Wednesday

The last day of spring. The season came slowly and now it's departing with a sulk and a groan. I gave you a garden, my work is done. And the rains and clouds keep coming, and the green landscape turns even greener, and we wait for sunshine, because everything is just so drippy wet. Saturated, squishy muddy gloppy wet.






I find a few more day lilies and I am grateful for their loveliness...





We eat on the porch, happy with the quiet around us. The construction site is a pool of mud. Nothing can be done until it all dries out a little. We eat and we strategize. I have a few crazy weeks before me. Ed, who for better or worse is always such a solid rock, is keeping me sane.

In the late morning, we drive over to the apartment building where my mom will be living in a couple of weeks. We need to check the internet connection in her unit and, too, we need to coordinate the staggered move that will begin all too soon.

Check. Done.

Back at the farmette, we're left with finding a way to establish plain old unbundled uncomplicated phone service in her new home. You'd think this was the easiest task on the planet. You would be so wrong. It is noon before I can write in a "check!" and leave the farmette to visit with Sparrow.

The little guy takes all this in stride. He acts as if he's heard it all before. The details of life are complicated? Tell me about it!






Now, let me show you how to direct an orchestra. Strings, are you ready?






Beautiful, trumpets, simply beautiful!






I leave him to his orchestral performances. 



And from there, I hop over to Snowdrop's school. I suggest an outing to the park and playground, though I caution her that we may get rain.

She goes straight to the swings.






She is joined by a girl. Russian, I think. Her dad has that unmistakable accent. She, too, speaks in the way I did when I first came to this country. Snowdrop immediately launches into explaining life to her, but I interrupt with establishing some basics. First, the weather: Snowdrop, we should go soon, it may rain.
No, gaga, no! I don't want to go!
But there are clouds...
The girl on the swing next to hers chimes in: they are white clouds. They do not have rain.
Snowdrop is reassured: Silly gaga! My gaga is wrong! My gaga is actually Nina, but I call her gaga.
The girl looks at me curiously.
How old are you? -- I ask her in my friendliest of tones.
Five and a half.
Snowdrop, how old are you?
Three, Gaga! (As in -- obviously!)  I will be three and a half soon and I will have a big celebration! (That's news to me...)
I have a big celebration every day! -- the girl will not be outdone.
I have a good friend and her name is Clara -- this from Snowdrop.
I have a good friend and her name is Sonia! -- the girl is keeping up!
I had a friend named Sonia in Toddler House...

I interrupt again: want to go play on the structure? I suggest. Snowdrop is on top of it: want to play "family??" -- she asks.

The dad and I exchange smiles. Oh, girls -- I mumble for want of something more intelligent to say.
Boys, they would be talking about trucks! -- he tells me.

It's true that Snowdrop has little interest in trucks. When she and her "good friend" stand chatting outside the school and a truck goes by, both girls automatically cover their ears.






Still, Snowdrop is a girl of many passions. It's just that right now, family and especially a growing family is very much on her mind.






We go back to the farmhouse... (yes, you may pick that pink flower... just this once!)






....where she is excited to resume our game of the last two days. Yes, you guessed it -- art class. Drawing.






Family pictures. Lovely, lovely family pictures.