Gophers and Cookies

The cloud i watched today was a gopher with a cape on, jumping at warp speed out of the ground.  Yesterday, i watched a leaping salmon with a long dorsal fin.  My dog tried to chase a barn swallow, then two young crows.  i borrowed some ripe raspberries from my neighbor down the alley (don't tell).  i baked john some cookies today.  The secret to damn-tasty chocolate chip cookies is to be patient enough to put the dough in the fridge for an hour before baking.  That, and actually letting the butter soften, but not melt.  Chocolate chip cookies done right take a lot of time, with walks and laundry in between the steps.  Yesterday, i had a picnic with my friend, and we ate melted chocolate easter candy and talked about the benefits of having parents help in the classroom, and how to help kids read with true interest and intrigue (i'm not sure we solved that one, though).

There are some things that don't happen during the school year, when we educators are grading and planning and responding and thinking and designing six days a week.  i sort of felt bad today for not doing any reading or organizing or planning.  i just watched clouds, learned what a spotted towhee's song sounds like, and watched a fabulously stupid movie.  oh, and made my best cookie ever.

The last few weeks of school my arthritis was pretty inflamed.  i walked like a gnome in The Lord of the Rings, and i didn't want to move once i settled into my desk chair.  I groaned a lot.  i was worried that the magic medication (an NSAID called Mobix) i had started in April was turning its back on me, like a bff in middle school after that thing happened at the dance.  But what i know to be true, and what my doctor reminded me at my last appointment, is that relaxation isn't a luxury.  It is a necessity. It is a medication that I choose daily.  Today, i chose to relax.  And i'm not sorry.  I think i'll do it again tomorrow, pain free.  I recommend it.