Day Off

The past month has been a busy one! I even took a vacation, though some of it was a working vacation. Gwen got spayed. Maggie left Carver County. The church choir did a Haydn Mass. Welsh classes and dance rehearsals have been meeting regularly. I went to Madison for the 2nd annual Wild Welsh Winter Weekend. Prior to that I went to Geneva to visit Becky and family. Calen had strep throat. I met up with some online friends, including two I hadn't met before. The Wild Welsh Winter Weekend turned into the Wild Winter WEATHER Weekend with about 18 inches of snow over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I drove right into it Friday evening, and the two-hour drive from Geneva to Madison took four and a half! I ended up teaching all of one Welsh folk dance. There were some language students who came on Saturday, so I helped with that. All of the other events were canceled. Ah well! I enjoyed just hanging out with friends Dan and Robin, and Danny's two sisters who had come for the weekend. They were staying at Annie's Bed and Breakfast in Madison. We picked up some pizza and went there Sunday evening, where we watched Pirates of the Caribbean on a big screen TV with surround sound. Lots of fun! The B&B is lovely (well, except for the two deer heads on the dining room wall.) Annie has a fondness for rabbits and crystals - lots of rabbit figurines and giant specimens of amethyst, quartz, geodes, etc.

Back in Minnesota on Monday, as I had to work that evening, and every day last week. We got hit with more wild winter weather, beginning on Wednesday. I left choir rehearsal early and passed dozens of cars that had spun off the road. On Thursday we got to close the library early. I was quite sure we would be closed or open late on Friday, but NOOOOOOO. Completely snowed in out here in the country, with 3-foot snowdrifts across the front walk and halfway up the front windows, I got out only because Jose was out clearing the drive with the Bobcat, and he plowed a single-lane path for me all the way to the main road. I threw the shovel in the car just in case, and was glad I had it when I got home. Our road had been plowed, but the snow now blocked the drive, and I had to shovel a path for the car.

Then I had a busy weekend, with our St. David's Day annual luncheon. The speaker this year was local composer David Evan Thomas, who used to work at the Schubert Club when I was there briefly. He delighted me by starting off playing a piece for virginals by my very favorite Renaissance composer Thomas Tomkins. Of course he played it on the piano... I learned something new, too! Thomas Tomkins was born in Wales. No wonder I like his music!

Dance rehearsal Saturday night, Haydn Sunday morning, and I was ready for a break! So I canceled the Welsh class and went shopping instead. Bought socks, new boots, and some gourmet tea at the Mall of America. Yesterday it was back to work again already. So today - finally! - I have a day off. The mood at work has been unsettled. With Maggie gone, and Suzzanne still out on maternity leave, there is a staff shortage again and tempers seem a little frayed. I am still feeling uncertain just what my role is. I have asked if I might be given more collection development responsibilities. Hopefully, once we get a new branch manager, we will all have a renewed sense of direction.

Now that it is mid-afternoon, I suppose I should give some thought to what I want to get done today. Time to whip my budget into shape - I've been postponing that to get a few more large bills out of the way. Cooking? Hmmm - maybe I should see what I can throw in the crockpot. Shoveling the front walk so I can get to the bird feeders? Put away Christmas decorations? (Yeah, I know...) Do laundry? Or shall I spend the day goofing off, playing on the computer, reading a book? The nice thing about living alone, is there is nothing I HAVE to do. Whatever I choose, it will be what I WANT to do.