Right Now (or it was a few days ago) - April 2016

Let's just pretend it's still April.

Worrying About - Justin, just like in March. He's killed three or four Western Diamondback rattlesnakes, including one that he had to beat off with a stick. He was also kind enough to send me a video of a scorpion in his house. "Don't worry, Mom. The only species with fatal stings live in Arizona, not Texas."

Spending time - In the hospital waiting room. A family member (who would be mortified if she knew I was writing about her) spent lots of time in the hospital with some serious cardiac problems. They are not resolved, but she is home now, and we shall see. A big thank you to everyone for all the good wishes, healing thoughts, and hugs that you sent. The only thing worse than dealing with aging parents is not having aging parents to deal with.

Knitting - The same Hitchhiker. I had to rip out quite a bit when I made some mistakes I couldn't live with, but hopefully I'll be done soon. A baby blanket has also been started.

Learning - Math with Khan Academy. I have struggled with trying to teach myself calculus through Coursera, but after several months I admitted I just don't get it and what I need first is some algebra review. Khan Academy seems to be working for me and it's also fun. After I complete a thorough review of algebra I'm going to give calculus another try.

Reading - Imagine Me Gone (Kindle), The Gene (Kindle) and The Beautiful Miscellaneous (audio). The first two are "thinking books", meaning I can't just whip through them quickly, and I have high hopes for The Beautiful Miscellaneous. It's written by Dominic Smith, the author of my favorite book (so far) this year -- The Last Painting of Sara de Vos. Do yourself a favor and read it, or better yet, listen to it. Edoardo Ballerini is the perfect narrator for this book.

Drinking - Tea (always) and there have also been a few Bloody Marys and some wine.

Avoiding - The box of Thin Mints in the freezer. Justin put them there before he left and it would be nice if I didn't eat "his" cookies. Yes, I have contemplated eating them and replacing them with another box, but I can't find any Girl Scouts selling cookies now. Isn't their motto "Be Prepared" (to provide Bonny with Thin Mints)?

Looking forward to - A trip to Fort Collins in less than three weeks. We'll get to see Ryan defend his thesis (he's still working on his PhD, but decided to get a master's degree along the way so he can publish his results), drink some good beer, eat some good food, and hopefully have a great time.

Wishing - That the weather would cooperate with our gardening. Spring so far has consisted of a week or so of really warm temperatures nearing 80, another week of really cold temperatures in the 40s and freezing at night, and now we've settled into 50s but endlessly rainy and damp. We planted peas, spinach, kale, and turnips in the garden but nothing has germinated so far. I'm afraid the seeds may just be rotting in the ground with all this rain. The seeds I started indoors are looking good and tomatoes will be planted outdoors this weekend no matter the weather.

What's going on in your world right now? (Hopefully good books, tall tomatoes, and no scorpions!)