Drinking tea and reading…

Drinking tea and reading McKillip's Something Rich and Strange (thanks to whomever recommended this to me at WisCon! Lyda, maybe?). Startled once again by how rich and strange and lovely my life has become. Oh, it's nice to dream about a bigger house, more money, a few bestselling books or maybe even a movie made from one of them. But when I think about what I actually have -- this is the life I always wanted. It feels a bit frightening to admit that out loud, as if I'm just asking for something bad to happen. (Kevin was reading an article yesterday about the unexpected ways children often die, and got thoroughly freaked out. Apparently, heavy furniture falling on them, or them falling out of windows, is not as uncommon as you might think.) I'm just superstitious enough to feel like it might be better not to mention my good fortune out loud. But it also feels important to acknowledge how lucky I've been. Sometimes, in the controlled chaos, I forget.

This morning, I drink tea, listen to music, read. Enjoy how stunningly clean and flower-filled my home is (cleaned for photos yesterday). When I wake up a bit more, I'll work on finalizing the schedule for Kriti, as much as I can. I'll remind folks that pre-registration rates go up in a few days. I'll e-mail my students their paper topic for Monday. This afternoon, Kevin and I will run a few more boxes over to the storage unit, then we go to the doctor's for the 20-week anatomy scan, making sure all of baby's limbs are in the right places. If baby cooperates, we might even find out the gender -- if it's a boy, then I get to spend some fun time going through Kavi's baby clothes, finding adorable girl things to send to baby Link Grant. If it's a girl, I'll do the same, but I'll be more inclined to hang on to my favorite outfits. :-) I also may try crocheting or knitting something for Ursula. Little green baby dragon? Also, this blanket is calling to me...maybe a modified version sized smaller for a preemie?

When it warms up a little, I have a bit of work in the garden. The honeysuckle has aphids, I think, or some other bug -- need to spray it and hope that helps. Then plant a few trailers to fill out containers (creeping jenny, sweet potato vine, etc.), plus a hanging basket of orange lantana, and a mass of bright pink million bells outside Kavi's window. I've been a little obsessed with pink and orange lately -- do you do that? Get obsessed with particular color combinations? A few years ago, it was turquoise and chocolate brown, but now I am firmly in pink-orange land. Maybe it's from having a little girl.

Most of my garden isn't blooming yet, but the early morning sun was glowing on the hibiscus and mandarin honeysuckle this morning. I had to share it with you.