Bean Counter

After the terrace garden escapade of last spring, we've decided to try all container gardening this year.  Last year, we had really good luck with our containers, which yielded kale, lettuce, and tomatoes.  This year, we added a few beets (have I told you how much I love beets?  I hope the ones we planted flourish so I can tell you how delicious they are), purple beans, spinach, and purple watermelon that supposedly grows up on a trellis (in our case, a piece of twine hanging from the roof of the house).  We had a really late spring, so our seeds have only been in the ground for two weeks.  But take a look at these champion beans: 

 

They're loving the sunshine almost as much as we are!  They grow and change every day.  They live near our front door, so we get to peek at them multiple times a day.

Sauna

I'm doing a challenge right now through Lululemon called Sweat this City.  Not that I own, or ever will own, any Lululemon items (see-through or otherwise), but this program offers eight free yoga and other classes over the course of two weeks.  How could I pass it up? 

Last week I went to a hot yoga class as part of the challenge.  The room was ridiculously hot.  Like a sauna, basically.  And there was a line to get in, so everyone was scurrying to get spaces and lay down their mats.  I crammed my mat into a spot in the back row (my usual favorite place in any kind of fitness class).  The instructor came in and casually said, "Just so you all know, the back row is the hottest place in the room."  As if we even had the option of moving at that point.  No problem, I told myself, it's only an hour.  I can survive anything for an hour.  Then the instructor started class... "Welcome to 90-minute Hot Yoga."   

I went to a TRX class over the weekend that was way more normal.  "Normal" meaning "regular temperature and only an hour," of course.   

My First Audition in Many Years

For the past seven years, I've volunteered at Wisconsin Public Television's annual fund-raising auction.  It's basically the highlight of my year.  I've done a variety of jobs, including working on the phone bank and calling winning bidders to tell them the good news.  But every year, I look with admiration and envy upon the auctioneers, who stand in front of the camera and read item descriptions with gusto and zeal. 

This year, I decided to follow my heart and audition to be an auctioneer.  That's right, you have to audition.  Because it's so awesome and everyone wants to do it, obviously.  My (very nervous) audition was a couple of weeks ago, and guess what?!  I made it!  I'm going to be an auctioneer!!!  I cannot wait.  I'll let you know when to tune in to the auction! 

Bid early and often! 

25 Percent

We're one quarter of the way through 2013!  This means I should be 25% finished with my goals for the year, right?  After a marathon banjo practice last night, I can proudly say that I'm 25 hours in to my 100-hour practice goal for the year.  And my "get rid of 1000 items" goal is also over one-quarter finished.  That has turned out to actually be a really easy goal.  As for the rest... I'm still basically at the starting line.  But I still have 9 months left to finish!  And there's always next year...  

Today

Today is full of...

• dangly earrings (but not too dangly)
• storytime preparations
• new books ready to be cataloged
• crockpot leftovers
• summer reading program planning
• time at the reference desk
• sunshine, melting some of our piles and piles of snow
• anticipation of dinner out with friends
• two baby sweaters, ready for buttons to be sewn on

Eight on Ten: March

 

 

 

Perfect day for soup in the slow cooker

My garlic philosophy: two heads are better than one

I only left the house once, for yoga class

Our backyard is not usually a pond

When you are married to a librarian, you get to do things like hang your work clothes on a card catalog

Needlepoint by my mother, now proudly displayed in our guest room

Afternoon page-turner

 

More ten on ten here

 



The best thing about today...

is knowing that the Crock Pot will have a hot supper waiting for us when we get home. 

 

Snow has been falling steadily ever since I walked out the front door at 7:00 this morning.  I looked like a snowman by the time I got on the bus.  At work, I quickly traded the "baby chicks" storytime theme I had prepared for a "snow" theme, and when only a handful of families braved the weather, we got to do all kinds of fun small-group activities.  Every time I look out the window, the snow seems to be falling harder, in huge cotton ball-y chunks.  I love it, I really do.  But what I love more is the promise of a hot meal from our slow cooker!