An iPhone/Instagrammy photo that captures this beginning of April: fabric Easter eggs and the Red Sox. Opening Day of the baseball season is tomorrow. The Red Sox are looking good this year. We’ve already watched a few exhibition games during Spring Training. Oh baseball, I love you. Welcome back!
I walked out to the leaf covered big garden bed the other day and uncovered a small area just to assure myself that something is happening out there:
I knew I could count on the sedum – always the first to show new growth. I keep the leaves on the garden beds until there’s no danger of below freezing temperatures. I’m hoping that will be in the next week. We have almost two acres here and there are woods and lots of trees and dead leaves and fallen branches and several garden beds to clean up. Brambles have to be cut back – ouch.
All the stones (called Item 4, for some reason) from our driveway that the snow blower propelled onto the grass need to be put back where they belong. That, by the way, is one of the most painstaking and irritating jobs there is in early spring. Last year, Don and I sat out by the driveway with pails by our sides, gathering up all the rocks that weren’t where they were supposed to be. And that was before we had our own snowblower that had to be used several times this winter. This year, there are even more rocks on the lawn, rocks on the patio, rocks in the garden. I used to rake them up, and I still do as much of that as I can, but last year I enlisted Mr. Sparks in the whole thing and I’m going to do that again this year.
Someday, we want to pave the driveway. Most people around here, however, have the same kind of driveway we do – part of country living, I guess.
It’s a quiet weekend around here. We have no big plans. We watched The Wizard of Oz last night on TCM. Glorious. And, after decades of watching it, I still worry when I don’t see Toto in a shot. Where is he? Is he okay? Did he run off with Dorothy unaware that he’s missing? Then, he’ll suddenly come into the shot from offstage and I relax. Don understands, bless him. He knows I worry about that sort of thing.
What are your plans for today?
Happy Saturday.
Good Morning Claudia, I love the bowl you are displaying the eggs in. Have a wonderful day. Doris
Thank you, Doris – you too!
Plans for today? A bit of housecleaning, a run to the post office, then we settle in at 7 pm for “The Ten Commandments.” All four hours of it [yikes]. Part of Easter weekend in our family for years – great telling of a great story. Old Cecil B could really weave a yarn. Have a great holiday! Hope you find more little green things in your garden…
Well, probably not today. It’s very windy and cold out there, Janet!
Good Morning Claudia, I’m so glad spring is finally coming to your area. We went to a sweet church service last night that just made our week. Today I am helping with my aunt and doing house work. I have several disposable diaper boxes I’ve saved up and a roll of pretty floral wall paper I am going to cover them with to spruce up our storage shelves. I made 4 of them several years ago for a shelf in our laundry room and they have held up really well.
That sounds like a great project, Janie. Have fun!
Signs of green! How encouraging.
The sky this morning is threatening snow, but I still think I’ll put on my rubber boots and go tramp about the property. We have terraced gardens that are planted so that there is colour all year round, but “new green” is my favourite.
I sympathize with having to pick up stones. The building next to us is in the midst of a complete facelift , so there are bits of plaster and stone everywhere that I feel compelled to pick up. Mind you, I help with a lot of the downtown gardens, so walking about with a plastic bag in my coat pocket is nothing new.
I watched The Wizard of Oz last night as well. Every time I watch it, I think of my late father as it was his favourite movie. I never understood that until late into adulthood I realized that he must have seen it as a metaphor for his own life, leaving behind a childhood of grey, grim poverty for a life with colour and possibilities. I just wish Hollywood had stayed true to the real colour of the shoes in the story. I know it was the advent of technicolor and that the shoes needed to be a visual focal point, but it still annoys me.
I put my name into a draw for a lawn tractor yesterday at the local hardware store. I live in a loft in a downtown building so if I win, I’ll offer to drive it to you! Wasn’t there a man who drove a lawn tractor all over America as a some sort of fundraiser?
Enjoy your Saturday!
There’s also a movie about a guy who drives a tractor across the country – yes, it’s The Straight Story with wonderful actor Richard Farnsworth, directed by David Lynch. Very good movie.
Thanks! I’ll have to check it out. I quite like some of David Lynch’s movies, although they usually leave me slightly mystified.
This one is fairly normal, Barbara.
It’s very windy here (Annapolis) and colder today. My spring bulbs are pushing up greenery so it gives me hope that winter us finally over! Yeah!
Our entire family has been really sick this week so I have to go to the grocery store to get a few things for dinner tomorrow. Big plans! LOL!
I love your fabric eggs and the HLC bowl. I collect HLC pottery and eat off my vintage Fiesta and Harlequin every day. I call them my happy dishes!
Have a terrific Saturday!
I used to have a very big collection of vintage Fiesta. I loved it. I started collecting it when I lived in Boston. But eventually, I sold it all, except for a few pieces – mixing bowls, a gravy boat, a tea pot and coffee pot – that I loved. I miss that darned collection sometimes!
Living here on the south coast of British Columbia, we’re going out in the boat today to drop prawn traps and then watch the sinking of HMCS Annapolis (de-commissioned – does that mean it’s MV?) It’s being sunk for an artificial reef. I chose to comment in reply to Kim in Annapolis, because of the ship’s name!
I love to see the plants showing us that spring will indeed come, whether they can read the calendar or not. Although all the spring plants are showing, it’s unseasonably cold here.
It’s cold here today, as well! And very windy.
I never knew that the Canadian Navy had ship named the Annapolis! The US Naval Academy is located here so I find it interesting that Canadian Naval ship would be named that. Thanks for the info; now I’m off to research the ship.
