stair step forest

Last fall we discovered one of my new favorite places on planet earth. It's a little county park, just a mile from our house. We had driven by for years (literally) before we finally ventured down the steps. I wrote about how we were there for the first time at the very moment my friend Mama J took her last earthly breath. And then we visited again when the leaves were falling so quickly it was as if we were caught in Times Square on New Years Eve. The leaves were like confetti fall around us.

It was on that visit that I ran into a woman while walking back up the stairs and said to her, "this place is magical." And she asked if I had seen it in the springtime yet. She said that in the spring the floor of the forest is covered in white flowers so that it looks like snow. It doesn't last but a few days, so be sure not to miss it.

Well you can imagine my anticipation all winter long. I can't imagine they stay in bloom for very long and I don't want to miss it. I thought about leaving my number on the sign up front, begging for a phone call when the flowers were blooming, but then I realized I just need to do my own investigating. So on Saturday we went and found lots of green, and just a few blooms. Then tonight (writing this on Wednesday night) we went again and found many more blooms. But I have a feeling the real show will be this weekend. Maybe early next week. And I can't wait.

Until then, I have pulled out my wildflower guide and am now adding wild flowers into the mix of discovery along with song birds. I'm not sure what is happening, but this spring God has my full attention. I am hearing things like I just got new hearing aids. And I am seeing things like I just got my first pair of glasses. The world feels so alive to me, and I'm so grateful for these heightened senses.

Learning wildflower names always reminds me of the time my Grandpa Phil took my cousin Sarah and I out on a hike in the desert when we were in 7th grade. He pointed out every flower and told us each name. And then we came to a patch of white flowers and he looked and said, "I haven't see that one before. I don't know what it is." And Sarah and I looked at each other because we knew...it was someone's popcorn they had spilled. Oh we laughed later. And Grandpa had cataract surgery soon after.

april at the grovestead

+My wake up walks continue to be an awesome addition to my day. I love how instantly grateful these walks make me feel. Grateful for bird songs, grateful for the grass that is getting greener every day, grateful for lilac buds. I start my day filled to overflowing with gratitude and that's the best part of these walks.

 +Rory is back in his office. This makes for a very fun destination when we need to go find an adventure. Except for the time I sent both kids out there to say hello and he was on an important phone call.

 +The chicks are in the garage! There is no cover on their cage and thankfully all cats seem disinterested. But I am so grateful to have access to my downstairs bathroom again! The smell was keeping this pregnant woman from utilizing that bathroom which is tricky when this pregnant woman has a baby sitting on her bladder all day long.

 +This lovely weather has brought back lots of farm walks to check on everything. Our apple trees look great after a long winter. Unfortunately our second hive of honey bees did not survive the winter. Our bee keeping friend inspected the hive and was happy to report there was no foul brood or other signs of disease. It seems the queen didn't survive and without her, the hive would slowly die out. We will try again this year, eager to continue to grow our own bee-keeping knowledge.

 +Ivar got a new set of wheels! Auntie Lisa brought this bike over yesterday after she cleaned out her garage. The tread on those wheels were made for the country! Ivar can ride it on the gravel, on the grass and even in our field. He loves it so much.

 +It's time for this barn to come down. We're looking into all sorts of options for the barn wood, but I think we're all ready. It's pretty, it makes for charming pictures, but it's not super safe and it's just time.

+Rory is in full swing, dreaming up the plans for the summer ahead, sketching out the next projects, making many visits to Menards each week. At one point this winter he told me that he didn't think this spring and summer would be nearly as busy as the last few years, and that made me laugh a bit. So far, he is busier and has bigger plans than ever. It makes for a full and exciting life. :)

 +Our farm cats have been quite cooperative with our kids. I find it pretty remarkable. In this game, our kids kept stuffing Thomas the cat into the mobile chicken coop, closing the door and then opening it and watching him shoot out like a rocket. They laughed so hard every time he would shoot out of that little door. And the cat kept letting himself be caught. I would have felt badly for the cat, but he's a cat. He can run, climb trees, hiss, scratch and run away. And since he never did any of those things, the game continued.

kid quotes

There are some words I refuse to correct, because they are so cute to me.
These are Ivar's:

            -He calls the remote control a camote untroll

            -And a permanent marker is called a provident marker

            -When we drive by Buck Hill (a ski hill we drive by occasionally) he'll yell, "It's Ski Ball Mountain!"

