Flowers in spite of the firm

Last weekend was cold, rainy, and I had nothing to do.  I was SO BORED.  This weekend, on the other hand, the weather has been gorgeous, the cherry blossoms are opening, and I had a ton of things I wanted and needed to do. 

So, when last Friday rolled around, did I get any last minute calls from partners or clients?  Nope.  Not a peep.  But what about yesterday?  Radio silence until half-an-hour before I was supposed to leave for the theater.  Then, by the laws of the law firm universe in which I exist, the floodgates opened and I got calls or emails from no fewer than six different partners and/or clients all wanting things done over the weekend.  Including one client that wanted me to be ready to get on a plane first thing Monday morning to spend two days in Chicago negotiating a 60-page contract for the sale of a $25 million company.

So I spent the first totally perfect weekend of the DC spring working indoors.  Not shopping for a bicycle or replanting my pots or running.  Working.  Grrr.

But I did manage to grab some outside time.  I had originally planned to go to the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens with a friend of mine to see the orchid exhibit in the greenhouses.  And also to see the building and grounds and exensive collection of French and Russian decorative arts that Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal fortune, accumulated during her lifetime.  I finished enough of my work that I felt able to spend about an hour wandering through the estate and gardens between conference calls in my car with the Chicago client.  I didn't see everything properly, but it was better than seeing nothing, and it was great to catch up with Amy and walk around in the sunny weather. 

Photos were verboten in the house, but here are some shots of the exterior and the orchids.

Regeneration ship?  Anyone?