It finally stopped raining and the sun came out, which is the perfect, if somewhat clichéd, metaphor for today. It’s a very good day.

For one thing, the weather change meant I spent this morning cutting back my insanely unwieldy Siberian iris, while the boys happily gathered the leaves and played “wood chipper”. Gardening makes me happy. What made me even happier was when the boys put the leaves on a low bough of a spruce tree and pronounced it their “friendship house”. Awww. I was so happy to be outside again, not in the least because I was all out of indoor activity ideas. The last few days have been all Homemade Playdough and Painting and Boats in the Kitchen Sink (and Ensuing Flood on Kitchen Floor) and Colouring Books and Truly Endless Games of Farm Animals Who Mutate into Dinosaurs. I introduced Mark to the idea of cutting pictures from magazines and pasting them on paper, and now, in addition to the thirty five other pieces of original art from this week, I have no fewer than seventeen collages made from the Vesey’s catalog. So yes, I am happy the rain has stopped.

Secondly, my husband and I are going out for dinner tonight. A date! It happens about once every four months or so, therefore I am excited. I should be very excited about romance, etc., but what I’m really excited about is eating something I didn’t cook. Ah well, I shall wear my lucky underwear regardless.

Of course, I have saved the best news for last. This news even trumps eating Mediterranean Linguine. My dearest friend is bringing her new baby home today. This little guy was in such a hurry to get here, he decided to arrive a month early and has been in the NICU for the last twelve days. Today, he is going home, which means prayers have been answered.