Grab Bag....

It's been kind of a mixed bag this past week. Weather has varied from 5 inches of snow on Monday night followed by slush (new boots very helpful there) which, in turn, has been followed by warm temperatures (mid 50s) and rain straight from Hawaii. Steady, drenching rain. Being the near-local that I am now (insert smugness here), I don't even use an umbrella anymore. Just put the hood up and go. This week suggests that lower temperatures will return as well as lower snow levels which lessens the  chances of flooding in areas. We haven't been threatened by any of that but the stream is flowing heartily.

John and Zoe have been up to their usual routines this week; a few trips out to run some errands or just to get out of the house. Nice as it is to work at home and commute up the stairs, a trip to the 'burg now and then is a welcome distraction. John will be off to California this next week and we will be in "counting the days mode". My schedule has been busy this week and it has been nice to come home to dinner being readied. One of the perks of having a work-at-home husband.

Last weekend I did not get to my quilt project as first thought. Instead, we had a football weekend! We don't usually watch much "American football", but the playoffs are on and the Seattle Seahawks (i.e. our home team) are unexpectedly playing. We settled in and watched them beat the more highly-rated, defending champions New Orleans Saints and it was great fun. And we're tuned in again this weekend. We watched the Green Bay Packers trounce the Atlanta Falcons yesterday. If our Seahawks win today, I will have a difficult choice to make next week as I am a Cheese Head (even have the head gear). But I'm also a Pete Carroll fan. Football fans will understand those last few sentences.

I received the most delightful communication this week. I have been researching my family tree for several years and I had reached a dead end on my father's side; couldn't seem to find information about my grandfather's family. So, a long while back, I placed a query on the bulletin board there. This week, a "family member" replied. And she didn't only reply, she has reams of information and shares it readily! The daughter of my second cousin lives in Cambridge, UK. This is like finding a treasure that has been buried and the map lost. I love having the information; it feels like something is being completed. But, having a connection in the form of a real person who shares a lineage is very special. I'm sure one day we will meet in person on one of our trips over there.

I'll be off to get a massage this morning. Finding a massage practitioner (they don't call them therapists up here) fills in yet another box in my "establishing life in a new place" list. I will enjoy every moment and will surely benefit. My job is largely the sedentary kind; hours spent at a computer. Not the best conditions for staying in condition. So, like a car that benefits from an oil change, I will appreciate my tune-up. And my second quarter has started in my online program at UW (University of Washington). It promises to be a heavy one and, wouldn't ya know it, I have buggered up my log-in account. It's a long story and it's my fault. Just hope they can get me back in before I "show up late for class" too many times. Meanwhile, it's all good....