Well it's cold alright. I let the cheepers out, then go straight back to bed to warm up for a bit. And I follow that by a hot shower. 45F just doesn't measure up to 70F, no matter how good a spin I'd like to put on it. (To be fair, it will go up to 52F today -- that's 11C for those of you who can't make heads nor tails of our strange numbers. I understand that besides the US, the Fahrenheit scale is used by the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, and Palau. That's it. Impressive, no?)
Well, no matter. It's April. But breakfast is in the front room and with a sweater (though not for Ed -- I'm not sure he even owns a sweater).
I then scoot over to Snowdrop's. As she wakes, I try to tackle the task of giving her another bangs trim (parental request). She wont sit still for it and even though I have learned to start longer (to even out a jagged result if need be), I cannot get that perfect straight line going. I come back to it several times and she is amused. And I think -- heck, let's eschew the conventional straight look and stay with the artistic French slope.
But after a bath and some reading time, Snowdrop wants to go out.
Don't you understand, grandma? You always say "get your penguin!" and here I am, holding him! Let's go! Please?
It's still in the 40sF and of course, that's within the range of sane, but it's not fun to venture out on this windy, chilly morning when memories of yesterday's sleeveless romp are still so fresh.
In the end, we have a different kind of adventure: we go to Paul's cafe and get pickles for Ed (and a coffee for grandma and a muffin crumb for Snowdrop)...
... and then cross over to the library, where she spends an enchanting hour tracking the movements of other children.
That big girl spelled her name on this board! Am I spelling my name, grandma?
Sure, sweet one: S-N-O-W-D-R-O-P. Go for it!
Of course, the beauty of any library is its vast book selection and Snowdrop loves to run over, select a random one and bring it to the table where she deftly turns the crisp pages.
We could have done this for a long long time, but the stack was getting large and her lunch hour came and went. I whisk her to the farmette and spend the rest of the afternoon there.
Want to see a happy Snowdrop? Here she is, after her nap, when I tell her we can go outside and feed the chickens.
And what's blooming at the farmette?
The indelible Silene Rolly's Favorite.
An anemone that escaped the chomps of our resident plant eater(s).
And here are a few more tulip survivors, a bit ragged around the edges and tightly shutting their petals against the cold.
A few more daffodils. We're just about to pass the peak now.
And if that passage isn't a sure sign of a full spring, I don't know what is! So let's take heart and revel in all the green around us. The soothing color. The color of growth.
Well, no matter. It's April. But breakfast is in the front room and with a sweater (though not for Ed -- I'm not sure he even owns a sweater).
I then scoot over to Snowdrop's. As she wakes, I try to tackle the task of giving her another bangs trim (parental request). She wont sit still for it and even though I have learned to start longer (to even out a jagged result if need be), I cannot get that perfect straight line going. I come back to it several times and she is amused. And I think -- heck, let's eschew the conventional straight look and stay with the artistic French slope.
But after a bath and some reading time, Snowdrop wants to go out.
Don't you understand, grandma? You always say "get your penguin!" and here I am, holding him! Let's go! Please?
It's still in the 40sF and of course, that's within the range of sane, but it's not fun to venture out on this windy, chilly morning when memories of yesterday's sleeveless romp are still so fresh.
In the end, we have a different kind of adventure: we go to Paul's cafe and get pickles for Ed (and a coffee for grandma and a muffin crumb for Snowdrop)...
... and then cross over to the library, where she spends an enchanting hour tracking the movements of other children.
That big girl spelled her name on this board! Am I spelling my name, grandma?
Sure, sweet one: S-N-O-W-D-R-O-P. Go for it!
Of course, the beauty of any library is its vast book selection and Snowdrop loves to run over, select a random one and bring it to the table where she deftly turns the crisp pages.
We could have done this for a long long time, but the stack was getting large and her lunch hour came and went. I whisk her to the farmette and spend the rest of the afternoon there.
Want to see a happy Snowdrop? Here she is, after her nap, when I tell her we can go outside and feed the chickens.
And what's blooming at the farmette?
The indelible Silene Rolly's Favorite.
An anemone that escaped the chomps of our resident plant eater(s).
And here are a few more tulip survivors, a bit ragged around the edges and tightly shutting their petals against the cold.
A few more daffodils. We're just about to pass the peak now.
And if that passage isn't a sure sign of a full spring, I don't know what is! So let's take heart and revel in all the green around us. The soothing color. The color of growth.
