Yes, seize that day of good weather! Go out early, open the door of the chicken coop, let out the cheepers... Say what? Oreo! Knock it off! (Oreo, the rooster, is seizing the day alright! He is asserting his masculinity with powerful lunges and I am no longer patient with him. His days at the farmette once again appear to be numbered.)
(the girls, peering inside: hello, anybody home?)
Breakfast in the sun room. A time of peaceful reflection and a time of planning.
Here's something we consider: should I attack a big outdoor project this morning?
Yes! I'm up for some heavy yard work!
While Ed gets ready to change the tires of Lilly, my silver car (Lilly came with two sets of wheels and, therefore, with an obligation to do a seasonal change)...
...I take a shovel and attack the huge, overgrown terribly unattractive in my opinion, creeping and creepy rose bed. It has branched out wildly and expansively in the layer of dirt that covers a graveled surface (the farmhouse had a wide and long gravel driveway snaking around its rear). It explodes with prickly stems that leave thorns under your skin if you come anywhere near them, even as there are very few blooms. I want to rip the horrible invasive tangle of roots and thorny branches out of there and create yet another perennial border. A big project indeed (though not nearly as horrendous as taking control of the even bigger and once weeded over raspberry patch; that project we completed last year).
And so I dig. And dig. And this is cheeper heaven! If there is such a thing as cheeper overeating, they surely are guilty of it! Turning the earth brings up the worms and any number of other bugs. The cheepers are ecstatic.
(Scotch, do you need help getting another treat?)
By noon, I am more than half done with this thorny job. Time to stop, clean up and get on Rosie, the neglected moped, and to make my way to Snowdrop's home.
I haven't visited with Snowdrop on her own turf for several weeks and she is quick to show off her accomplishments with her set of toys -- she grabs, she gurgles, she kicks -- all with the gusto and energy that is so much part of her personality.
That little girl exudes happiness.
Because it is still warm, still dry, I take Snowdrop for a walk by the lake. Yes, someone seems to have pitched a hammock in the park...
Even though to me, the lake still sends off a chilly breeze. Again I bundle Snowdrop's legs with my jacket.
We pause for a while and I watch the DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) do its fishing operation -- they're counting the lake's fish right now.
The lake waters seem low to me. I'm not surprised. Little snow this winter and a dry spring. Again I look forward to the rains that are to sweep down on us tonight.
The walk is a long one -- Maybe 90 minutes, but Snowdrop loves these stroller expeditions!
And guess what? For the first time since the little one's birth, I come across this:
A brilliant walk! I pass a lot of "badger" paraphernalia in home yards. Not surprised. We're all about basketball right now in our state. Badger basketball. I explain to Snowdrop about competitive sports. She listens, then dozes off. I smile. She's so little! With so much to learn!
We make our way home. She opens her eyes and gives a little grin.
(the girls, peering inside: hello, anybody home?)
Breakfast in the sun room. A time of peaceful reflection and a time of planning.
Here's something we consider: should I attack a big outdoor project this morning?
Yes! I'm up for some heavy yard work!
While Ed gets ready to change the tires of Lilly, my silver car (Lilly came with two sets of wheels and, therefore, with an obligation to do a seasonal change)...
...I take a shovel and attack the huge, overgrown terribly unattractive in my opinion, creeping and creepy rose bed. It has branched out wildly and expansively in the layer of dirt that covers a graveled surface (the farmhouse had a wide and long gravel driveway snaking around its rear). It explodes with prickly stems that leave thorns under your skin if you come anywhere near them, even as there are very few blooms. I want to rip the horrible invasive tangle of roots and thorny branches out of there and create yet another perennial border. A big project indeed (though not nearly as horrendous as taking control of the even bigger and once weeded over raspberry patch; that project we completed last year).
And so I dig. And dig. And this is cheeper heaven! If there is such a thing as cheeper overeating, they surely are guilty of it! Turning the earth brings up the worms and any number of other bugs. The cheepers are ecstatic.
(Scotch, do you need help getting another treat?)
By noon, I am more than half done with this thorny job. Time to stop, clean up and get on Rosie, the neglected moped, and to make my way to Snowdrop's home.
I haven't visited with Snowdrop on her own turf for several weeks and she is quick to show off her accomplishments with her set of toys -- she grabs, she gurgles, she kicks -- all with the gusto and energy that is so much part of her personality.
That little girl exudes happiness.
Because it is still warm, still dry, I take Snowdrop for a walk by the lake. Yes, someone seems to have pitched a hammock in the park...
Even though to me, the lake still sends off a chilly breeze. Again I bundle Snowdrop's legs with my jacket.
We pause for a while and I watch the DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) do its fishing operation -- they're counting the lake's fish right now.
The lake waters seem low to me. I'm not surprised. Little snow this winter and a dry spring. Again I look forward to the rains that are to sweep down on us tonight.
The walk is a long one -- Maybe 90 minutes, but Snowdrop loves these stroller expeditions!
And guess what? For the first time since the little one's birth, I come across this:
A brilliant walk! I pass a lot of "badger" paraphernalia in home yards. Not surprised. We're all about basketball right now in our state. Badger basketball. I explain to Snowdrop about competitive sports. She listens, then dozes off. I smile. She's so little! With so much to learn!
We make our way home. She opens her eyes and gives a little grin.
Any pussy wilows in Madison yet? In Buffalo, it's Dyngus Day and pussy willows are the hot item!
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at how Snowdrop is changing and growing every day! Just wait until she's the one holding out a treat for the cheepers!
Oh poor Oreo, I hope he gets a reprieve from banishment!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect day--yardwork and snowdrop. She is so animated. I love seeing her daily photos.
ReplyDeleteOh, no Oreo is at it again.....spring, mating and territorial thinking
ReplyDeleteHuman or plants, Snowdrops will make you smile! :D
ReplyDeleteYou have such a great place for a stroller walk. S is getting her good vitamin D.
ReplyDeleteWe too spent Sunday cutting, digging and stuffing yard bags. I was surprised to get up Monday morning and feel NO aches. Made me feel like 60 again :)
Re yr question yesterday, i have eighteen 5-year-olds. Most of them are ready for K next year. When I tell people what age I teach, they usually say "oh, how sweet". Ha! Sweet, yes, and so much more. There is a good reason that age 4 is sometimes called "the first adolescence". But preschool is a great time to learn about respect, empathy, communication, teamwork. In the beginning of the year, I had "the mean girls", the "playground bullies" and the various power players. Everything is working out smoothly now. They adore me like puppies(alpha teacher) and they really are a good team. I suppose they'll try all the same stuff on a new teacher next September?
I'm a retired middle school science teacher, who now does STEAM activities once a week with a friend's PreK class... they're so smart at that age! Last year's class was just as you say... 4yr old middle schoolers. This year's group is fantastic! But still we have to work on cooperation, etc. In this year's group the girls are more cooperative/collaborative than the boys, but we're working on both girls and boys that way. This week it's exploring bridge building with duplos, next week it's index card bridges... fun for me, great for kids. Yes, 4 year olds are amazing!
DeleteJust wait til Snowdrop is 4!
Oh, Charlotte, I wish I had someone like you to visit my class weekly! That would be a blast!
DeleteEven though our school is NAEYC accredited, somehow the acronym STEAM is new to me, so I looked it up and found that super earlychildhoodwebinars.com As I scrolled, I was excited! This looks like our program and those are many of the books I have found on my own. But there was so much more, and you can believe I'll be digging in!