What Blows In -- OR Out -- With the Storms

I guess last night was pretty windy. Not for me. I was deep into la-la-land. Too many days lately w a sideline headache from too late nights and too early mornings. Larry has started bloom time, and I go with him some mornings to count blooms in the orchards in prep for experiments of the day. It's just nice to have him tell me it's nicer having me there ..... though following him row to row if I don't get the gist of what we're doing leaves a little challenge. After yesterday I feel I have a better grasp than I've ever had before, so it makes everything click. I feel left out of his life when I don't know or don't understand what is going on with his work. He may or may not have the energy to listen to what has happened in mine .... especialy when he's baffled. (When I catch him in that zoned-out mode, we're learning to tread sweetly, and joke, and try, try, try again. :O)

Saturday he left about 10 am, and worked till 4 pm. Driving home, he called and told me a couple of disappointments, one being bad news from a friend, the other that the first experiment of the season was a wash. No results to record, this season a flop, on that first experiment. When he needs at least two-year results to write a paper, and Uncle Sam is breathing down his neck for papers, that was pretty bad news. With his work the weather is considered to be the most uncontrolled variable, but they had hoped they were prepped for all other pressure.

We have houseguests presently, and are enjoying watching two young teens live in our crackerbox downstairs. It's not ideal changing schools mid-year, but these guys are hanging tough. It's great hearing their evals of how the day went, what new experience they encountered. They're weathering the storms. Yep, storms aren't just for adults.

So Larry had his storm too. Disappointments in the lab. I asked how he was doing, shortly after he arrived home. "Trying to have a good attitude..." he said. He asked about the kids (parents back in Olympia cleaning carpets in prep for renters), and I suggested that John wanted to go play basketball. Larry immediately shifted his focus to them, off himself .... and life improved.

The problems don't go away, but the focus can change. One niece recently posted on her blog, "see life through the windshield rather than the rearview mirror." Good advice! For us all.

So when the sand blows in my eye, I need to start looking for -- diamonds?