Flowers

Around this time every year I expectantly await the return of my flowers to the garden. Yesterday I was walking around, taking pictures, and thinking about how they are kind of like old friends. They have been there through several seasons of my life (literally and figuratively). I know them, love them, and they bring me great joy and, even, comfort. Some I transplanted from my old house, some are transplanted from others' gardens and bring those people to mind each year when they flower. It's fun to walk around and see the little leaves poke through the soil, and both remember how beautiful they were in years past, and anticipate what they will look like in the months ahead.

Here is a fun quiz for you gardeners out there- can you guess what plants these are? Since they are in their "baby" stage, it isn't easy.

Answers are at the bottom.

A.
B.
C.
D.E.* Extra Credit*F.



A. Iris B. Day Lilies C. Peonies D. Spiderwort E. Hydrangea

F. I am not sure what this is. I think it might be a corn flower, but I am not positive. Here is a picture of the flower- if you can give me a positive ID, that would be great!

Welcome Spring!

I know this is a couple days late, but I still wanted to recognize the arrival of Spring. After a long, cold, snowy winter, it was so nice to soak in the sunshine and 70 degree weather last week. No matter that it is now cooler again, and rainy, we had a taste of spring, and it won't be long now before that weather is here to stay.

On Saturday morning I was able to clean out some flower beds and get them ready for planting. We also dragged our patio furniture out of the shed, cleaned it off, and then scrubbed down the grill so that we could have our first outdoor meal of the season. We had an added treat when some friends dropped off their girls in the afternoon. The kids happily played together for hours, before chowing down on hamburgers, hot dogs and s'mores.


Welcome Spring!

Welcome Spring!

Once the weather gets warm, the kids spend hours in the backyard playing, and we also go on walks around the neighborhood. This is a welcome change from the inside play that we are used to through the long winter months! Here are some pictures taken from the backyard, as well as on our inaugural spring walk around the block.





We make quite a procession going down the street: 5 kids, one dog, assorted scooters and wagons!




I love the first shoots from the day lilies. Even though they don't bloom until the end of June, they are always one of the first plants out of the ground, bringing with them the promise of summer days!

How I spent the last 1 1/2 hours:

The tools...

The project...

1,000 dandelions, literally. I counted.

After...

And there are still thousands and thousands of these left.

I must admit, they are pretty in their own way,
but they can really take over if you aren't vigilant. Each spring I am out there for hours on my knees, killing my back and putting blisters on my hands (if you look closely, you can see my palm is already starting to bubble up, wah!).
And then the next day it looks like I have done NOTHING! As discouraging as that is, I still do it because I know that if I don't they will take over and my lawn will be nothing but a sea of dandelions.

"Up Sleeve" Weather

Most of us are thrilled to shed the sweaters, jeans and socks in favor of t-shirts, shorts and sandals. Not N. He is most comfortable the more he is covered up-- long pants, long sleeves, socks and shoes a must. Even better are boots, and sweatshirts with hoods that he can cover his head with. So each spring we have to go through the painful process of convincing him that it really is too warm to wear his long pants and long sleeved shirts, and that sandals really should be worn without socks. It is torture for him and us. A recent conversation went like this.

"OK N, let's get dressed!" I say with forced cheerfulness.

"But Mama! Why am I wearing this shirt? I want down sleeves, not up sleeves!"

"Well N, it is a warm day, and when it gets warmer, you need to wear short sleeves" I explain as I pull the shirt over his head.

"But Mama!" He complains as he tries to tug the sleeves down over his elbows.

While he is distracted I pull on his shorts. He immediately stops the action with his sleeves and says, "What happened to my pants? Look!! They don't fit!"

He tries to tug his pants down to his ankles all the while moaning and groaning, "Uuugh!! Uughh! UUUUGGGHHH!" He is only stopped when he realizes I am putting on his crocs without socks. "Noo!! I want socks! My toes want socks! I am just a little boy!"

"N, this is what we wear in the summer. See? Mommy has short sleeves on! I have no socks! Look at E and K! They are the same. You will get all hot and sweaty in those other clothes!" I say through gritted teeth as I wrestle the shoes over his balled up feet.

Reasoning does not work, he just gets more agitated. So I end up giving him a hooded sweatshirt as a compromise. He immediately zips it all the way up, and pulls it over his head.

Fast forward half an hour, after playing outside.

"Mama! I am all sweaty!! I want to come inside!"

I finally convince him to give up the sweatshirt, but he does so reluctantly. As he runs off I breathe a sigh of relief. Round 1 is over. I ultimately won, but the summer months stretch before me. I am not looking forward to the swimsuit battle. Because "up sleeves" are one thing, getting my boy to go without a shirt is a whole other ball game.


N in one of his favorite outfits (crocs complete with socks).

Finally Spring!!

Yesterday started off a little rainy and unpromising. After E got home the sun came out, and the temperature was around 70. I decided to take the kids for a walk around the block. After our walk, I thought that it really was too nice to go inside, even though it was 5:30 and I should be making dinner. Instead I packed up the kids and we headed to a nearby playground that I have wanted to try out. It turned out to be a perfect decision. We were practically the only ones there, so the kids could climb up and down the slides unhindered, while I pushed K in the swings. This was the first time she has had a chance to swing since last fall, and she LOVED it! She laughed and contentedly watched the action from her little bucket seat.
. Since E and N were playing so nicely, I decided to take advantage of the walking track. I buckled K into her stroller, and off we went. I could still see what was going on at the playground, and stopped in to check up on the kids after each lap. I was able to enjoy the breeze, blue sky, blooming flowers and trees, amuse the baby, AND get exercise-- it was awesome! A little after 6 I called Ed, who was almost home from work, so I reluctantly told the kids we needed to go home ourselves and get some dinner. The night was still so nice after dinner that we fired up my new firepit. The kids got to roast marshmallows, and then we all watched the stars come out as the fire died down. We even saw an owl swoop through our backyard, chasing down a meal. It was a perfect ending to a perfect evening.

First Green

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

-Robert Frost

I always think of this poem in the spring, especially when I see the "gold" of the first leaves...