Well, I seem to be going about relaxing very methodically . . . my days are falling into a rhythm, and mostly the rhythm involves being outside as much as possible. Today I did manage to get the kitchen floor washed (one inside task a day is all I'm after when the weather is nice), but mostly I did things like . . .

** Sitting in the back yard in a lawn chair, under a blanket, drinking my morning coffee and reading my book club book. I love our back yard. It seems very European to me; it's longer than it is wide, and we have a high fence around the whole thing. It's extremely private, especially during the weekdays right now when our neighbors on either side are at work. Spending these spring days in our back yard reminds me of springtimes in the back yard of the house at 1641 Chestnut Street, when my mother used to lie in the sun and I would play by her side.

Oh, and the book club book, See under: Love (the title is like a card catalog entry) is fabulous. It is not an easy read, by any means; the NY Times reviewer's blurb on the back likens it to The Sound and the Fury, The Tin Drum, 100 Years of Solitude . . . I definitely see the parallels with The Sound and the Fury. Structurally, it's very intriguing, and the recurring images and phrases are very clever. On the sentence and paragraph level, some of the descriptions take my breath away. I'm about half-done with it, and am reading voraciously; I'm reserving my judgement until I've finished the whole thing, so stay tuned about that . . .

** I also walked up to the bike shop and rescued my Sekai, which had been in for a tune-up. This provided me a nice walk in the sunshine, and a way to stretch out from yesterday, when I managed a 25-mile bike ride in the afternoon. It felt wonderful. I figure I need to do a ride in that range (or longer) every other day between now and June 8 (when I leave for CO, then Cali) in order to prepare for the PALM. I'm going to keep the longer days constant, but try to build up the mileage on the 'rest' days in between.

** I bought flowers for the back yard (in preparation for the family birthday gala on May 30) - geraniums (I can't live without geraniums) and petunias because they're so cheerful. I planted the geraniums, and am waiting for eb to prepare the bed where the petunias are going to go; I'll probably plant them tomorrow.

** Soon I'm having cappuccino downtown with Diane, and I'm going to ride my bike . . . that'll be another few miles for today . . . and I love to ride home after dark in the spring and summer . . .

Happy days. I hope yours are just as happy . . .