"Busy but good." This is how I have been answering the question, "How are you?" from friends and patients. In the last month since rotating off of two weeks of hospital service, I have done a lot of work and had a breast cancer workup (benign), but I also made time for relaxation, connection, and creativity.
I flew to Charlotte to visit my grandmother and managed to finish editing chapter 6 of my book manuscript, which is now 80% complete. The whole thing is due to the press by the end of the calendar year.
I also found time to see a movie in an actual cinema (Coraline); go to a baseball game and a picnic with work colleagues; attend a Labor Day cook-out; volunteer at the church lawn sale; host a friend from out of town for a weekend that included glass blowing and standup comedy (separate post coming); and host a small dinner party of my own for some of the new, young female faculty.
These 4 photos are from Robin Hill: A cultural and environmental center. Dear Husband and I attended an utterly delightful Thai lunch party and ate so much delicious food that I needed a short walk before sitting in the car to drive home. I found this green oasis 5 minutes from our hostess. We had to dodge the wedding party trying to take photographs in the gazebo, I wasn't wearing the right shoes, and neither of us had a head covering or bug spray (ticks!), but we walked doooown the East Beech Trail and back uuuup the Access Road for a 20-minute jaunt in the humidity that was just enough.
Last night we participated in a "happening" at the
Garfield Community Farm. Above is their labyrinth. Below, DH played keyboard for the musical part of the evening, which was dedicated to "thin places" and fairies. It doubled as a birthday party for the woman standing in the center, so there was cake, too!
I had been assigned to the kitchen detail to cut up fresh tomatoes, eggplant, and jalapenos. There were also herbs plucked from the garden (sweet basil, holy basil, rosemary). Another couple handled the dough; then I assembled the pizzas that were baked in this oven by J. Unfortunately, I suffered from the capsaicin in my left hand for several hours afterward that soap/water, alcohol wipes, Crisco, and aloe vera couldn't help, only time.
Finally, this evening DH and I were invited to a "friend-raising" event for the
Bach Choir of Pittsburgh. It was held at the home of a friend on Grandview Avenue, the street that runs along the crest of Mount Washington and overlooks Downtown and the Rivers. Here we are on the uppermost deck. We had a lovely time meeting new people and are excited about the upcoming season.
"That's so Pittsburgh": I coined this phrase as a label for blogposts when we first moved to the city 8 years ago. One of the things I have learned about the Steel City is that it is a site of so many juxtapositions: gritty industrial jobs and gleaming financial buildings, latchkey kids who ate our leftover pizza and previously unknown connections when circulating in high society. I sometimes joke that I can't wait to be retired, so I can have more time to things like attend lectures and exhibits and concerts. But I don't want to wait for that kind of delayed gratification, so I try to celebrate the fact that we are lucky enough to live in a place that has more to do than any one person can: house concerts, Broadway, museums of every size, and a rotating cast of restaurants. DH and I try to use our time and privilege to enjoy a fraction of these opportunities when we can, especially when they bring us closer to friends and to each other.
