Kathleen's Korner at TheStidhams.com

Yes, we have a first-time palindrome in the family. Our younger child turned 11 yesterday…

And time has just flown by. He is nearly as tall as I am, his feet are bigger. So capable, so interested in life, so full of energy and promise. I remember when I first held him and he was warm and soft — and hungry! I remember when his older brother first saw him, only hours old, and patted him and said, “Hello, Baby Drant” I remember when we took him home that first night, and his father held him while I ate my dinner, so gentle and happy.

And all the years that have come between, full of milestones. A few scary moments, of course, but mostly joyful and fun. So good to get children through the youngest years and watch them start to come into their own.

And in just a few more years, he and his brother will be off on their own adventures, peripheral to ours. What will it be like to have a quiet evening — every evening? What will it be like to cook for just two? What will it be like to no longer know about every bump and bruise, every challenge and triumph?

For now, I will try to enjoy these days of commotion and worry and growth and fun.

Already…

Hard to believe time is flying by so quickly. The weather the first week of the month was — unsettled. And windy. And rainy. And the power went out. Twice.

Then, for over a week, the skies were mostly clear once the fog burned off, and warmer than normal.

Today, it is COLD. It went below freezing overnight, and I am concerned about the fruit trees that are starting to produce buds. Hopefully they weren’t so far along that the cold will damage them.

It is supposed to get even colder tomorrow. Maybe even some snow in a few places.

G’s birthday party is scheduled for Saturday at the rollerskating rink. Then the boys have a week off school. We want to go skiiing at least one day mid-week, and G’s birthday we’ll visit mother’s school for a little bit.

And I know we’ll be watching the entire Star Wars series including the Clone Wars animations…

At least we have plenty of good “inside” days (and a working generator) coming up!

We have an official new record for longest streak of days with measurable rain… in Olympia, that is. Shelton is close to setting a new record also, and since we are partway between, I guess we can lay claim to both! Seattle missed a day last week, so their record is off — though they did set a new second-longest mark.

Have finished pruning the peach and nectarine trees. Debating whether to prune back the medlar, or just let it go. I rather like the shape, and we don’t really grow it for the fruit, so it’s less important to treat it like an orchardist would. Still, I know there are a few branches that need attention, so will have to go outside and tend to that soon.

There are daffodils and crocuses and irises pushing up all over the yard. Looking forward to the show this Spring! The heathers under the little cedar by the driveway are just gorgeous, though starting to fade. The two new cedars I transplanted to the same area appear to be doing fine. One of the mums that was in there got uprooted (a dog, perhaps?) this winter, and I am not sure it will make it. We’ll see.

We’re also watching the clematis fairly closely… I don’t know whether they made it through the cold at the beginning of December. If they did, they should be fine from this point on. Having already put out slug pellets (My favorite brand is SLUGGO, toxic only to mollusks and fish) and dodged a couple mosquitos, I figure the worst of the cold is over for this season.

And inside… I did manage to get the last of the holiday ornaments put away, now I just need to figure out a better way to store the rest of the items while I go through them. Meanwhile, I do have enough room to work in the office again, and have managed to get a few small tasks accomplished.