The cherry tree outside my office has bloomed--the earliest, I believe, since I started keeping track of such things (not all that long, then...) I knew it would be out when I went into the office yesterday morning and I even remembered my camera!
I came into the office Monday morning wondering if the cherry tree would be in bloom. It wasn't, but a thunderstorm roared through later in the day and by the end of it there were pretty clearly a few blossoms out. Today it's out in full, showing off against its usual backdrop of red brick, black leaded glass panes, and grey skies. We're supposed to get temps down to 30F Saturday morning, but spring is definitely here nonetheless.
This is the earliest I've posted a picture of the cherry tree outside my window. It's not quite in full bloom, but it's pretty close. Unfortunately maintenance to my office over the fall seems to have included sealing my windows; I can't open them anymore! So I shot this through the glass--best I could do.
The university where I teach has a fabulous arts center, bringing in wonderful acts all year round. They offer discounted subscriptions, too, and often Mark and I have bought one, choosing five acts (or so) to attend over the course of a year. Usually one or two are great, most are fine; I think we've only left one at intermission thinking we'd made the wrong choice. This year we didn't subscribe; there were a few things I thought were interesting, but the only event I really, really wanted to attend was the performance of Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra (try clicking to play the radio). If all you know of Bobby McFerrin is "Don't Worry, Be Happy," (which is fabulous, but overexposed), you may be surprised to hear how much I wanted to go--but then again, you're probably not reading this if that's all the McFerrin you know. (I've been searching for a while for his Psalm 23 and his amazing music for a reading of "The Elephant's Child" done by Jack Nicholson, but I can't find them online. Take my word for it, they are worth buying.) Anyway.
It sold out before we could order our subscription. In fact, I canceled the whole subscription when I found out that show was sold out--I just didn't see the point. And I've been slightly mourning that decision, because it's always, really, a good thing to go out and experience live performance--but I forget that repeatedly, and then wander around the house glumly wondering why my life is so boring. Sigh.
So I was in that glum, bored state yesterday. I've been glum and bored for a while, actually, which I attribute to the length of February, the grey skies, and an unusually extended "hangover" from big projects that came due at the end of January.
All I wanted to do was go hear Bobby McFerrin. I knew the concert was that night, and that it had been sold out for months. I started fantasizing about it in the morning (when, coincidentally, our choir sang the McFerrin setting of Psalm 23). As the day wore on the idea became a bit obsessive--I began to think the only thing that would snap me out of my glumness was Bobby McFerrin, and that if I couldn't go, I would just collapse into a heap. Nonetheless I knitted, watched a basketball game, got dinner underway--and watched the clock for when the box office would open.
The basketball game went into a surprisingly exciting overtime, and I lost track of time for a few minutes. So it was about fifteen minutes after the box office opened that I finally called. And, yes, they did have some tickets, and yes, I could have them. The show was in about an hour and fifteen minutes. We gulped down dinner and ran out the door, leaving the kids to finish the cleanup. (Remarkably, in a special bonus gift, they did it!) And then we sat in amazement, joy, and wonder as McFerrin and Voicestra played --and I mean played-- in front of us for two hours. They improvised the entire show, with no intermission, including dancers and singers from the audience for a while, giving the lead to various different singers, always coming back to the power and the purity of the voice.
It was astonishing. It was uplifting. And now I feel as if spring really is on the way.
(Edited to add this video of Bobby McFerrin on Sesame Street)
I'm feeling a little frazzled with the normal end-of-semester stuff. Both kids have stuff they are doing at the end of the year, too (though they still have almost two months of school left) and so it's busy. Not flat-out busy, just not-quite-on-top-of-things busy. (Don't even ask me about the taxes. They're done, but --well-- let's just say I made a somewhat expensive mistake. Sigh.)
I did, however, get to see Lilian the other day, and to meet her husband and see her lovely kids. Sorry it wasn't longer--that would be me with the busy-ness again--but I'm really glad they took the time on their way home.
I'm also just loving the occasional rehearsal where I get to watch Nick dance. This is just so awesome I can hardly stand it. Mandatory dance class for fourth graders--do you just love it? (I do, so if you don't, you can just be quiet about that.)
The weather is almost too hot but I hear it's cooling off (and raining) later today so I'm going to be quiet about that, too. Especially after complaining about the cold, which I maybe (in a rare show of restraint) didn't do on the blog but I've certainly done out loud more than once. Shh.
The weird thing about being busy is these random bits of unscheduled time. They don't feel long enough to start anything important, but they're too long just to completely veg out. Perhaps this is where blogging comes in.
Hot Cross Buns, from The (1975) Joy of Cooking (these are better than the much more complicated ones on epicurious, by the way. Nigella has fancy ones, too, but these--which are basically the Joy's Parker House rolls with a few additions--are easy and delicious.)
PS: we have no phone or internet at home right now--and until Easter Monday at the earliest. I'm posting from the office. Sigh.
Last Friday the tree outside my window was black and stark against the sky, though it was a lovely warm day. This morning it's chillier, but the tree is blooming.
Here's one of last year's pictures. The camera batteries are (surprise!) dead again.
reading, writing, YA and children's lit, cooking, parenting, feminism. some in this blog, some in the other one.
Contact me at tortoiselessonsATgmailDOTcom
