1. I think I can't even believe that it's been exactly one year since we received the devastating news of Violet's cancer diagnosis. I can barely go back and reread that post but I don't need to. I remember every moment with shocking clarity. None of us, not one, ever imagined that she'd stick around with us this long and do so well in the process. Sometime around when we came back from London, I kind of stopped waiting for her to die (I know, that sounds awful, doesn't it?), and just enjoyed the fact that she was still living. I'll write up a post on Miss Violet (still as vocal as ever) for you guys next week and let you know just how well she'd doing. Sweet baby girl.

2. I think, despite the fact that we'll spend most of tomorrow at school for Cal, Neel will have a much better birthday this year than he did last. I will be, I assume, weeping less. Which is good.

3. I think, at this rate, the nine week General Assembly Session is going to FLY BY. I can't believe it's Friday already! Neel picks Cal and a couple other kids up this afternoon (so I can't go, not enough room for Mama), and we're hoping for a slightly less hectic weekend. And a slightly more celebratory one too. Happy Birthday, Papa!

4. I think we've reached the "oh crap, now we have to make decisions" stage of the bathroom reno. Neel has continued to wait until I leave the house (lucky man, I was out two evenings this week) to destroy the space (very neatly...we're talking about Neel, remember?), and we've gone about as far as we can go. Any suggestions? What does your dream bathroom look like?

5. I think this is such a funny time for us, but good too. It's been so exciting. You've all been so supportive, and I owe responses to all your lovely comments. What would I do without you guys? Really? What would I do?

I think everyone on the East Coast was taking fog photos yesterday morning. You PNWers may have the corner on it, but every so often we'll get a good dose on the right hand side of the US too. I had a feeling it might be coming. I'd been out to dinner with a friend the night before, and the fog was gathering around our ankles as we headed home. It was the most surreal site, a full moon above me and fog forming below, that I've seen in a long time.

So I wasn't surprised to hear the fog horns blowing when I got up Wednesday morning. I love that sound.

When Neel headed out to work, I grabbed my camera and was out the door shortly behind him. It was a funny walk to my river. Quiet, the way you'd imagine a foggy morning would be, and oddly loud too. Sounds heightened on the near-invisible streets. Kids headed out to school, doors banging behind them as they disappeared into the gloom. The birds were loud too, the crackle of a crow a constant refrain. Mixed in with the intermittent lowing of the foghorn was the drip, drip, drip of the moisture all around me. And the slap of waves against the shore.

I spent some time at the water, nodding to the dog walker who'd also come to see how far our vision could stretch and listen to the call and response of the fog horn. By the time I turned to go home, if you looked straight up you could see a hint of blue in the sky. Just the barest of hints, really.

And then, after a long while, the sun came out.

five things, january 17 edition

horns blowing {life}