We played

We had a beautiful weekend. Not only did we celebrate Easter but we enjoyed the warm, sunny weather. The weather was very warm for this time of year (in the 80’s) but you won’t hear any complaints from us. We enjoyed the sunshine, the warm breeze, the grass under our feet. Ah! It has been a long time since I have been able to open the windows and let the fresh air flow through our house.

We played. We played in the dirt as I am trying to rid my one flower garden of a ground cover. To do that, it is necessary to remove the roots of this ground cover. So with shovel in hand, I dig, and our children dig through to find those roots. We put them all in a bucket and move around the garden. I think we did a thorough job so far but time will provide that proof of our efforts. Our son also collected worms as he enjoys fishing in our lower pond.

One activity leads to another. We played in the water. Fishing poles, worms and a place to sit – that was all we needed to go fishing. He caught around 12 fish and he was happy. He could fish all day if we would sit on the bank with him. He doesn’t need help with baiting the hook or removing the fish so I sit and we talk. It is a nice time for casual conversation.













All this activity tends to take us inside. Fresh air seems to affect a persons’ appetite. That or our children are experiencing a growth spurt! We eat quick lunches but we prepare for our Easter celebration. A little bit of this and a little of that, and we are on our way to creating a tasty pie. With the leftover pie dough, our son creates an individual apple pie. Oh so yummy! With little assistance from me, our daughter follows the recipe and creates a delicious three-layer no-bake dessert. She does a great job and when she is unsure, she calls for me.

Meanwhile, I play in the water – dish duty for mom!

No Vacancy

Our little red barn is full! It no longer houses our lawn tractor, lawn chairs and other miscellaneous items that we store in it over the winter months. After being swept clean again before putting down shavings and straw, filling the feeder and cleaning out and filling the water buckets, we set them free.


Our three little pigs in their new home! Meet Buck, Buttons and Spottie. This is our third year raising pigs. They are adorable! Especially when they have a clump of mud stuck on their pink little snout. They love to rut and run around kicking up their feet.

This is their third week with us and they are getting more comfortable with us getting in the pen with them. They have developed a taste for the fresh, green grass we pick for them and feed them. They also like to nibble on our boots, knees, clothing – you have to be aware of where they are and what they are doing.

Yesterday we had to corral them into their barn. I became a vet for 15 minutes. While John held them, I swabbed behind an ear and administered one shot to each pig. (They have very thick skin). The kids did not like the squealing so our daughter ran to the swing set. Our little big guy was my assistant, handing me the cotton balls and bottle of rubbing alcohol, until it was time for his pig to get the shot. He left because he said he could not watch.

One, two, three and they were all out running in their yard, enjoying the sunshine.