Saturday

Oh, my non-grumpy, never hysterical, even tempered Ed! Always living up to his image of himself -- steady, unbothered, unruffled. But in this calm person, I can recognize twitches of exasperation. Like, maybe once every year or two. You have to know him really really well to even spot it. There is no raised voice, there is no stream of commentary. He merely locks himself up in his thoughts and you're better off letting him stay in that space until he works out whatever issue is nagging at him. I had seen this during the pre-Christmas season of 2021, when too many Amazon boxes arrived in one day. Twitch, silence, retreat. A day later he was himself again (which isn't a heck of a lot different!). And now I see it again, as he attempts to come to a good solution for a relatively new farmhouse problem: a leak in the shower, which announced itself on our wet kitchen ceiling. And has grown bigger at a rather alarming speed. Which means it's a real problem.

Ed has no confidence in construction experts. He'll take a guy advertising his building/dry-walling/tree cutting/roofing etc services on Craigslist over a so called professional any day. Why, I asked him. I can stand over the Craigslist guy and watch him do his job. And now here we are with a pipe joint that has probably failed, confirming for him that if you hand it to a pro (the bathroom fixtures were installed by a professional plumber) it is likely to fail. What's churning in his mind is the notion that he should have done it himself. And indeed, now that we need to tear the ceiling in the kitchen down to get at the shower piping, he is going to do it himself. But first comes this period of quiet contemplation.

Last night, after we watched our dose of TV, I let him stew on the couch. By this morning he was fine. Even as the big wet spot on the kitchen ceiling grows every time anyone takes a shower.

I had little time to pay attention to any of this actually, because immediately after feeding the animals (who is afraid of whom? oh, the cats are wary of the chickens!) ...

... at the moment of their opening, I drive to get the very excellent cinnamon croissants and baguette from Madison Sourdough (from this abundant lot!)

... and then I hurry over to the kids' dance school (Storybook Ballet) to watch Sparrow's class!

I think it is a surprise to all of us that he takes to this class so easily, considering his resistance to going to any classes anywhere anytime. 

Watching him is a treat: such a happy kid! So delighted in this week's costuming (some Raggedy Ann and Andy story)!

At the time of his dance class, Snowdrop has her violin lesson, but afterwards, her father brings the girl and her youngest brother over to the dance studio, so that in fact, I get to see all three kids.

Tumbling. Sandpiper loves this kind of play. Sparrow is more cautious. Snowdrop will tumble with any brother who'll let her roll around with him.

(Sandpiper -- hey, how about me??)

And then the mom and the three kids go off (actually just upstairs, above the dance school) to do their weekly grocery shopping. I have to hand it to my daughter -- shopping with the lively threesome is ... lively!

Only then do I come home to breakfast with Ed. And Dance.

Sometime in the afternoon, the two of us head out to the park. We take our ski equipment, but neither of us is enthusiastic about skiing. The snow is wet and shallow by now. So we walk. 

Not for long.

Ed's knee gives out. It takes us forever to walk the quarter of a mile back to the car. Should he have it examined? Of course! -- says me. Let's wait and see if it "pops back in" -- says him.

Much of the evening is spent on me pulling his leg -- somehow he feels that helps. Oh, and, too on me wondering what to do with the dozen strawberry plants that arrived today. No Dance, not for you.

I do animal duty tonight. Ed's immobilized for now. Cats are wondering why the change in routines.

(Unfriendly-Snowflake, the half sister to Dance)

A bit of an unusual day, don't you think? But sweetly ending on the couch. A movie, chocolates, a glass of wine (for me). Total pleasure!