Thursday

We should be more in step with our natural world, I think. When the sun shines and the gentle breeze heralds a warm spring day, we should bounce out of bed and dance our way through outdoor pleasures.

Conversely, when the day dawns wet, cold and blustery, we should let our mellow inclinations take hold, progressing quietly, contemplatively through the hours, perhaps doing some tidying of indoor spaces and internal thoughts.

In fact, we begin the day exactly in this fashion. It's cold and wet outside and Ed and I read a bit, then talk about the issues of the day through a pleasant and mellow breakfast.






The cheepers are a bit confused by the wind and rain, but after a few attempts at scratching the fields, they retreat to a restful afternoon in the barn.






The crocuses fold up and wait for the passage of this weather front.






But Snowdrop -- she is bouncy today! Quiet and contemplative? No, not her!

Disappointed that we cannot go for a walk after school, she recovers quickly enough when I offer her an excursion to the library.







She loves our local branch and she takes in all that it offers, including great people watching and... lots of space to assert her rapidly accelerating independence.






At the farmhouse, too, she is so full of ideas, so full of adventure that I find myself waffling between indulging her creative assertiveness and protecting us both from sure mishaps.

It is a busy afternoon!

And the winds howl and the rain comes down and some of us think this is just perfect weather for a cup of tea and a good book while others feel the stir of great things happening, mellow inclinations be damned!

Maybe next time the weather turns nasty, I'll roll out the yoga mat. I can't quite see Snowdrop moving toward an hour of meditative thought just yet, but at least her exuberance would find an outlet in the practice of downward dog, or better yet -- in the floppy release of the child's pose.