Spring

Well, it's the last day of April and it's snowing. You'd think I'd be upset about it, given the painfully long winter we've had. But, I feel better about it snowing the day before May than did in March because I know it won't last. We really are in spring. It doesn't hurt, either, that the last three weeks have been simply glorious and that I've had lots of time to work in the garden and get my hands in the beautiful brown earth.



The weekend couldn't have been better, actually. Shawn got to work on the chicken coop with his dad and we also got the gardens tilled. Yes, gardens. Due to the powerful growth of our pumpkins last year and the limited space for the amount of corn we want to grow, we have an entire garden dedicated to pumpkins and corn. That's not entirely true--I took half a row to start an asparagus bed and the other half of that row will be for baby Christmas trees to be transplanted in a couple years. In the main garden I got some onions and garlic planted and took some left over spinach, lettuce, beet and carrot seeds from last year to see what happens. Might be too early, but it's worth a shot! A biking partner told me she picked some spinach from her garden last week!



Although I feel a little inept in the landscaping department, I also started working on my flower beds. We had some brick left over from our chimney, so I thought it might work out okay as a garden border. It turned out pretty nice, albeit slightly crooked.

The end of it will be a small herb garden--the chives are already established, but I plan to plant oregano, thyme, dill and lavendar. Oh and coriander, too. While cilantro and I don't get along too well, coriander is quite useful. I have basil started, too, but I prefer to keep that inside in pots. I have fresh basil going throughout the entire winter and it is so easy to grow.



So, knowing that we have the entire summer still ahead of us, I can deal with a few more snow flurries. It is almost nice to have the excuse for a nice cup of tea, and well, apple turnovers to go along don't hurt either!

Persistance

We have had an absolutely amazing stretch of weather over the last two weeks. Just gorgeous. Timothy and I have taken advantage of the sun and warmth for some pretty great walks--the dogs are rather grateful after the number of walkless days this winter they suffered!



Yesterday, we walked up through the back field. On our way, I could hear a woodpecker, but it was different from the normal sound they make. It was like someone hammering on metal, but why would you hear hammering on metal in the middle of nowhere? As we got closer to the sound, I could see the root of the noise--there is a no trespassing sign posted at a boundary along our walk, and sure enough, there was a good sized woodpecker knocking his little head against the sign. Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera yesterday, for we were able to get within 10 feet of the little guy! We startled him when we started walking again, and I thought, "At least he'll give up on the metal producing any yummy bugs. I was wrong. Not 10 minutes went by, and there was the regular tap tap tap of beak on metal.



What was really funny, though, is he was out on our walk today, too! Maybe it is his way of making music to celebrate the beautiful spring.

Spiraling

Today was a great day--Shawn's father and step-mother came over, and while Sue and I chatted and played with Timothy, the guys were building a chicken coop. It was beautiful, the company was great, the food was tasty. It was a good day.

Yesterday wasn't. I was in a bad mood all day, despite the warmth and sun and all the reasons it should have a been perfect. It was one of those days where nothing seems to go right. When Shawn took the truck to get lumber his building project, he discovered the clutch was going--it went directly to our mechanic's (fortunately no towing required) and Shawn ended up borrowing our neighbor's truck. However, the whole episode took much of the morning, and I had been planning to run my errands once he got back so as to not disrupt Timmy's precious nap time! So, since Shawn was still out, I decided to just bring Timmy along after a quick snack. Well, that snack prevented me from getting to the post office in time to send off a package for my nearly full-term friend (so Robyn, if you go into labor before the box arrives, blame the post office for closing at 11:58!).

So, I was mad at the post office for closing, frustrated with one of our local stores for having really lame ribbon choices, at my wit's end trying to hold on to a hungry boy in the grocery store (we were late for lunch!) who wanted to chew through everything in my cart, unhappy because of some severe foot pain that was preventing me from going on my long run. The list seemed endless in my mind and I felt terribly sorry for myself.

