Grumpy Spring Break, Flowers, and Leaves

1.) Bah, Humbug. 

Spring Break has been spring-like with very nice weather, but not very break-ish. 

For a job that doesn't pay much, teachers sure have to work a lot. Especially if they coach. Between an academic tournament and a Trail Life commitment, I've actually seen less of my husband in the past week or so than I do normally. 

More of my son though, which is good. He does the Trail Life stuff with his dad, but I had him home the rest of the week. I don't get as much quality time with him since he started school. 

Teaching is a weird field. We live off of the income (with some creative management), but Chris has told me that his salary is a "secondary income" salary. The assumption is that it's a secondary income to a household, not the primary one, probably because it's a female dominated field. 

The end result is effectively that my husband, a white straight male, has gotten the short end of the gender wage gap stick because of what he does for a living. The irony is further spread by the fact that his superiors, people who earn substantially more than he does, are all women.  

Go figure. 

2.) Leaf Stealing Weirdos

We reached a new level of weird the other day. 

Chris hooked up the trailer, we towed it 45 minutes to the "rich" neighborhood in town, pulled up in front of a big mansion, and then loaded it up with garbage bags full of leaves that they had piled out there for brush pickup. 

I don't know what people driving past thought when they saw a minivan with kids in it towing a trailer being loaded full of leaves by a man and a woman with a baby on her hip. It must have been a good show. 

At any rate, we have lots of mulch for the garden now. What I don't spread I'll probably compost. 

3.) Sick Baby

Alas and alack, Bitty Baby has caught a cold. Lots of laying down and nursing her today, and not much else. Little Girl has got a runny nose and a bit of a cough too. 

Between sickness and the mostly solo week I've just had, our diets over the past few days have been largely made up of the greasy pre-processed packaged frozen stuff that gives you diabetes if you eat too much of it. It makes me feel a foggy after I eat it, but sometimes that's something I'm willing to trade off for being able to just toss  something in the oven in between placating a fussy baby and breaking up a fight. 

I know "healthy" versions of that exist, but they all either taste weird or cost an arm and a leg. And/or they're only located at that one hippie store a 30 minute drive away.  

I don't need to drive that far for a tofu burger. I have other things to do with my life. 

4.) Gardening

We got a watering system into the garden, and things are finally starting to sprout a bit. 

Bell pepper

Zucchini

Sunflowers. Technically weeds, but so pretty that I usually leave them alone. 

Not pictured are some tomato plants and a couple just started melon plants. 

5.) Flowers

There's primroses in the yard! 

Ignore the obvious shadow of me with a smart phone. 

There's bluebonnets by the highway too, but we're always going too fast for me to get a good picture. We've never been the type to go pose in them, though I have been known to take a couple pictures once the sunflowers start blooming. 

6.) Rattlesnakes

If you haven't read this yet, take a look at it. One of the coolest things a member of my family has seen out here.