Spring, glorious Spring!

Wow--what a gorgeous week of weather we are having. Even the thundershowers throughout the day yesterday were pristine. Suddenly, everything is GREEN! This past weekend we were looking at the mountain across the lake from us commenting that it still looked an awful (and awful) lot like Fall. All the leaves popped out in the past two days, and it looks magnificent.



Our yard is looking pretty magnificent as well. The new section of driveway looks so much better. There is much more light in the house with the extraneous trees removed. We invited the neighbors to firewood and mulch, so that helped to clean up the after-mess. We have a whole new section of beautiful top-soil for more gardening at the top of the driveway, as they Bob-catted the scrubby woods section at the back of the garage. Aidan is starting pumpkin and melon seeds to put up there next to/as part of the compost pile.

In the garden now are onions, peas, cabbage and green/wax beans. Ready to go into the garden are sweet peppers (all colors), banana peppers, some basic tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, beets and squash. I did mention our garden was 4 times bigger this year? I need to remember to stop out at the organic place and get some more specialty tomatoes too. Hopefully we won't have that horrible blight problem again. Other green things, planted in bins for the season: carrots, mescalin, spinach, 3 kinds of lettuce, kale, radishes and many herbs. It was so cute! The guy who did our driveway was amazed that we could grow our own vegetables. He couldn't get over it. He and his girlfriend just bought a condo, so I think I will make them a planter pot with some stuff in it so he can too.

It is tempting with this weather, as usual, to want to get out there and plant the whole space, but I should know better that we will have a couple more frosty periods before it stays warm for good. Dad is tempted too, but impressed upon me to wait until May 20th! :) (Thanks Dad!)

Now that we have friends who own chickens, and are willing to share, I am starting to tease/nag Scott to build me a chicken coop. That new space behind the garage would be very nice for that! :) (I love to say the word "chickens!" because it gets Dad excited and mom freaking out....)
hahahahahahaha

My big teaching job is done now, and I am back to call-in subbing. No break for me yet, I am booked all this week already and most of next. This is teacher appreciation week, so there are all kinds of treats to enjoy.

In the meantime, I am trying to get my sewing room organized for "Operation Hoodie". I was out there this weekend sewing, but it was mostly just fun stuff for me and the girls. I am making us all Summer dresses for our various events. This weekend Scott's daughter Kennedi has her first communion, and it is Mother's Day. In a few weeks Susie has a piano competition and right after that we are attending Scott's nephew Andrew's high school graduation in Baltimore. I made four dresses this weekend, but couldn't get one done for Susie because we grabbed the wrong sized pattern.

Dan talked to me for the longest time on the phone last night. It was AWESOME. He doesn't always talk--that is hard for a six year old to grasp--so I cherished it. I got to hear about all kinds of things he is doing. He is really into some kind of new toy--and I can't remember what it was. Some kind of construction set that you can add-on to. Susie is getting ready to go to Piano Guild, and is going through state testing this week. Susie continues to advance in gymnastics, and seems to still enjoy going. Alannah and I landed lucky tickets to see The Blue Man Group in Boston this past weekend with the music department. It was a fun day. Scott and Aidan went fishing and out to dinner.

One of the men who works at the high school with me, come to find out, is a good friend of our friends Donovon and Wendy. He and his wife Michelle live just up the road from us and have two boys Susie and Dan's ages--just like Donovon. He invited us up during the Summer to swim and ride on their Go Kart track through the woods. Dan will think he died and went to heaven with all these BOYS around!!!! That is the other Scott news--he sent the motor out to be re-built for the new go-kart.... its all over now! :)

We definitely are going to Ocean City for a few days in June. We have our beach condo. I am so excited! I haven't been to the (ocean) beach for a long time. I wish we could go for longer than 5 days, but this way we maybe can hit Disney later in the year again.

OK--time to get back to class. (And grab a cookie before hand from the teacher's room!)

Enjoy!