It took a new day for me to get over it, but all is well in my world. The package will be a couple days later than I wanted but will, indeed, arrive, the ribbon I got is just fine, Timmy can do with surviving a little discomfort, and I got to go on a really great bike ride instead of my run. Probably enjoyed myself a lot more than I would have, in fact. Life is pretty darn good despite the truck being a little worse for the wear. Oh well--guess you can't have it all.

Veggies

I try hard to serve a variety of fruits and veggies throughout the week--keeps things interesting more than anything, although the health benefits are also nice. I end up choosing within our budget and the appropriate season (peaches in January and grapefruit in July just are not good), however, and we often cycle between broccoli, peas, salad and asparagus.

Today at the grocery store, wiggling Timmy in arm, we were standing at the checkout with a girl that seemed to be learning the ropes a little. Or at least I'm assuming. Here's another dialogue for your amusement.

Check-out girl: What's this? Is this lettuce?
Me: Yes--green leaf.
Check-out girl: What's this?
Me: a jalapeno pepper.
Check-out girl: What's this?
Me: Zucchini.
Check-out girl: What's this?
Me: avocados.
Check-out girl: Both of them?
Me: Yes.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. A lot of kids don't eat many vegetables with dinner if they eat dinner at home at all. I've come to expect the question with things like shallots or certain herbs, but the lettuce and zucchini kind of surprised me.

Timmy's certainly going to get his share of variety--we just ordered all of our seeds, and right behind him in the first picture is where the garden is going to go--I'm so excited! We're definitely expanding this year, and given how much our little guy likes to be outside, I think I'll have a lot more time to weed and harvest. I'm going to plant an herb garden right outside the door and we're going to plant our corn and pumpkins separate (we're doing a lot more corn and the pumpkins completely took over half the garden last year is why). Anyway, that leaves a lot more room in the original plot for quite a smattering of crops. We'll see how it goes.

Machines

I'm often critical of technology, although I use it a great deal. More often than not, it saves time and makes my life easier. It frustrates me beyond belief, however, when I call for assistance and can't seem to connect with a real person. Take a call to the phone company today for instance.

Verizon robot: Are you calling from ***-***-****?
Me: Yes.
Verizon robot: Do you have a question about new service, your bill, repairs....?
Me: Repairs.
Verizon robot: Okay, you have a question about repairs. Explain what the problem is, such as noise on the line, connectivity, etc.
Me: Messages aren't being left when people call.
Verizon robot: I'm sorry, I don't understand. Explain what the problem is, such as noise on the line, connectivity, etc.
Me: We can't check messages.
Verizon robot: I'm sorry, I don't understand. Explain what the problem is, such as noise on the line, connectivity, etc.

I kept hitting zero, hoping they'd just let me talk to someone, but I guess they've figured that trick out. Talk about frustrated. Finally, the fake person started reading a list and one of the items worked for me, thus leading to another that I could say yes to. They told me to then check again in 30 minutes, and hopefully it would be fixed.

Thankfully, when I checked again three hours later, it was.

At least my oven works.

A boy and his dog

Timothy really loves Bella. And she likes him back when he gives her food.

Unfortunately, she doesn't care for too much fondling, something Timothy just can't seem to grasp.


If nothing else, he is extraordinarily persistent. This is a kid who won't accept 'no' for anything.

So, while she gets away most of the time, he keeps trying, often attempting to lure her with a ball, a stick, or food (the food always works...).

Sometimes, it helps if Mama holds Bella's collar, though.

Goals

Since having Timothy, I find that it is hard to think past 30 minutes at a time. How can I plan on a project that requires more than that when a typical nap is 30-45 minutes? The short snippets that I get to myself have been filled with school plans and grading, or cleaning the bathroom, or getting dinner ready. Fun stuff.

Around New Year's, Shawn made some goals for himself, and I started thinking about what is it that I want to accomplish. It was really hard to get beyond the short stretches of time and projects that fit within those parameters. One of my goals was to have French 2 offered at the college next year, something that hasn't been done for quite a while. Provided enough kids sign up, I'm already lined up to teach both French 1 and 2 next year. That goal has been met!

