Spring and Sourdough

Isn’t life funny? It is cyclical with seasons and rhythms of sleep, wake, study, work, play, repeated over and over. Then it’s random with events and projects, people we encounter, situations that play out unexpectedly, etc. I thrive on routine but quickly get bored with it and long for the exciting and spontaneous.

Spring has arrived in our neck of the woods. The pear trees are blossoming, the daffodils have turned their bright yellow petals toward the sky and the children have been busying themselves with games of whiffle ball and badminton and unsuccessful attempts at flying kites. Our little seedlings are getting bigger and stronger and will soon make their way outdoors to face the elements.  This season also means Easter and celebration of new life. The rabbits are having babies in the brush and the birds are scurrying to find bits of string and twigs for their nests. Spring also means TAXES, which is not as fun as watching nature.

My brown-eyed gentleman has been very hard at work over the last several weeks. The deadline for his firm’s big project is approaching and many sleepless nights have left him and his bleary-eyed co-workers with a little less energy than usual with which to greet these gorgeous spring days. I’ve caught up on my crocheting projects and read two novels since I have had no one to chat with in the evenings. He is such a talented architect and is amazingly loyal to his team. I hope they know what a gem they have!

A great friend came to visit a few weeks ago. Her son and Adrian have been excellent playmates for about 3 years. The boys romped and frolicked until their faces were red. They roasted marshmallows in the fire pit. They played Legos for hours and told silly jokes and went on a treasure hunt. It is so good to have friends that even though you don’t see each other for a long time, when you are reunited, you pick up where you left off, and it feels as natural as if you never were apart.

My muscles are screaming at me right now. I have been going to ballet classes and loving it but suffering the consequences of letting myself get so out of shape over the years. Dance is in me though. It’s deep in my soul and has not left me, just laid dormant during pregnancies and the other busyness of life. I love the reawakening, no matter how painful! I relish walking up the decades-old, creaky staircase to the studio on Saturday mornings. The view from the second floor studio window is fascinating. One can watch people bustling about the downtown area instead of watching the teacher, thereby not being prepared when the music plays and turning the wrong direction and bumping into a 6’4” sweaty muscular guy wearing spandex.

Gabe recently asked, “Mom, do you have any gunpowder?” I replied with a simple “no” as if I have heard this question a thousand times before but I struggled to stifle my curiosity. He darted back to his play and it took me a few moments to recall that Pa in “Little House in the Big Woods” uses gun powder and Gabe was simply emulating his favorite character from the story. I am not sure why he likes Pa so much rather than the children or even the animals depicted in the classic book. It must be all about the weapons. Gabe attended Adrian’s cub scout meeting with us last night, held in a catholic church. Of course, as soon as I was focused on something else, Gabe curiously made his way into one of the classrooms and returned again wielding a sword in its sheath, and a shield on his left arm. He informed me that he had left the helmet and chest-plate behind so as to remain inconspicuous.

Felicity has become nearly obsessed with playing the piano. She practices daily, although she only knows half of one song that I taught her several weeks ago. I started teaching her to read music but she is a bit impatient and just wishes her fingers would fly across the keys producing melodious patterns. She anticipates starting regular lessons soon. Until then, I will grit my teeth and endure yet another version of “Fur Elise.”

To get out of the boring routine and try something exciting, I’ve been experimenting with a sourdough starter and making my own yogurt. The yogurt is delicious and even better with raspberries and maple syrup! The sourdough…well, it’s more sour than dough. The kids call it “Mom’s Potion” and I think they’re weary of so many jars on the countertop. And I guess I need to come up with a new definition of exciting.

These are my thoughts for tonight and I’m amused.

Bird in Hot Pursuit

My big boy has been so helpful this week. Our washing machine does not work, so until funds magically grow,     we have been taking our soiled items to the laundromat. This young man hauled all the  garbage bags and hampers from the house into the van, from the van into the laundromat, helped sort and load the machines, chased the baby around, served snacks, completed his school assignments, helped fold, carried everything back out to the van and into the house  once we arrived home! What a blessing!

 We are busy getting to know our new area. So far we have found the grocery store,  the feed store, and the dump (oh, and do my laundry, of course). It is still unclear as  to how I will do my banking, borrow items from the library, or get pedicures. But that’s okay because the beauty of country living is enough to make those long drives into civilization…er…um, I mean downtown, worth it! The mornings are crisp and filled with birds’ songs and gentle lowing from a distant cow. At night, millions of stars are visible from our deck, with no city lights to dim their glory. I love that the kids can be running around outside ALL DAY and not get bored. I’m not worried about them getting hit by a car or someone kidnapping them (not that the kidnapper wouldn’t return them immediately, what with all the nonstop chatter!). We have met one neighbor, one lovely homeschooling mom of four! My son in particular is thrilled with his new friend (the only son of afore mentioned neighbor) and it is indeed nice to have another like-minded family so close by.

Now, the birds. I relish listening to the birds coo and tweet and chirp and I like to see their brightly colored feathers as they flit about on the lawn each morning searching for their creepy crawly breakfast. But I have never before seen one bird pursuing another bird like I’ve been witness to here. It has been 6 mornings in a row now I have watched a mockingbird deliberately chase a blue jay around and up and through the 2 pears trees planted on either side of the stone walkway leading up to the front porch. I assume the mockingbird is simply showing Mr. Blue precisely whose territory it is, but Mr. Blue continues to encroach every day! Perhaps the jay is not very smart or perhaps it is a game in which he takes great pleasure.

My brown-eyed gentleman bought new glasses this weekend, which was a long time in coming and he deserved to go all out with the anti-reflective coating and all the other fancy things they do to glasses these days. He had been wearing the previous pair for nearly 6 years! They held up exceptionally well considering he biked, ran, hiked, constructed, studied, traveled, and even slept with the same spectacles on his handsome face. The green frames were accidentally dropped and stepped upon last summer when we were in Florida on vacation. He bought some epoxy and connected the pieces back together. That quick fix lasted 8 months! I guess you could say he is frugal. The new gray ones are, by his own definition “nerdy and architect-y”, which is, apparently, quite fashionable right now. This is especially lucky for him since he is both a nerd and an architect.

Well, my steaming cup of chai tea is awaiting me and it is close to impossible for me to type and enjoy a hot beverage simultaneously. So I am signing off with these amusing thoughts and I hope you like them too!