Winter?

I hear Seattle is approaching (or has established) a record for consecutive rainy days. I thought the record was 40 days - apparently that's the record for days without sun. I did miss the sun when we were in the Northwest, and admittedly, was ready to return to Boston for some actual WINTER weather. And, some sunshine. Today was one of the those days where you look outside and the sky is so blue and the sun is so bright that it is easy to imagine that it is summer. Except for the bare trees, it could have been. Today's high was near 60 degrees! It was amazing. Jack, Ed, and I walked to the local school's playground - Ed in shorts, Jack in a sweatshirt (no coat) and me in a light jacket. It felt like spring. I guess this means two feet of snow in April. Even though I was craving some snow, I am delighted to be able to open the windows for some fresh air and turn down the heat to avoid another ridiculous gas bill (our bill for December, two weeks of which we were gone and the heat was off, was $250).

2006 is coming along nicely, weather and all. I picked up two classes at a local community college. It will be nice to be teaching again. And, hopefully, with continued freelance work and SAT scoring, my dream schedule will continue. Yesterday we took Jack in for his 18 month appointment and the pediatrician told us that the next six months or so are the most dangerous of Jack's life. This is the age when kids start to climb and jump, unaware of the effects of height on their bodies should they fall. Jack proved his doc right by carelessly jumping from the big toy at the school - Ed caught him in time to avoid a trip to the emergeny room. Ah, the fun really begins now.

School starts for Ed next week, and me the week after- so we're trying to enjoy the down time now: renting movies, taking advantage of the weather, being a family during daylight hours, trying new recipes. Friday night is curry night. Gotta love it.