Around my place

Lilacs, mayapples, and apple blossoms, oh, my! All the world is green again - so many different shades of green. The air is moist and alive again. Birdsong and sweet scents waft on the breezes. This is the best time of the year.

white morning

My one little daffodil is hanging its head. It looks weary. I think it's discouraged. It tried to bring in spring. It looked so bright and cheery last week, standing all alone alongside the wall. So sunny. Making it clear that spring is here for real. But now...

It's snowing.
No, I'm serious. It's snowing. For real.

It's beautiful, I have to give it that. Any time pure white snowflakes drift down from the sky there is a beauty that is undeniable.

But, come on!

It's April 18th. The timing is way off!

Past the middle of April, and flakes have been falling thick and steady since before I got up a couple hours ago. There is a thick layer of snow on everything. Thick, like over an inch deep. Everywhere.

I have seen snow in the first week of April. But I have never seen it this late in the springtime.

I think Spring needs a redo.

Oh, we are so ready for some warmth! The trees have budded and are waiting to leaf out. The grass has been turning ever so gradually greener day by day.

It's time.

When Husband went downstairs this morning and saw outside, he burst out laughing and said, "Are you kidding me!!?"

Yes, I think we all feel that way.

Trying for Spring

Spring comes in fits and starts. It's raining outside right now. I can hear the water running down the eavestroughs along the edges of the roof as I sit in here my warm, dry study. The calendar says there are 12 days to spring's arrival, but this is a spring rain already! It's washing away snow that has been piled all over the countryside. It rushes through the gutters and gurgles down the drainpipes and that sounds like spring to me.

The sap is running, too. It's been a little cool so we haven't tapped the trees yet, but the sap is running. I heard you can hear it running in the trees with a stethoscope. If I had one, I would try it. But whether I hear it or not, the sap is running.

These are the things nature does when spring is coming, and I feel the change in the air. We've turned a corner, and winter is waning. Birds are singing in the mornings. A little house finch was shopping for a new home outside my window the other day. He's thinking about taking up residence in a nice little mud nest from last year. I'm waiting to see what he decides.

It will snow again. I know it will. Spring comes in fits and starts. It will snow and get cold and act out all that... but it won't stay. At this point, the snows will come less often and melt sooner than they did before. The temperatures will fluctuate. Cold will be less severe and will be interspersed with slightly warmer days, and little by little, spring will edge its way into our lives.

I will be glad. In fact, a lot of people will be glad. Winter has its beauty, but we are ready to be done with it. We are looking forward to warmer days, the greening of the earth, birdsong, and warm breezes. Gardening friends are anxious to get their hands into the soft, fragrant soil to plant food for their families. We are all so ready!

I love spring! I plan to savor every moment and every false start that brings us closer to the real thing.

What do you look forward to at this time of year?

Rainy Day On the Porch

I'm sitting on my porch listening to the rain. It whispers through the air, gurgles down the downspouts, splashes happy against the ground. Little raindrop footsteps stomp all over the porch roof, running, dancing over my head. Daughter is out in the wet grass, letting go the garter snake they found and caught a week ago. It seems happy. She is happy. I am too, here on the porch in the rain.

I love porches. On the porch I feel the air move, breezes blow my hair and slide warm and soft along my skin. On the porch I listen to the birds, watch the sun travel through the sky.

Or like today, on the porch I feel the rain without getting wet. The porch shelters. I smell the rain and feel the dampness in the air. The grass drinks up and sighs contentedly, and so do I. Rain releases tension, like breezes do, like a massage releases tension.

Cars riding on the wet road make a different sound than when the road is dry. Every rainy sound joins with the next to make a restful music of nature and wet. Rain music. A robin sings just now, the lilting melody that robins do. Nothing like it. It fits in with the rest of the Rain music, a little descant.

If I were inside the house, I would be missing all this music. All of it. I would be busy with things-I-ought-to-do-inside. But on the porch, I see, and hear, and feel nature. And I relax. It's like being on vacation.

bits of joy

counting gifts...

338. soaking wet kids coming in from the rain, all smileful.

339. spinach leaves, fresh raspberries, cashews, and poppyseed dressing make a delicious and healthy salad.

340. chiming clock

341. rainy days, good for slowing

342. loving the same man still

343. being loved by that same man

344. friends who pray for me

345. And who give me just the words I need to hear when I need them

346. learning about wild plants and their uses

347. recognizing the song of the robin, because it sounds like my phone's ringtone!

And...

