Oh, such a busy week! With magnificently sunny warm weather to keep me sane throughout all the activity...although mostly being confined to Representatives Hall on the most gorgeous days of the year was frustrating!
With Crossover Day next week, we've been non-stop legislating. The bills are all important, and even the controversial or uber-important ones run together in my mind. There's one standout--the bill to name apple cider as the state's official beverage. The debate was lighthearted (mostly), the 4th graders who had made the suggestion to their representative (the prime sponsor) were present, and it passed overwhelmingly. There were jugs of cider in the members' lounge yesterday morning, a refreshing alternative to coffee, and a good lobbying effort that paid off! When I got home I celebrated with some hard cider (not actually referenced in this legislation.) I hope the Senate and the Governor will uphold the decision of the House!
There was some diocesan stuff on my plate as well, a lunch and a conference call and a meeting. This week our bishop became "the other" openly gay bishop in the Episcopal church, instead of "the only." Unless you further define him as "the only male" because the new one is a woman, or "the only diocesan" because the new one is a suffragan. And based on what I saw of her at the General Convention in Anaheim last summer, her diocese will be blessed by her ministry to and with them.
Crossover isn't the only deadline I'm facing...I've got writing deadlines, too. I'm feeling very comfortable and confident about progress. I'm a bit behind on some other things but hope to remedy it soon.
I'd love to be in my gardens, it's 60 degrees, but if I went to work out there I would lose all track of time. Today I've got a music lesson and a dinner party tonight, so I'm being disciplined. But...tomorrow for sure I will deal with the dead leaves and accumulated mess of autumn and winter. The bulbs are springing up fast but are lost in all the clutter.
My bedtime reading this week has been devoted to an old favourite that I've not re-read for quite a long time: Kenneth Graham's The Wind in the Willows. I forgot how lovely are Mole and Rat and Badger and Otter and Toad. Well, Toad is more tiresome than lovely, I suppose, but quite real. We all know a Toad, don't we? And probably more than one. And all of us have a little bit of Toad in us, and that recognition makes us cringe.
Just a few of the reasons I love the story are its celebration of the English landscape--in particular the area round Pangbourne on the Thames (which I've explored)--and of animals (mostly rodents! yay!), and the responsibilities and sacrifices required by friendship, and the necessity of food and drink in fostering relationships, and the feelings inspired by home comforts. It's witty and wise and contains morals. It's pastoral yet has scenes of great excitement, and even violence. And there's lots of messing about with boats on the river.
Presently the mole came tumbling into the room, evidently very pleased with himself. "I've been having such fun!" he began at once; "I've been getting a rise out of the stoats."
I hope the coming weekend brings you fun and friendship and good food!
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