Hello Again

Hi there! Remember me? 

It's been awhile since I chatted here. So much has happened in the past year and a half, yet it's just been regular life. Home, job, family all kept me hopping. I won't recap everything, but if you're interested, I tend to post the most on Instagram. 

The grandkids are growing like weeds. They're all in school now, so a new season has begun for the family. I've been their daycare provider for the past five months, and while they weren't here all day every day in recent weeks, they were here much of the time after school was cancelled. I was happy to have them here, but there weren't any "Corona/Covid projects" going on. It was basically learning to live a new normal, like everyone else. We got through homeschooling, such as it was. We played games, did art projects, did lots of video-chats with extended family, and probably watched a bit too much Flash and Arrow. 

Having them all in school is as much a change for me as it is their mother. Good Lord willing (and I say that as a prayer, not just an offhand phrase) school will be a constant and healthy place for them. If so, I'll have a lot of time on my hands. If not, I'll be a homeschool helper for Jess and together we'll get those kiddoes educated, and this time we'll be prepared. 

When I thought about resurrecting my little corner of the internet, it was to use this blog as a tool to help transition into this next life season I talked about. I think "each day as it comes" has to be my mindset, and while I am planning some projects for the next several weeks, it's always keeping in mind that things could change at any time and it's a good thing to be flexible.

House projects, yard and garden work, developing, writing, and teaching new  online classes for community ed, lots of crafting, and other fun new adventures are all in the works. I'd love the company if you'd like to come along as I putter and paint and rearrange this little corner of the prairie. 

Spring has Sprung

It took a good long while, but we finally got some Springtime. Trees and flowers have bloomed, birds are nesting, and gardens are being planted.

My own garden work is going slowly – I have the boys here most mornings, and watching to make sure Silas doesn’t escape the backyard and run into the street takes most of my time and concentration.  I hesitate to start any garden project that is very involved while they’re here. There are some very early mornings in my future so I can get the garden work done before the boys arrive, then we can concentrate on playing. I do let them “help” when I can – I want them to enjoy the garden and take some ownership in growing the vegetables.

This is rather a dismal view of the backyard garden, taken a couple of days ago. It actually looks better now. We had to add quite a bit of dirt to the raised beds this year, and the perennial herbs were cut back pretty hard. I pulled both thyme plants out completely and will replace just one. I didn’t really use the lemon thyme that much, so won’t miss it. That cattle panel arch has been moved to the far south bed, making a “tunnel”, as Brad calls it. Most of the bedding plants have been purchased and I’ll plant over the weekend.

We’ve enjoyed several different birds, including these Orioles, who loved the blossoms on this ornamental cherry tree. The blooms are gone now, and the tree is leafing out. A couple of days ago, the wind was blowing petals off the tree, and it was like flower snow on the boys as they played.

The bunny garden survived being filled with ice and snow, and there are new blooms on the pansies. With the heat we’re having those pansies won’t last much longer, but we’re enjoying them right now. I suggested that we retire the bunny garden and do something else with this pot, but that was vetoed long and loud by Bradley. He loves his bunny garden and we’ll keep it as long as we can.

The Easter kites finally got opened and the boys and I enjoyed some kite-flying the other morning. As a kid, I couldn’t get a kite up in the wind to save my life. When our kids were little, Greg taught me how to fly their Easter kites and it was so much fun! Brad seems to have inherited Grampy’s mad skillz, because he can fly kites all on his own already. This one is an inflatable TMNT he’s flying. It went up pretty easily, but never got very high, which is okay. It was easier for Brad to manage that way.

Silas has been enjoying all the trucks we see going by all morning long. Of course he has to drive his trucks up and down the sidewalks as well. I’m okay with that since it keeps him close, though if he sees a bird, he must chase it! Never have I wanted a fenced-in yard more than I do this summer!

Finally, one of my most favorite events of Spring – the blooming of the lilacs! I don’t have any of my own anymore, but there are a few across the alley and I help myself to those. The boys loved that we brought in flowers from the outside and decorated the dining table. The dining room smelled lovely all day long. The succulents in the old silver are doing great. I planted those mid-April when a friend and I attended a seminar to learn about growing them. They’ll be moved outside before long, but for now I love how this display looks.

Lots of grand plans and projects, both inside and outside that I look forward to completing this summer. Check back and see what we’re up to – it’s gonna be fun!

 

Waiting for Spring

Just like much of the rest of the country, Springtime is arriving slowly in the Great Plains. The Sandhill cranes were a few weeks later to arrive on the Platte river, the robins a bit later to arrive in my back yard. I’m keeping track of the hummingbird migration map and the trail of sightings is ever so slowly inching northward. The boys and I have been enjoying this live webcam feed of a hummingbird nest in southern California, and now I can’t wait to show them one in real life. It will be a different species since we only get ruby-throated hummers here as they pass through on their way north, and they are beautiful.

This past week has been warmer and sunny and we’ve been able to be outside to enjoy it. I started some clean-up of the dead, brown garden beds, but need to wait a few more weeks to see what will green up yet. I fear many of my perennial herbs may not have survived this past winter…

While there are bits of green out there, nothing is blooming yet. Feeling a need for some color besides brown, I picked up some pansies at the nursery when the boys and I went the other day to check out some other plants. They are big and beautiful and hopefully add a cheery touch to the front porch.

I planted them in an old colander I picked up at a garage sale last summer for 50¢. Lined with burlap and filled with potting soil, it will need some attention to keep moist, but I love it on the old high chair next to the front door. There will be more added to “Springify” the front porch, but I’m good with this for the moment. We have a rainy forecast for the weekend, so I’ll wait for that to pass.

One thing that is not waiting, though, is the magnolia tree. It is finally budding and I’m very excited. Yesterday it did not have flowers. Here’s what I found today:

 

By tomorrow this bud be fully bloomed. Heck, it’s going to be so warm today that we might see a whole flower by this afternoon! I expect the entire tree to be budding/bloomed by the beginning of the week. Yea! Springtime IS coming to stay!