348. sometimes thinking my phone is ringing when I'm outside and a robin sings. If I were that bird I would be laughing at me! Good joke, Robin!

348. old fashioned lace doilies



349. following butterflies... in this case, with a camera. Not my good idea... my kids did this.




You have anything you're glad for this day??


Of course you do... what is it?

rain, and we return to normal scheduling

I woke early this morning to the sound of thunder rolling, rolling, long and loud, across a dripping wet sky six shades darker than usual... and also to the sweet sound of Husband coming home. He and two sons just got back from taking Sweet Girl back out west after a visit here. It was good to have her here for the week.

Very Good.

We shopped and talked, she got to hang with her family. We got to love on her for a few days.

But now she is gone again, and my deep love goes with her. I work on balance: to care, but not carry the burdens that are hers alone. I do love that girl! Love all these kids with whom I have been blessed. I am so proud of the way they look out for each other, care for each other. It's the way I think Christ would want us to act toward each other.

So the house returns to normal, the rain falls hard, the thunder hollers loud and deep, the grass practically glows green after the good soak, the sky rests dark, and we all move a little slower because it's a rainy day. Rainy days are good that way. Restful. Also good to moderate the temperatures, which have been so high lately that even I, who was so looking forward to warmth, had to come inside and cool off, drinking glass after glass of water to stay hydrated.

Today the temperatures are gentler. Today we can open the windows and hear the outdoor sounds, feel less insulated. Today we can smell the freshness of grass after rain, move at a comfortable pace, and not have to use caution to avoid heat exhaustion.
Today I can enjoy having Husband back home. I missed him.

this perfect night

I am sitting on my deck right now, smelling grass that flies out of the mower as son cuts.

It's tall!

The mower was broken for a while
and the grass just kept on growing while it was out of commission.
(Wouldn't it be nice if grass - and other responsibilities - stopped growing
until we were ready to handle them?)

I love the smell of freshly cut grass. I watch the tall stalks of grass lie down and become like their brothers, all sheared the same...and looking good. Jack Red-Wing fusses at son, then swoops low over my head as if he holds me responsible for the disruption my son and his mower are causing.

The air is warm and perfect. 81 degrees and I can't imagine a more comfortable night. I wish I could move my bed out here so I could sleep in this 81 degree perfection, with the smell of grass, and the ideal temperature, and the sounds of life at night. Frogs and their friends.

I am thankful for....

318. perfect nights.

319. a strong son who willingly helps.

320. the smell of grass

321. sweet girl learning to mow the yard too

322. warmth, finally!

323. times for rest

324. "Life piles up." -- my wise friend, and she is right, and it's ok.

325. Sound of mower humming, growling at the tough places, then humming again.

326. How pretty the yard looks after it's mowed.

327. Romance. Not just the falling in love kind, but the finding beauty in every moment wherever you are kind. Which sometimes includes falling in love all over again.

328. watching a movie together that makes you laugh out loud.

329. mower coughing, spluttering on a thick, too-tall place, then skillful maneuvering getting past it without stalling and feeling like a conqueror!

330. Bugs. they say it's summertime! (or close, at least)

331. sun lowering, casting house shadow that climbs up the trees

332. this right now time after supper, when the day slows and winds down peaceful

333. family volleyball the other day! I dared to take part! No fear of ridicule this time.

334. Girl home from far away. for a few days. So good. So good.

335. family gatherings always fun and love-full, with laughing and talking and dealing and being. Together.

336. Birds singing bedtime songs.

337. Being able to be thankful. Sometimes it is hard, but right now, in this near perfect moment, it is so easy.

Spring Rain

Thunderstorms rolled through here yesterday, loudly announcing the arrival of spring! The sun rose but we didn't see it though the clouds, and about midmorning, it got dark again as those clouds turned black. There was lightening and thunder and all kinds of fun, and we watched out the window and didn't get much else accomplished.

About 11:25am, some 15 minutes after the storm passed and all that was left was the gentle rain and the brightening skies, the power went out. I love when that happens. The world gets quiet like no other time. Usually I don't call the power company right away. I expect some neighbor already has and anyway, why spoil the fun?

But this time I happened to call within about 2 minutes to report the outage. I called again later to get an update on their automated line. Some time after that I received a phone call from the power company asking about our house.

Ok back up a minute - until January, we have owned 15 acres here. The mailbox is at one end of the land and the house is at the other end, which places the driveway around the corner from where the mail box is. We have sold some land and maybe at some point we will have to move the mailbox closer to the house, but the Post Office says they are fine with things the way they are for now. Our address is where the mailbox is. Not where the house is.

