I love spring because the days are longer and the weather is warmer, but I am not as enamored of all of the deadlines that come with it.

My youngest son is in high school, so just as spring is at its best, there are standardized tests to be taken, concerts to be performed, recitals to be attended to, field trips to be gone on, and final projects to be completed. Meanwhile, my husband’s pursuit of genealogy takes him hither and yon to various conferences, and I am left with the sense that I am a bit like the duct tape of our family, working to hold things together until a more permanent solution (in this case summer) comes along.

Today, my youngest son (who is lucky enough to have a woman he describes as “the best teacher ever” as his AP Calculus teacher) and two of his schoolmates spent the afternoon finishing up work on a video project for said calculus class, a tradition that dates back many years.

The morning and early afternoon had been full of tending to things that needed to be done now (and in some instances, yesterday), but by the time the Monty Python inspired “Knights who say plug in” calculus video crew arrived at my house, the things that needed to be done were, and while they worked on filming the remaining scenes of their video (including an homage to the “Knights who say Ni”), I worked on my crochet.

First up was the pet mat for my neighbor’s dog, Oreo.

One of the cookies was noticeably larger than the other, and I decided that I would work to get them evened out, and I added an additional four rounds to the second cookie:

Having closed the gap between the two cookies, I ventured forward with what is now the smaller of the two shawls and added one more row:

Of course, I didn’t get done as much as I had hoped, because I seldom (if ever) do, but in between all of the things that needed my attention, I did manage to fit in some time for my beloved craft.

And for those of you who enjoy your Monty Python without a twist of calculus, here is a video of the scene with the Knights who say plug in that inspired my son and his friends: