Today is an awful allergy day in D.C. I have, unfortunately, moved an Upstate New York man and his children into a Southern Swamp. In New York & Wisconsin, the four seasons were "winter, winter, a brief glorious summer, and then winter again." Here in D.C. the temperature is glorious in the Spring & Fall. Unfortunately, the allergens are so awful we now mark the calendar with "Pollen, Grass, Ragweed, and Mold."
Yesterday, I took the kids out for a play date & picnic at Fort Ward Park. I'm sad to report that the toy cannon, which my siblings & I played on thirty years ago during visits to my grandfather's house, was unceremoniously dragged off the playground yesterday. Some expert has deemed the cannon "not playground safe." The tractors and other digging equipment made a noisy accompaniment to our picnic, but the three boys were in heaven.
Despite making sure that everyone was dosed with Claritin before the play date, we are now all languishing in allergen fatigue & irritability. I broke my newly instituted "no TV before 3 PM" rule to give the baby & me some much needed nap time. (That sort of sums up my inconsistent nature. My argument to myself to enforce rules goes something like this "The best thing about enforcing the TV restrictions with regularity is that you can break them when you really, really need to. Then the kids will be so happy to be watching TV at an odd time they will give you peace for two hours!")
So it's been a hard, hard morning. Then I find a quote like this to give me a good shot in the arm. Jozsef Cardinal Mindszenty on motherhood:
"The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral—a dwelling for an immortal soul….The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. " HT My Journey to Faith, Wheelbarrow Manor
Such a lovely thought three days before the Feast of Angels. I'm inspired now to turn off the TV, get lunch together for a group of sick patients, make myself some strong, strong coffee.
