Tackling other priorities

Posted by Amy Baranski

After the one fly casting class I took earlier this month at Greenlake (read Melissa's summary) I quickly realized I wasn't going to fish in May. It's not that I didn't want to go fishing. I had a blast learning how to cast. It felt great to be out early in the morning trying something new with a fun group of women. Interest wasn't  an impediment to trying this new thing.

So what gives? I've had other things on my mind. Like having a baby! This month has been full of baby planning and other fun. Here's a quick run-down of things I've been doing instead of fishing:

Mariners games! We got free tickets for the Cinco de Mayo game because of some Opening Day snafus. I love springtime at the ball park, and so does Baby!

Master gardener clinics and volunteering! This spring I've spent time working at two of my Master Gardener posts--the Cesar Chavez demonstration garden and the Arboretum Plant Clinic. I even committed a new botanical name to memory - Ceanothus, commonly known as the California Lilac. Bees love this plant! 

Book-themed baby shower! Hosted by my mom and sister. Read my sister's blog about planning the details. Those cupcakes were delicious and the theme of the party helped us start building a beautiful collection of books for Baby. I can't wait for story time! I also got to spend some time with my luvable cuddable nephews!

Childbirth class with  local childbirth educator Penny Simkin! Penny is an outstanding, balanced, and evidence driven educator. Talk about contributing your life's work to the good, this woman's got it going on! Her books Pregnancy and the Newborn and The Birth Partner are worth checking out if you're expecting.

Planting tomatoes! Memorial Day weekend is the time to plant those tomato starts. I decided to cloche some of mine since the weather can be a bit unpredictable here. But I left some uncovered just to see how each will do. Unfortunately I waited a bit too long before planting them so I significantly stressed my starts before finally transplanting. Oh well.

Beekeeping! Every single sunny day in the spring is so important for the bees and the beekeeper! I tagged along for a few days and helped my husband inspect the hives. I'm the designated picture taker. It was hot underneath our long sleeved shirts and bonnets, but oh so worth every moment.

Working on unfinished projects! Remember that pallet garden? Well I got really far and then I stalled out on the easiest part--planting the starts. In a week I'll be calling on my brawn to lift the garden to its upright position. But I think it will look much better next year. Ouch that was an expensive project. The starts totaled $

Celebrating love! Friends of ours got married this past weekend. We had planned to be out of town on a little road trip but canceled at the last moment because we were too tired to travel and too stressed with work to not work overtime. (Huh? I know!) So we crashed the wedding, which was a total tear-jerker. Ah love.

There were other adventures of course but those were the highlights. Would I have rather been fishing? Not really. April and May are the months for gardening and getting the bees off to a good start. Now we know that spring time will always be abuzz in my house. I'm looking forward to the coming years and living more according to the seasons.

I am looking forward to the onset of summer, the slowing down before Baby comes, and Baby's arrival. I'm feeling really picky and choosy about how I spend time outside of work hours. I think it's important to listen to those instincts and to build a strong cocoon that will keep my creative energy warm and safe and able to transition into a new form of life.