Well, here we go ’round the mulberry bush – again.  Last week was really hectic and kind of ridiculous – I was pinch-hitting for a couple of coworkers who are on vacation, on top of managing my own workload, and I got pulled in on a project that had to be completed as soon and as perfectly as possible (and I’m proud to be a trusted go-to member of the core team, but ouch) and also got some sad but not really surprising news about a colleague.  So I needed a good, solid weekend and I made a point of giving that to myself, even if two days was too short to recover from all the craziness and I’m still tired at the end of it.  On Saturday, Steve and I wanted to get some things done around the house.  He paid bills and did some organizing, while I tackled the pantry, which felt good to get done.  That evening, we drove into the city to have fondue with friends – a tradition we have with one of our social circles here, and it had been awhile since we all gathered around those little pots of bubbling cheese (yum).  Sunday was a busy day.  We’d planned to drive to the Tidal Basin to check out the cherry blossoms, which are at peak bloom, with Rebecca and her dog Brandy, but I realized on Saturday afternoon that the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler (which I ran in 2011) was going on the next morning, which meant that the bridges and roads around the route – which goes right through the blossoms – would all be closed.  Some quickly scrambled plans later, we decided to head out for a hike instead, and on Sunday morning that’s just what we did.  We met up with Rebecca and Brandy at Mason Neck State Park and got in a good hour or so on the trails.  The kids had a blast chasing after Brandy, and I was glad to check another hike off the list on my journey to 52.  We headed home around lunchtime and I quickly threw on a nice outfit and headed back out with Rebecca to take in a production of Potted Potter, billed as “all seven Harry Potter novels in seventy minutes!”  They were a little light on the books, and heavy on the slapstick – clearly playing to the twelve-year-olds in the crowd – but we laughed our faces off and drank a cocktail called “Liquid Luck,” so clearly it was time well spent.  And now I am back to panicking about the week ahead.  No rest for the wicked, I guess…

Reading.  Last week may have been a doozy, but at least the reading was good.  I finished A.A. Milne’s memoir-in-poems of the first nine months of World War II on Monday, then spent several days slowly savoring Consider the Years, Virginia Graham’s World War II poetry (I will readily admit that I was on a jag).  Then, after listening to Miranda Mills interview the creators of Slightly Foxed on her “Tea and Tattle” podcast, I was hankering to read one of my Slightly Foxed Editions, and picked up the double of 84, Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street.  I read 84 in one sitting, but have been taking my time over Bloomsbury Street and not regretting a minute spent with Helene Hanff.  I am craving classics right now, and all of these have fit the bill very nicely indeed.

Watching.  Some good watching, too.  Steve and I watched two new episodes of Rock the Park last week, and I finally caught Jesus Christ Superstar Live.  Brandon Victor Dixon was phenomenal, as was Sara Bareilles.  I’ve been walking around humming “Can We Start Again, Please?” for days.  I think you’ve made your point now…

Listening.  Lots of music, which is fairly unusual for me.  Aside from the aforementioned episode of “Tea and Tattle,” I’ve been almost exclusively tunes this week.  Plenty of Decemberists, both because I love them in general and because I’m getting hype for their DC concert in a couple of weeks.  And some soundtracks – Jesus Christ Superstar Live, because it was amazing, and Waitress, because it’s coming to the National Theatre and I’m hoping to see it.

Moving.  Well, according to my Fitbit, I am doing a decent job of getting on the move.  On Friday, my friend Susan and I walked down to the Sackler Gallery for a lunchtime excursion to see a temporary exhibit on the ikat fabrics of central Asia (my idea, because I love ikat, and Susan was happy to go along with me, as she has a blog all about her museum-going exploits).  Her review of the exhibit is up on her blog, and yes, I am the friend who wore an ikat shirt in honor of the exhibit.  Anyway, I hit about 13,000 steps on Friday thanks to that, and broke 10,000 on both Saturday and Sunday.  I’d like to add some runs back into this mix, but one thing at a time.

Blogging.  Bookish week (what else is new?) coming up.  I have my monthly reading round-up from March, which I delayed a week in order to give you the musings of Elfine Starkadder (you’re welcome!) on Wednesday.  And I am still playing along with Poetry Friday all April, in honor of National Poetry Month.  Friday’s selection is actually a poem I have posted on here before, but I can’t resist sharing it again, because it is one of my very favorites.

Loving.  Would you all boycott my blog forever if I said I was loving my organized pantry?  It’s just so much easier to get the kids’ meals together (and I do their breakfast and lunch seven days a week, and dinner on the weekends) when I can see where everything is in there.  It’s either that or be a broken record and repeat (again) how much I love time with friends.  This weekend was a particularly heavy friend weekend.  Between lunch and a museum with Susan on Friday, seeing Rebecca briefly on Saturday (she stopped by to give me a sourdough starter and collect two bottles of fruit wine I didn’t want, and joined us at the playground), fondue with beloved friends we don’t see often on Saturday evening, and then Rebecca again for a hike and a play on Sunday – my friend tank is full.  I have never felt like I had a lot of friends, and I was fine with just a few close friends.  But lately I feel like I have friends, old and new, coming out of my ears.  People are running in and out of my house all the time.  And I love it.  I didn’t realize what a big, fun and loving social network I had until I left it for three years, and coming home has been so good in so many ways.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?