Time To Stand Still

It's Saturday. Outside it is foggy and damp and mossy.  Our grass and trees look so green.  The browns are deep and the pinks are so happy to see you.

pink!

happy to see you!

Big brother starts spring break this week. Five days at home. Consecutive. Home. What the what what? Who had this idea? In the rainy season? I have some construction paper and crafty things hid for emergencies such as this and hopefully enough food in the kitchen to keep a growing 9 year old boy fed for 5 days.  I've warned the cats, hid all of the chocolate, and made sure I have plenty of Clorox wipes...we'll see how it goes.

how many days?

oye.

 I feel like we keep a pretty quiet house.  Some days, we play Wee Sing Kid's Church Songs pretty loud and sing along.  Some days we play knee-slapping music while we clean.  Those are good days. Big brother and D have dance contests. I dance when no one is looking.  I can really cut a rug. You'll have to take my word for it.  Most days, though, our house is quiet. One person is almost always preparing food. One is usually with the baby and Big brother is usually occupied or helping. I think the combination of our quiet nature and, of course, the location of our home, animals and various wildlife feel comfortable coming right up by the house. It's always an explosion of excitement to see a new bird or an old friend.  There are three toms who have been coming around since the first or second snowfall here this year. I really like when they check in.

hi, i'm tom.

eastern towhee.

 We had a pretty considerable rainfall this week, a nice spring rain.  It was falling in buckets, but only for an intense few minutes.  It hushed our house even more and left us all standing at the sliding glass doors watching. After the rain, everything was so beautiful.

monet barn.

 

Like a watercolor painting. Like the world had a high-gloss finish. Like if you listened close enough you could hear all the way to China. The air felt thick and wet and warm and very alive.  D and Big brother found ramps (wild leeks / Allium tricoccum) on a recent hike, which was my favorite discovery so far.

They smell so delicious. They were so pretty to look at. I sauteed them in olive oil and tossed them in pasta along with some lemon, scallops, and parsley (also from our yard). I feel so blessed. Sometimes I forget, and then God thuds me upon the head with spicy, fragrant ramps - and I find my way back.

after the rain.

-S.