The Spring Break That Wasn't Spring

NEARLY WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

I missed Nearly Wordless Wednesday last week because I am getting tired of posting snow pictures. And I thought that surely this week, with it being the Rasta Jew's Spring Break, surely it would act like spring. Especially since the Astronomical First Day of Spring occured on the second Saturday of said Spring Break.

Sigh. Not this year. So this NWW features snow pictures once again.

Monday of the Spring Break that wasn't spring.

Umbrae loves the snow.

At least someone was happy!

And once again, Sandia Peak in snow.




















The Engineering Geek walks three dogs--in the snow.










First day of Spring. Anticipating a Road Trip, I had stayed the night in town, so that a friend and I could get out and go south to the sunshine. It was a good thing I did. Here is Henry the Big Red Truck parked at the hotel where I stayed . I-40 through the canyon was closed. I would have never gotten out!













After traversing snow-packed freeways--New Mexico has never learned to plow them when it starts snowing--we finally found sunshine between Socorro and Truth or Consequences.

But here, looking east from Emory Pass, more . . . need I say it? . . .snow.

Happy Purim! Happy Spring!

It's been a busy week here in Sedillo.

UNM is having Spring Break this week and I have been taking advantage of it to accomplish some things that NEED to be done. Because...

Spring is coming, and so's Passover!

Actually, Spring is already official here!
It started for us here in the Mountain Time Zone at bedtime Wednesday night, with the equinoctical sunrise on Thursday morning here in this picture.

(Yes, that's a traffic barrier by our driveway. The road to the south and west of our house is being paved, and the water co-op is putting in pipes).



And here is the equinoctical sunrise over the house from the designated quarter-day photo spot on the meadow.

The weather here is cooperating for the official coming of spring, too!

It has been a little below freezing at night, but it has been warming up nicely during the day. Yesterday it was in the 60's here, and the 70's down in Albuquerque.



Of course, with the coming of spring, and the coming of Spring Break (which must always be capitalized to indicate its importance), the time has come for Spring Cleaning. (This too is capitalized because of the work involved). Normally, Spring Cleaning begins after Purim, but that is because Purim normally comes before Spring Break. So this year, despite my worries to the contrary, I actually started my Pesach Cleaning (also capitalized for the same reason as stated above) early!


On Sunday, I cleaned all of our bedding and hung it outside to dry. I so love the outdoor smell in clothes! On Monday, I tackled our closet, and on Tuesday, I did the cabinets in our bathroom. That was actually the biggest job as my Bruce is a Packrat as well as a Geek. Many things that are not ordinarily stored in a bathroom (three rolls of electrical tape???) were stored under his sink.

Wednesday, I took care of my office. And yesterday, the Great Room (as the realtor Geeks call it) got the royal treatment. It was in that state where it looked like a few minutes of vacuuming or dusting would do it up nice, but appearances can be deceiving. It took about six hours of work--cobweb knocking, couch cushion removing, window sill dusting, furniture moving work! By 4 PM yesterday, it was in that really deep-down, pop-corn-kernels-out-of-the-upholstery, leather-soap-smelling CLEAN! Which is good because...




...yesterday at sunset, we began the holiday of Purim, the Feast of Lots. Last night was a big synagogue night, because not only was there a reading of the Megillah (in this case, the Book of Esther), but it was also our congregation's week to host homeless families for IHN. So Bruce and I spent the night in a Hebrew classroom on two roll-aways made 'comfy' by pushing them together and putting our feather bed on them.

Purim is a half-holiday, on which no work is done in the evening and morning, as the Megillah is read, and we drown out the name of 'that evil Haman!' (Boo! Hiss!).

Last Sunday, N. and I also volunteered at the Sisterhood Purim Carnival--which was one of the best! (I know, I know, we say that every year, but this year...). When the kids were little, we took them to play the games and eat the hammetaschen (three cornered cookies pictured at the right in the basket).

When we arrived, did I get a surprise! One of my lovely adult Hebrew students had ordered a beautiful Mishloah Manot (gift basket) for me! It is the custom to send (the root of Mishloach--which means 'that which is sent') gifts of food and goodies for Purim. So we've had goodies, and tonight and tomorrow we'll have Shabbat. And I will rest up!

Passover is now just one full moon away!
Thank goodness I have started getting ready. Once I begin cleaning, the Pesach Panic subsides, and the Pesach Pondering can begin!

What Did You Do Over Spring Break, Mommy?

Lots! N. really began taking charge of his wilderness studies with Kamana. Here he is, walking off into the sunset at White Sands National Monument.





