Digging Out and Digging In

It sure hasn't been the spring we planned. But we're poking along. (If you missed the post on Rick's surgical update, it's here.)

I suppose I shouldn't complain that it seems to be taking its own sweet time in arriving -- or at least, sticking around for more than a day or two. We've had big snows in April (in fact, we woke up to a snow-covered yard and trees heavy with clumps of white yesterday morning and though it melted by afternoon, more is predicted this weekend.) Spring feels sorely needed, for my psyche, if nothing else. I often think of looking across the lake from my porch, blue skies, blue water, warm temps. This can't last forever. That said, we do have our now-and-then blue-sky days and I took a walk down to the ditch on one of them.

There was no sign of Harry, but the geese are out in force!

They stocked the pond with a new batch of fish -- at least, I presume so.

The water isn't nearly so clear as it was in the Cotswolds!

I'm doing my best to keep Rick reasonably comfy and well fed. During the time leading up to the surgery he gained a lot of independence, able to sit more hours and work, even play the guitar a bit. One day he walked about six blocks and back with his crutches for his pre-op blood tests. He wasn't even wearing his boot all that much and the night before surgery, baked bread. It's hard to keep a good man down. That all changed when the doc read him the riot act -- leg up, boot on. He's behaving! (Pain aids in the behavior part, too, unfortunately.)  The Marx Brothers help; so do our wonderful friends!

I'm doing my best to practice self-care in a variety of ways that range from cleaning the cupboards in the kitchen to poking wool to painting.  Before I "moved" over to Rick's, I was getting out the spring dishes and thought, "I wonder if I can pick up some counter space by using that hard-to-reach cupboard for some not-so-often things." It was one of those really icky cleaning things, since it's never opened. (You'd think, since it was never opened, it wouldn't be so bad!) After a good scrub down and a lot of pitching of things it got filled with -- vinegar!

I found (in another cupboard) 18 bottles of vinegar. Champagne, rice, ginger infused, balsamic, cider, red wine, white wine, malt, blueberry. Some was relatively new, some -- well, we won't go there. Google says vinegar has a forever shelf life, but I bid farewell to some of it and put one of each (and two of the blueberry vinegar) in my newly cleaned cupboard. They're stacked two or three deep but I can still get at them.

I overbought flowers for the house. I couldn't help it. I needed the color. Ranunculus, primroses, daffs and tulips. They're all dead now but it worked for awhile.

I "Eastered-up" my hutch and still have to bring out the egg tree. At the moment I have no idea where I'll put it. Maybe this year it will take a break and I'll follow one of the beautiful bloggers I saw posting last week and put the eggs in a vase (I only wish I could remember which so I could link you!) First world problems.

I have been trying to paint most days. Life is good when you put on a "Midsomer Murders" or "Death in Paradise" and start to paint! I took on one of my favorite scenes from Massachusetts here...

...and turned a calendar painting from last year's Metropolitan Museum of Art into this.

And I've done a few cards, too, some of which you may have seen on this post on caregiving/Rick update. A couple of these may end up being notecards for the Gypsy Caravan in the future.

And yes, poking wool too. I promised you a visit from Girl Bunny. Here she is.

And with her beau, Sad Bunny. (These names are as bad as the ones I named my kittens when I was five -- Blackie, Whitey and Pansy. Bet you can't possibly guess what they looked like!)

My good friend Maryanne sent me a wonderful little kit of Wool Buddy penguins. These little guys make me smile.

So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! And now, to the basement to bring up a few springy dishes. That'll help! And speaking of sticking, I'm doing a pretty good job of not over-poking myself with the needle! Here's a little flop-eared fellow!

And a few more felties here! The sheep and bunny yard!

And of course, my favorite redbirds!

I leave you with a spot of yellow to brighten up these erratic days of spring!

Up the primrose path!

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