Weekending

So, this weekend . . . phew! 

Friday I attended a lunch for a colleague who is retiring. I had to work a bit to make sure I wasn't sitting between an old man who used to teach physics at the college (and always made sure I knew geology was not a real science), and another old man who used to teach historical geology, even though he's a creationist. Yep, they retired when I was hired and we whipped that department back into shape. Luckily, I found a seat across from another former colleague who was always one of my favorites --he's a chemist who grew his own barley and hops to make beer, grows his own grapes to make wine, and would make coffee mugs from beakers by blowing glass and melting on a handle. Not only a really nice guy, but always interesting to talk to.

That evening Emma gave her first solo show. Well, technically it was part of the Fine Arts Showcase at her school, but she got up on that stage and sang, accompanied only by a piano. This was the show that caused all the unkind girl drama earlier, which she almost put behind her. Appropriately enough, she sang the song Brave (by Idina Menzel). She sang before the trio who excluded her, and I was hoping she might want to leave before they sang. She chose to stay, because one girl in the trio gave her an honest apology and their friendship is still in place. It was the wrong decision, though, because when they were done we found she'd left the room because she'd started crying. I'm sure part of that was because by this time it was 9:30 p.m., and between the time and the stress of waiting to perform, she was just a smidge tired. Not that she'd admit it, being eleven.

The "variety show" (5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th graders) went on for two hours. It was interesting to see how some of the kids took the risk and performed in a way that was outside their comfort zone, and others put very little effort into the whole affair. One boy tap-danced, and you could tell that he really wanted to share a talent that he was proud of, but he had to be brave to do it. An 8th grader showed amazing poise as she sang a song that related to her Native American heritage. They were well supported by classmates and parents, who indicated how impressed they were by applause and calling out praise. But boy was my derriere sore from sitting on a metal folding chair for so long!

On Saturday Emma and I dropped off an enormous trunk-load of clothes at a clothing drive, then hit Michaels for popsicle sticks so she could create a scale model of a chicken coop for school. Her class is working on all things chicken-related as their last project, although it looks like the eggs they've been incubating are not going to produce any live chickens. A lesson in itself.

I double-ordered plants (I forgot I'd placed the first order) and they all came at once, so I was busy planting astilbe and amsonia and geranium and shasta daisy, plus trying to fertilize plants in various stages. My new blue iris opened, and it's gorgeous!

Sunday we visited a local attraction, the Nicholas Conservatory. It's a beautiful greenhouse with mostly tropical plants --I even found out the name of that weird plant we'd seen at the Domes in Milwaukee --a Staghorn Fern.

We ended the afternoon by getting shaved ice drinks and sitting in the various hammocks in the our yard, which, really, is one of the nicest places to sit. This evening we watched a great family move --We Bought A Zoo. It was a nice Mother's Day.

Tomorrow is a parent-teacher conference day, so Emma has no school. Yay! another day to sleep in :-)