Thinking Spring

I think I may safely unpack my brain; it has rested long enough for now.


For the first time in a loooooong time we are having truly glorious weather. There are very gusty winds today, but the sun is shining as if trying to make up for all the times it couldn't over the past several months. Though I love winter, this last one seemed especially dreary and gloomy and I spent a few moments today on the kitchen porch breathing deep and soaking up the light and warmth. Birds were singing, breezes were blowing, and Man-Cub was running all over the yard picking the last of the daffodils, his sweet face lit up with the delight of bringing Mom the first of the year's flowers in his grubby, little fist.

(An old shot of Man-Cub bringing me flowers--one of my favorites)

We have sort of a wild bouquet sitting in a jug on the dining room table. I brought some daffodils, heath aster, and delphiniums from Produce Junction yesterday. The day was mostly stormy and grey and, feeling a wee bit too stormy and grey myself, I decided a bright bunch of flowers was in order. Of course, by the evening rush, the sun had pushed through the clouds, but it was still lovely to have those flowers in the house. Today, Man-Cub brought in the straggler daffodils and the few hyacinths remaining in an old flower bed planted by the previous owner long ago. I love hyacinths but too much exposure to them gives me a headache and makes me nauseated so I don't plant or buy them. But one or two in a jug for a day or too is just right.

I am doing some maintenance laundry; I've finally gotten caught up so now I'm just keeping up. I cannot let this sunny, windy day go by without taking advantage of the clothes line! And I've decided that, as soon as that last load of towels comes off the line, I'm going through them and giving/throwing away all but eight of them and the towels for the pool (which will be packed away until the pool opens and packed away again once it closes). There is just no good reason for the amount of towels that wind up in the dirty laundry each week. I know, I have a teenager, but she is just as capable as the rest of us of reusing a towel that has only been used to dry off a body in its cleanest state! And, I swear, this is the week I get The Viking to install four towel hooks behind the bathroom door for each person to hang their towel on when they've finished using it and if you leave yours on the floor instead of on the hook where it will not get abused in any way that's not my problem!


Anyway...I'm also considering making a berry tart this afternoon (which, Crikey, is almost over, now that I look at it)! I went a little berry bonkers at Wegmans yesterday. They had all these berries on sale and they looked so juicy and fresh so I bought 'em all! And, having gotten them home and sampled them, I can tell you they are as juicy and fresh as they look, even if they weren't grown locally! But, I looked at the amount of berries I have on hand and, calculating the amount of fresh fruit my family will willingly consume in any given week, divided by the number of extra pre-made pie crusts I have languishing in the fridge (no, I don't make my own crusts, so shoot me), came to the conclusion that a free-form, fresh berry tart was definitely in order. As soon as the washer stops!

I think the washer has actually stopped. Which means my break is over. I must go retrieve Man-Cub from the clutches of the Wii, set him in motion with the vacuum, transfer the wet laundry, start a new load, peg out the wet clothes, and begin the tart. But, the windows are open, the sun is still shining, and I have a favorite song list on iTunes that always makes my chores more enjoyable. So I don't even care that I have so much to do!

A warm welcome to Spring, indeed!