Thankful Lately

Today I give thanks for...

Check-ins with Lils as she travels across Europe. I'd be a wreck if I couldn't text with her daily, and chat with...literally see her face...often. Today they're on the train to Prague. Last stop was Poland. Yesterday they toured Auschwitz. She said it was heavy and draining, but she was glad she chose to go.

 

 

The travel the kids are doing has my dad waxing on about seeing his roots. I don't see them taking on a trip like this on their own and I said as much to Mike. My sweet man suggested we take them. We pitched it to them on Sunday. By Monday night, they informed me that their passports are good until 2030. I've already been researching and hope to make it happen before year-end.

The brevity of life has been slapping me in the face lately. Instead of curling up in the fetal position, I want to do and say all the things that matter. The things that matter to me. Not so much lofty or worldly. Closer to home. And things are really people...the people in my orbit.

James Patterson. He was the 2026 keynote speaker. He delivered. His speech was funny, self-deprecating, honest and insightful. It wasn't hawkish, preachy or full of too many cliches, but let's be honest - cliches are cliches for a reason. He told a story of five balls...one rubber, the others glass. Work you can drop, but family, friends, health and spirit are more fragile and require the most care. I'm keeping this one.

 

Elizabeth Strout's Oh William! I finally picked it up and am reminded how I love the way she gets into the nitty gritty of her characters. I know them. They are me...flawed, but mostly good, surrounded by people, yet often marooned.

 

The girls hired a photographer to follow them around campus one afternoon. It was a brilliant idea to get the iconic shots. It certainly took the pressure off me on the day off. In fact, I didn't take many photos over the weekend. I was in the moment instead of capturing it for later, and as much as I cherish pictures, it was the right place to be.

 

 

I wanted one decent family photo of the four of us. Lily was kind enough to put her dress back on since she changed the minute she got home. We're all a little weathered from the wind and the thirty minute walk from Camp Randall to West Washington, but this is us. And the rest of us too.

Cin, Cin! The Friday before we had dinner at Lily's favorite restaurant just off State Street. Three courses, all delicious, in three hours. I'm going back for that octopus deliciousness. My rack of lamb was just as good. As is tradition, we went next door to the piano bar to sing until our hearts content.

 

Badger spirit, red and white, Go Bucky, Jump Around, Lake Mendota and Lake Monona...the isthmus, Memorial Union, Bascom Hill, State Street Brats, and so many other things that make Madison special, as well as the shared pride we have in being a family of UW-WI alumni. 

The birds are back. We have a couple bluebirds nesting in the yard. Daily sightings remind me of my mom in the best way. We also have a pair of sand hill cranes who are visiting often. We all love to watch them including Hazel and Gus.

 

This goofy, lovable little guy.

 

 

This sweet, sassy little girl.

 

Godspeed Girls

 

 

I couldn't sleep last night. I want to blame Gus and then Hazel, but I realized the true culprit was latent adrenaline from graduation weekend. The good thing is that sleep is not something I struggle with so when I have a rare case of insomnia, I let my mind wander without weighty worry. It was a beautiful weekend celebrating Lily and friends, and the few things I would change, are not worth mention because there is no way I'm letting perfect ruin just about perfect. While I was lying awake in the wee hours, I heard a notification on my phone. The girls landed in London...the first stop on their month long trip. Since then, they rode the Eye, ate fish and chips, drank pints in pubs and were in the Cabaret audience. Tomorrow they move on to Amsterdam. It's my mission to keep up on and my confession to live vicariously through their travels..

Lily was eeking out every last Madison milestone in the weeks leading up to graduation. The girls made it their mission to check off as many things as possible from their bucket list. I was impressed with and tired for them. The few stragglers can be taken on this summer. They have their house until August. Since she's moving home for awhile, I expect she'll spend a few weekends in Madison.

 

 

The mood of the weekend was celebratory. I felt only joy...no rue...no regret...a perma grin gracing my face the whole time. Well, except for when the stadium sang Varsity acapella, and when I thought of Dawn and Nanny. I'm proud of these ladies and not just because their futures are bright, but also because they take care of each other, they are good to one another and they appreciate what they have.

 

All the party planning and I forgot about a toast, or hoped someone else would give it truth be told. I had no takers so I shot from the hip, or more like heart. I have to say I kind of killed it because I know these girls. Six girls in one house not just roommates, but the best kind of friends. Lily and Kayla were high school friends, but not close like they are now. Lily found Faith on Facebook and they chose to live together before meeting. Over-enrollment turned their double into a triple and along came Ava. Hannah is Kayla's family friend, and a friend to one is a friend to all. Sydney joined the girls this year as the sixth roomie even though she graduated early, and Emma didn't live at 405 W Wash, but she may as well have. The rest is history.

 

 

We had the most beautiful day for a yard party. It was a blast and much better attended than I anticipated. It also lasted much longer than I expected, but no complaints on that front. All of the food was gone and most of the liquor as it should be. After the band rocked, the bags and the dice came out and the bonfire was lit. Around 11 o'clock, the kids went out to the bars. They had a plan to stay up all night and jump in Lake Mendota at sunrise.

That didn't happen, which was a good thing because some of the girls were leaving for London Monday. We brought lunch over and got to work getting the house in order and Lily's suitcase packed. I confess I brought more for the weekend than she's bringing for a month abroad. Mike worried that I was working away my Mother's Day, which was sweet, but the day was actually perfect. The whole weekend was one amazing gift. It was a spectacular send off!

