Spring Break

This is the first hour of spring break. There is almost a foot of new-fallen and still-falling snow outside my window, but it's spring break in my heart, ten glorious days of doing nothing but what I want to do. Well, work of course. But all fun work.

Here are my spring break projects:
1) Go over the copy-edited manuscript for Fractions = Trouble! (due out in 2011)
2) Work on my essay about recent garden-themed children's books for the edited volume in honor of the centennial year of The Secret Garden
3) Read the latest installments from my mentees
4) Read what looks to be a fascinating undergraduate honors thesis from a terrific CU history major on the development of the English medieval jury
5) Review a batch of books for the Children's Literature website
6) Write some Sappho-inspired poems
7) Brainstorm some ideas for how to become more famous as a writer
8) Grope toward a new novel.

Could there be a better week? I think not. Henry James is often quoted as saying that the two most beautiful words in the English language are "summer afternoon." I'm thinking he might be wrong. Right now the two most beautiful words in the English language are "spring break."