Friday Free For All-For the Birds

      This April weather is for the birds. Well, the ducks anyway who have come back to the neighborhood. I hear geese on occasion but they can keep going. The one summer they moved in, the park was an unusable, smelly mess.  I've not heard much from other birds yet, but they'll soon be back too. Hearing them as my morning alarm can be added to my list of simple pleasures. 

     I've got other things on my mind besides weather and birds. My heart still goes out to people everywhere  impacted by war, poverty, and apathy of decision makers to enduring their basic needs are met. It makes me want to keep striving to being a more decent version of myself.  Spring should be about renewal, growth, and lightness, not war and destruction.

Summer Plans 

     I'm already in a summer state of mind some days, even months away from it. I really hope my son will visit, but it'll all be work dependant. My MILs brother, her niece and daughters are coming end of June. My daughter and I will likely be in Chicago then to get her Spanish Visa. DD1 has a wedding.  While my MIL is hoping for a big family gathering, it's not in the cards for us, and I do feel bad as important to her, even though my kids don't know these relatives other than by name. My daughter said she hopes her grandma isn't mad. Well, we didn't plan the dates and weddings and foreign consolate appointments aren't very flexible, so she shouldn't be mad, but I suppose disappointed.  

     I've got a lot of vacation hours, plus a floating holiday I need to use by June 30 so looking at maybe a Monday here and there or Thursday to go with a Friday in June. I've learned taking weeks off in August is actually manageable, so we're looking at planning time off then as well. I also want time before my daughter leaves in early September.  The next couple weeks are good ones to get the calendar sorted. I converted the max of 40 hours to 401K. I refuse to lose the hours or benefit this year that I almost lost last year. 

Supreme Court 

     I for one am pleased with the nomination and confirmation of our newest Supreme Court Justice. Her qualifications clearly meet or exceed those of her three last appointed colleagues. Regardless of whether 47 idiots think she's too left leaning based on her applying sentencing using guidelines they put forth, isn't a balanced bench in our country's best interest? Don't we want the justices to wrangle all sides, review statutes, precadence, the little document known as the Constitution, and determine the interpretation and application of law knowing all Americans can be heard? I'd never want to see a bench with all nine like thinkers, even if I personally think like them. It's important to my rights that the rights of those I philosophically and politically disagree with, have equal status in law. 

     Once, I got a chance to see the chambers.  My group was walking back to our hotel after meeting with Senator Franken, so this was a while ago. We popped into the Supreme Court building when we went by. There was a private tour going on and the guard was sort of distracted and either misspoke or we heard him wrong, but we thought he was telling us we could go ahead in the gallery. About five minutes goes by, and the door opens and we're told we aren't allowed in there right now. We were not at the public seating time and didn't follow protocol. Whoops! Well nothing great was revealed and we maybe got just a glimpse of one of the justices at the time and staff, but that was it. We just really wanted to see the inside of the chamber so wish fulfilled. 

Wrap-up

     DH just exclaimed that there's snow covering the ground. Yuck is right. I peeked at the week ahead into Easter and it is not sunny warm spring, but cool, cloudy, rainy spring. I keep saying to myself, May is coming. Time to start my work day, but as yet again I lost my Flex Day last week, I'm ending my day after an early afternoon conference session for a national project and getting my email box cleared. I'm going to head to Aldi for a few things, mostly to find the Easter ham. Tonight, I'm planning an early night in so my weekend can start at dawn- meaning my to do list will get started at dawn. What's on your mind this Friday?

Are you sick of this sh..stuff? I'm sick
 of posting  photos of snow.