March 13, 2026

My attempt at returning to routine failed entirely! In retrospect it's obvious why: we had three, separate birthday celebrations for the kid within five days (nuclear family, with grandparents, and with friends), and then the College Fair began. Things have been busy to say the least.

I haven't even had much time to read or to take my usual breaks. I haven't been watching soccer. I had to remind myself earlier this week that I do not have to schedule every minute of every day.

The main change is that I've started to walk every day. We'll see if I can keep it up despite the packed schedule. One of the things I miss most about Switzerland is how much I got to walk. We managed over a decade there without a car, and of course I'd walk with a phone in hand to take photos of mostly flowers and snails. The kid and I used to play a snail spotting game that delighted us both.

The weather finally warmed up earlier this week, which means everyone has been going outside, and I've run into neighbors while walking and caught up with them. Yesterday the weather was cold and wet, but I hopped on the treadmill while listening to an audiobook. I guess that counts as reading, too. I haven't been reading anything new, I should say – I've had too many inputs to take in any more.

I've been enjoying the birds that have returned with the warmer weather. Over the past week I've seen red-winged blackbirds, Eastern bluebirds, grackles, and brown-headed cowbirds. There's a hawk that's been circling and stalking and hunting the smaller birds. It's gorgeous. We still have our dark-eyed juncos, cardinals, blue jays, white-breasted nuthatches, and various sparrows. The red-bellied woodpeckers have been all over the place. Oh, and the house finches have paired up. I'm sure I've missed several species, but the birds are noisy and active and fun to watch.

Much of the snow has melted. We have patches of grass again. In a month, we'll be back at the outdoor pitch for soccer practice, which is still hard to imagine.