I Made a Young Man Cry

This was a special day for me, and I don't know yet how it's going to affect my work with one 8th grader. I made him cry, and it seemed to be the purifying sort of crying that brings some sweet release and relief. I think it was my first real therapy session with a student, and I really really hope I'm not wrong and will not have to eat some humble pie later on. It seemed I had made some real connection with him, and this was also the first time that I realized I needed some tissues in "my" office. I didn't have any, didn't offer him any, and I could see he was a bit embarrassed by his tears. Oh, I do hope I've gained some ground with him.

I've just returned from a very romantic long walk with my husband and the dog. Everything is in bloom, everything is incredibly beautiful, the world seems new and fresh. The last thing I want to do is translate, but translate I must, for I am a translator. It's hard being what you are and doing what you do when you want to just take huge gulps of life and not think about the mundane, about earning a living and doing everyday things.
I won't fret, all is well.

Oh, Yes, It's All Good!

Yesterday was one of those days. One of those incredible days when everything just falls in its place. I went to school (to work with kids! And teachers! Yay!), I finished my practicum report, I drove to the city, I got there in record time, submitted the report and was back in my home town just two and a half hours later! I don't think I had to stop at any red lights, that was just unbelievable. I even managed to squeeze in some 10 minutes for the library, and I even got two books on autism and Asperger's that I had wanted to read for some time now. And I got back home, and everything went so smoothly I could not even believe it. A group-mate called and said she could help me find the clinical practicum for April-May, and I got hold of the would-be mentor at a crisis centre. She agreed to meet me on Tuesday, and I just can't wait!
Life is getting more and more hectic and busy, so it's easy not to notice that spring is here. But it is! And I'm sure many people would appreciate if their 3-minute walk to work looked like this.

Tonight I will relax with a wonderful knitting work - dancing socks for my son.
And tomorrow... and on Saturday... I will make sure to find some time for some gardening work! Oh, life is so good!

First Day

The first school day is over, and what a day it was! It was a bit weird, looking through all the materials that the previous psychologist has left, reading the student files and getting to know so many of them...
Everything was new. Going to work in the morning was quite new, but taking a change of shoes with me to work was unprecedented. Learning the ropes, meeting the kids. Hugging some and reproaching some others. Even drying tears.
I really, really like it there. I didn't even want to leave. If I didn't have soooooo much to do (I need to hand in my practicum report tomorrow and translate three hour-long "Top Gear" episodes, and two episodes of a German police drama, and I have to drive to the city tomorrow to the University, and I need to finish knitting socks for my son's dance recital on Saturday, and I need to find someone - anyone! - to take me on for the second practicum.)
Life has never been more exciting and fun.

On Sheep and Nuts

Arthur and I, and my brother's family had a great time at a fantastic homestead/guest house/deer garden. It made my brother long for his own little (or rather, quite large) house by a river, preferably a very great river with wide, sandy beaches, while Arthur and I agreed it was nice but we wouldn't want to live that way any more. It seems that homesteading is not for us at this point in our lives. It was amazing, though, to see what those people who used to call themselves absolute city-dwellers had achieved with their own means and their own hands. I think I would love to have a guest house some day, but it might take some decades - there are much too many things I still want to do before that.

This is a water power-plant at Ķegums.

The sheep of the deer park (we didn't get to see the deer up close, but the sheep more than made up for it!). I still hope to keep some sheep some day, I adore sheep!

A huge vine-tree. You can't see that in the picture very clearly, but it was the thickest one I had ever seen,

A very old and almost blind boar. We felt sorry for it because we had fed all the bread that the owners had given us to the sheep.

I saw a red hazel for the first time. Now I intend to have one in my garden, too. I think I even know the perfect spot for it.

On our way back.

And the Counting Stops at...

52 exciting and 5 boring days!

I've been so very busy with a million things, roadtrips and gardening, and school parties, and summer solstice, and entertaining guests, and doing laundry, and cooking, and reading, and planning! I can't keep up with counting any more, but now I see that I'm bored less than one tenth of the time.
This has been a valuable experiment, because now I can pinpoint the reasons that make me feel bored. I am bored most often on Wednesdays, because that tends to be a day when I'm slacking off. It turns out it's not work that makes a day boring, it's getting nothing done. Every day has some sort of a structure - if I have a lot of work, I dig in and might feel swamped, but I'm never bored. I might feel reluctant to work if the deadline is far away, but I need something to show at the end of the day, I need that sense of having accomplished something. Loading the dishwasher does not make me feel less bored, but weeding or planting something might.
There are days when we open our doors to friends and family, and I don't really "work" per se, but I do run around a lot, making beds, cooking food and taking care of things and people. I have nothing to show for it in the evening, really, but it can't possibly be boring. So it all depends.

What makes a life exciting? Surely it must be awareness. You have to be aware of the moment and it's preciousness to appreciate it and not to waste it. Boredom = wasted time. So it's not WHAT we do on a daily bases, it's HOW we do it. A person may feel bored sunbathing on a Waikiki beach and feel completely thrilled bird-watching in the back yard. Your life is exciting when you spend your time deliberately, and not letting it pass by without a thought or care.

Some pictures from May and June.

So Many Amazing Days I've Lost Count (Except for Boring Wednesday)

Last Sunday we went to the seaside.
The first time this year Walter and I took a swim in the river was March 27, and the water was so very painfully cold that we could bear it for no more than a couple of seconds.
May 18 was the first swim in the sea for the four of us, even Ralph got wet - he's very sensitive to cold.

The kids have been making all kinds of housing throughout the week - I wonder if they study at all,

I've had a lot of work this week, so it's amazing. It is the difference between freezing cheap yogurt in the freezer and buying real ice-cream.
I've also done a lot in the garden. Everything's growing leaps and bounds, we've mowed the grass three times over the last seven days.

I planted a nectarine tree today. Arthur's sister gave it to him last Saturday, and I've been waiting for the perfect day to plant it since almost all the plants that I have planted at the wrong time have died. I have high hopes for this nectarine, I've always wanted a peach or something like it, and even though I know it's very fickle and hard to grow in our climate, I'm willing to cover it in winter and do all things possible to keep it strong. It's just a tiny baby now, and I had to pluck all the flowers off of it to make the roots stronger, but I'm sure it's going to look magical next spring with bright pink flowers.

My fernleaf peony (Paeonia tenuifolia plena) that I replanted last autumn has survived and has almost done blooming. I decided to take a picture while I can and not wait for a day when all the weeding will be over. I don't believe it ever will be over, since there's growing a veritable jungle in one part of the garden while I'm weeding the other.

We're short of money, and the rhubarb has unexpectedly helped me through. There's all kinds of dessert you can make using rhubarb, and I really don't know what I would do without it while there are no other fruits. (I know it's technically a vegetable, not a fruit, I know.)

This is going to be the first night of the year that the kids are going to spend outside in a tent.

I've got dozens of flowers to plant tomorrow, they're getting accustomed to the outdoors right now on the steps.

The only boring day was Wednesday, because I didn't manage to do anything at all, I just sat at the computer all day long playing some ancient games (Heroes of Might and Magic 2).
We've been to the river three times this week, and the week is not over yet, so I expect some more good swims this evening and tomorrow.

Friends are coming over tonight, so I have to go and tidy up the kitchen a bit. It's going to be an amazing night.

Excitement: 19. Boredom: 4