Short Story Long

  I have been tooooo busy lately.  It's not an excuse, it's an acknowledgment.  I  have been meaning to post about my trip to Atlanta (a month ago), and been meaning to post in response to a blog award from my friend Terrie (also a month ago) and lots more!  In the past month, I've been knitting like crazy, very sick twice, taken out a huge tree in the backyard (well, not personally), done some work in the garden, lots of stuff going on at school...  You get the idea.  Yesterday, I noticed that my peonies were starting to bloom so I cut one to bring into the house.  This morning, I discovered that it had opened up even more as it greeted me with fragrance and beauty.  Mmmm.  Love peonies.  Love.  I am also experimenting with homemade vanilla.  More about that... soon?

  Lilacs are something that I spent many adult years without, but now that I have a big, flowery lilac bush in my backyard, it makes me wonder why.  Why did I wait so long to have my own!  My mother-in-law bought this one for me several years ago, and this is the first year that it's been full of flowers.  They smell so fresh, like spring, like childhood, like mothers, like grandmothers.  Like a happy home.  

The Cutest Baby is in town!

  I have finally stepped out into the 112 in 2012 challenge that I've been meaning to start for, oh, three plus months.  I know I've got several pictures that would qualify as something on the list, i.e. narrow depth of field, which I shoot almost every week, but I just haven't had the time to sit down to go through my pictures because I've been working on yarn pictures for Windy Valley! Several people have commented on my new header (thank you), and you can see my handiwork on their Peruvian Pima Cotton page.  Click on any ball of yarn to see the whole picture.  I've still got several more sets to finish editing and / or send to the webmaster, but I was just struck with the inspiration to get started on the 112 today.  I had fun arranging all my pretty little things for #30 pink and green.  One thing I love about this group is that there is a discussion thread for each item so you can see them all together, like this . More of my own pink-and-green...

We took a quick trip to BFJ's parents' house yesterday, and I thought you might enjoy some pictures from the day. The peach tree is in bloom. I'm crossing my fingers for no late frost so we can have more Peach Preserves! My mother-in-law, feeding "the girls," her chickens. Dewey spring blossoms: Along with quiche, we had strawberries and cream for brunch. One of the boys had three helpings! Of course, it is extra delicious when you know right where the eggs came from! One of my mother-in-law's recent purchases: Finally, when we returned home, I found that my own Marsh Marigold had first bloom ever. (I planted it last year.) Happy Spring!

  I love clotheslines.  My earliest memory of a clothesline was at my great-grandmother's house in Nebraska, with clematis climbing up one post.  I went back as an adult to see this house and it looked just like I remembered.