1. What are some memories you associate with spring? 

I remember this one Spring when Isaac was almost one year old and we sat outside a lot. The weather was so good we put out a blanket and let him flop about, just looking at nature. I associate the end of the college semester with it too, since I for so long worked on one. I guess I technically still do but not in the same capacity.

2. April showers bring May flowers…was that saying proven true where you live? Snapdragons, anemones, carnations, lilacs, sweet peas, tulips, lily of the valley, orchids, roses, gardenias…which one on that list is your favorite May bloom? 

I always liked tulips. I used to get flowers a lot and put them in a vase on the table but I have not lately. And yes, we had quite a bit of April rain; Spring soccer season has had a lot of rescheduled games.

3. What are your top three distractions and how do you deal with them? 

Hmm, I guess I would list: blogging, family, and honestly, cannot think of a third. When I need to be doing grading, I tend to turn to the blog to procrastinate. And as far as family goes, they tend to need me when I am entrenched in work or household chores. I find that for blogging, I do it early and then force myself to buckle down on work. Then for family, I try to multitask as much as I can. They will need to learn to wait.

4. Do you eat beef? In the course of a week, how often is beef on the menu? A hamburger, steak, prime rib, or a roast beef dinner…which beef entree would you choose and yes you have to choose. Unless you’re a vegan, and then you may pass. 

So, we had gotten to a place where we’d cut it out quite a bit and were doing more chicken but now, on this keto/healthier diet, we do eat grass fed beef and bison (which is always grass-fed, fyi, per the FDA). If you go by any of the scholars and doctors who discuss this eating pattern, then red meat is not bad for you if the cow was a healthy one. We’ve been doing a lot of NY strips in the sous vide but will be branching out as we have purchased 1/4 of a grass fed cow and it will be parsed out to different cuts and given to us in May.

5. In what way were you creative during the month of April?

Well, the obvious answer is the A to Z challenge I did where each day was a band I love. I am behind now and in #6, I will tell you why!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I figure Wednesday is the day to detail Friday night because more people read today. Well, my oldest son broke his leg. Funny thing is how unimpactful that sounds; lots of people break bones right? We’ve either done it or know someone who has. But until your child is the one it happens to, it doesn’t feel so awful. He was in his soccer game and trying to score so he was battling another player and as they tangled legs, he went down in a weird way; his leg twisted and as he fell, the goalie came in to do her job and grab the ball but also fell and landed on him. She was not a small child either so the twist plus body weight broke both shin bones. People on that side of the field said they heard the crack! (::shudder::) We thought he may have just sprained an ankle but when we could not get up, we knew it was bad.

The very fortunate thing was that a teammate’s mom is a nurse and she called the ambulance. Another boon was that a dad was there who works for Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic, our huge and well-known medical place for sports injuries and the like. He helped Elliot get situated and calm and then asked people to look in trash cans for cardboard. Once they found a large box, he created a splint from them with the gauze from the first aid kit. It was pretty damned stressful but so many people helped; they got our stuff cleaned up and in cars; Courtney and Robert took my other kids with them while Ash and I went to the ER. I drove separately but Ash rode in the ambulance. We got there before 9ish and he was released at about 2:30. I had gone home around 10:45 and gotten the other kids then put them in bed. Meanwhile, they took xrays and the OR doc got his leg set and splinted and sent him on his way. Yesterday he got into TOC and the surgeon took a look, scheduling him for surgery this coming Thursday.

It’s been a long few days; it’s almost like having a newborn because you have to be attentive and then they finally sleep and you can relax. Friday night late and all of Saturday were very hard as he was in pain and didn’t really understand crutches. He’s doing much better now. Since we know he has until Thursday we allowed him to camp upstairs instead of down on a couch. He still can’t get up entirely on his own but he’s getting more adept at it all. I feel so bad for him but you know, in life, sometimes you’re the bird and sometimes you’re the statue!

If you’re squeamish, don’t look below: (where it says pages 1,2, click 2)