Time

When I worked, the weeks flew by. I had a predictable and set routine. Each week had the same rhythm, the same pace. Life cycled as each semester at the university passed the same, year after year after. And it was a comfortable routine.

Now, the weeks continue to fly by, but with little routine to them. Little predictability. We fussed about January being boring, a month where little happens. February shaped up the same way. We have had real winter now for weeks on end, and frankly we are beginning to get a little tired of the pattern these days: Sunshine warms us. We begin to get hopeful that Spring will soon make her grand entrance. Then Snow decided that she must return, sometimes with a vengeance, sometimes just more as annoyance. Wind, not to be left out, roars in, letting us know that she rules the world. So we wait and wait and wait and wait for Spring to get up enough nerve to step her dainty foot in the garden. With the snow gone and a bit warmer temperatures, the girls came to play.

The Week in Review:

A day spent with horses, kids and dogs is the best.

While Pop is kid-safe, the girls want a ride on the wild side atop Sundance under the careful guidance of mom.

  

 Boone continues to grow bigger and stronger. He is a wild child, chewing on everything from my socks to my bare feet. He still cannot be trusted to be off leash.

Boone has already met the horses. They new Max, so they are comfortable with dogs, but Boone, as badly mannered as he is now, requires close supervision.

Look what Lucy found. The girls are laying again, perhaps because the days are getting longer. They have redeemed themselves. This week I have seen two news stories about the number of chickens ending up in rescue because chicken owners discover that chickens are, well, just chickens.

I spent Monday with Lucy. She wanted to learn how to sew, so I started her on bits of material with dotted lines for her to practice learning how to use a needle and thread. She stuck with it for a good while, trying very hard to get her stitches even.

The painting continues. It has been a big job with high ceilings and lots of crown molding and chair rail.  I love the color. but I am stumped at what color to do below the chair rail. I like the white, but I want more contrast. The weather really is warming, so Bridgett will have less time to paint for me as the roofing business takes off. Can you imagine this petite woman wrangling sheets of metal roofing and bales of shingles?

A bit of magic. I have enjoyed my gazing ball all winter as it loads up with snow.

There are daffodils here some place beneath the frozen blanket of snow, along with hyacinths and tulips.

And here. New ones planted last fall. Can't wait to see them.

Here, too.

While snow covers everything, falling silently, leaving a crystal blanket, Wind roars in full of fury, dragging in a bunch of junk with her. I will have to wear gloves to remove this "Do not cross this line." At least it wasn't crime scene tape. In fact, I will have to walk the fences to pick up paper and plastic that Wind left behind. We joke around here about Wind, saying we live too close to Wyoming where the wind blows all of the time.

As February comes to a close, we anxiously await March. Here in these parts, March is our snowiest month, usually with heavy, wet snow that can do a lot of damage to trees and power lines. The mountains, as a Colorado mountain rancher stated on the radio, have the most snow that they have had in 25 years. The reservoirs are full, so when the spring run-off begins, he says there will be major flooding again since there isn't anywhere to store the excess water. We could be in for a wild spring.

No great plans for the week end. I hope you have good plans. Thank you for your lovely comments.