in like a lion, out like a lamb

While intended for March, if April had ended on Sunday it certainly would have been true. We basked in the unfamiliar warmth of a sunny day in the mid 70’s. After being cooped up all winter we couldn’t wait to get out and spent the entire weekend outside. Disparaging the weather reports and frost warnings predicted for later in the week we bought an assortment of annuals and planted them in the garden. We were none too particular buying whatever caught our fancy without bothering to look for particular plants. While the air was warm the dirt was still chilled and caused us to cringe as we deposited our newly purchased drops of color into fresh dug holes.
We ate dinner outside on the patio even as the wind crept up and took the warmth from the air. It grew colder as the sun went down but I still left the bedroom windows open. I love taking a minute to listen to the birds singing as I tuck the kids in to bed. It got colder as the night began and I had to close the windows up for fear that the kids would wake with sore throats or runny noses.
It’s turned cold again yesterday and today but not so much that you can’t tell spring is come. Winter’s spell is truly broken again and while she may still try and throw a frost on the grass at night, the days are warm and filled with sunshine.

vineyards...in Idaho?

We were treated to a wine tasting seminar Friday night. The subject for the evening was Idaho wines. Turns out we have an officially recognized, government sanctioned appellation (wine growing region) right here in Idaho: the Snake River Valley Appellation. Who knew? We tasted both white and red wines, eight different varieties all grown, fermented and bottled here in Idaho. The appetizer plate consisted of Idaho foods including a local goat cheese, the obligatory smoked salmon, and elk sausage to list the items I remember.
It was a pleasant evening swirling wine around in a glass (be careful not to spill!), sticking your nose as far as possible into the goblet (I still can't smell ripe cherries or whatever fruit I'm supposed to) and generally acting like wine snobs. It was a small group with no one taking themselves too seriously which made the evening quite enjoyable. The wine steward presenting the wines to us was very young, in his mid twenties which prompted the tongue in cheek question of just how long have you been drinking wine? He took it in stride and chuckled along with us. And as we laughed at ourselves we did learn a little bit about wine and the varieties of grape grown local here in Idaho.

we live in a political world

Our daughter's school program is in a bit of a turmoil. She's attending a special program piloting a classical approach to education within the Boise school district. It's one class right now and while the school board has approved two classes for the fall, the administrators seem at odds with the board. They are recommending to us parents that we stay with one class next year and aim for the 2009/2010 school year to expand the program. It seems to be coming down to space - the administrators are having difficulty locating two empty classrooms at a school that wants to host this special program.
The administrators thought they had found a home at a different campus than the one hosting it currently but there was a nasty backlash. Three dozen parents of the target school showed up a a school board meeting and the board panicked, punting on the decision. The administrators were tasked with finding a home for the program and polling the parents, teachers, and school administrators to make sure everyone was happy. Recognizing a losing hand when they see one, the administrators are hoping the parents will opt for the status quo for this coming fall and start planning for the 2009/2010 school year.
The parents of the students in the program seem to be caught off guard by the politics. Seems rather naive to me, we are dealing with the school board after all.

our house is a very very fine house with two cats in the yard

...life used to be so hard now everything is easy cause of you...We rescued a cat yesterday from the humane soceity. We decided that our cat Madeline needed someone to keep her company. She doesn't like the dogs so we she spends most of her time by her self in the bedroom. Not anymore. Welcome to Titan, a ginger tabby Manx cat - he has a stub of a tail. Upon being introduced to her new friend Madeline immediately hissed, spat and ran the other direction. So much for companionship.. It's quite a full house now. Two parents, two kids, two dogs and two cats. We love the constant hussle and bussle of our full house. Home is where you feel accepted and know you are loved. Even if your don't feel if from the human companions in the house, the dogs always offer unconditional love. And the cats are always ready for a quiet snuggle on the bedIf you're reading this you are doubtless either related to me or a friend (my readership is rather limited). I don't often say it, some of you may have never heard it from me but I value your companionship. Thank you for your friendship.

getting schooled

I'm about half way through my first class in Project Management and must say it's not as hard as I feared. Project Management is fairly straightforward at least at the introductory level. I'm learning a few new terms and some things that pass as "theories" which are closer to Murphy's Laws than the Law of Supply and Demand from my economics classes during my undergraduate days. Still, there's a lot to get right when managing a project and if these simplistic rules assist in that then I am ready to learn, or at least store them in short term memory for the exam at the end of class.
I am enjoying getting to know some new folks - we work on a team just like I did when I went to get my MBA. I'm pleased to report that I have done a good job establishing a good team relationship and the team is operating at a high productivity level already.
While I was initially worried about taking classes again I am pleasantly surprised at the satisfaction the intellectual challenge of learning a new field of knowledge has given me. Bod Dylan wrote "most of the things I worry about never happen anyway" - and I couldn't agree more.

