Kathleen's Korner at TheStidhams.com

Yes, Spring.

G was home recuperating still, so at lunchtime we walked out and looked at the yard. The first pink tulip has opened up. There are trillium in the cedar grove, a few open, and many more to come. We saw two snakes, basking in the warm sunlight. The red-flowering currant at the back of the house is in full bloom. And yes, a couple of the peach blossoms did open up today. The raspberries are leafing out. Likewise the elderberries. And the red huckleberries. The mountain huckleberry, which is evergreen, has loads of blooms and buds on it. The rhodie has nice big buds, and the planters and beds by the front door are just lovely. All in all, it’s a good start to the fullness of the growing season.

I cut back one of the rugosa roses today (hard — getting ready to dig it up), and will try to do the other tomorrow, should be able to — it’s a smaller one. Will dig them up this weekend, I think and give them to a friend, and then I can see what I want to plant in their place! I will have several smaller rugosas that suckered off the parent plants, and I think I will use them to build a hedgerow down by the road. The little birds and frogs would appreciate the cover, and they would help control the runoff when it rains.

I was better enough to spend some time with Mother today, and walk around outside a little. Today the peach tree nearest the house is about to bloom (a couple buds are already opening)! But I also took a really long nap and didn’t feel much like playing in the dirt even though it was a lovely day. Hoping tomorrow is nice for a while so I can get outside just a little bit more.

But… G is still feeling rotten. Poor kid, he’s lain about all day, sipping as much water and juice and broth as he can. He finally felt well enough to move to the sofa and watch a couple of his favorite videos, but he didn’t even feel like reading today!

M went for a bike ride. T baked and played on the computer. Lucky kept bringing one toy or another, and Buffy kept trying to get them away.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. I have a couple ideas I want to pursue for the cards, and some thoughts on my website that I just need to sit down for a while and try different versions to see what I like best.

A good day for some quiet musing…

while I listen to some Irish ballads, trying to learn the tunes so I can play and sing a little bit on Friday.

while the great galoot runs around the house, looking in the windows, hoping I will forget it’s raining and come play outside.

while the trees sway, now gently, now vigorously, shedding the rain from their strong branches and needles.

while the laundry dries and the kitchen waits for a quick clean-up.

I am motivated to work on some garb for the children, might do some research into that later this evening; for now, I think I will sort through a few more items in boxes, trying to minimize the clutter and maximize the usefulness of what I keep.

G and I are reading good books about Merlin by T.A. Barron. The Lost Years of Merlin is the name of the series, and I highly recommend it for a reading level of about 5th-6th grade and up. Younger children might enjoy having it read aloud, although some of the parts are full of suspense and sad I believe they are no worse than C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series.