Since it's Friday, I'm thinking in terms of conclusion ... of tidying up my week, putting it in a nice neat pile where I can see it in its altogether, look closely, and decide if it's been a good one.

Sticking with my weekly summary formula ... I know I haven't used it in a while, but I keep it handy for just such Fridays ... I'll start out with what I've been reading.

I began the week with a lovely, quiet and gentle old English book ... Gay has a fancy edition the Folio Society puts out ... called "Enchanted April" , written in 1922 by Elizabeth Von Arnim.

Set in the early 1900s, it's the story of a couple of unhappily married London women who take their nest eggs, collected over years and years from housekeeping money doled out by husbands, and blow the money on a month holiday in an Italian castle.

Being reminded of how things used to be, I found myself again appreciating the choices and chances women now have in many parts of the world.

A digital version is available for free online here.

Finishing that sweet little meander through wisteria-covered gardens, something with a bit more grit was needed, so I picked up the copy of "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak I'd ordered a while back.

The New York Times Book Review said, "Markus Zusak has not really written "Harry Potter and the Holocaust." It just feels that way."

I suppose that's true to an extent, since it's a child's view of life in Germany at the time ... Jew in the basement, and all. The child, by the way, has been deposited into a foster-type situation, and her assimilation into her new family is a big part of the story.

That complete, I'm just starting Robert Jordan's first book in the "Wheel of Time" series, hoping I like it. There are so many of these, that I could be kept in escapist fantasy lit ... great brain candy when I need a break from the hard stuff ... for months and months, but I'm not far enough into it to give it either a thumb's up or down.

What we're reading to the kids:

For Sam and Cj, we've read "Bob the Builder", "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog" and "Pandi the Brave" amongst other things.

What I've been writing:

This week, in addition to twenty or so blog posts, I've been working on Gay's birthday story. Her special day is the 25th of March, and every year I write a short story in her honor.

I don't often take the time to work on short fiction, so her annual anniversary provides just the opportunity I need to squeeze a story out ... a process I mostly enjoy.

I'm hoping it will be done in time, and it looks as though it will.

What we've seen:

"Borat" (oh, my!), a bunch of old episodes of "Seinfeld" since a friend loaned us his collection, and the first Star Wars Trilogy, as Sam hadn't seen those yet.

What I've been eating:

Very little, as I'm still trying to lose a few pounds. Mark did bring home some wonderful fresh, fresh tuna, though, and we had a couple of dinners of seared tuna steaks. Yummy.

Who I've been talking to:

My friend, Julie, is back from Kenya and is staying with us for a few days, so we're catching up.

Also, I'm stepping up my adoption advocacy work here, and have been contacting people for support.

What I've done for fun:

The weather's been lovely, so we've done some beach time this week, but it's been mostly seven days of getting work done.

Great things the kids have said:

Puppies!