Missed communication

It's not ANNOYING, it's HAPPY

Last night it rained. It hailed a little too, but mostly it rained. This morning Mom asked me,

“What’s the weather like outside?” She was trying to decide what to wear, you see.

“Oh,” I sighed, “crystalline. Warm and brilliant and beautiful. The sort of morning that makes you want to strip naked and roll in the dew-damp grass.” Mom gave me what can only be described as A LOOK. “But not in the back yard,” I added, “because, you know. The dog poops back there.” The LOOK continued, unabated.

I can’t help it. It’s SPRING. Trees are frothing out in blooms, daffodils and tulips dot yards all over town, and the air is sweet and gentle on the skin.

I love spring. I was born on the first day of spring, and every year I come back to life along with the garden. I’m given to giddy musings on the beauty of the world. I sing. I call gaily out to children, playing happily in the back yard, “If you darlings go in my garden I shall pinch your adorable little heads off!”

Allow me to offer you the evidence of spring-ness that buoyed my mood all day.

1 – A beekeeper from somewhere on the east coast tracked my father down through a complicated series of internet searches, and called to ask him questions about top-bar beekeeping. I don’t know how these people do it. I swear Dad could move to a mountaintop somewhere, completely sever all ties to humanity, and every spring some bedraggled soul would crawl up the mountain on hands and knees, fall at his feet, and gasp, “So, do you use comb foundation as a starter? What size are the bars? What about mites?”

When these people start appearing, sending letters and making phone calls out of the blue, oh yes, my sweets, it is spring.

2 – Tre and the little girl from across the street caught a butterfly in the front yard this afternoon. Now this charmed me on several fronts (brace yeself for sub-points) –

  • CAUGHT A BUTTERFLY! I MEAN! If you are not charmed by tw

    o children, cavorting gaily in the afternoon sun, catching butterflies in an empty strawberry container, well, you are dead inside.
  • It seems to me that there have been a LOT more butterflies this year. My ultra-scientific analysis (consisting of looking around and musing, "Hmmm. Seems like a lot of butterflies."), has led me to believe that the numbers of butterflies are NOT, as reported, actually dwindling, and that life on earth shall not die out for want of them. 

  • Because we got Max a butterfly kit for his birthday last year, I had on hand a butterfly house for their prey. I also knew that it was a painted lady butterfly, and how to feed it. I was, for one brief shining moment, the cool mom.

3 – Tonight at dinner I served salad containing LETTUCE FROM MY OWN GARDEN. It doesn’t matter how often I’ve served my family food I actually GREW, I am always amazed by it. Now, this lettuce was the actual lettuce that was buried under feet and feet of snow two weeks ago, so it was a bit…roughed up. Some would suggest that in spots it was a touch…leathery for lettuce. MOST of it was lovely. Crunchy and bright. And did I mention? FROM MY OWN GARDEN?

4 – Our back yard is simply inundated with birds. This is due to two factors, one being SPRING, the other being the fact that Max wanted to take a pocketful of birdseed to the bird world at the zoo last Sunday, and in his efforts to collect said seed from the birdfeeder, he spilled a good 75% of its contents on the ground. So. All the birds, freshly arrived from southern climes, are congregating in our yard, squabbling over damp, ground-dwelling birdseed. They make happy bird noises, which is delightful, even though they really aren’t happy, but being bad-tempered with each other in an attempt to CLAIM ALL SEED. Plus, Carmi (full-blooded mutt o’ love) has taken the job of scaring the birds on her substantially shedding shoulders. She spent much of the day racing back and forth in the yard, grinning like a loon (yes, she grins), snapping at birds that were miles away. She FELT very successful every time a bird took flight. Her joy could not have been fuller. Except maybe if Claire (our beautiful, stupid cat) would return Carmi’s love. Ah well.

So there you have it, clear evidence of spring. Doesn’t it just make you HAPPY?

Comments

Kitty

One of my baby moggies is discovering the joys of spring in the rampant chasing of geese and ducks. The problem is that unlike a dog, he knows that the geese are laughing at him from the safety of the river and does a tail-up mad frustrated dash back up to the house and proceeds to pounce (in a fighting kind of way you understand) my other baby moggy to release the tension. This releases a 2 headed, 8 pawed, 2 tailed, yowling fuzzball onto the unsuspecting neighbourhood!

Aimee

I live in San Diego, and we were treated to a painted lady migration a few weeks back. For days, they were just EVERYWHERE, and it was amazing. I'd be walking down the streets seeing 5 of 6 a minute, not even counting the ones whose shadows would flit back and forth across the sidewalk. And though I live in SD now, I grew up in much colder climes, and yes, butterflies definitely mean spring.

Jensgalore

Bees? BEES?! I love bees. I fantasize about having my own beehive someday. I want a hive almost as much as I lust after having my own garden. Someday, I will have a piece of property where I will have room to have a garden, and fruit and nut trees, and beehives. And a big house with a pantry. Maybe a goat or two. But no chickens. And LOTS OF BEES!

Bees are so cool.

RichieD

I forgot to mention it earlier, but Emma totally agrees - many more pretty butterflies this year! She also thinks there are more bees, and that she doesn't care for quite as much.

Kismet

Butterflies, what could be more perfect? Lucky.
~K!

Amy

I heard on the news that Spring is half over (I know that's not true but you would think GMA would know better) so while I'm happy that you're enjoying your Spring I am missing my daily dose of KiWords. Sigh.

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