Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Spring is here!

The marsh marigolds are blooming, with a new riot of bright yellow appearing almost as you watch.  My grandson calls them "Marshmallow Flowers" and he loves to go down to our little stream whenever he is here, to see them and to look for 'fishies'.  As I walked along the bank yesterday to take pictures, I could hear frogs PLOP! into the water at my approach, but was never quick enough to catch them in action.  I could see that we have some cleaning up to do, after the winter melt and runoff.  There's trash in the stream, some of it new, but some from previous generations, usually hidden under the streambed and surfacing when there is an especially large rain to wash away the sand.  Old bits of crockery, glass jars, rusted cans are uncovered, and require some caution when we wade in the shallow water. 
Rich has been tossing rocks of various sizes into the stream as we clear them from the lawn, and we're beginning to get a nice burbling sound as the water tumbles around and over them.   It's quite relaxing and mesmerising to spend a few moments watching and listening.  Sometimes we're lucky enough to spot a crawdad sunning himself in the shallowest parts of the stream.
The birds are nesting and calling to one another in the marsh. Yesterday I caught a glimpse of a red-winged blackbird and a week or two ago I lay in bed in the early morning and watched a robin building its nest in the walnut tree right outside my window (a friend pointed out to me that the bird was probably disdainful of my laziness!).  I've been cleaning up the fallen walnuts...that job should have been done in the fall, but I was distracted by Rich's motorcycle accident and then it was too cold and snowy to get the job done.  The squirrels have had plenty to eat over the winter, and they're quite fat and luxuriantly-furred this spring!  The ground beneath the walnut trees is littered with walnut husks and empty shells to be raked up.

Still keeping our friend, Loren, close in thought and prayer.  He passed a critical 48-hours-since-surgery mark last night and is making some small improvements.  It will be a long, long path to recovery for him.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

For Loren, in Arkansas...

Keeping you and yours close in heart and prayer.  Keep fighting, friend...get well.  As I just told another friend, you're a cranky old curmudgeon, but you're OUR cranky old curmudgeon. 
A picture from our ride after the Tennessee Lunch Run, 2007
 From left, Steve, Loren, me, Rich, Ross

Sunday, April 04, 2010

"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things.."
Lewis Carroll "The Walrus and the Carpenter" from Alice in  Wonderland

Of weight loss and sewing machines that don't work and keeping one's disagreements with the world private wherever possible...

I know, that doesn't rhyme. 
  • I have set out, with a friend in Arkansas, to lose 100 pounds.  To that end, I have invested in an inexpensive bathroom scales.  It's time. It's necessary. It will be very, very difficult. Keep me in your thoughts.  My question is, if I reset the starting point on the scales to -10 pounds, does that count as a weight loss? Ok, ok....
  • The Pixie II sewing machine has been returned to the store from whence it came.  It was a bad, bad sewing machine,and we did not get along at all well. I shall be having my good machines repaired.
  • Today I had to referee a domestic disagreement between two people who mean very much to me.  You know who you are.  Please, please, please, make it your goal to keep all disagreements just between the two of you and NOT public ok?  I don't want to read about your fits and problems with one another or with anyone else on Facebook or MySpace, I don't want to hear about it on the phone, I don't want to know about it in person.  Your parents and family don't need to know you're fighting, your friends don't need to know you're fighting, and your children don't need to know you're fighting.  See if you can go an entire week without posting/telling/whining about your fights and disappointments in any sort of public venue, ok? Ok.  Thankyouverymuch.
  • We have steps leading down from one of our exit doors now! HURRAY for my husband and master carpenter!