Good Day, Sunshine

I've had a string of dark days, and today was a day of pulling myself out of the muck. As a get-out-of-bed motivator, I decided to make a photo journal: One Day of Life in The Woods. 6:50 a.m.: Sweet P plops Buckaroo into my bed, and I grab the camera. R is long since out the door.



7:15 a.m.: Sweet P leaves for school-- without a coat or mittens despite the 28 degrees outside. She did toss a hat on her head as she sauntered into the frost.






7:20 a.m.: Buckaroo's morning wrestling match with the doggie.



8:25 a.m.: A bundled Buckaroo, ready for Bella's morning walk.


9 a.m.: The ponds and puddles have a thin layer of ice.


We could hear geese a-honkin' in circles above. Buckaroo hoped to spot an aardvark, inspiring a long conversation about where aardvarks live.

10:15 a.m.: After a dash back home and tidying up, we're on our way to meet R at his office for a lunchy date. Buckaroo also requests a visit to the bookstore, but we have to be home in time to shuttle Sweet P from school to her riding lesson.

Have I mentioned my fondness for stone overpasses?

11:30 a.m.:Buckaroo wakes from a quick shnap.



And he's not so happy to be in the car!

We usually go out for sushi, but R had a special surprise for us: HMart!





More than a grocery, HMart also has a yummy food court-- similar to a mall, but with much tastier food options. We shared palak paneer and chicken tikka masala. Buckaroo called his "spicy rice," and gobbled it up. We bought some ice cream mochi for the road. The cashier was very flirty with Buckaroo and gave him a pink cookie.
The stinky durian is, I am told, beloved by many and also smells like cat poop.

12:30 p.m.: Said goodbye to R and made a quick stop at the bookstore where Buckaroo enjoyed a few minutes of playtime and stories.



1:55 p.m.: Starbucks. I used to refuse to partake of The Bucks, but that was in Alameda when Peete's was across the street. Now there are only so many places a mama can sip a decaf eggnog latte with whip in The Woods. Interestingly, these drive-through guys are quite entertaining. This guy, for example, sang "mah nah mah nah" at me every time I began to order at the drive-up intercom, until I finally just had to stop laughing and shout over him.

2:10 p.m.: Sweet P is often hungry-grumpy after school. She perks up when she spots the Starbucks banana bread. She spat out the walnuts.

2:20 p.m.: Stop at our little local market for a small purchase and change because the riding instructor takes only cash.

2:35 p.m.: The stable.


Buckaroo and I spend a little time swinging and sight seeing-- the boy does love a tractor--
while Sweet P rides.



Sweet P and DaVinci work on corners.











4 p.m.: At home, Sweet P does her usual-- homework, staring at herself in the mirror, and talking on the phone. I have to remind myself that she hasn't quite reached teendom.


She would have chatted all night, I fear, if I had not reminded her that it was time to practice piano.










6:30 p.m.: R returns and we have our usual fare of pasta with meatballs. Buckaroo could eat a meatball at every meal. In fact, he may turn into a meatball one day. We would still love him.




7:30 p.m.: Sweet P and Buckaroo paste snowflakes to the front door.

I planned to photograph the bedtime routine, but, as so often happens, the night fell apart soon after snowflaking, so that particular chaos will have to be left to your imagination.