So much to do in the Spring, but all worth it. Today I’m doing the last of the house cleaning so I can have Easter dinner here tomorrow. We continue on baby watch and I’m trying to help Sara as much as I can so she can stay rested. I might sneak in some reading today also!
hugs,
Linda
Have a wonderful Easter dinner… that little girl is going to arrive any minute!
Claudia, we watched some spring training in Arizona the week before last. It was so comforting to be in the warm sun.
Oh boy! I can just feel that sun! Lucky you!
And somehow it all comes back again every year. In the depths of snow and cold I always doubt it….. and then, those shoots of green finally appear. Right now the chives are going absolutely crazy. So funny to see all the brown, and then, in their little patch, about 5 inches of bright, bright green growing towards the sky. The jobs of Spring ~ getting all of the compressed leaves and bark away from the roots, and picking up rocks, cutting back old growth, well, I guess I will take those mundane things to do over sitting in the house looking out at the white, cold never-ending horizon!! At least for a while!! :-)
Yes, I’ll definitely take the chores of Spring. I’m over winter!
Oh Baseball! I have mixed feelings! The Rangers stink! I’m going to watch, and be the fan… No matter how painful it looks!
Things are greening up the grass is already high. We’ve got to finish up mowing today- the kids will hunt eggs tomorrow!
We have a gravel car park — Id love to have a concrete parking pad– can you use the snow blower to blow the rocks back the other way?
Hmmm. I don’t think so. And with our luck, it would blow them across the driveway to the OTHER side of the lawn!
Happy Saturday Claudia – I’ve already been to the flea market, then to buy two hanging baskets for the front porch. Tonight we will dye Easter eggs with the girls. Fun!
Judy
You’re a busy gal, Judy! Have fun with those Easter eggs tonight!
I have been quite sick with a head cold..sore throat..cough..runny nose..well you know Claudia..I haven’t had one for a long time so I have been miserable..This is my first day of feeling better so I must do some shopping the cats need food and litter and so do we..need food that is..lol..It is so good to see anything green coming out of the ground right now..
Oh, I’m so sorry. I DO know! They can be so miserable, those colds! Feel better, my friend.
Wizard of Oz was my husband’s favorite movie. Unfortunately, I didn’t share his enthusiasm, though I do appreciate the movie for what it is. Yay, baseball season! Watched the Giants/A’s game on TV yesterday. I grew up with the Giants…the two Willies, Juan Marichal. Re-rocking the driveway doesn’t sound like fun…
I love WofO – it’s very metaphysical in its story and the lessons that it teaches. I learn more and more from it, the older I get.
Yay, Giants! Obviously, I love the Red Sox, but we like the Giants, too.
Claudia, So funny , you started off with baseball….I absolutely love to hear that crack sound of the bat hitting the ball. That is a summer time sound. Things are growing at your house…my gosh, didn’t it seem forever? Enjoy this weekend. I am planning on being with family. Blessings to you and yours, xoxo,Susie
Nothing better than the crack of a baseball bat, Susie. I love it, too.
Brian and I worked in the yard a few days ago when it was warm and raked out most of the stuff in all the garden and perennial beds. The butterfly garden still needs more work, but I saw my sedum poking through the ground, too. It thrills me every year. Same for when I see the buds on my lilac bush. All the lilies are coming up nicely and the birdies are just chirping away. Hooray for spring! I just finished three loads of laundry, making a strata, and a lot of housework…vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, putting clean bedding on our bed, cleaning cat boxes, emptying and reloading the dishwasher, feeding the kitties, sweeping the front porch, cleaning the kitchen. I just took a relaxing bath and ate a piece of toast with guacamole and cucumber and tomato on it for lunch, now am going to do some yoga and then give myself a manicure.
You’re putting us all to shame, Melanie.
Actually, I cleaned out my craft closet today and that’s a major job! Also vacuumed and dusted and all that kind of thing. Too windy and cold out there to do any work outside.
So what am I doing? House stuff mostly until it’s time for the Final Four! UW is playing, we have a great team…go Badgers!! So, starting at about 5:00 we’ll be watching basketball! It turned cold here and is really windy, so no outdoor work today. I can hear the excitement in your post about baseball….hope the Red Sox do well this year! ;)
And Michigan State! My brother’s alma mater and my home state favorite!
I’ll be cheering for Michigan State too…don’t you worry…go Big Ten!! ;)
Farmer’s Market trip for rainbow carrots and new hyacinth bulbs. Trip to the Antique Mall, the grocery store for a few ingredients for tonight’s dinner and Easter dinner on Monday, then home to work on renovations for this house. Almost ready to get it up for sale.
Love Wizard of Oz. Now I’ll be watching for Toto the next time we watch it!
Enjoy Easter.
I am SO excited that baseball season is FINALLY here! To me, it is just so comforting to have a ROYALS game on television – whether it is just playing in the background or if we’re watching it intently. It is the sound of spring, summer and early fall! Most definitely my favorite time of year. Here’s hoping that the Red Sox and the Royals meet up in the ALCS! :)
Hi Claudia, we actually had our old driveway dug up and replaced with small stones. And yes, they are now all over the place thanks to constant plowing this winter. Trying to figure out which kind of rake to use to get them back onto the driveway. Easter will be quiet here, the ice is ALMOST melted on the pond, snowdrops are up and the daffodils across the pond are ready to bloom. Sigh….spring is finally here! xxoo