 

 

 

All the Feels

I missed my Friday post. I was about to write regular, but it's really not that any more. My time here has been sparse and that's okay. I have been living on the surface reluctant to go deep, and I've come to the conclusion organically over time, that this still public, albeit clandestine, forum is not the place for it. My acute thoughts and fears and hopes and desires cannot be curated or edited, and I'm not trying to scare anyone. I'm just trying to do this thing called life with some grace and joy.

But I have such a grateful heart these days and I think it's fitting to yawp away on high. The house is quiet. Mike is catching up on sleep after a week of travel. Hazel and Gus are playing chase. I'm in my spot with a full day ahead of me. A day that feels like fall, but sounds and smells like spring. Think tu-a-wee and petrichor. The bluebirds are back in the yard with their curious calls and all the other birds too. It was a week of intermittent storms interrupting long, lovely days, but that smell of rain, which is so much more than rain, lingers. It is one of my favorites.

One afternoon this week, the clear sky darkened so quickly it was as if someone flipped a switch. Then the thunder started to rumble like soothing background music. It was just there: calming not threatening. The atmosphere was still, oddly uncharged. After a few minutes, the front moved on. No rain, no lightning, no wind, no hail. This time.

I love a good storm. Broody weather is my jam, And while this is true, I am not particularly fond of spring. Go figure. I'm a big fan of the longer days though. I took a couple walks in the park last week after work in lieu of catching up on the news and it was great to be out with all the rest of the world. Sunset is 7:30 these days. All the fields were occupied with teams and playgrounds were popular. Fishermen and golfers and dogs. The pond crane has returned and soon the goslings will too. Hmm...perhaps I like spring.

Thursday felt like summer. It was a good day to play hooky. I met the family for lunch at the Public Market to spend a little time with cousin GiGi. She was in town for a visit. It was a typical Evans affair: half the table cannot hear, plates were making the rounds (we are sharers), there was a fight over the bill, there were laughs and yes, tears. It's complicated and not my story to tell, and while it's not about me, it affects me. I've learned that the only person I can control or change is little old me, and so that's what I do. That's what I try to do. Try being the operative word.

This weekend is quiet, but of course, there is plenty to do around casa wags. And if we don't get to it today, there is always tomorrow, next week, next month.  Last weekend was good and full. We attended a gallery night in support of Candace and then popped across the street for some celebratory margaritas. Mike was a sport with all the damas. The night was cut short because my meteorologist man knew nasty weather was on the way and we made it home just before the skies opened up. We were giddy with ourselves for going out at the end of the week and happy that we did. The next day was Shakespeare Saturday. The guys were good sports to indulge in a little matinee theatre. The Immortal Bard lives on in his characters. Bottom literally stole the show, which by the way, we all very much enjoyed. We did a little pub crawl to dinner at Movida for sangria and paella and churros. We were home by 10 o'clock, which we realize and accept is sort of perfect at this time in our lives. 

I'm grateful for all of it...the rain, the blooms, day dates, friday happy hour, extra dirty martinis, another week another tart for Alan's birthday this time, birdsong, cat cuddles, the way the sun slips away slowly and then all at once, young love, old love, love of family - complications and all, following my heart, a full heart, my open heart, yesterday, today and tomorrow.  

 

   

A Bit of April

It has been a week of sinister skies, shrill sirens and a constant cascade of rain. The river is as high as I can remember in the 20 years we've lived here, and moving at a dangerously swift pace. The clock is clicking away on April as well.  It's true that time and tide wait for none.

Life is good. I'm good. We're all good.

Easter snuck up on me. We hosted brunch for the fam who were in town. It was a fine crew and a good menu. Good as in tasty and also well planned. I made quiche, which is make ahead and easy, and patatas bravas, which are last minute and fussy. I tried a new spring salad with baby greens, strawberries, mozz balls and candied pecans dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette. I've had a sweet tooth lately so I made chocolate ganache cupcakes with marshmallow butter cream and a much loved almond tart. Oh and an adorable baby three layer carrot cake for Ted. I badly burnt one of the quiche, picked out a pineapple that was so green I couldn't get a knife through it, Mike's deviled egg filling was broken, and Manny and Hazel made it their mission to rearrange the floral arrangement that was on the beautifully set table, but after a bloody or a Bellini, it didn't much matter. I long ago forbid perfect from ruining good.

 

Then my cousin came for a visit last weekend. It's always a gift to spend time with him. He was last here for Thanksgiving. Getting to see him twice in six months was a bonus. He has so many great stories because he is a traveler and an adventurer. He's also wicked smart with a huge heart. We didn't do anything especially special and yet it was perfect just taking it easy, being together come what may. We ended up at the Public Market the first night where we had drinks while we shopped the stalls for fixings for dinner. Friday we visited the cemetery at TJ's suggestion to check in on the grandparents. We said a few prayers and shed some tears and had a couple chuckles too. We met my brother and sil at a speakeasy for boozy drinks before getting the perfect Milwaukee meal of fried cheese curds, buffalo wings and burgers and beers. We pulled the plug on the jazz club opting to go home and get in our jammies for not one, but two movies. It was a wise choice.

I'm looking forward to Cousin GiGi's visit next week, a storm-free window for a walk after work, Candace's art opening tomorrow and the theater on Saturday for a little Shakespeare. If I take things day by day, I can trick my brain into believing time is long and lingering