Mother Nature - 1, Northeast 0. Welcome to Bryan's Birthday Dinner for One (and What I Had in the House - Thankful I Was Semi-Prepared).

I woke up at 6 a.m. thinking ahead to all that might be cherished on my 53rd birthday.  I opened a card from my mother, with photographs of meals she and my dad would enjoy for my birthday (and wondering where she got stickers of local Chinese food plates)(Of note: I have been telling people all I wanted was a photo of a good meal they would enjoy while thinking of me). After the card, I opened Cynde's outdoor frog with lantern, which is solar powered and will be put to use. Casey's holiday photo was put with the Christmas decorations in the basement. 

I spent quite a while going through Facebook posts: tried to balance the joy of love and wishes with the despair being felt by educators nationwide, K-PhD. And I laid on my couch a reread Ann E. Burg's Force of Nature, the poetic fiction about science writer Rachel Carson. As always, I can't help but appreciate the brilliance of her as a writer. Not only can she write, but she does her research so reading through the poems, you're also prompted to look more into history, time, and the world. I found myself watching hours of History Channel documentaries (Yes, I see you Dr. Yohuru Williams - your voice always makes me look up to what I'm reading). I talked to Chitunga for a while (Alyssa luckily got out of Syracuse...I have no idea how), and then I prepped a meal.

I enjoyed several calls throughout the day, just talking about the importance of humanity and togetherness. 

At 5:30, while still light, I decided it might be best to scrape whatever slush was left on the driveway, sidewalks, and back patio to the grass. The back patio was thick with the Snoopy Snow Cone mush. With temperatures dropping drastically tonight, I could only imagine what that would be like if it turned to ice. That would be a huge mess. We're not above freezing again until Friday, but we also have a major snow event coming on Thursday, so we'll see how the week moves again, especially for the MLK Youth Leadership Academy on Friday. 

Around 7 p.m., I made rice, broccoli, green beans, and chicken I stewed in the crockpot. A healthy, well-balanced meal as Chitunga labeled it after I texted him a photo. They were making steak and salad.

I cleaned the dishes, checked more Facebook posts, responded to texts (appreciated them all) and called it a day. The winds also arrived. Phew.

And now, just like that, it's Monday morning. And a work week ahead. 

Onward.