Last fall I stuck one hundred crocus bulbs into the hill on the south side of the yard by the sidewalk using a spoon. My hand was tired by the end, but it was all worth it this spring when those brave little flowers poked up and brought a little…

The Middles . . . at it again. What a duo!

He’s attended so many orchestra concerts in his lifetime: symphony concerts, chamber orchestra concerts, school orchestra concerts where his siblings played, youth symphony concerts to see his siblings play, college orchestra concerts. Finally it was time for his very own orchestra concert! The viola section sounded mighty fine. For two…

I just can’t seem to stop taking pictures of the sun shining through my piano glasses in the late afternoon and evening! Here are a few things I’ve been learning the past few weeks: At the piano I’ve been working on a lovely Chopin Nocturne, and I’ve really been enjoying…

Robotics season is over for the most part, but we had a lot of fun cheering on our very favorite bot. Mr. TOF and I went to our local regional meet (YaYa even jumped in for a bit because she was home from college on a break–it was her first…

Matching shirts, matching dental floss in their Easter eggs! These middles have a strong bond. Our annual at home Easter egg hunt on Sunday evening was highly anticipated even though it was cold and snowing in the yard. The eggs were filled with coupons of all kinds and some wonderful…

My neighbors have built an amazing wall out of snow that encircles their fire pit. They’ve named it “Snowhenge II.” Snowhenge I came into being last winter during lockdown as a way of connecting with their friends in the cold outdoors. Snowhenge II is really something! There are two entrances…

The Devious Snail actually asked me to take this picture because the school yearbook staff asked for a picture of his bicycle for their transportation page. It turns out that The Devious Snail is really the only kid who rides his bike to school every single day, rain, snow, sleet…

We were in the car driving to an appointment. I asked if he could grab something for me, but then realized that it was in a bag in the middle seat of the van, and Mr. TOF was riding in the front passenger seat. “Oh well. We can just get…

Here are some things I’ve recently been learning: My cello vibrato is actually happening! I’m so happy! It took me more than five YEARS to figure it out and I thought it might not actually ever happen. We’ve had a lot of cold weather, and while it hasn’t been as…