The Effects of Winter Still Evident

Anyone who has been to our house, or walked past it, will keenly remember the rambling rose bush with deadly sharp branches which grew over 30 feet long. We planted it the first summer we lived in the house. This past winter was too much for the old dear and every branch froze solid. This spring, when everything else burst with greenery, the rose branches slowly turned black and brittle. After hoping and hoping that it was just "late" this year I finally faced reality and started snipping off the dead branches. It took three weeks and filled 10 leaf bags. Here it the now empty archway at the edge of our yard. The plant's roots are actually alive and as I worked I uncovered more and more saplings which were straining to grow through the thickets. They have clear run now. As God is my witness, I will train these branches more diligently than I did the last ones. No more will our neighbors swear a blue streak when they walk past our house at dusk and get their face and hair clawed raw by this bush. One long and winding arm of a branch was bent down to the ground last fall. A huge heap of rotting leaves lay across it all winter. By spring it had set out roots and was doing fine. Since it was in the middle of the yard (which is not an ideal place for this giant octopus of a plant), I dug it up and planted it in the backyard. It's been a week now and is still looking rather fine.

Filling the pool

What a day! Since his birthday Frederick has been noticing the lack of pool in the backyard. In the past few years, we have always set up the pool on the morning of his birthday. But until just a few days ago nighttime temperatures have been in the low 40s so there didn't seem to be much point in setting it up. Finally this week has warmed up (almost a bit TOO warm) so we promised to set it up the day after the school year ended. As soon as the water got to be about 3 inches deep, Frederick stood outside and watched it slowly fill up. HOURS later, it was finally full enough to get in. It was VERY cold:

Today was also grandma's birthday so we all went over for snacks and cake. Before the party, Thomas drove me (!) to Bordine's to pick something out for a present. I saw many lovely plants which I thought were very nice (hint, hint) but he rejected them all ("Too pink." "Too purple." "The leaves are too skinny." "The petals are too ripply.") until he finally saw the plant of his dreams, a very strange, dark green, flowerless tropical plant that looks like it would be at home on a Dr. Who set--THAT was the thing he had to gift. We made it there and back without too much drama. The only exciting moment was when we neared the nursery and were enjoying having the entire road to ourselves until we came over the top of a hill and saw in front of us a bicyclist wobbling side to side between the road shoulder to halfway into the right hand lane (our lane) and a double-wide bus roaring along, going about twice the speed limit, taking up the entire oncoming traffic lane. Thomas was presented with either either running down "The Bike Dude" or avoiding him and driving straight into "The Big-Ass Bus". Paralyzed with fear he hit the brakes and we screeched to a complete stop. He waited for the bus to pass and then gunned it, careening around the bicyclist.

Goodbye Valley School

Friday was Frederick's last day ever: Thus endeth an association that lasted through two boys, 9 years and 4 separate locations.

First lake swim of the new year

It was pretty hard getting in, but once in, we swam the length of the beach. It was packed with holidayers (this being Memorial Day Weekend) but comparatively few in the water. (I heard on the radio no more than a couple of weeks ago that 40% of the Great Lakes were still iced over from the record winter.) We need to work up to swimming across the lake, though. And we also need to work on our beach bodies - Frederick shows the signs of a potato-filled winter. As I'm in charge of the camera, you don't get to see if I do...

Spring sights

In For-Mar, of course: A goose family and their new gosling Turtle, turtle, turtle, turtle, duck.

Frederick is 11!!

Today was the perfect day for an outdoor birthday party: clear blue skies, not too hot, not too cold. Once we were ready and the guests had arrived, Frederick knew exactly what to do. Grandma is sneaking around in our hedges. Very suspicious.The latest party items available from Target. Last year it was streamers. But no streamers to be found for love or money this year.Present opening is serious business.Grandma and Pretzel enjoy the festivities.

More of the birthday....

After opening one very promising looking book, Frederick went back into the house, settled into his favorite chair, and relaxed.Here he shows Simon the good bits.It is a REALLY good book Emily and Ava showed up with a REALLY BIG BOX!!!

and the birthday goes on...

What could it be? Yea! A garden gnome! Just what we all wanted! Apparently his name is Skivver. Frederick has been very, very interested in muffins lately. So I made little cake muffins (gf, of course). Ava grabbed a green balloon and was not about to let it go.A trampoline only makes things better.Another Birthday comes to an end.The observant reader may notice the absence of our larger offspring, Thomas. He came down (but hid off to the side) for a few minutes and then retreated back up to his room (or "lair") to do "more important things." Then, later, we were blessed with his presence when he came back downstairs to (1) gripe about the lack of non-gf cakes and (2) eat all remaining gf cakes. That's Thomas for you.