Sunday

It's that polar vortex, doing its weather dance again, causing the temperature to plummet, as if running away from the horror of it!

But we don't mind. We know it's the last one. We are confident of that. I dig out my warmest sweater one final time and start thinking about moving all that "warmest stuff" to the back of the closet, in anticipation of spring.

Besides, it's a sunny day. A lovely day!






Just not one for spending much time outside. Unless you're a cat.






You can tell that I have all three here today. This wasn't the case from the getgo, but eventually they trickled in, in their now usual order -- Stop Sign... (looking for me in the barn this morning as I feed the cheepers)


 



... then Dance... (coming in across porch side snowbanks)


 



(joining her mommy in the garage)






... and eventually Jacket. Possibly from yet a different place, though who knows. Animal prints are everywhere. I can no longer opine about who slept where and for what reason.

So here I am in March and I can't believe my luck: we are days away from Spring!

Breakfast, in the sunny front room.






After my trip (short as it was), after any trip, there is a period of catch up. It's shocking how quickly you can fall behind in routine tasks.

And in the evening, the young family, the Madison young family is here for dinner. Let me put up that most impossible photo -- but one I try for every week, as if it could be done! -- that of all of us at the dinner table. I am holding people up, so I must be quick. The kids are stuffing food in -- never an easy thing to put in a photo. Ed is uncooperative. The young parents are so patient with me that I feel inordinately guilty for trampling over the normality of the event with my camera. For all those reasons, it's always the quickest of quick shots. And in its imperfection, I find the perfection of our time at the table. The joy is in the wonderful wackiness of the family meal.






(pre-dinner fun)






(dessert of cookies and fruits)






(Before during and after: stories)






After dinner, there is always at least a little time for play.











And then the young family goes home and as I tidy up, I think about the wonderfulness of this whole last week, even as one could say that the animal issues and the weather issues drove me a tad nuts.

Cold night tonight. I mean, really cold. Super duper cold -- words I would use with my grandkids. And who cares! It's the end of a season. After this week -- we're onto bigger and better things!