March Break

With all of our divergent schedules, none of us are able to take spring break together. This week I'm on break from the U, and I had planned to plow through my three four-inch thick folders of grading to do, but have so far only gotten through one half-inch of papers. Teachers get spring fever just like their students. I just keep gazing out the window and thinking about daffodils, and hoping it will be warm enough for an Easter picnic this Sunday while not grading. The kids are in school (though Eva is only quasi in school, since she's on "intercession" at Walden, meaning that things are on hold until the Turkey trip people return), Ingrid is in Turkey, Christian is in school, and I'm home puttering around, cooking a lot and doing a lot of laundry, which is very enjoyable after the break-neck pace I've been keeping all year. I guess my point is that I'm longing for some kind of a change.

Alice and Jim visited for a few days this week, and it was wonderful. It was almost like a vacation for me just to have some great friends to spend time with, to cook with, to talk to. They were so great with the kids, who adored having them here, and are really sad they're gone. Alice taught Lula how to fold paper cranes and make lucky stars. Jim spent a lot of time pushing Cecily on the swing, and Christian loved spending time showing him around Provo and talking music. Eva had some good talks with Alice about art and growing up, and just absorbed her wisdom. Alice inspired me to get healthier in my cooking, and also with some new ideas for dishes to make. It's difficult to keep inspired when you're cooking every day for seven people. I'm finally going to learn to make her marinated tofu, which I've always loved. Ingrid will be so happy about that. We bought the Clifford Family Farm's delicious eggs and Alice made Korean pancakes and kim chee. She and the little girls watched Korean drama in my room during my Writing about Food Class that met here on Tuesday night.

Dave brought Noelle, Lily and Bonnie up for their spring break to ski. Dave is a great dad, and you could tell the girls were having a fabulous time, though Lula of course didn't have enough time with the girls. The Candlands gave Moses some garden tools for his birthday and poor Dave had to keep going outside with Moses to help him dig afterwards. David spent time with my class talking about the restaurant business and his travels in Mexico. His talk was very moving, suriprisingly. It wasn't surprising that I was moved by people getting all touchy-feely about food prep, but I guess I was surprised that Dave felt so strongly about it. He's not an annoying foodie like me, so I never really know how he feels about it, but he spoke eloquently about the woman he made Mole Negro with in Oaxaca, and now I'm itching to try grinding thirty five ingridients on a metate and cooking them up.

This is a banner week because the whole family is healthy all at the same time. Cheers!