in which life comes back to trees

the blossoms are coming the blossoms are coming!



the pansies didn't even die this winter and now they are overflowing their pot



this morning i wanted to pick up some seed starting soil and realized that rather than going to the big box garden store in town, that i should explore the smaller nurseries dotting these hills. this morning it was the garden barn.

they didn't strike me as being overwhelming conscientious of organic gardening, but they did have a line of organic seeds in their shop as well as bags of organic potting soil. they also had a bunch of feisty chickens, some horses and cows. animals are always a good thing when your (almost) three year old is accompanying you.






when we got home we planted some cosmos seed in our eggshells. i'm still determined to have a cottage garden.





after lunch and playing with the new excavator in the sandbox we decided to beat the heat on the underused upper balcony. i made a little tent canopy for tristan where he hung out for quite some time. even though it was 80 degrees outside, he refused to take off his sweatshirt and the little guy was quite obviously overheated with his red cheeks and sweaty curls.





and then he finally freed himself, permitted me to take his sweatshirt off, and dropped his drawers.



ah spring!

well, almost spring!

all in a week

it's strange to think that last week i went to sleep on a sunday night, after spending a temperate day romping around in the woods, and woke up to a snow day



at one point the accumulation measured 5.5 inches and within an hour gained another two inches. this is a big deal around here, and doesn't usually come without warning.





the temperature of the day quickly climbed above freezing and i could feel the thick snow evaporate beneath my fingers as i built a snowman.



it came and went so fast that the spring blooms were mostly unscathed.



by the next day it was all gone but for a few spots of snow left in the shade

and then, what a nice surprise, an issue of taproot ended up in my mailbox, the new earthy magazine edited by amanda soule. apparently a mailing had been sent out by nova naturals.



speaking of earthy, we have been loving our woods. we found a small grove of old, tall cedars that i think will become clubhouse central. i'm cutting back scrub and thorns and marking off paths between trees, down to the creek and along it, connecting favorite spots, new and old.

when we spend time in the woods i feel a positive charge settle upon us. a sense of wonder returns, wonder that becomes noticeably scarce when too much time is spent indoors. i feel so lucky to live where we do. i see many picnics, forages, woodland and water study sessions in our near future.

looking up to cedar tops. . .



luna sits on "the bench" a low branch that extends out from a tree at the edge of the creek bank.



loki walks delicately above the water on his very own bridge.



tristan is really into the "x". he said there was an angel underneath it.



we also have taken to visiting the snake regularly. . .



and somewhere in the midst of our woodland play, what a nice surprise, dan and i were gifted with tickets to see jane's addicition in richmond. the world is a wondrous place! it was great fun to go to this sold out show on a friday night, dan and i, on a date! the music and theatrics and dancing and creativity were manna for the soul, especially this particular music that reaches back into my past when life was a bit more edgy and full of solo adventures. thank you sweet internet friend for making this possible!





and then back again, to the music in our own yard.

creating & cooking

i forgot to mention that over the weekend tristan and i attended an awesome once a year event, family art day at 2nd street gallery. tristan had such a good time, painting and pasting and eating the snacks. the theme was animals, based on the exhibit of an impressive artist named laura ball. i loved her detailed watercolors of animals and women, many of the women pregnant or knitting or clearly maternal. check her out!

here are some pics from our day at the gallery:











and what's a day at the gallery without a caricature?



cooking has been big around here lately. these are the tasty muffins i've been making from left over oatmeal. the recipe is here, and i add about 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/4 cup of cranberries. they are simple but very satisfying and not overly sweet.



tonight i made thess delicious lentil meatballs, a recipe i found via pinterest. oh so good with the lemony basil pesto.



i have been finding so many good recipes and crafts and tutorials through pinterest. it's an excellent tool but yet another online destination where i find myself spending just a little bit too much time!

tristan and i made this hand print wreath today. i put together most of it, frankly. i thought he'd want to apply the glue but he was too busy dropping rocks into flower vase full of water (important stuff, you know). in the end he felt really involved in the craft as it was his hand that i traced afterall!

daffodil update

today is a dark wet day with lightning and thunder. it all seems rather unlikely for some reason.

yesterday was sunny and beautiful and full of daffodils!








what is blooming in your yard?