Still don’t have time to…

Still don't have time to put the photos of the weekend up, but things are calming down, returning to normal. I slept very badly for the last few nights -- 4-6 hours of broken sleep a night -- which really didn't help with getting things done. But yesterday I went through my whole to-do list, sorted it out, figured out what I needed to do when in order to catch up. And I also sat down and read through all the remaining Fountain juror stories, one of my big tasks that I was behind on. And I potted the flowers that would have died without some immediate care. So the most urgent tasks got handled, and the rest are back on track to be handled, and last night I slept eight solid hours and woke feeling much better. So I think it's all good now, back to normal levels of busyness and stress. :-)

I'm taking a lot of pleasure in flowers these days, in brief peaceful moment in between the harriedness. We filled the apartment with white flowers for the two baby showers this weekend, everything from tulips to roses to snapdragons to freesia to lisianthus to paperwhites to stock to daisies to sea anemone to hydrangea to cherry blossom. It was glorious. I want an excuse to do it again. :-) Most of the flowers went home with Nilofer, but I did keep the little sea anemones, single blooms in little glass votive holders, and the tall branches of white cherry, which are blooming beautifully now with clusters of delicate little white blossoms, and putting out fresh light-green leaves as well. Exuberant and delightful. I'd love a tree of white cherry, but I don't think the branches are likely to root well enough to be able to pot. I'll just enjoy it while I can. I do have a new little tree, a weeping pussy willow that Nilofer brought me as thanks for putting on the shower. It's supposed to be a tree of wishes; you tie a knot in one of the pliable branches when you make a wish, and untie it when the wish comes true. I haven't actually tried that yet, but very charming. :-)

Planting has started too -- Friday was gorgeous, perfect planting weather, and while there wasn't so much at Home Depot yet (it's early), I did find tons of pansies, some cheerful ramunculus, and a few pots of blue-white columbine. They're all happily planted now, and I think I've permanently moved back to working in the big room downstairs where I can see them. In the winter, I found myself huddling up in the tv room, which was warmer, but I'm coming out of hibernation now, yawning and stretching. :-)

Today I go in, teach my class, then meet Andy at Gethsemane Gardens where I may buy some big pots. Yay, big pots. :-) Come home, work some more, try to catch up, do laundry. In the evening, dinner with David and Nilofer, then we're going to see a play at Silk Road, Back of the Throat:

Two government officials pay an Arab-American man, Khalid, a seemingly innocuous visit. What begins as a "friendly" inquiry soon devolves into a chilling, full-blown investigation of Khalid's presumed ties to terrorists. At times surreal and comic, Back of the Throat examines the way in which facts, evidence and (mis)perceptions are used to distort the truth and how notions of cultural "otherness" impact the relationship between the accusers and the accused.

Should be fun. :-)