The Week

The boys and I have occasionally been working on a bit of Spanish together. Lately we're trying an audiobook made for travelers. Francisco laughed as the kids and I were repeating in Spanish, "May I have a beer?" And "white wine" and "red wine." 

This week went from beautiful spring weather at the beginning of the week--complete with violets and dandelions--directly to the first snow falling on the last flowers. I've never seen the first snow stick this way. 

Work was quite full this week in really fun ways--two interesting talks, a breakfast and a dinner. I met a new colleague in my field who said he had read some of my work and that he loved it and I should write a book. Deeply embarrassing and so ridiculously kind and encouraging--we enjoyed a dinner together. And lots of conversations with students over the beginning of the week, too, which is great. 

I think these [dying] flowers were dyeing the snow.

This morning coffee and a donut with my friend to celebrate a professional accomplishment. 

I've been unwell, mentally, for 10 days. I would welcome your prayers. A very good meeting with my therapist in the midst of it. And a husband who always stays in it with me--I don't deserve him. 

I was totally fascinated by this article about the families of deceased Israeli soldiers freezing their sperm: 

"In Israel, posthumous sperm extraction was first used in 2002 when parents asked permission from the Israeli Supreme Court to freeze the sperm of their 20-year-old son, Keivan Cohen, who had been killed during his military service by a sniper. Five years later, an Israeli civil court ruled that Mr. Cohen’s parents could use the frozen sperm to produce a grandchild, and they interviewed some 200 women before selecting a surrogate mother."