Blanco de Sinki

Five years ago, I went to hear Gullah music at Grand Valley. It was a fun night that reinvigorated my appreciation for live music and other cultures, and the weight of history. In between the music and the after concert milkshakes with Heather, I met Jim.

Jim, who said I should share more about the SEED school here. Okay...

My closest friend there was Nancy, a woman from NYC who was a little younger than me. When the kids went home on Friday nights, we would sit in the common areas on couches and try to figure out how to improve the way the school worked. We tried to figure out how to reach the snotty 7th grade girls who wouldn't let go of their protective shells. We laughed about how the nearly 100% African American, very urban DC student population reacted to being "guided" by me - a white girl from Michigan. I'm pretty sure they thought I nearly Amish. Nancy and I got through the DC sniper together. We presented united fronts to our bosses and the girls who thought they were our bosses. We encouraged each other nearly every day. Because we needed to (I've mentioned we were both in charge of twelve 7th grade girls when they weren't in the classroom, right?). We drank wine. Because we needed to.

Nancy and I were together in suburban DC for a day out with other friends/coworkers/people we put up with because we were all in battle together. She was a shopper. Wait, she was a Shopper. I? Am not. We had gone to what felt like our 80th store when I protested. "I am tired of shopping! Let's do something else."
"Amy," said my friend who was raised on concrete and bus fumes, "I would go into the woods for you. If you said, 'lets look at just one more tree' I would do that for you. Now, we're going into this Banana Republic, and you're going to like it."
And she probably would have, despite her fear of any bug and disdain for soil or... nature.

Speaking of nature... the bunnies have left the nest. They were grown, and now it's time for them to move on. Like any self respecting pseudo parent, I am quickly changing their bedroom into a den.

I planted a wisteria vine and basil last night. My Mother's Day/in honor of Henry Plum Tree needs to be planted this evening. I'm excited because it's beautiful and symbolic and we might get fruit.

How's that for tangental?
Jim -> Nancy -> bunnies -> garden?

Sweet Jim, who would have guessed 5 years ago that we'd create this?