May Recap

May is such a busy month, but we found plenty of opportunities to get out and explore our city.  Here's a peek at some of what we did last month: 

A cold front came into town over a weekend so we headed to the Arboretum. It's always my favorite place to go when our time is limited but we need to spend some time in nature. 

The wildflowers were spectacular!

We haven't had much time to spend gardening, but our two eggplants from last year survived the winter and we have already harvested eggplants twice.  

Henry requested an experience for his birthday this year, and this kid is a die-hard Astros fan, so we got him tickets for a May game against the Red Sox.  The Astros lost but we had a great time cheering on our 'Stros!

Gene, Mike and Pop got gussied up and went to the opera.  

Henry is still devoted to his weekly art class, and we always look forward to Monart's art shows so we can see his work on display.

We went to Empty Bowls Houston again this year and came home with five new bowls.  It's one of our favorite events each year.  

Gene and Will had some errands to run on Memorial Day, so Henry and I took advantage of some time by ourselves to go see a few exhibits at the MFAH.  The sculptures and fountains outside the Glassell School are always worth a visit.

The MFAH's summer exhibit is "William Forsythe: Choreographic Objects" and it is phenomenal. This installation is called "Nowhere and Everywhere at the Same Time, No. 2." You walk through the field of swinging pendulums, trying to avoid contact. It's incredibly fun and beautiful at the same time. 

We also saw sculptures by Jack Whitten

and photographs by Sally Mann.

Back at home, Ruby waits patiently for someone to throw the ball with her,

and this little cat learned how to turn on the water faucets. She flooded the boys' bathroom! Fortunately, Gene did some research and invested in this flower petal water fountain that fulfills her very strong need to fresh, flowing water. She is a transformed cat now that she doesn't have to cry for someone to turn on the faucet for her (or take matters into her own paws!).

Will finished seventh grade with a mostly A+ average, took his first-ever finals, and settled into relaxing days of summer with lots of reading and building molecule models. He made me caffeine on a day when I was feeling especially tired!

And, finally, in my news, I had several job interviews in May but accepted the position as librarian at Spring Branch Middle School for next year!  I am so excited to be in Spring Branch, as the district is very supportive of their librarians. My school has a great principal and I'm really excited to get to work with middle schoolers.  And, the location is perfect -- just 10 minutes from Kinkaid and 5 minutes from my in-laws!  

May was definitely a whirlwind but in all good ways!