SPRING!
We don't always get spring like this. Heavy, cold rains are not unusual for upstate New York, but we've only had a couple of those... and some softer, sweeter, spring-scented rains! And now sun.
Oh, sun! It started with these friends, missed for so long!
And with that warming trend came these!
Now if you've ever read Bridge to Terabithia, you know that Swingy Jungles hung with vines might be way fun... or lethal. But we're voting WAY FUN. You don't get to go to the Swingy Jungle until you're 5 years old or ready for kindergarten, so Megan, Mary, Elijah and Brody are getting their first taste of big kid freedom!
Notice the monster children in the background, scaling other trees?
God built our playground. Well done, Lord of Lords! :)
They pulled the old rowboat into the jungle and created a bridge to it (ooo, there's that Katherine Patterson thing, yikes!) and they have to "walk the plank" to get across the water. The water is only a few inches deep, but enough to soak you if you fall!
Old lawn chairs and tires complete the eclectic look, it reminds me of that country song "Redneck Yacht Club". Yup. We're that house!
And then there was this, oh, so sweet! Goodnight, Moon!
And another glimpse of God's beauty:
Even the kitty is happy!
May God bless every child with a mother who loves him or her so much that it shows in every word, smile and touch! May God bless the mothers in our amazing country with strength and faith and persistence and the courage of pioneers as we face challenges that aren't only in our back yards, but across the world... and may we all see the miracle before us in the face of each child.
Happy Mother's Day, my friends! God bless you!
Happy Mother's Day!
ReplyDeleteI laughed at the tools that break down part. We inherited an ancient old tiller from a neighbor. My husband tinkered with it forever, then I finally heard it running. I went out to see how it was going... and saw our lawnmower in pieces. He'd taken the motor from the lawn mower and attached it to the tiller. I call it the "Frankentiller". I asked him what he's going to do when he needs to cut the grass. He said the lawn wouldn't need cutting until after the garden was tilled, and then he'd just put the motor back.
Men. Ya gotta love 'em.
That's like the new show they keep advertising on Weather or Discovery or something Dave watches... Where the brainy inventors put things together to make new things! I love the Frankentiller!
DeleteOnly we're technically challenged in so many ways. Dave would be in awe of Cruz's ability to do that... A tilled garden is a wonderful thing. Last night he had me take a walk out back to see what's ready to plant, what needs more work, where the soil is too dry, etc. There has never been a May day where things are too dry after all that snow, but that's kind of what happens with a gorgeous spring!
And I think of you as I created my cowboy series in the PNW, tucked in the hills of central Washington... So distinctively beautiful! You and that land!
Ruthy, I am loving those tulips. The vibrant colors make me smile. Happy flowers.
ReplyDeleteI haven't done much planting this year. Come to think of it, I haven't done much of anything this year. I think my word for the year is OVERWHELMED. Do what needs to be done and do the rest as you can. But God's got a reason, so I'm happy to trust in Him to pull me through. :)
Mindy, those times are tough, aren't they? And half the time it's my own fault, but most of the time it's just because life has dips and turns and choices! These gardens are so cute now, but it was a year by year strategy. I had an end game in sight (I do this with writing, too) and I just did what I could afford... or had time for!... each year. I think God understands us!
DeleteRuthy -- we need to bottle your zest for life. And hooray for tree climbing kids. There was a great debate in the paper recently about whether or not to ban tree climbing in city parks because of fear of being sued in case of an injury occurring. LOL. Meanwhile we're lamenting that our children aren't active enough.
ReplyDeleteWe finally have spring here -- well, with summer temperatures which isn't good for the poor confused spring flowers. Nothing much blooming yet except for tulips and daffodils and periwinkle but my ferns are uncurling. Yay!
I just saw something on the national news last night about trees in parks. Particularly older trees and how they posed a threat to our children, because the trees could fall on the kids. Apparently that has happened at least once or twice, hence the uproar.
DeleteI had to laugh, though (not about kids getting injured). Talk about dilemma for tree-huggers.
If a tree falls on a kid, clearly the answer is to ban all trees!!!! :) I saw that playground incident, and yeah, tree branches might fall... and Russian rockets fall out of the sky.... and one little kid got e-coli from seagull poop years ago and spurred and entire nation to avoid going barefoot in sand. (SIGH>>>>) Life equates risk, but not living life is so much riskier to me! And I'm sure there are people who cringe at how high I let kids go but it's just so exciting to feel like you're on top of the world! A tree-dweller! Up here where we live in deciduous forestland, if you don't mow it or plant it, it's going to turn into woods... and what fun for the dryads among us! :)
DeleteClearly I am not a helicopter parent... I think of Cousin Ann in "Understood Betsy", encouraging shy, scared Elizabeth Ann to try new things! And when she did, she realized how much happier she was. Oh, Hallelujah! (Needless to say I loved "Cousin Ann" in that story!
Did you know we used to make a game (as a kid) of traveling an entire long city block without touching the ground by going along the dividing line between two streets, where the rear property lines have fences, trees, garages, etc.... And except for a couple of spots where there was nothing but air (and in spite of a few old people who ran out, fists in air, yelling at us to get down or we'd fall to our deaths!) we could do it....
Yes.
I was that kid.
We're probably not surprised by that, are we?
Nope, not a bit surprised. ;)
DeleteHahahaha! :)
DeleteI was talking today about when I was a kid, we all envied the kids who climbed trees and broke their arms. It was a rite of passage.
ReplyDeleteAlready summer and a tropical storm here. Yep moving on to summer.
Happy Mothers Day Ruthy!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tulips! There's nothing like a good climbing tree when your those children's age. I always loved having a good climber nearby when I was growing up.
I can see you doing the block long thing as a kid because I see that sense of adventure in your personality now, you probably did it better than the boys, lol.