I also was looking for a more active, fitness-oriented goal. Well, today I decided that I am going to register for a half-marathon. There is one in Dartmouth in early September, which gives me time to prepare. I remember, when I was in college, a fleeting desire to run a marathon one day, but I think that would be a little lofty a goal for me, not to mention way too hard on my body. 13.1 miles is totally doable, I just need to get into shape again.

So, this entry is my first step in committing myself to this race. I have a 12-week training program to follow and a new pair of running shoes to break in. I'd love company if anyone feels like following me in this pursuit, but moral support is also welcomed. Especially if I need to push around a stroller for some of my training!

Energy

It is amazing how good it feels to see the snow disappearing. It gives me such a boost, and while I can't say I have been entirely productive with this new-found energy, I feel better. We've been taking some really wonderful, albeit muddy, walks. The sap is running, the birds are singing, the snow is waning. Our first flowers are popping through and I've even managed to hang two loads of laundry outside.

I love hanging my laundry for lots of reasons, really. I like the smell and feel of the clothes (well, not the towels, but I just deal with that) and sheets especially. I like the quiet I sense as I hang them and the sound and sight of them flapping in the breeze. I also really like the fact that we're not running the dryer. Our electric bill is so much higher in the winter and it feels pretty good right now to have no lights on until after Timothy is in bed and to be able, once again, to take advantage of the natural drying of the sun and wind.

Our house has also been doing really well with saving energy. This week, we were able to go four days without heat of any kind because of the warm sun all day.

Gosh, I love this time of year!

Leftovers

My brother has always had this uncanny ability to take things apart and successfully put them back together. He used to take pens apart and put them back together, now he can do the same with computers. This is something I always looked upon with amazement, as I would look at the many pieces with bewilderment. You'd think that now, when I need to take things apart to fix or clean them, I'd be a little better at the reassembly side of things, but that is not a safe assumption to make.

I've recently had to take apart two household items--our refrigerator during its recent major cleaning and the high chair you see above in order to paint it. I looked very closely at the various parts, thinking both that the assembly made perfect sense and that there would be no trouble at all in how it went back together. Not so. I have something left over from the fridge. I have no idea what it is or where it came from. How can that be? I use the refrigerator all the time! And the high chair--again, not a complicated set up, but I still wasn't quite sure how the tray screwed back into the chair.

So, I wonder, will I remember to draw a diagram next time? Make sure I know what every piece is for and where it goes? Probably not. Fortunately Shawn is around with a similarly mechanical mind to my brother's, and can usually clean up my leftover parts without any problem. So, Timothy was actually able to sit in the chair now that it is finally finished and the fridge is still working just fine, thank goodness!

Last minute

What do you do when your dinner guests cancel two hours before they're supposed to arrive? Invite your best friends and have a great evening. I couldn't have hoped for a more enjoyable dinner.

Success

Making sweet potato ravioli for dinner. I've made them before and used the recipe's suggestion of wonton wrappers in order to 'save time'. They were scrumptious before, but I liked the idea of making my own pasta dough instead. And guess what? It took less time! You can line up lots of piles of filling on one long sheet of pasta rather than tons of individual wrappers that tend to stick and tear. I am really looking forward to dinner!

Lost arts

As I was responding to my friend's comment about scones and biscuits, I realized that cooking is beginning to be a lost art. I mean, I say that it is worth the effort of making these things from scratch--fresh warm bread, flaky and delicate pie crust, mile-high, tender biscuits slathered with butter and honey--but I remember being frustrated the first time I made any of those. It seems easy now, but I've made some pretty heavy biscuits and some crumbly pies in the pursuit of perfection. Some people try once and give up because isn't easy and therefore settle for Bisquick.

It makes me sad to think of how little we are passing on to our children and I guess I feel so darn lucky to have grown up as I did and have learned the crafts and life skills that are part of me. I feel blessed to have our family near and to have a partner who wants to raise our children as I do. I love that Timothy will grow up helping his grandfather on the Christmas tree farm and gathering eggs from the hens.
I want to pass on to my child(ren) how to work hard and to cherish those things that are so often taken for granted by so many.

There's a lot to share--we'll start with the eating and cooking. Not a bad place to begin.