And I thought I’d have “free time”… heh.

April 19th:
Little Tuula bird’s first birthday. Gretchen and I went to see the Dalai Lama. It was good. It was great to see him. I will say it was a tad less engaging than I would’ve hoped. It was primarily a buddhist lecture, and I guess we were hoping for more material that we could relate to. Funny thing though, on the second day, the last 2 hours were exactly what we wanted- but we weren’t there. Goes to show how patience can pay off. Anyway, Jeff and I happened to see it live on public tv, and so we taped about an hour of it. I’m really glad I went anyway, it was a good experience. I also found it interesting that there were so many Chinese protesters, and also how many people were in their “costumes” for the event. We saw loads of good ol’ white folks dressed in their glittery hippie-wear, bangles and all. It was a site to see, we just found it kind of funny to be dressing up so much to listen to the Dalai Lama.
Tuula. I made her hair all crazy.

April 20th:
The verdict is in. BLUE. At least that would be my best guess. They just get brighter and brighter every day.

April 21st:
This was the day that we had Tuula’s birthday celebration. Gretchen made everyone spaghetti and apple pudding cake. YUM. Tuula LOVES spaghetti. What kid doesn’t, right? Very fun. It was weird though, we were kinda wondering who was missing and then we realized that it was Ben. So sad! He’s doing great though. Anyway.
These were Tuula’s candles, although I guess they only came with one “U”. Ah well. They aren’t prepared for double “U” names…

April 22nd:
EARTH DAY! Of course I had to go plant crazy… We have these two empty raised beds out front that just sit there. They are filled with tree roots, so we can’t plant bushes or anything because they’ll get choked. Instead our landlord wanted to fill them with decorative stones and then put potted plants on top. Well. We’ve been here for almost 3 years. *Ah hem* but that’s just how our landlord is. So, I decided that (inspired by my sister’s idea for her gardening space) I would fill it with perennial herbs and flowers. Ta da! They’ll do fine with the amount of root space available, and I’ll be able to reap the benefits, even after we leave because I can split the plants and replant them wherever we go. I’m surprised I didn’t think of it earlier. The beds will contain the following: echinacea, calendula, lobelia, lemon balm, fennel, thyme, sage, lavender, rosemary, parsley (curly and flat leaf), oregano, dill, chives, mint, and the remaining tulips that are in the bed already (only moved around a bit). We also got some wormwood plants- apparently they work to repel wasps, which we believe have a nest out by the shed where Jeff’s workshop is. Anyway, we don’t want them to go away, but we don’t want them out in the shed. We’ll give this a shot. Anyway, I can plant some now, but a few have to wait until last frost. I can’t get enough of this stuff! It’s making me super excited for veggies- we’re preparing those beds in the next couple of days. I’m also reading up on all sorts of stuff about companion planting and natural pest control. Basically, the Vegetable Gardener’s Bible is one of my favorite books now. Oh yeah.

April 23rd:
I have a thing for doors. I don’t know what it is.