I started cleaning for Pesach. When I got to my office on Thursday, I hung some antique rose lace curtains on the clerestory. It softens the light on my computer screen just a bit in the afternoons!
















The weather was beautiful most of the week. We did some reading and studying outside!
















I enjoyed my morning walks with the dogs. On Tuesday morning we had a bit of a fog over the mountains.

The good weather has brought out the wildlife!

Here is a black squirrel clinging to the side of our house.

This morning, as Bruce and I were reading in our newly cleaned sitting room, the dogs went crazy. They barked and ran importantly from window to window, letting us know that there was a squirrel on our house.

I took the picture and we thanked the dogs for alerting us to that great sight!

N. discovered the Vencinos Skate Board Park. Yesterday, when we bought our Shabbat Challah at Wild Oats, we also got some picnic munchies and sodas. We went to the skateboard park, where we--well, I--ate and read a book. N. enjoyed trying his skills on the various ramps and--I have NO idea what you call the other stuff). I will be posting a whole blog article on skateboarding soon--I promise! Once N. teaches me the correct terminology.

Isn't this a maneuver to stop a mother's heart?! I took some pictures and then retired to the picnic table (facing the other way) with my Hansen's Vanilla Cream Soda to read Tom Brown Jr.'s Case Files of the Tracker. I had no need to WATCH this crazy stuff. I did listen for cries and screams of pain. Alas, I brought the first aid kit in vain! My boy has superb reflexes and balance--unlike his aging mother.

One thing I did not do so far is study. A woman's plans should exceed her time or what's a Spring Break for?

I'll probably be sorry later. A paper in neuroscience awaits!

Turning the House Over

Spring Break for mom means one thing!

It is time to turn the house over for Pesach (Passover).

During Pesach, Jews cannot own leven (Chametz). So we "turn the house over" in order to remove chametz from the house. Of course, it would be impossible to get rid of it all so there is an escape clause in which after honest effort, one can declare any missed chametz to be ownerless as the dust of the wind.

I started my honest effort yesterday. I always start in the bedrooms and move toward the kitchen. This makes sense because the kitchen must be made kosher for Pesach last, since we have to eat while the house is being cleaned.
Above, you can see that I have stripped the bed and am ready to go at it! I got the master bedroom and the masterbath done before I took N. to Boy Scouts last night.

One cool thing is the bathtub is finally in!

Bruce and a neighbor completed the work recently.

I got a shot of Bruce putting in the faucet and the spray attachment. The guys had gotten the tub in before I got home that evening.

You can see that the tub is now in the hole in the tile where it was supposed to have resided before the Bar Mitzvah. You know what they say about "best-laid plans of mice and men..."

By the way, that little white triangular shape to Bruce's lower left is Zoey's tail. Nothing happens in our house without her presence--except vacuuming!


Yesterday when I finished cleaning and getting everything ship-shape, I took some pictures of the bathtub in place.


It will probably never look so good as it did after I finished the cleaning job. I really wanted to turn on that hot water, start the jets and add some muscle ache bath salts--and that was after the first day of cleaning. It was relatively easy work.

Today, I was planning to do my office and the hall and possibly start on the living room, but...

I walked into the laundry room, and the cat sand was filthy, and the laundry room was is general disarray. When I opened the cabinet to get out the soap, I realized that there were drips and drops of soap with borax powder and baking soda all stuck to the floor. And cat hair on the curtains, and...well you get the picture!


I couldn't let that go a day longer without going completely nuts. So I ended up doing the laundry room.

That little room took 4 hours. That includes, cleaning the table where the cat food is put, cleaning the cat-tree (If I knew how to card and spin, I could knit with that hair), cleaning the washer and dryer, vacuuming the lint traps, washing the curtains, vacuuming the ceiling corners, walls, and floor, cleaning the baseboards (I love Murphy's Oil Soap in the spray bottle--gotta get some more of that stuff), and washing the floors. Oh, and I washed the window and the screen. It looks great!

But I did a lot of bending, stretching, climbing, and sneezing. It was very dusty. So this afternoon, my bathtub looked even better!

Since N. is mostly working on Kemana, he did that but helped with the cleaning, too!

Yesterday, he cleaned the front porch and picked up litter from the yard. It is amazing what gets under the snow!

Today, N. groomed the dogs and kept them occupied outside. (The cats live in the laundry room in the daytime because Lily and the cats don't get along well without supervision). He also took out the garbage and learned about "elbow grease" since I don't use a lot of commercial cleaners.

He also decided today was a good day to cut back the purple sage and the desert lilac in the front dooryard. I think he might have done it with a samarai sword (wince) instead of the clippers...