When Ed stepped outside this morning, he felt it and commented immediately -- it feels like spring. It's not just the temperature, though reaching 50F (10C) surely helps. It's the smell -- he continued. It really smells like spring. I'm with him on that. Perhaps the smell comes from melting snow, creating slushy, in places muddy paths. Or the dampness of shrubs. Some countries are bragging about snowdrops popping up in their woodlands (that's England for you!). Good for them. We, on the other hand, have the smell of spring.
We also have the smell of skunk in the barn, which is not good news. We'll be attempting a skunk freak-out (a trap and release) to get him to go elsewhere. Let's hope it works. For the sake of the chickens!
Breakfast, with tulips, though tattered around the edges because Dance has decided that she needs to participate in the morning meal and she does this by munching on tulip leaves. Somewhat cute, but mostly annoying!
Afterwards, I have a massage, with a concentration on my neck, head and back. It's always grand for the duration of the massage itself, but I have to say, once I'm up and running again, I'm left wondering if there is any residual benefit to this. Especially since I don't get them on a regular basis (way too expensive and no, health insurance does not believe in therapeutic massages, especially ones that are accompanied by lavender essential oils!).
Bliss, for an hour anyway. Utter bliss.
I come home around noon and Ed suggests a walk. I'm completely enthusiastic about the idea, though we're getting close to my "pick up the kids" hour. Surely we can do a quick half hour in the forest, along the bike path (because the trails are way too mushy)! It's a great way to extend the benefits of a massage!
Unfortunately, we choose the bike path that runs past a prairie where they appear to be doing a burning of shrubs and tree branches. There is plenty of smoke in the air. The last thing we want is to walk along a smoky path, so we veer to the rural road, which is about as uninteresting as you can get.
And still, we're in great spirits. We walk up to Lake Waubesa and test the mush on the still frozen waters. (There are fisher people out there so it must be safe, right?) Signs of early spring, everywhere!
We come home enthralled by it -- that feeling of a new season just around the corner.
And yes, then it really is time to pick up the kids.
Sparrow is a little down because he sooooo wanted ice cream today and we have not the time for it. But Snowdrop is in high spirits.
I finished writing the play and we're rehearsing it on recess! She describes it in great detail to us. Did she write it as an assignment? She did not. So when did you write this? Oh, you know, at the side.
How long is it?
Oh, only ten sections!
Wow. Pretty long...
Not really -- our Shakespeare play (which she is involved with evenings and weekends) has 39 sections. Good to know that the girl has not out-written Shakespeare.
Her enthusiasm is contagious. By the time we pull up to the farmhouse, Sparrow has forgotten about the ice cream.
In the evening I bake up shrimp scampi and cauliflower. Sounds weird to combine the two, doesn't it? For us it's the perfect meal. Fill up on the veggie (sprinkled with parmesan), savor the shrimp (smothered in home grown garlic).
Such a beautiful day! Yes, there is that steady trickle of depressing news. You can't avoid it. You shouldn't avoid it. [Gut punch for today? So many... Let me note one that actually comes from Germany. They had their election yesterday. You may or may not like the conservative politics of the winner, but I'll say this: he intends to address the issues people care about (the economy, Russian aggression in the Ukraine, immigration) rather than practicing a crazy politic of revenge and destruction, and a vast majority of the German people did actually cast a vote. 83%. Compare that to our 63.9%. We consistently bring out fewer people on election day than do most established democracies. Those who do not vote are more often than not young, disengaged and disinterested in politics. It doesn't put our democratic project in a good light, does it?]
And yet on this beautiful day here, at the farmette, we continue to live in a peaceful quiet. And at this time of the year -- it's a brilliant peaceful quiet!
with so much love...
