We’ve been looking at the world through a windshield lately. The trucker song about that implies it’s a fun thing but I’m not convinced. It’s another few weeks before Bruce will be cleared to drive, and I’m finding out just how much he’s gone because now I am too. And to think, I have had occasional pity parties based on the fact that he is away a lot and I hold down the fort. Be careful what you wish for.
We’ve enjoyed all the celebrations and gatherings, but fitting it in around meetings Bruce is obligated to attend, and the physical therapy that will eventually restore him to full mobility, is challenging, to say the least.
Still, there’s a lot to see out there. Eagles on the hunt, kildeer nests at the roadside, wildflowers just beginning to bloom, and the hills turning green. A colt and his mother near the turnoff, and freshly branded baby calves that manage to find a hole in the fence.
During the brief times we spend at home, kittens are out and about, and there have been a number of little yellow finches at the thistle feeder. Hoping for a hummingbird later on, but we are seldom that lucky. Despite the fact that I haven’t had a minute to clear out flowerbeds, there’s hyacinth and lily of the valley peeking through, and the lilacs perfume the yard. I open the house when it’s nice, so as to enjoy the short season of scents.
At least it’s too early to garden. I know, a lot of you have plants in the ground, but we have yet to stop at a greenhouse. Need to do that soon, before it all sells out, but we won’t plant till Memorial weekend. That’s the soonest we can stay home long enough, and anyhow, our experience is that any efforts prior to that usually result in do-overs.
In the midst of all this, our house well has been out twice. Carrying coolers of water from the one at the barn is a chore, and I’m remembering to appreciate what we take for granted. I grew up carrying water from the windmill at the corral, and hoarding every cup we used. Heating enough to do dishes and bathe, never mind washday… the old days really weren’t all that good.
If there’s a moral in this week’s offering, it’s to appreciate what we seldom notice. To say thanks to family members who set sprinklers, drive us here and there, and take up the slack in lots of little ways. Take a moment to watch the birds, smell the roses, and feel the sun on your shoulders. Spring is a fleeting thing around here, and life is too, really. Today is a gift. Open your present, and remember to say thanks.
Meet me here next week and meanwhile, do your best. Somebody might like it.