Saturday, May 9, 2009

Happy beautiful Saturday

While I’m not going to my Smith reunion next weekend, the last few days have been an MSFS reunion of sorts, with the memorial on Thursday, my birthday-inspired gathering last night, and a baby celebration this morning. Being back in the MSFS lounge on Thursday was like coming home, even though we were there to mourn the passing of a colleague. I didn’t know Paula well, as she was deployed for parts of the academic year, but her vibrant personality, intelligence and charm did shine through whenever she was around, and hearing her family, friends and colleagues share stories of her commitment, innovativeness and overall kindheartedness was poignant and inspiring. That, along with being back, reminded me how amazing those two years were and what awe-inspiring work people are doing.

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I’m really enjoying the house and garden, as barebones as the latter is right now. I’m enjoying the yardwork, the transplanting. Right now, I’m enjoying sitting out back and listening to the birds, and watching Gracie lazily and haphazardly paw at a spider dangling down from the doorframe. The weather is perfect. Inside, earlier this morning, the dining looked perfect, with rosemary and lemons and roses on the table infusing color and aroma all over the house. Even the living room looks great, if only for now, because before the gathering I ensured that the coffee tables weren’t awash in magazines.

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