April showers bring May flowers, as we all know, but as I sit here on Sunday morning typing this, the sleet rattling on the roof is really a bit much.

Nonetheless, we’ve had a fun weekend that I’m sad to see come to an end, especially as it segues into a short (with Good Friday) but very intense week (with large governance meetings at Widget Central, the organization & execution of which are some of my primary annual goals).

On Friday evening, B & I volunteered at Miss L’s school dance. It’s her last dance at this school before leveling up and it was bittersweet to see all of her friends in their dresses and clip-on ties. Miss L met up with a special friend at the dance and he gave her her first wrist corsage which was met with pink cheeks and shy excitement and was much remarked upon by all and sundry. I always love being a part of these moments for her and that’s why I try to volunteer my time at the school when I can (which is not very much compared to how much I’d like to). After, we all went out for ice cream at our beloved local Silver Dairy ice cream stand (staffed by high school kids and home to a somewhat worse for wear plaster mascot cow named Moolinda) to debrief and celebrate.

Last night, we were special guests at the Northville Downs harness racing track in nearby Northville. B’s childhood friends are affiliated with the organization and we spent a fun evening eating dinner and learning how to bet on the 10 races we watched. We got to tour behind the scenes, meet the management, look at all the cameras and equipment, and even peek in the vault to see more more money than any of us will see in our lifetime. Miss L showed a special talent for picking winners (helped by the trackmaster selections) and I staked her and helped her place a few modest bets which she parlayed into a small profit. The highlight of the evening came when we were escorted down to the track and got to ride in the starter vehicle at the beginning of race 6!

The gentlemen working the starter vehicle (there are two; one who steers, facing forward, and one who controls the speed and communicates with the racing sulky drivers on the track to get them lined up and ready to start) were super kind to us and answered all of Miss L’s questions, and taught us a lot about harness racing. The winner of race 6 was a horse named Liberal which I had joked to B & his friends that I should bet on, considering my strong political views; I didn’t but I should have. I would have made some cash!

Today will mostly be about hanging out with these faces [insert obligatory cat picture below], watching it rain, and maybe doing some prep work for my meetings this week. I hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend and are looking forward to a quick, sunny lead-in to the Easter holiday coming up. xo