April 13th

And it continues. Near record highs, and more importantly -- a whiff of gorgeous, spring air, generating a profound feeling of awe and gratitude! We are cycling through early spring bounty very quickly! Here, let me show you: 

The crocuses are a thing of the past. The daffodils take center stage. I am so glad I planted the big bulbs last fall. They make for sturdy large flowers. It seemed like such a chore then, but oh, am I glad I did the work!

And though each bloom is majestic and worthy of a photo, what I appreciate is the entirety. This is hard to photograph, because so often the backdrop consists of small wonders: buds on the crab apple turning green overnight, the Siberian scrill giving all yellows -- the house, the daffodils --  that Giverny partnership of canary and cornflower. Against a blue sky no less.

It's all so stunning! (I put on a pair of yellow shorts and I wear a t-shirt with lemons and some blue writing on it. I match the landscape!)

Breakfast? I do a quick reentry into the farmhouse to bake a rhubarb cake. I need to use up last year's rhubarb -- this year's is coming in strong!

And after the morning meal, I get to work. With everything growing so quickly, the weed battle intensifies.  Too, I dig out saplings of boxelders and crabs, and I move some old stuff around to make room for the lilies which should come early next week.

It is a deeply satisfying April 13th. 

In the afternoon, Snowdrop is here. I see she has chosen her Athenian sundress for this day. Well, that's weather appropriate!

Inside, after a bit of play (a return to the ponies!)...

... we read. The story is so engrossing (and terribly sad in this volume) that I am tempted to cheat and read ahead once she leaves -- perhaps to sneak downstairs in the middle of the night, just for that feel good moment when a novel resolves its deepest conflicts and that promise of something better fills you with hope that there's light at the end of any tunnel.

Shhh! Dont tell her that I was even tempted!

And in the evening, I pause at my daughter's house to go over the week's events and to map out the days going forward. We sit outside, as if it were a summer evening. So perfectly warm and beautiful and without the summer mosquitoes!

At home again, I'm sleepy, Ed's sleepy. But we've found the latest season of Grand Designs and having watched the previous several dozen seasons (oh yes, there are many!), you could say this show is one that has sentimental value for us. And it's always such a mellow story! Like in Ocean, the text never veers off course from a good outcome. Oh, sure, there are mishaps and tribulations. But at the end of the day, perseverance triumphs and beauty (in the eye of the beholder, of course) prevails. 

Your everyday may not always end triumphantly, but I would guess that most of us have something to cheer and celebrate on most days. For those of us living in south central Wisconsin right now, all it takes is a stroll outside, maybe through a forest, or along a garden path. 

With love...