So I got a call from the electric company asking me where is my house?? I told her and she said that the guy was in his truck looking for my house. I could see his truck out my window, so I understood the situation. "At the top of the hill", I told her. I could hear her pass the info to him. I asked her if any other houses were without power and she said no, only ours had reported... but she said there could be others that didn't call in because people sometimes figure other neighbors would have already called. Hmmm... yes they do, don't they?

About one minute later a nice young repairman rolled into my driveway. He told me, "Your house doesn't... it isn't..." I think he wanted to say, "it isn't right!" but was trying to be nice about it. I finished his sentence for him and agreed that the house is not where you would expect. He told me it was frustrating (twice) and I apologized(twice). I told him I get calls from the UPS guy sometimes, asking the same questions.

He went out to look at the power pole on the side of the house and sure enough there was a broken switch. "Must have broken when lightening hit it, and then took a few minutes to burn through." I nodded as if I had a clue what he was talking about. I understood enough to know I didn't need any further explanation.

He couldn't get his truck close enough to the pole, so he called another truck to come and he left. When the other truck full of power company men got here they went right to work. They climbed up the pole with those spike-things they have on their boots. Two of them at a time on that pole and one on the ground. They got it fixed -- we were only without power for 2 1/2 hours.

I went outside to tell them thank you, and found the truck alongside the driveway, sitting quietly. "Hey," I said, "I just wanted to say thank you... we have power now."

"I know that," he said. (Well of course he knew, he's the one who fixed it.) "But we can't go anywhere. Flat tire."

Yes indeed, that huge blue and white had a flat tire and sat right there for another Idon'tevenknowhowlong until the another truck -- the tire people -- came and helped them out.

Couple hours, I'm guessing?

Fun day.

Sugarbush time

The weather is changing. It feels good to see winter wane. After being cooped up all winter, I felt we could use a change of pace, so yesterday we went to the Nature Center,
then out to lunch, and after that, to the library.

It was a good day.

We saw the animal hospital, where wild animals are rescued and their injuries treated. Once healed, they are returned to the wild if at all possible. If not, they stay here.
There are several types of owls here. Very interesting.


There are also turtles. Big sis got right down there to see them.



After that we walked along the trail to the sugar shack. Sunshine and temps in the low 40s have melted a lot of the snow, but there is a narrow strip of it right in the shadow of the fence.



In the sugar shack, we watched the maple sap being boiled down into syrup. We lstened to explanations of hygrometers and fires, how to stoke them so the newly made syrup won't burn as you draw it off.


Outdoors, there's the "Pioneer Sugar Camp".


It shows the old way of gathering the sap...


and cooking it down into maple syrup.


We also saw falcons, hawks, and a bobcat, each in its own large enclosure there.
We saw and heard lots of other birds, singing the songs of early spring.



Here's a cool looking sculpture with my offspring behind it


At the little general store, we bought spiles for tapping our own maples, and pixie sticks. My kids thought I was crazy to buy them a treat like this. They are used to my telling them how important it is to eat healthy. But this was a fun day and I wanted them to enjoy it.

We did enjoy it. It was great.

We even saw a heart shaped log. Kind of reminded me that love pops up in the most surprising places sometimes. I love my my kids a lot. Spending time doing fun things together like this celebrates that love and gives us all chance to enjoy each other's company. It makes love grow.

See how the light shines through this heart log? Isn't that what love is all about?
It's letting the light shine through us onto others.


fun day...good day

Rain

Things the rain brings that I love:

156. Sitting and watching the raindrops fall gently

or...

157. Gathering with the children in the living room during thunderstorms, opening all the blinds and curtains wide, and watching the lightning show!

"OHH! Did you see that one!!"

"Oh, that was bright!"

"So beautiful!"

"Wow, that one surprised me!"

158. Hearing their guesses as to the storm's distance as judged by the number of seconds between lightening and thunder.

After the rain...

159. Raindrops on clovers, catching the sun's sparkles and throwing them back.

And,

160. Raindrops on flower petals...

...so pretty!

And of course, the farmers are thankful for...

161. Refreshment for the earth and its crops. (And I am too.. that's my food in their fields.)

Rainy days slow us down and help us remember to relax, stop the hurrying and the flurried fretting. It's good.

Things that make me smile

These are things that make me smile...

139. little girls in yellow tutus

(This is my friend Ellie... isn't she sweet? Her mom took this picture.)

