Earth Day

so i have finally come around to my long awaited resolution to compost.
we bought a bucket with charcoal filter.
we bought a recycled plastic compost bin.
we put it all together.
and now we fill it up.
right now, its a fun project, and the worms are happily munching away.
by fall, we hope to be able to fuel out soil before we till it all under for the winter.


a special thanks to R, who helped with the building from a kit
and the gave me moral support to paint my garden stone.
well, she took pictures, too.
but its always nice to be cheered on in life.
i guess that's what friends are for.

fresh: self portrait

fresh cut grasses
just smelling them means spring.

for other fresh ideas, click here.

the garden planting: year two

tilled soil.
fresh air.
sunshine and sunscreen.
dogs romping.
good friend helping.
footprints in the soil.
dirty bare feet.
patches of green.
cool breezes.
new kneepads.
sore muscles.
water bringing life.
tomatoes. cilantro. basil.
beets. green onions. lettuce.
spinach. squash. zucchini.
cucumbers. watermelon. parsley.

"To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves." Gandhi

simple gifts

conferences can test a teacher's capacity for handling stress.

i survived my day with
regular coffee
sliced oranges
a beautiful bouquet of flowers
ibuprofen
chinese food
a coke
and a simple gift of fresh asparagus.

its the little things that keep me going.

Happiness

its been a while since i have really reflected
and taken a moment to think about
what i am grateful for.
today, it is:

• a job that leaves me with a little energy at the end of every day
• spring blooming all around me
  
• an amazing husband who gives me gifts just to make me feel beautiful and loved
• baby showers with good food and friends
• the excitement of a friend bringing new life into this world... soon...
• rows of colorful fabrics
  
• finishing a painfully difficult unit on fractions
  
• the earth warming underneath my feet
• eating 5 fruits and veggies a day
  
• accepting a summer job that will keep me active and out of trouble... and my pocket a little fuller
  
• more projects coming to life
• impending visits from friends and family
  
• green, green, green
  
• cute-alicious dogs that make me smile every time i look at them
• work-outs that burn
• movie nights curled up on the couch with jalapeno pizza
• concerts in the week ahead
  
• a successful fundraiser, when all was said and done, with over $1500 donated to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, by my class
• colorful windsocks in the wind
  
• music and laughter
  

Dogsitting, again

the dogs have made good friends with our good friend's dog, lula.
she was here dogsitting while we were in CO and took these photos.
this week-end she's back staying with us.


lula and easton are only 2 months apart
so they play like the crazy puppies that they are.
mollie only tries to keep up, poor old lady.


sometimes they share,
sometimes not...


but breaks in play are very uncommon...
there's a hush now as they chew on new rawhides,
but i am sure that the peace is only momentary.


and then of course, there's mealtime.
ahhhh.....

Skiing

some of our happiest times have been spent in this white stuff.
this is love.
right here.

Laughter

does it get any better than this
pure
joy?

Happy Birthday, Lover!

Today you turn 37.

What a wonderful day we've had
eating breakfast out with extra pancakes
opening gifts and games to play
napping and cuddling
easting cake and ice cream
dinner out with gift certificates
cards and notes and calls from your family
and to finish the day right,
a contra dance here in town
sweating and laughing and swinging our partners.

Ridin' with the little man

meet aiden.
he'd like to show you his motorcyle.
he'll show you how fast he can go (not too fast yet as he is stuck in first gear).


he'll let you ride it, too, if you want.

uncle todd had fun talking dirt bikes
and fixing the bike up a bit
and trying to teach, or maybe convince, aiden that you need to look where you're going
when aiden's response was simply "why?"

he was boogery and teary from the wind in his face
making his daddy proud.