Light and Shadow

I was struck by the patterns of light and shadow this morning at my older son's house.

I've lived in our home for 24 years and most likely take too much of it for granted, 

never noticing things like this.

 

And how much they change in a short period of time.

Of course, the photos aren't nearly as good as the real thing.

But my view this morning was new and interesting, and I was entranced.

The Road is Long but the Rewards are Great

The long road has been the 1762 mile journey from New Jersey to Colorado, traveled with my oldest son to help him move into his new home. He's starting his Ph.D. in mathematics, and since he needed to get his car and stuff out here in the safest and most cost effective way, we drove. It was a fun trip, one that we made in two and a half days, so these were also painfully long days. Some good things about the first day:

• Many yellow cars (Fans of Cabin Pressure will understand; if you're not a fan already, you owe it to yourself to listen!)
• Only a few rain showers
• Finding a Scheetz gas card with $$ on it
• Finally getting out of endless Ohio (Why is the entire length of the Ohio Turnpike under construction?)
• Heroic quantities of delicious pad thai in Tinley Park, IL  

The second day brought more interesting sights:

• We resisted going to Normal (IL).
• Council Bluffs' huge junk sculptures on the 24th St Bridge look like Freddy Krueger's hands. Welcome to IA!
• NE also likes to put stuff on bridges, like winged horses on the Great Platte River Road Archway.
• IA and NE should really be shortened.
• We saw a crop duster, dusting just a few feet above the corn in NE.
• Billboards for Rhinogator No-Flat Center Pivot Tires; you don't see those in NJ!
• We may possibly have gotten the last available hotel room in NE after a wicked storm.

We only had 144 miles to go on the last half day, so that was a piece of cake. Upon arrival, I wish there had been cake, but there was unloading, unpacking, cleaning, grocery shopping, furniture delivery, cable hookup, multiple visits to the DMV (except it's the DOR for licenses in CO) for license, emissions, VIN verification, title, and registration. It's not a good sign when the DOR lady tells you you should have brought your lunch and gotten into line several hours before the office opened!

Things and people are settling in, cracks are being spackled, pictures are getting hung, and curtains are being contemplated. More importantly, Ryan is finishing up his week of orientation and starts his graduate classes and teaching on Monday. After some stressful times, I feel like we're entering the rewards phase. We've found some great Thai restaurants, an excellent Churrascaria, and are looking forward to a brewery or two. 

I rewarded myself extravagantly with a visit to The Loopy Ewe last night. Three beautiful, soft, amazing skeins of Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere are mine, all mine! I don't yet know what they want to become, but will knit something very special with this very special yarn. Any suggestions?

 One fish, two fish, I love my Smooshy Bluefish!

It's going to be tough to say goodbye and head back to NJ, but I will know my son is happy, healthy, safe, and smart, in a place he likes and will become home, doing what he loves and enjoys. Those are truly some of the best rewards a mother could receive.

Three Things this Thursday

I currently have too many lists and far too many things I'm working on, so I'm going to try and distill them down to three important things.

1. Planning - This is becoming increasingly important as I am working on several Really Big Things. I'm generally okay with my own planning and carry-through, but things get a bit more complicated when I need to rely on and trust all the other people that are involved in the Big Things!
2. Reading - More specifically, listening to audiobooks, so I can continue with the Planning. I started Far From the Tree quite a while ago, but it's a gigantic, well-researched work of nonfiction about how parents deal with exceptional children, but I think it’s relevant to all parents. My fun book is The Cuckoo's Calling. I'm not usually a mystery reader and I honestly would never have picked this up if it hadn't been for the big Robert Galbraith pseudonym reveal, but I'm finding it surprisingly good!
3. Knitting - for my sanity and the well-being of others!