spring light

This grey morning

while rain is pouring

spring lights break the ground
-- Ashi

It is a cloudy and cold morning in Central, NY. We had rains all afternoon and evening yesterday, and there are only small patches of snow remaining in just a couple of areas. The day ahead is much like yesterday. Time for relaxation, a walk, time for chores that I didn't complete yesterday, and a bonus at the end of the day, getting together with our neighbors Darci and Josh for a fun dinner out at a Japanese restaurant. Matt loves this particular restaurant, and has planned in advance what he will order . . . "the adult portion!"

In our tiredness last night, we failed to set the clocks ahead, and decided to sleep in until 8 a.m. (9 a.m.) this morning. I had a fleeting thought at around 10 last night that I would just spring the clocks ahead in the morning, and then this morning, I didn't remember until Tom said, "hey, we didn't move the clocks ahead." At 8:10 this morning, we went around the house changing the clocks, and I am realizing what a good idea it is that this change-over takes place on a weekend.

Yesterday was a banner day for procrastination. I spent some time cooking a big crock pot full of tomato sauce and baking a cake, while listening to a new CD, Beck's Modern Guilt. It is quite good. (You can hear samples on YouTube. The title track is here and my favorite track, Orphans, is here. The videos and music have modern Beatles-esque look and feel to them. The melody of Orphans definitely reminds me of a jacked up Cat Stevens' Moon Shadow.) While I did accomplish getting the laundry done and doing some cooking, I didn't get the tax stuff together, or do the bills, or do much homework. I love weekends like this when I can afford myself the opportunity to procrastinate . . . which is something I can't do most weekends, and don't ever do at work.

Matt's game yesterday turned into a scrimmage when the other team failed to show up. They have a 10-man squad, so they did some really cool drills and had an exciting scrimmage. I don't get to see his practices, so it was fun for me to see how much he has improved. He gets the game, the plays, and he is passing and moving around really well. When I looked at those photos I posted last night and compare how small he was just 3 years ago to how big Matt is now, I can hardly believe it. I imagine that in a few years I will look back on how he looks now and say, can you believe how much bigger and older he is now? He looks forward to a time, in the not so distant future, when he will tower over me. He is nearly as tall as I am now. It is just hard to imagine that just a few years ago, I could carry him in my arms.

Matt had his buddies Jack and Russell over yesterday afternoon and for supper, and today he is there for a few hours. All in all, it is a good weekend, even if it is a cold and dreary outside. Spring light isn't just all about sunshine, and spring light means that winter will soon end. (In the haiku above, the author intentionally says "spring lights break the ground," because he is not talking about spring light as in the light in the sky, but lights, as in crocus, snowdrops, and daffodils. Cool, huh?) I had better get myself moving now. I hope you are having a good day, wherever you are and whenever you are reading this. Ciao.