Thursday

This is why my friend wanted eggs. I made 6. I just looked at a picture. Made the yolk bigger on one, so I just made the entire egg bigger. 

Astrid has another pretty tulip blooming.

Everyday when Ada gets home she gets a healthy snack and does her homework. She’s practicing for her spelling test. I bet it’s on Friday. Ours were then. Point has a d, but Erin checks and she corrects her mistakes. The words seem pretty tough for Grade one. She’s staying between the lines better. 

Astrid set up an outside table and Piper tried it out. She thinks she’s a person!

 

Finally Finished

Finally, I finished the pink baby blanket. I’m working on a granny square one now. I was glad to get the pink one completed.

Another friend wants these eggs. She wants to pay, but I can’t take money for my work.
 

Another friend sent me a picture of her Spanish Bluebells. They make mine look scrawny!

Last Day of March

Mowing all the dead grass from Galla Meadow let the green push through. 

The Dogwoods are blooming. Easter comes early this year. I spy the nail holes and His bloom on the bloom.

Sigrid was officially 21 yesterday so Logan and she went to a restaurant and she ordered an alcoholic drink. To her disappointment they didn’t ask for proof of her age.  She must look 30.

 

March 30

Bluebells are blooming💙 they’re of the asparagus family. The ones I have are Spanish Bluebells. 

Bluebells are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. If you dig up a wild bluebell you can be heavily fined. Ants help to spread bluebell seeds. It takes several years for a native bluebell seed to grow into a bulb. Bees and butterflies enjoy bluebell’s pollen and nectar. Sometimes they ‘steal’ it by biting a hole in the top of the flower. Folklore says that bluebells ring at daybreak to call fairies to the woods. The bulbs contain a starch that was used to make glue long ago. Gum from the roots was used to glue feathers to arrows and in bookbindings. Bluebell juice was said to cure snake bites, but is chemically very potent and can be toxic in large doses.

Ada insisted on wearing her yellow dress and hat to church. She had to wear a sweater!

Sigrid had a wonderful time with her lifelong friends. It was chilly in DC.

Special desserts and dining each evening planned by Ellie.

How are these hearts created….amazing.

Sigrid is back at the grind at UAMS this morning. Her real birthdate is today. From now until April 7, three of my grand girls were born—Sig, Ada, and Astrid!

 

Big Bash

 

Ada came for an early birthday celebration. I got all the things she said she wanted~~yellow dress, Barbie clothes, and (thanks to Shirlene Smith Van Winkle) even a real guitar. Auntie Laura crafted a pillow filled with Julie B. Jones books.  April 6th is her true birthday♥️ big seven ♥️

This is how I can mess up baking a cake—even a box mix. Ada’s not crazy about cake. So I thought I’ll make the mandarin orange cake with the pudding frosting in heart shape.  I had a 9 inch square and round, but wanted the 8 inch so the heart would fit on a large cake plate. At 7 Saturday I went to Wally World. They had an 8 inch round, but only a throw away 8 inch square. I got that and when I poured the batter in the flimsy tin, I could hardly pick it up. I sat it down in a glass 9 inch I had. The round cooked fine, but when I turned the square cake out the center was runny.  I guess the thick glass messed up the cooking time. I was able to salvage it by putting it back in the oven. What a mess I can make of a simple process. 

Saturday

The sky was really pretty dressed in pink early this morning. The sun was coming up and in a few minutes the light had chased it all away. Made me hopeful that light will over come darkness. Love will overcome hate!

Astrid can still let her fowl free range. Mine have to stay in the pen. Not a blade of grass. Sometimes I pull grass for them.

 Ferguson is one of Astrid’s outside cats. He’s a pretty boy.

I am making Ada’s cake. I’ve made an 8 inch square and a round. Said to cook 30 minutes. I cooked it 35. The square was raw in the middle when I turned it out. I’ve got in back in the oven. I can mess up anything. Ada won’t be here til 4. So I have time to clean a bit and hopefully salvage the cake. At 2:00 Erin has to pick up Clayton from work at Walmart. Greta has a soccer game at 10 this morning. Greta passed her written driving test yesterday. In October she’ll be 16 and will be able to drive alone. Young families are busy. Greg is doing a gun show. My life dull and slow.

Deep Cleaning

Every spring Eric and Laura give their house a bath. They spray beach and soapy water and then power wash the siding. We have yellow pollen. I think it’s oak. Then they live near a dusty road. Plus a green algae grows on the white siding. A good washing makes it all clean and wite again. It’s not a little task and they work hours over several days. 

I’m going to Kroger this morning. Ada is coming tomorrow. I must make a cake. I’m nervous about it as much of my cooking is a complete failure.😣 

 

Thursday

I mowed yesterday. It took hours and was mostly weeds that I cut. Some weeds have pretty blooms, but now the grass can grow. My first mowing last year was April 12. We need rain badly. Not much chance but maybe we’ll get lucky. This year I’m going to mow half get off the mower and walk around. Yesterday, I had a glass of tea, then I mowed the rest. Because of the severe arthritis in my knees when I sit for hours without getting up, I almost can’t walk at all when I stand. I could mow half one day and the other half the next day.

Sigrid wanted to spend her birthday with her dear friend Ellie. Ellie is in Washington DC. She is working there. She graduated from College early, in December. Her plan is to go to law school, but first she’s going to work. Ellie’s father is a lobbyist. Sigrid flew there and will stay a couple of nights. The airport thing had us worried but she arrived with no problems.

After mowing I got a big reward, Eric cooked me a steak. I saved half for tonight. It was delicious. I love asparagus. Laura fixed that I’m sure and new potatoes.

Ada is coming Saturday to celebrate her 7th birthday. 
 

Hump Day

Astrid has hatched a batch of little chickens. I can almost hear them chirping. It’s a lot of work getting them to adult size. Many will be roosters too. But chickens age out fast and your flock needs to be replenished.  She still has pretty tulips. The cold did not get them. She covered them either a sheet.

Little bluets are springing up in the yard. The little wild flowers are also called Quaker Ladies. I’m taking my truck this morning for 2 new tires. I have a bag of stuff to do as I wait. We are going to have a nice day with high above 80 degrees.

 

Mowing Time

Logan and Astrid mowed both our pastures. All the brown dead grass is gone. If we can get a rain it’ll really turn green. It was pretty hot and the blowing dead grass and dust made Astrid a little sick. She doesn’t stay down long though. Logan is in the picture too. He’s farther away and difficult to see.

It was so sunny Sunday. I washed my guilt my Grandmother Powell made me when I graduated from high school… 1968. 

Yesterday and today it’s cooler, but tomorrow we are to have about an 80 degree day. 

Justin and Ing headed back to Alabama this morning. Safe traveling for them. 

 

Celebrate

We celebrated Sigrid’s  birthday yesterday. She will be 21 in a week. I gave her a chair for her little desk. She has to study a lot. I hope her 21st year is filled with love and happiness.

I was married when I turned 21. I had an accounting job at Entergy. I had graduated from college 6 months before in December. Not many teaching jobs available then. My 21st year was filled with firsts. We bought our first house. I found my first job teaching. Sig says she plans to live near us all again. I wanted to go “home” too. It never happened. Now, I’m glad I did not move back to where I grew up. Life unfolds and we live it.