1) Yesterday I stupidly tried to break in a pair of new shoes, which I am now going to call the Cruel Shoes. The results above are just from the walking involved in my morning commute. Happily this morning I discovered a pair of my daddy's shoe trees that expand inside the shoes by turning a handle, so let's hope that stretches these into a more tolerable shape.
1a) They certainly didn't feel like that when I tried them on.
2) Back porch coffee this morning yielded the sight of a) a female cardinal, the first I've seen in a long time, and b) the first blooms this year of one of the rhododendrons at the back of the house.
2a) Rhododendrons feature prominently in the landscaping of ye Instytytte, and a former colleague once confessed that their arrival brought home the urgency of the arrival of alumni for Reunions. And indeed, they'll be showing up in record numbers in only 12 days. #braceyourselfmillicent
3) And indeed, I'm spending this beautiful day at the office (I really need to get a move on), in the hopes that what I accomplish today will leave me completely free tomorrow. Onward!