I was working around the house this weekend with my iPod. I love my iPod. I love its randomness. While painting on Saturday the list went a little something like this:

Neil Diamond’s Brother Love’s Traveling Show
Bowling for Soup’s Come Back to Texas
Merle Haggard’s My Favorite Memory
KISS’s Beth
Yo-Yo Ma’s Cello Suite No.1, 2. Allemand
Meatloaf’s Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

The very, very best was the hidden track on Alanis Morrisette’s Jagged Little Pill album. The acoustic song that I believe is called “Would You Forgive Me, Love”. It faded directly into Judy Collin’s beautiful acoustic “Amazing Grace.” And that, Alanis, is truly the definition of ironic. (As an aside if you haven’t heard Judy Collins sing Amazing Grace, you really need to check it out. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes. So pure. So beautiful.)

So today is a day of rest. A deserved, and forced, day of rest after a whirlwind weekend of crossing chores off our lists. The nursery is as done as it can be without more shopping. The walls are painted. Everything has been washed and put away – in the furniture that arrived last week. David put together the crib and I outfitted it with the bedding I made. The amazing overstuffed rocker we bought comes at the end of the month or early May. We have a few things left to buy – curtains, rug, and some baby items (clothes, diaper pail, hamper, etc.), but other than that I think we’re good to go. And let me tell you it feels wonderful.

Also tackled this weekend was the backyard. Two springs ago I fell for the pretty pink flowers and sale prices of many plants at The Home Depot. They were the only things in the yard that weren’t native. And they are the only things that didn’t survive the bizarre freezing temperatures of January. So they we’re pulled and replaced by the plants we actually planned for the space – clumps of flowering grasses in many colors and textures. The native plants were trimmed and made to look pretty. The patio was scrubbed, as were the lights and other assorted accoutrement. The backyard is truly my favorite “room” in the house.

The digital camera fell victim while boating on the Intracoastal Waterway between Christmas and New Years. When I figure out where David keeps his – in the car I think – I’ll post pictures. Until then I’ll be here with my feet elevated and vast quantities of water.