What is new here? I just burned my thumb heating water for the thawing of the snake’s bi-monthly Sunday snack. We’ll see how integral thumbs are to my typing technique…. Oww…. Integral.

We had Mira and David over for Mother’s Day – I made Belgian waffles with fried apples, maple syrup, walnuts, and ricotta cheese, no weight loss here. Elliot is squealing and babbling a great deal. He’s been “talking” all day. He is not crawling yet, but will be soon. There are currently two teeth that have broken through: center bottom. There are two on top that will break through soon. He is up to two human foods beyond the rice porridge that you start with: he is eating carrots and avocados.

I think I was a teenager before I had my first avocado. Obviously, we have some generational progress here. Gastronomically, my childhood was not exactly impoverished, but the vegetables were mostly canned and the meat was almost always well done. We did have a few French dishes that came down through my maternal grandmother; but, the majority of dishes were German meat & potatoes or very Americanized vaguely Italian casseroles. I still cook a number of those meals as comfort foods, but I use better ingredients (in part because better ingredients are available). Snob.

Big storms came through last night and broke the top off of our patio umbrella. I’m not sure if it’s fixable, but we have a spare; although, it’s round and the table is a rectangle (as was the now dead umbrella). We’ve had quite a bit of wind damage this spring. It’s going to be a challenge to find someone willing to do the south-facing soffit; it doesn’t pay well enough for most contractors to want to bother with. I’m hoping to have it handled under our new home buyer’s warranty.

My summer starts soon. Senior grades are due to administration this Thursday. Mentally I am already on vacation. This is the time of year when all my non-teacher friends, who aren’t into kids, would hate the long hours and the early morning start and can’t imagine holding five performances daily, wish they were teachers. Two and a half months off with pay is indeed a perk. I am already planning for next year; which is what I will spend most of the summer doing, when not gardening, traveling, or otherwise engaged in childcare and husbandry.

If you think I am just writing this to procrastinate grading, you’re right. I best be off to work.