all that's past is prologue...

1) My husband describes — far better than I can — what I feel after visiting a bunch of schools. Right now I think we have shafted this particular micro-generation of kids in more ways than I can describe and if Beatrix told me she just wanted to stay in her room for the next 5-10 years I might not even argue. 2) After an evening where we went to a couple of neighborhood places (after flying back earlier today), I feel like I am more committed than ever to the people that care about my community and work to make it better. 3) Despite a lot of deep thoughts right now we had a lot of fun on this trip and I am glad we went.

Yesterday we hit Bard in the morning, which was a little bit of a disappointment. So many people had told us it would be perfect for Beatrix, and pulling on to the campus felt like arriving at summer camp. But the vibe was just not right. BUT then we got to arrive at the AirBnB we chose in Hadley, a 1797 home at the bend of the Connecticut River, and have this view, along with the nicest homeowner imaginable. We got to visit Emily Dickinson's house. We got a private tour of the magical Double Edge Farm and had dinner at Hop and Olive with my college advisor, Carroll Durand, who is one of the most incredible women on the planet. Today we visited Amherst and really liked it and had good conversations with people there, and saw some bones. They have dropped Lord Jeff as their mascot and picked up the Mammoths. We arrived in Salem and checked in to our lovely hotel, wandered around to shop and see Hocus Pocus sites, had cocktails, and had a fantastic ghost tour with Black Cat Tours . ...

It was soooo cold and rainy yesterday, but we made it through. Rain did not make Brandeis look any better (it's off Beatrix's list now), and I'm afraid the pouring rain didn't help Tufts' chances much either. But we warmed up at Grendel's where we met my friend Carolyn. But the sun came out today and we made it to Connecticut College, which she liked, and then zipped around New Haven to relive Patrick's old haunts, play tourist at Yale, and pick up a sweatshirt so B's friend H can manifest it as his school of choice. We're spending the night in Poughkeepsie so we can better understand the relationship of Vassar to the town — it definitely makes Northfield look cosmopolitan. Tomorrow Bard, and then on to the Happy Valley.

Tomorrow we start the big spring break college visit gauntlet, but today we played Boston tourist (after our flight was delayed and we did not get into the hotel until 2am). The city is both just as I remembered and astonishingly different. Luckily, some things just stay the same: We did a Greta Gerwig Little Women tour, checking off a few of the sites from the movie filming: And a few of Patrick's top places too — yeah, Thoreau was kind of a white mansplaining spoiled brat who would never have made it without Emerson's help, but the Transcendentalists were pretty cool. Then after a meh lunch in Waltham we headed into central Boston to check out the Good Will Hunting bench and the ballroom at the Fairmount Copley where the ball was filmed in Little Women (and scratch the hotel dog): From there we did some thrifting at Garment District and in Davis Square, as well as hitting the Davis Square H-Mart. We meet up with my old friend L for dinner at the Rosebud, which wins huge awar...

This is another "Attend" post of dealing with something that has been kicked down the road for fall too long. The fall before last (so 2023!) our front storm window literally gave up the ghost — the muntins broke, it slumped, and fell out of the window frame. Luckily, it was a storm window, so the main window was still there. (Winston looks very concerned...) We looked at tons of salvage places for a replacement, but windows of that time period are very specifically sized, and ours was...large... So finally we connected up with Hayes and ordered a new front window, which was not cheap but is gorgeous (and should be very long-lasting)! They measure, and come to fit it, and then take it back and perfect it, all of which I appreciate because we have a garage full of storms that don't fit due to the company mis-measuring them. Here they are in the first fitting over the winter. Here's the final product! From the inside, you can really tell the difference of without the s...

Beatrix's spring break has started ... with a ton of extra circus classes! So while she was at an extra rehearsal tonight, Patrick and I hung out at Wandering Leaf, running into friends and reading, despite the busy-ness of a taproom the Saturday before Saint Patrick's Day. Then I had managed to snag a reservation at Catzen Coffee , where we had delicious drinks and a cheese-ceuterie. And where Patrick in particular got some "Tim Time." I love hanging out there with friends; it's so relaxing! Now we're hanging with the dog and watching Moana 2 , also perfect.

It was a snow day for many people today, after we got almost 12" of snow. But not for Beatrix, whose school was apparently the only one open in the metro area,  or Patrick, who shoveled everything out, or for me, who got buried in a raft of zoom calls and issues where people just were not listening. So I took a couple of small breaks to finish off some projects I had wanted to get knocked off for awhile. Because I was distracted and kind of annoyed, neither of them were perfectly executed, but I am going for the "perfect is the enemy of good" here. In 2020-2021, Skewed Visions did a performance piece by mail as a way to adapt to covid conditions. These 4 pieces were sent separately but intended to go together as a commentary on the epidemic. I finally got around to framing them in a double-sided glass frame so both sides could be viewed; now I just have to suss where to display it. Working on this, especially on a day stuck at home, was a startling reminder of those tim...

As Viv reminded us at yoga today, it's Women's Month. Which got me thinking about the so many women who have been incredible teachers, mentors, role models, and friends to me over the years. If I were to list them all, this post would never end. But five in particular, without whom I would not be the person I am today, stand out: 1. Nine I met Nina Koch when my seventh grade trip to Widji, where she was a winter staff counselor. Our bond was immediate, much to the amusement of other counselors ("Hey, 9, I thought you said you were never going to have kids!") and by the end I was calling her my older ("by 10 years, 7 months, and 5 days") sister. Thanks to 9, I started to go to Widji, and met the other people there who became so important to me. I discovered a great love of the outdoors, especially the northwoods. I began to understand feminism. Over the years, we wrote long letters; I would go up to Widji on winter weekends and we would hang out in her cabin ...