            -Today he started calling our woods the Spooky Branches Forest

            -He'll yell, "It's the PBS man!" when the UPS guy drives up to our house

And these are Elsie's:
Big Softy = the big blue bathrobe Elsie sleeps with along with Pinky, her pink blanket

She'll ask, "Mommy, can you scramble this?" when she wants me to open up a plastic egg for her

When I put Elsie down for bed she says, "and now you go have a sucker with daddy?"

When Elsie doesn't want to do something or feels sad she tells us, "I'm feeling a little tender."

When Elsie knows she's in trouble with her dad she'll start crying, "Daddy! I am feeling a little worried!!"

the FUN to-do list

Friday night I was sitting on the couch thinking through my Saturday. I was supposed to go with my dad to a writing seminar, but we had gone on Friday which suddenly left my Saturday wide open. I started making a list: sort through kids clothes, tackle the laundry, hit the kitchen, put Easter decorations away.

I sat there a little longer and thought about how I wanted to try making pot stickers. So I wrote that down. And how I would love to spend time reading a book.

It was then that I started a brand new to-do list. I decided I would only write things that I actually wanted to do. Things that would feel restorative. So I wrote the list above and went to bed so excited for my Saturday. I got up and got ready to take my morning walk at Stair Step Forrest (our county park nearby that we adore) and by the time I got in the car the whole family wanted to come along. I got the stuff for pot stickers at Cub and began my quest for the perfect homemade pot sticker. When the kids went down for their naps I knew it was my time to take a blanket and pillow out in the yard to take my own nap. I skimmed through a poorly written book and started a new book. And I ordered the bird guide my cousin recommended to me.

Interestingly, after dinner, I got a second wind and cleaned the kitchen, started some laundry and gathered up the Easter decorations. And I was happy to do these things, mostly because I had done other awesome things all day long.

This Fun To-Do List felt indulgent. It felt caring. It felt fun. And I can't wait to write another one for another weekend day. I'd probably add a hot bath and baking cookies the next time around.

bird songs

Four mornings in a row I have gotten up and very first thing, taken a walk outside. One morning I was struggling to get myself out of bed, but I could hear a bird in our oak tree. And I knew there were all sorts of surprises for me, if I could just get myself out there.

That morning I saw that our tulips are all nearly four inches tall. And I heard so many different birds. One in particular, the one I had heard while still inside, was still calling but I could not find it in a tree for the life of me. I heard it, but could not spot it.

So I came in the house and googled minnesota bird sounds and that is when I found this incredible interactive page with minnesota birds and their bird songs.

Friends, I believe this puts me in a category of bird watchers, bird enthusiasts and general dorks. But let me be the first to say, I have found that usually the dorkier the activity the more life-giving, awesome and rewarding it is. (I would name examples here, but I don't want to offend more people groups than necessary...)

Anyway. I'm officially a bird watcher. In high school I had to take a test on bird calls, and now I wish I had paid more attention. But I did remember having to purchase a bunch of field guides for that class, so I came in looking for my Peterson's Field Guide and was so sad when I could only find my trees and wildflowers field guides. I'll have to purchase the Bird Guide next.

Promise me you will visit this site (and download flash if you don't have it...I had to). When you click on a bird, it plays its song. So prepare to spend a lot of time clicking on all of the birds. Today Ivar came in and was so excited that he had heard a bird singing. He tried to mimic it for me and we figured out that it was a red cardinal. And the happy bird that calls me outside each morning is a black-capped chickadee singing it's two tone whistle. I'm a total dork, I know. But come on! God has all of this music playing for us, if we'd only have ears to hear!