Happy Birthday Lolly!

Her birthday is tomorrow, but we celebrated tonight. Can't believe she's already three. Enjoy the pictures and video. Happy Birthday sweet girl.

Of course, everyone else partied too. I probably shouldn't include this, but JAC is so happy to be doing something with the big kids, and the title of the book fits the other three so well. (click on the picture to enlarge it).

I have the camera from work, and it takes video with sound. I got to watch JAC this afternoon while the others went to a movie. Hope these come through all right. Sorry you hear more of me than you do of him, but he has the sweetest laugh in the first one, and you can hear the words he's trying to say in the second.

Things are starting to bloom. Just a few pictures of the garden I took this evening.

Botany 101

OK, spring has finally arrived! An update on the three plants I posted earlier

Definitely tulips, and I'm pretty sure they are the ones I planted, just didn't realize I'd planted them so close together.

These are as red as ever, but a few of them are sprouting these green things too. I'm still thinking it might be rhubarb. Anyone know what it looks like in the spring?

And yes, definitely daffodils, aren't there a ton of them?

I was out raking on Sunday afternoon and was chatting with one of my neighbors (Nancy, she of 4 dogs). She said that the garden was definitely the previous owners pride and joy, and that they were out there every day training the vine and doing odds and ends. Yikes! Every day! I know I won't be doing that. But still excited to find out what might be coming up. Nancy told me that there was a lilac bush (you can see the bottom of it behind the daffodils in the first picture below) and azaleas, (which I'm assuming are growing behind the second picture below). I asked her if she knew what kind of tree I had, and she said she couldn't remember, but that it had beautiful, huge white flowers in the spring, but just for a couple of days. I asked if maybe it was a magnolia, and she said, that sounded right. I didn't know magnolias grew in Minnesota, but this tree is thriving, and perfect for the kids to climb in. The last picture is of it's buds

More daffodils!

The shrubby thing is the azalea (I think). Any thoughts on what the green stuff might be?

My northern magnolia.

How to entertain a 1-year-old

I got to watch the kids on Saturday while A & T went to a book sale. We went to the park and had fun looking at the geese and ducks on the way. When we got back the three oldest were busy making forts upstairs. JAC had a lot of fun in the forts too, but when his fun started to get destructive, I brought him downstairs for a little popcorn fun. I've done this with all of the other three at about this age, so thought he'd like it too. And boy did he. He was entertained for almost 30 minutes and really did a good job of keeping the popcorn in the kitchen. He would have probably gone for another 30 minutes, if his older sister didn't happen to join in, and then there were too many sharing issues. I'm sorry these are so blurry. Almost didn't post them, but I think he's pretty cute even if you can't actually see him.

Spring Haiku

Long conversations

beside blooming irises –

joys of life on the road

First day of spring

I keep thinking about

the end of autumn.

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April is national poetry month. I know very little about poems, but I find I like some haiku. Perhaps because they are short enough to memorize, but probably mostly because they remind me of Japan. Reese, that first one was written by Basho most likely on his trip to the garden/temple at Hiraizumi that the Koizumi's took us to that August you came to visit.

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I especially like the second one. And I find myself quoting it (in my head mostly) rather often.

For me, the first day of fall, winter, and spring, all had me thinking about the end of May rather than the end of autumn, but so much of my life is spent like that. The first day of something I should be enjoying, but my thoughts and hopes are stuck on the next thing I either look forward to (May) or dread (the end of autumn and another long winter). I think I read somewhere that this was Basho's way of dwelling on death, but I don't have to take it that way do I?

How about you? Do you have a favorite haiku or poem of any kind? Please share

Big News!

From the "This Week at Mayo" released today

Mayo Clinic Store holds compression stockings sale
April 04, 2008
Vol. 18, No. 29

The Mayo Clinic Store in the Siebens Subway offers compression stockings from several top manufacturers. Check out the many colors and styles available. Now through the end of April, the Mayo Clinic Store has compression stockings on sale. When you buy two pairs, you’ll get a third pair of equal or lesser value free.