your most splendid April day

No question -- today's a winner. Blue skies, plenty of sunshine. 

(Pepper, our self-appointed matriarch of the brood, turning her face to the sun)

 

(cherry blossoms)

Cold in the morning, true, but we brave it, taking our breakfast on the porch even in the nippy weather. 

You have hope on days like this. The potential for greatness is right there before you and your energies soar.

Well, at least ours do. Ed and I begin loading and unloading wood chips even before breakfast and we continue until my daughter arrives with her two kids for our Saturday lunch. (And we return to it after they leave. We're motivated!)

Daffodils still dominate.

But by now, it hardly matters what's blooming, because everything in our gardens is enchanting. The shades of green alone are gorgeous!

The kids do take a brief run through the farmette fields...

And I'm happy about that. A garden begs to be noticed. And they do notice.

But eventually, that old orange couch beckons. Hunger for books, fruits and snacks drives them inside.

But warm weather is on all our minds. The kids insist on playing in their swimsuits (reminding me that they need new ones for the season ahead). I hear a lot of pretend splashes in the background.

(a miracle! Sparrow eats a strawberry! the little guy's two year old rebellion has been to say no to all form of plant life)

 

 

The young ones leave. I have no great thoughts today. I clear my mind as I work outside. During a brief pause, I read the simplest stuff, for example, a fun article about the proliferation of taco places in France, much to the chagrin of the Mexican population, since the tacos don't look like anything you or I or they might call tacos. It links to a very funny youtube, where one man confronts the gigagtaco challenge: you have to eat a five pound taco in less than two hours. It's in French, but you dont' have to speak the language to crack a smile.

 

Breathe in the spring air. Go ahead, do it. Let your mind run on empty. It's splendid, really it is!