Winter, After All

I had pretty happily, although prematurely, almost given up on winter, with those nice mid-fifty degree days and the not-needing of scarves, but I guess that's over now. We were talking about what it would be like to live in a place where it is always temperate. I wondered if I would become 'overly content' with no change of seasons. Would I forget to be grateful for all the lovely various days? Would I miss the brownness of Pennsylvania winter and the need to take an evening bath from October to April? Or would my days slide from one to the other, making time go faster or slower?

For now I am glad to be marooned in my little house, taking care of some projects I have been putting off for a long time. A long stretch of days off from work...like nine days in a row...feels much needed and delightful.

My Ideal Self?

do you notice how much lower the sun is from start to finish? this was a long hike at first estimated to be about an hour but stretched long into the fall of afternoon. 

Weekend Post

Some pictures from the weekend... 

fun with smoke bombs!

things get mysterious, wooo

and yellow, 

and orange

strange

L. is going in

the morning times 

deciding to have a yard sale to make money to buy a new doll, and standing on one foot apparently helps  with the decision-making process

cowgirl 

lovely morning in the sun

p considers the barn

through the looking glass...really, taken through the bathroom window, not bad eh?

summer's on for sure!

amazing hibiscus! 

We Took A Mother's Day Trip to the Woods

It was great. Both of my super-duper awesome kids, the woods, and a beautiful day. We conquered the calf-burning start of the trail and then got to the good stuff, with one kid sprinting ahead and the other one looking for bugs and forest cucumbers (I think you will know who is who). There were just enough teaberries to go around and plenty of opportunity for sprinting. Little one started talking about her dreams and also nightmares, which she claims to have every night, and then she said, "the worst one of all is when the vampire tries to eat Scooby-Dooby-Doo," which made everyone crack up. That is just the coolest, that the worst bad dream ever has a cartoon dog in it. I think everyone had a good time floating under the canopy of the green tunnel and talking about future hikes. We ended up at a great AT shelter with flowers, it really has flowers! As noted above the mountain laurel is also almost in bloom. It was a perfect day, 5.2 miles of loveliness.