Spring visits

We have had a couple of nice visits to III in April. The wildflowers are blooming, the daytime temperatures are warmer, the trees are leafing out and it is nice! Last weekend, Himself presented me with great huge bunches of wild Bluebells. The patches are as big as double garages, vivid purple, and this past weekend, the aroma wafted through the trees on the "bottom" and sweetened the air. Miss Gabrielle, visiting, was asked each time she went on a 4-wheeler ride, did you see the blue bells? "yes", she would nod. Did you hear them ring? And she learned to answer, yes; yes, she did.

This is our third Spring at III and the first that we found the Bluebells. That seems to say that each season, each year, will bring new, lovely surprises.

Both weekends were relaxing with no major projects. There is always some pruning and tree cutting to do, sweeping out and dusting in the cabin. The evenings are still cool enough we need a little fire in the woodstove but this time, we didn't need it until about 3:30 a.m. Himself claimed I had taken all the covers so he crawled out of bed in the wee hours, started a small fire and had the cabin warm and cozy in just a short time.

Gabrielle and Joey washed rocks for their Nana and begged for 4-wheeler rides. One more ride, mid afternoon, and Joe would have been napping on the front of the 4-wheeler! He loves those rides.

Both weekends, I walked and walked, looking for the elusive morel. South hillsides, damp areas, dead elms, I checked them all but not one mushroom did I find. Well, that just gives me something to look forward to. I crawled through timber, under brush, waded ditches, met brambles and thorns and grass and trees and did not see a tick. Craig arrived from Kansas City, hit the ground and walked to the pond where he threw in a fishing line and had the first tick of the season. He is good at finding ticks, now if he could learn to find the mushrooms. Or fish!

Next weekend visit, we will erect the new shower, gift of Ron. It will be "shower season" as the days are warmer and since the first tick has been found. Thank you, brother Ron!

I did see a couple of grasshoppers this weekend. It is way too early for grasshoppers; they usually show up in late summer. Himself was amazed at the number of wasps there are this year. I said, you have done away with the carpenter bees and perhaps this has let the wasps into this territory. You, Himself, have changed the ecological balance and now will be fighting hoards of wasps! and you probably caused global warming too! the other side

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