Holy breakdown y'all, peonies

I'll be honest in telling you that today has not improved much. My mouse battery died a slow death over the last few hours, just slow enough that I forget every time I stand up from the computer, and I have been repeatedly frustrated since. "Why isn't the cursor moving? Where is the cursor? What is wrong with the mouse? Shit, the battery again!" A dumb mind reel on loop. At present, Ol is utterly committed to an outrageous crying jag that commenced in the bathtub twenty minutes ago when Jack got in and took shotgun, continued during the initiation donning of his new hot dog, ketchup and mustard pajamas (which, btw, I'd hurried to launder today for said initiation because he was so thrilled), persisted amidst a loving backrub by a loving babysitter and showed no sign of letting up after I excused dear Katherine, informed Ol that his nonsense would now have to be his solo nonsense, put him in bed, turned off the lights and shut the door.

Jack was a hot mess when I got home too, with more than the usual amount of dirt about his face and neck, clutching his Darth Maul novel to his chest as if the entire populace was attempting to seize it from him, and so thoroughly disconsolate about something that he was unable to take his shoes up to his closet even though he had to step over them to ascend the stairs.

It's a rat's nest of silliness around here, people, just plum absurd. So perhaps I'd best get excited about Cinco de Mayo and make a margarita in the not-too-distant future.

In an attempt to escape the ululations reverberating throughout my home, I took my pruners and camera out to my peony bush. The two buds burst into bloom today and as it's supposed to rain tonight, I decided to go ahead and pick them so their delicate petals don't get razed. What a spectacular flower!

Look at these lettuces!!!

Oh my gosh, y'all, I am beside myself about once again being able to eat from my yard. Look at this beautiful array of greens; they are literally a'glow! I plucked them from my garden (seriously local, eh?!), rinsed and spun them and then dressed them with that wonderfully spicy new olive oil I bought at Union Market last week, some salt and lemon juice. A bit of avocado here, some tomatoes there, a side of Meadowcreek Grayson cheese and crackers... Couldn't have been fresher, healthier or tastier! Happy Earth Day!

I had a lovely, productive day: fully cleaned the fridge, like scrubbed every bit of it until each gleamed; made four tart crusts and did most of the shopping for the baby shower I'm catering on Saturday; made some double ginger-mango jam (my newest creation!); got a haircut; got the lowdown on school from the boys; admired J's math homework and helped Ol with his research project on the robin; just called it a day and ordered Cafe of India take-out and poured a glass of wine.

What'd you do today? Whatcha eatin' right now? Thanks to everyone who wrote in such supportive, "me too!" response to my post on Flow as well as all ye who so enthusiastically commented on my Earth Day thoughts. Yes, I still love and appreciate you even when you comment not on this site but in private emails, texts and so forth. Outstanding!

Happy Birthday to moi

I have felt awash in friends and love today; boy am I lucky. After my little ones wished me a lovingly loud Happy Birthday as I ascended the basement stairs and I dropped them at school, I had coffee with a friend and his precious baby daughter (got a nice baby holding fix there!), worked out, received a call from another friend who sang to me, came home and opened some cards, heard from my parents and sister + more friends, was taken to Dumbarton Oaks for a private tour with two pals, then to lunch at Blue Duck with said marvelous pals, picked up the kiddos, made whipped cream-mascarpone frosting for the strawberry cake and cupcakes I made yesterday and am now in repose with a glass of pink champagne. Thank you so much, to everyone, for the happy wishes! I appreciate your thoughtfulness more than you know. Photographic evidence of today's beautiful (though cold) bounty (on principle, I refused to wear socks and was vaguely sorry to have done so):

Blue Duck was without the Brussels sprouts but I'll let it go because they still had the grits on menu. Our food overall had some misses -lemon ice box cake, deconstructed? sometimes you just want a hunk of cake, you know? when we ordered it, we were unaware of the deconstructed element- but also some serious highs; wow on the cracked spelt salad with roasted grapes and Meyer lemon, and the three of us felt positively giddy to be "ladies who were lunching", hair brushed and all!