Ah, the week.

There is thunder rolling in the west, sounding like giants bowling, knocking strike after strike...and there is a persistent peeper in the east, stuck somewhere lonely in a neighbor's backyard.  The other night we could have sworn we heard more than one - the peeps were overlapping - but now I only hear one rhythmic smoke-alarm beep that Ani told me she thought might be a night bird.  She has been tuned in to the birds this week - the dawn chorus around here rivals any human chorus in its intensity and polyphony, and she is awake from the first note (really. it's been eeeeeearly mornings this week).

It must be spring!

We've been out so much this week that I haven't taken the time to sit here at the computer to share it all, so this will be a catch-up post of the week that's just been...

Last Saturday my wildly talented husband was the guest at the monthly music club hosted by Eliza's piano teacher; he entertained us with excerpts from Starball, which he is gearing up to perform at the Adler in Chicago next month.

It is a show that takes place inside a planetarium, but, in the former sanctuary of a church, he had us all using our imaginations as we searched for Polaris and other constellations during the show. It was a lot of fun, and it was sweet to see how proud the girls were to have him performing.

The weather has been a crazy 78 or so degrees all week, so as I said, we were out. A lot.

There's been some turning of the soil (though this might have been last week, that's how behind I am...) - this week we'll plant some peas, kale starts and tatsoi, which is a hardy green like bac choi. It's time!!

There's been some dog-like loving of the balmy weather.  Ani's favorite way to ride in the car, regardless of the weather.

 

Our friend S invited us to her one of her eco-tourism finals for the quarter at the local college.  The students presented on various animals (including the rat snake and the box turtle below), constellations, insects, and there was a firefly craft, a night walk, and a great game of bat vs moth (think Marco Polo but without the swimming pool).

The girls had fun, unphased by being in a classroom with a bunch of young adults, and enjoying the activities, especially the glow-stick fireflies made with recycled bottles.  Eliza did have to correct one young man, though, who mistakenly was identifying the two planets in the current night sky as Venus and Saturn (it's Jupiter, not Saturn), but at least she waited until his presentation was over and we were outside looking at the real thing.

There have been a few spills on the bike, which happens, and courageous re-mounting of the bike for another go (so different than it was a year ago), several books read and re-read (The Golly Sisters for Ani, and she's steadily going through the Asterix comics at the library)...a pretty nice week...