140. that bright orange Baltimore Oriole out on my picnic table!


151. strawberry shortcake (I ate the whole thing for lunch - a great big bowl! Sooo good!!)


152. Strawberries shaped like hearts...


153. picking lilacs to put in a vase on the table - fills the room with that scent that only comes at this time of year


154. blowing soap bubbles in the breeze and watching them float far over the countryside (or city-side, whatever... the world)

(It's hard to chase these little guys with a camera!)

155. sweet, floral-scented breezes bringing the smell of flowers I can't name right to my very senses.

Springtime

It's spring at my house. The trees are finally leafing
out and the lilacs are blooming. This is my front yard with deep
purple and white lilacs on tiny bushes at the edge of where we mow.

We have lilacs of all colors in the yard. The weather's been cool, and apparently the lilacs love it, even if the farmers are getting antsy to plant. All are hoping that last night's frost is the last of the season. I hope to plant tomatoes next weekend, if it looks safe.

Out in the yard to pick lilacs for the house, I spotted these two deer in the trees out front.
They watched us carefully for a while, and finally trotted off.

The rain was still clinging to the lilac blossoms.

I do love lilacs!

(Looking across the driveway.)

It's that time of year Grandma Grace used to call
"ten shades of green".
I wondered whether the trees' various colors,
even some shades of red and orange, indicated the colors
those same trees would take in the fall.
I asked my brilliant biologist son, who said, yes,
sometimes that is the case.
The green chlorophyll acts kind of like sunscreen
to protect the tiny new leaves from the sun's rays.

The back yard, with (left to right) mountain ash; dark purple lilac; lighter, old-fashioned lilac, and an apple tree, all in blossom. And across the golf course, trees in variegated colors on the hill.

Our road, with the trees just leafing out.

This mama robin has built a nest in our garage! Today when the garage was closed, she must have lain an egg outside, which the children found and placed in the nest for her. We will leave an opening to the garage from now on. Sorry, mama.

Two sisters - one just home from school -
hanging out in the back yard.They were enjoying each other's company.

My front porch, looking south
across the valley.

Here's my redbud!!
Two years ago it looked almost dead. I thought it would never have buds. But this spring it was loaded with tiny pink flowers!

I was so glad!

Redbuds are about my favorite blossoming tree. Lilacs are about my favorite spring flower.

(Except that I love all the spring flowers and they way they fill the air with rich fragrances.)

Sometimes when I step outside, the breeze carries some sweet scent right to me from a bush or flower somewhere out of my sight, and I am caught off guard by the wonder of it! Nature brings me such perfect gifts.

This time of year is to me the most wonderful time of the year. I love it!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday, and how can I not be thankful...

for so many things:

133. the gentle, misty rain that's filling the air today, and making all the colors even more alive.
134. the fun of running errands all day, a break in the routine
135. this wonderful, life affirming time of year, when all nature sings His praise
136. creeks that ripple, chuckling for the sheer joy of being!
137. knowing God - not completely, of course - but as a friend, getting to know Him better day by day... Wow, friends with God! Who deserves such an honor? Not me, that's for sure, and yet here we are, God and I, friends. Wow.
138. being loved by the Creator of the universe! It floors me!

Maybe I should make a point of thankfulness on Thursdays,

because it'd be easy to remember,
and I want to take time to be thankful, to express gratitude.

Sunny Weekend, Part 2

We have a really cool town. Remember in January I wrote about ice skating? That was so much fun! Lots of good memories were made that day. I even posted a video.

Well, this town just keeps on thinking of good ideas that way, and this past weekend was another good time. Friday's drumming (see previous post) was part of a celebration of local artists, and Saturday, there was a "chalk on the sidewalk" event. No kidding! How cool is this?? Yes, they actually gave out chalk to anyone who wanted to participate (or you could bring your own) and they let everyone color the sidewalks downtown. It was great!

So, Daughter and I went down and checked out all the artwork that was already there.

There were giraffes, fish, butterflies, a giant gorilla,
and lots of dragons.

There were swirl designs and earth designs,
and slogans about the earth and love
and
other good things.

We saw people working on their creations - grown ups and children alike.

Everyone was having fun.

This is actually the same circle where the ice skating took place this past winter! It looks a lot different now, covered in chalk designs instead of snow and ice!
There was also music, and some people were dancing, jumping up and down to the beat.
And if you wanted, you could but a t-shirt to help with the cost of the chalk, etc. But I couldn't, and they were fine with that. I think they truly just want to let people have fun.

