It went well. Really, after many breaks not going so well, I would almost admit to enjoying this one. John would be quick to point out that in the first half of break, I had a lot of coverage during the day and went out a lot at night. Yup, works for me. Here are some of the highlights:

Miriam's birthday party

First, we had a wonderful time on our litter walk. The kids walked from Miriam's house to the pizza place, picking up litter. It was like a treasure hunt but one that involved no prep from the adults. Then we had pizza at a local place that has a huge gluten-free selection. Rose adores their pizza and David eats the crusts. I think this is the first party I've ever been to where I didn't need to provide any food for my children.

ice skating

I didn't know childcare could be like this. David was at school. Rose and I went to the rink with my sister and nieces. Rose no longer has to cling to my hand. She spent the hour or so pulling herself around on the side and actually skating every few feet. She did this with Ariana, both giggling and having a gay old time. I got to skate fast and free. (Well, relatively fast. I'm a pretty bad skater.) I would do a round, chat with them for a few minutes, and go off again. I provided snack and had to hunch down to help with skates, that was the extent of my hard work. Rose and I both had a fantastic time and can't wait to do it again, sans David of course.

hanging out with the new neighbor

An eight year girl now lives three houses down on our side of the street. Yippee! She came bouncing down the sidewalk on her pogo stick Thursday, just as David, Rose, and I were heading out to garden. So, we spent the next three hours with her. She not only has a huge Poly pockets collection but a rollercoaster for them. We definitely want to play more at her house. During my rest time (when, in fact, no one disturbed me), she and Rose made cards for all the homemade soap Rose and I had made last week. Then they wrapped them up and (once I was awake and watching from the porch) delivered them to the neighbors. They particularly liked the ring the doorbell and run away method of present delivery.

the Donald Hall reading

I went to the Donald Hall poetry reading Tuesday night, phenomenal. I knew Hall's name and some of his poems, but I hadn't realized how important he was, how much I would like his poems, and how much I would like his stories between the poems. The man knew Frost and Eliot, knew them well. He is a really big deal and really good. More importantly, I found the evening had filled my soul. I felt I had done something important and worthwhile concentrating on his poems about love and grief. It made me think about all the things I do that are good for my soul--hugging, dancing, sitting with good poetry, trying to write poetry--I feel very rich.