winning isn't everything

If the first two games are indicative, the "Golden Stars" will be undefeated this spring season. We won our game on Saturday quite easily, and it was a shut out which is no mean feat given we don't play with goalies.
So now I have a dilemma. As the coach I am trying to teach the girls the fundamentals of the game but when the competition is not up to our level it is hard to do so. I prefer to play my four players with three of them as forwards and one as a defender. When we score four unanswered goals in the first ten minutes I pull one of the forwards back and play with two defenders and two forwards. It gives the other team more of a chance usually. However, it means my girls will not have the opportunity to pass on the attack since there are only two of them involved. It's harder to stay with the attack and be ready for a pass when there are three forwards because the pass could go to you or the other forward - you have to stay in the attack even if you don't get the ball. Anyway, I'm beginning to think I need to play my team for their benefit instead of the opponent's. We're at the top of the age bracket which means that next fall we'll be at the bottom again and it will all be dependant on the skills we learn now.

you scream, i scream, we all scream for ice cream

It's report card time so off to Goody's we went on Sunday. In Boise when you get a good report card you head straight to Goody's to celebrate. Goody's is an old fashioned ice cream and soda shop in the Hyde Park district, a two block section of the north end neighborhood with restaurants, a coffee shop and some shops. They offer a free ice cream sundae or banana split to any child who presents his or her good report card.
Claire proudly presented her excellent marks and ordered a triple scoop banana split with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry on top. Addison had an orange soda float with Oreo cookie ice cream?!? Didn't look that good to me but he seemed to enjoy it. I'm very proud of both my children and how hard they work in school. It's wonderful that Goody's recognizes their achievements too, it epitomizes the small city charm of Boise.

going up around the bend

Sometimes I wonder where I am going. I can see my way clear for a ways but then either the path turns or leads over a ridge and I am uncertain. It's not so much about choices but rather about uncertainty after the die is cast; I have crossed the Rubicon, I am not standing in the woods with two paths diverging. I am on the path, the sign post ahead reassures me of that. It's just I cannot see where it leads. I don't think it happens as often as we imagine. Most of life consists of schedules and routines. We know what we are doing this afternoon, this evening, tomorrow, next week. Generally it's the same things we did last evening, yesterday and the week before. All very predictable and known. It's only at the start of some new endeavor when we don't know what this new thing requires or what experiences it holds.
I started a Project Management certification class last night. It's going to take me six months to complete and I am quite nervous about it. I don't know what I will do with it once I'm done. I'm just focusing on developing a new life schedule to make sure I am successful in the endeavor. I'm going up around the bend.

birds of my neighborhood

Spring is definitely here. We played our first soccer game - if we were keeping score, which we never do, we would have recorded a 12-1 win! Ask any of the girls. The girls played very well. We challenged in the midfield so well that the other team rarely got into our half. Our attacks were fast and involved plenty of passing and even a give-and-go once. I think everyone on the team either scored or had a shot on goal. It was exciting enough that the parents didn't mind the freezing winds blowing across the pitch and the 40 degree weather.
To round out the day I took the dogs for a walk in the foothills just before sunset. It had warmed up to the high 40's by then and the brisk pace kept me comfortable. We took the "owl's roost" trail which goes through a small stand of oaks. A pair of owls actually do roost in the trees but we were probably too early to see them today. I stood still for some moments listening to the birds sing and call to one another. I heard the raucous call of red wing black birds, the chirp of sparrows or perhaps finches, the songs of robins, the soulful cooing of mourning doves and a few other chirps I can't name. It was as if every bird on the wing were announcing that spring has sprung at last.

it's a dog's life

Now that the weather is warming up it's time to hit the trails with the dogs. The great thing about Boise is the foothills trails system. Boise backs up hard against the foothills to the Boise Mountains and much of the surrounding elevation is public space. There are miles of trails for mountain biking, running, walking or just enjoying nature. And every third person seems to have a dog or two. With just a short five block walk from the front door we are at Camels Back park where a number of foothills trails end. We can take the short but strenuous climb straight up to the top of Camelsback, a hill or more properly the end of a ridge that juts into the northend neighborhood. We can continue on that ridge back into the foothills for a short distance but have to come down into the nature preserve to avoid a row of houses built on the ridge. We can walk round the hill instead and go straight into the preserve which is usually what we do. The area has been planted with cottonwoods lining the stream, wild roses and blackberries, sage brush and other wild flowers. It's quite peaceful and provides nice restorative environment for a stroll.
That's Bennett in the picture by the way. We rescued him a year or so ago. We're not sure if he's an english foxhound or a saint bernard / spaniel mix. We're leaning toward foxhound more these days.