A Moment of Serenity

Today I went seeking some peace, quiet, and serenity. In the form of a cup of tea, some roses, and a bowl of blueberries, yogurt, and cinnamon bread that my dad brought home (at left). I was playing around with roses trying to figure out what to do with our wedding tables. I'm drinking decaffeinated Earl Grey. Mmmm. And of course, I am gazing at a very contented, bread-loafed cat. Tea and cats are pretty nearly synonymous with home, aren't they? I am very excited to start living with B in our new place (which we haven't found yet), but it certainly is strange to realize that the year is over and I'm moving again. Also, I'm going to miss having both my parents under one roof for the first time in 20 years (their work has kept them apart). It's so fun to call out, "Mom!" or "Dad!" and have them actually answer, no phone necessary. Of course, my little feline has been with me throughout medical school (we got her when I was 14).

This year, both the cat and I moved back to my parents' house (for the 3rd year of school), as did my dad (from Japan) and brother (from Las Vegas). My mom went from living by herself to living with all of us again! I moved back into the room I've lived in since we came back from South-east Asia in 2002, which used to be our home office when I was five and we had just bought the house. This room is the first room I ever typed on a keyboard in! Although it took all of us some adjusting and my brother decided he wanted his own place and moved out, he comes back on weekends to hang out and do laundry, and we do have some moments of peace now and again. And of course, since my parents are cooking, the meals are pretty gourmet. Yum. This is inspiring me. Maybe I'll make some gingerbread tonight for my nice mother and father (and brother, if he drops by).

I think we are actually ordering in sushi this evening, which is pretty special. My dad cleaned out our entire garage today so he could manage the people from Home Depot as they covered our garage walls in shelving units. It's going to be so tidy and neat to have storage for all of our seasonal items and things that would otherwise be stored in an attic (there isn't one at our house). He worked very hard all day, and I think as a celebration of our new, organized garage he is treating us to sushi! When we start eating, I'm pretty sure the poor cat will rouse herself and perform her sad-cat-without-sushi dance back and forth across the kitchen floor. My dad always takes pity on her (I captured this sweet shot of my parents sharing the papers in our living room).

But as I write, both the cat and I are at peace. And outside, the garden is blooming (the pink tree buds have opened)! I love spring. We have a postage-stamp size garden, but it has a rose tree, a cherry tree, a pear tree, a tiny lawn, abundant daisies, fresh mint, several jays, hummingbirds, raccoons (!) at night, and sometimes, neighboring cats. You can probably guess how our resident feline feels about that.

We do have a redwood fence that allows us some privacy, so we can have cookouts sometimes. My brother uses the barbeque frequently, and he's a very good cook. Our next-door-neighbor's flowering tree overflows from their yard and lends a nice backdrop to the grill.

One of these days I'll have to write more about the garden. It is a potentially enchanted place. With tasty barbeque chicken.