We saw this guy drawing a little blue waterfall that ran down
over the edge of the curb,
and splashed on the sidewalk.
Fun!

We ran into some good friends and talked a while on the sidewalk, and then we got some chalk and colored. What fun!

I liked the colored bricks we'd seen here and there so we colored some too.
I added a few little designs: a leaf, a heart, a sunshine, etc. Sweet girl had found
a really bright orange-gold color that looked good wherever she put it.

Sweetness got into her drawing, and the artist in her took over.
Other cares of the day were forgotten.

And this is my little pink whale. I think he's kind of cute. Silly, but cute.

We really had fun. I also got the girl an ice cream cone, which in my mind had to make it a perfect day. It was great. I appreciate the somebody who comes up with these good ideas in Our Town.

Thanks, unknown people of fun!

Sunny Weekend, Part 1

Today is cool, grey, and wet. Yesterday was, too.

But last week! Oh! Last week, we had four warm, golden, sunny days in a row!! We loved it! We needed it! Everyone felt good, and we all got outdoors and savored the good weather. Our Town had some cool community events happening that weekend, and the timing was perfect to go and enjoy the activities outdoors.

Friday night I drummed downtown with a group, and people gathered on the sidewalks to listen and dance. I love when that happens, when we see people's joy because of our drums. I drummed for three hours, and my hands were slightly swollen and bruised when we were done. I loved it! Drumming is healing. It enriches me. I am thankful to God for giving me the joy of drumming with friends. And I am deeply thankful to those friends for teaching me to drum, and for letting me drum with them at events like this. Drumming deepens who I am; it gives me something I can't put into words. I only know I am somehow a better, stronger, happier person when I have drumming in my life. It is a gift from God to me, and I love it!

I didn't get pics of the drumming, because of course, I was busy. But Amy did, and you can go see them at her site here.

~~~

That was Friday, and Saturday dawned just as sunny and beautiful. In the morning, Daughter and I went to the park with the walking trails and we walked. I hadn't wanted to. I was ready to just sit. But I am so glad we went! We have been at the point in the season where the leaves are not budding and only the grass is green.

Most thing are still bare and brown.
(I find it hard to see the beauty in this.)

Those four days of warmth made a huge difference, though, and now things are starting to wake up.

I love that veil of green that comes when the bushes begin to leaf out, before any of the trees are showing green. It almost looks from a distance like a greenish mist in the woods.


I am so thankful for the five (more or less) senses that we are given. Seriously, they are they means through which I enjoy life, see the beauty, feel the breezes, experience all the other gifts that surround me. Our senses are a magnificent gift from the One who designed us! Thank you, God!! And those senses were soaking up a lot of beauty at the park!

We saw an intriguing log...

We wondered how the tree could have grown to have such a twist in it the length of the whole trunk.

I found a plant that I don't know yet, just budding along the water's edge. Anyone know what this is? (edit: I just learned that this is a marsh marigold. It's kind of nice to have a son who's a biologist.)

We saw skunk cabbage,


little yellow flowers,

strangely shaped trees,


and the sparkling sun reflecting on the water.



I heard invisible birds (I couldn't see them) singing an endless variety of songs in the tops of stark, leafless trees...


...Water laughing it way over rocks in the stream, and the sharp screech of a grass whistle from my sweet daughter.



I smelled the woods, the stream, and the fields. Each has its own scent, something I don't usually notice.

We felt the warm sun, the gentle breeze, the rough bark, the scratchy branches, and the scrootchy mud. If you've stepped in wet mud that sucked at your feet, you know what scrootchy means.



We found a tiny pink blossom, the delicacy of which made me want to just stop and study it. So beautiful!

(edit: Same biologist son tells me this is called a "spring beauty"... appropriately named.)

We walked through wet mud, green grass, and dry sand, over tree roots and boardwalks, past raspberry bushes, strawberry plants, blueberry bushes, apple trees, dead leaves, and horse poop.




Daughter wanted to catch a little garter snake, and I let her go chasing because I was confident she would not catch it.

She surprised me!!

And there followed a difficult conversation about why we could not take it home. Ouch.

But all in all, what a great morning! She was pretty disappointed about not bringing home the snake, and after lunch I decided to take her downtown for another fun event that was happening.

I'll post about that separately. Keep reading.

:-)


(PS - Thanks to my son who knows about plants and their names. He's a great resource! He's also a great person. I like him quite a bit! (-;)