one person's canvas of great beauty is another animal's lunch

On this most brilliant April day ever, a day so gorgeous that I haven't the words to give it its deserving recognition, I look outside and catch Ed pacing the farmette lands. He's taking a break from doing his taxes. (When it's tax time, he keeps strange hours.) He shouts up to the upstairs window of the farmhouse -- gorgeous, bad news.

I know it's not the chickens. I see them milling around. I wait for part two of the story.

Your berry and currant bushes? The ones you planted yesterday? The groundhog ate them.

All the stuff that's growing everywhere now and the groundhogs have to go after my three new plantings? Unbelievable. 

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One thing I like about Facebook is that, perhaps with a little intentional prodding, it has pegged me as a lover of art, especially turn of the century canvases. Impressionism, Fauvism -- I love it all. This morning, browsing idly through my FB account, I came across paintings by Bonnard and I paused for a while, exploring some of his stuff on this one theme: breakfast. Here's one canvas that I love (he has several, though I think translating "dejeuner" as breakfast is a little incorrect):

Is there a better mood setting piece of art, that so beautifully depicts that moment at the table, over a cup of coffee perhaps (tea for her), before the day fully swings into action, where you just revel in the enormity and wonder of being alive and having this chance to begin a fresh day? 

Here's our breakfast -- less artistically depicted, but as always, felt intensely by me...

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It's still the time of daffodils.

But the eye is starting to dart toward other sprouting delights. In fact, right now, everywhere I look there is something enchanting. Smile worthy.

Well, I surely have work to do. Finish cleaning up the lavender field, move some perennials, snip off dead tree branches that, as I tell Ed, ruin my visuals!

This is is work around the edges. The main planting is yet to begin. When? Who knows. The plants need to get here (I use four growers: Oakes Daylilies, White Flower Farm, Prairie Nursery, and for a first try this year -- Bluestone Perennials), the weather needs to be hospitable. Sure, today we are reaching 80f (nearly 27c). A ridiculous temperature for mid-April! It wont last. And yes, we do need good spring rain showers as well. For planting? I'm not fussy! Just halt any heavy rains and toss the super cold days out the door. Anything else is just fine!

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In the evening, the young family is here for dinner. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(the boy hits the cheese and the girl hits the olives...)

 

 

Evening indeed! The sun is still so bright that it hits the eyes of anyone at the table facing the west window.

(I bring out his sun glasses!)

Indeed, when they leave, even though it is nearing the kids' bedtime, there's plenty of light out there.

One more warm day in store for us. Tomorrow. I wont waste it! 

With love...