone else will have to make the bread and carry on the tradition, but not yet. If it takes me longer to make the bread, it takes me longer. This is one time I am not worried about time.

#SOL16 Day 23

Life is like a ten speed bicycle.  Most of us have gears we never use. ~ Charles M. Schulz

I played the piano yesterday. I played the piano yesterday in front of the whole school and a dozen parents who showed up for our Tenebrae service. So what’s the big deal you ask? I haven’t played the piano in four years!

Although I have a degree in Music Education, piano is not my primary instrument. I was/am a string player, string bass specifically. I played the piano all the time for my students but never for performances or church services unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. I am not that confident in my playing abilities and get VERY nervous. Since I moved into a teaching position four years ago where I only teach ELA, I haven’t touched the keyboard – not even at home.

Sadly, the music teacher at school lost her mother this past week, and she was out on bereavement leave. I filled in for her at the 5K event on Saturday and gave the choir their starting pitch and directed them in the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” which was easy peasy, no pressure. I guess that’s where my principal got the idea that I could fill in at Tenebrae. He emailed me the night before, and I must admit, I panicked a little bit. I didn’t have a copy of the music at home, so I would have to wait until I got to school on Tuesday morning to find music and practice. I bit my lip and told him I would do it.

Long story short, I found the music (it was only eight measures long), practiced a couple times by myself and a couple times with the cantor; we we off to Tenebrae. We had to repeat the verse six or seven times in the course of the service. By the second or third time I realized that I was really enjoying myself and even missed playing a little bit…just a little bit. I heard a couple of clinkers, but my colleagues swear they heard not one wrong note.

I guess it is like riding a bike. All those years of practicing came back to me.The muscle memory in my fingers carried me through. Don’t hold your breath though; there are no upcoming concert dates for me.

#SOL16 Day 22

Think and Wonder, Wonder and Think. ~ Dr. Seuss

Wonder – to think or speculate curiously

My mind is always “on” and thinking or worrying about something.  So today I tried to capture some of these “wonderings” and share them with you.  I wonder how many didn’t catch in time to write in my notebook?  Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

I wonder what really goes on in the mind of a person suffering with dementia.
I wonder what the jabbering of babies and toddlers really means.
I wonder how many shades of green there are in the forest.
I wonder about the lives of people I see on the street.
I wonder what it would be like if I really didn’t have to work.
I wonder why it is so important for some people to be the center of attention.
I wonder why 7th grade boys are so silly.
I wonder what times that birds that serenade me each morning wake up.
I wonder what it would be like to be debt free.
I wonder what it would be like to hit the lottery
I wonder if homeless people are afraid.
I wonder how many of my middle school students will remain friends after high school.
I wonder how long I could do without my cell phone,email, and social media.
I wonder why some people are complainers and others ar problem solvers.
I wonder how many scarves one person really needs.
I wonder.

#SOL16 Day 20

Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation. ~ Lois Wyse

An impromptu invitation was just what I needed.  We met our son and daughter (their spouses both had to work) and our two grandchildren for breakfast.  We met at a central location at a diner I had never been to before. What a joy to see their tiny faces light up when we walked into the entryway of the diner.  One was shouting Pops and Nona, Pops and Nona,  while the other was hiding behind her dad’s leg peeking out and laughing.  There is no better way to start your day!

After breakfast we went to a playground just down the road from the diner.  Although it was the first day of Spring the kids needed hats and gloves and winter coats, but that certainly didn’t dampen their enthusiasm for the swings and slides. Pops even got into the act and slid down the slides with the kids.  We all had a good laugh and pictures to use as evidence in the future!

It certainly wasn’t what my husband and I had planned for today, but we never pass up the opportunity to spend time with our grandchildren.  They change and grow so quickly, that you want to capture every moment possible and treasure it.  We are so happy that our kids want to include us in so many adventures both big and small.  If there is the chance to make a memory – everything else can wait!