Just a bunch of turkeys

Spring has officially come to Brooktondale.  You can tell because there are far fewer snow storms and more just really cold rain.  None-the-less, the plants, the people, and the other animals are determined to reemerge from whatever dark perdition they've inhabited for these last 14 months or so.  Just kidding.  It's all good.  We had a nice winter.  It's great to have the sun out at 7:30 though and we've enjoyed rediscovering a new line of toys and wardrobe.

The turkeys are doing their normal thing.  Gobbling and strutting and putting on a show that will last right up to May 1, when they all mysteriously disappear and I wind up sitting in the cold rainy woods, looking like a dink with my shotgun slung impotently across my knees.  Amazing animals.

And now for something completely similar.  More pictures of Emmett.  Seriously, what did I used to do with my camera?!  This is from his early spring hipster collection.  Obviously he's too enthusiastic and happy about life to go full hipster.

On the cusp of walking... or at least not falling down as fast. Our little arborist. 

Tree covered in lichen from an early morning hike.

Swingin with mama!  

Goin to the show!  Sarah and Emmett and Zhora came to the Saturday show of Anything Goes.  It was so much fun!  Emmett is becoming quite the patron of the arts.

Mountain bike season!

We've gotten a couple nights of grilling in lately.  Steak one night, hamburgers another.  Last night Zach, Kristin, Nora, and Charlotte came over and we made foil wrapped potatoes, grilled veggies, veggie burgers, and Piggery brats.  We had so much fun.

On Saturday Sarah went to get her hair done and then to a workshop about wills and the like.  Emmett and I spent the day adventuring.  We went to the farmers market and tasted their leaves and bark and wood chips...

Then it was off to the Children's Garden to smell the flowers... maybe not the one with the bee in it.

Doing his best dock worker impression.

We found a deal on craigslist and hooked the Element up with some new bling.  I had the usual supervision as I worked out the details.

On Sunday the family worked together to transplant the blueberry bushes and do some general garden tending.  Emmett was great.  He wasn't sure about the tickley grass under foot at first, but he soon got into it.

I love this picture.  

Just like papa.

Later on Sunday we met the Stickles for drinks and conversation at Argos.  We had a lovely time with great drinks and lots of laughs.  Zhora got "all dolled up" as they say.

Newspaper was a new technology, and a little tricky to figure out. 

A little practice

Last weekend, or the weekend before (honestly, who can keep track), Margaret and Sarah got together to sew.  Margaret brought Sebastian and Zhora was there, too, for some reason.  Anyway, after Zach and I got back from our bike ride (see preceding post), I took the kids outside so that the ladies could focus.  We had a lovely morning!

After we explored the yard and found some magic wands to make the flowers grow faster and climbed some trees to look for birds, we went into the woods outside the fence to look for paths.  We found a path that led to a river with a waterfall and to a fallen down tree that was fun to climb on and also a treasure.  Then we learned the phrase widow-maker, and got out of that area and talked about how much wind it might take to bring the widow-maker down.

Then it was time to throw some rocks.

First we threw rocks that we found near the swimming hole. 

But I knew a spot where we could get bigger rocks, so we took a little walk!

We threw some more small rocks on our way.

And some more.

Then we found the really big rocks to throw.  There were so many that we wanted to throw that it was hard to carry them all!  We worked together and got them back and threw some big ones and made some great splashes and kerplunks.

Of course we had to wash our feet off in the river!  The water was cool and clear.

At home, Sarah and Margaret had finished their blankets and it was time to bring in the laundry.

Then it was off to Jenn and Bob's to spot some turnkeys, tell some stories, and eat some good grilled food.  What a great way to spend a Sunday!

Finally feels like winter

Another week has passed and we finally saw some snow. This means one thing to me. Cross country skiing!! Alas, we still have to work and clean house and buy groceries. I try not to let that stuff get in my way too much.  As I've told most of you, my job is pretty cool, and the work load is similar to what I did when I was teaching.  On the other hand, I have a lot less control about how I use my time after school hours and am often at the school until 8 or 9.  Honestly, the work is usually somewhere between fine and fun, but it does take a toll on me to be away from Sarah, the dogs, and my home.

We had teacher appreciation night last week at one of the girls basketball games.  It was really cool and lots of teachers showed up for the game.  We all wore red to show our support for the team.

The action was intense.

We had a house guest last weekend.  That's Carli in the background.  I love her.  She is such a dog.  Sarah nailed it when she said that Carli reminded her of the dog from Up!  She wanted to go for lots of walks and was a good natured pest about it.  So that's what we did.  Jonas was a little pouty about the attention she got, but he also played a little with her and benefited from her walk demands, so it was really a win win.

Walking the gingers... for like the third time in one day.

Margaret was kind enough to get us our first children's book.  It's got cardboard pages and is scratch and sniff!  I'm sure the kid is going to love it.  I like it alright, but it sure makes me thirsty!  Notice Carli in the background crashed out on Eva's queen bed.  It was quite a spectacle to watch everyone vie for nap space.

SNOW!  This is how I like it.  No tracks.  No people.

After I went skiing, and had to keep stopping to cross logs, I went home, got Carli (because she was at the door polishing the floor with her tail), and headed back out to do some trail maintenance.  My shadow was pretty cool with the axe slung over my shoulder.

Undercut champion.

Nathan gave me this awesome horse skull a long time ago and it sat in my shop.  It didn't look bad sitting on my desk, but I always wanted to figure out a way to hang it up.  Since Sarah got me a bandsaw for christmas, mitered joints have become a lot easier, so I slapped this frame together real quick and made some space on the desk... which I immediately filled with something else.

And on to another project!

Night skiing.  Because that's when I get home and it beats sitting on the couch watching TV.

Morning skiing!  Because it's awesome.  Still no tracks!

Afternoon hike with Jonas.  "You didn't finish the job, dummy."  

"Well, I got tired.  The axe isn't exactly meant for this kind of work."

"Excuses, excuses.  Get up here and fix my trail."

"Ok"

Note that I only cut it wide enough to walk or ski through.  No snowmobiles!

Gobble gobble!

May flowers!

As usual, our spring has been a little weird, here. The winter was long and cold and then we got off to fits and starts with warm spells broken up by snow. Anyway, it appears we're "full on" now with rain and blooms and sun and clouds and birds like crazy! We've been having a good time of it all.

Sam and I hunted last weekend.  Again, more of a naturalist's expedition than hunting, but it's amazing to be awake from 4 am until 10 pm.  Reflecting on the day feels like reflecting on a week.

This is the barn that Jay and I were thinking about deconstructing.  Thinking about it until we saw it, that is.  The owners have visions of people coming out and paying them to take wood and items from the barn.  Pretty funny.  Anyway, It's full of beautiful 150 year old oak beams, but obviously it's out of our league.

 

Sarah, Jenn, Zhora, and I went to celebrate Cinco de Star Wars at the Argos Inn on May 3.  They were playing Star Wars all day for May the Fourth and had the Tellez Mexican Grill catering.  We watched as they handmade our tortillas and filled them with fresh off the grill chicken, beef, and veggies, and loaded them up with pico de gallo... can you tell I was impressed?

The drinks at the Argos are pretty good, too.  I had a mint julep to celebrate the derby.  Go California Chrome!

Familiar light switches at the Argos.

Sarah got an airbrushed tattoo and we tried to encourage Zhora, but she was too shy.

Of course we spent some time with the horses, too.

Sometime last week Sarah and I took out the compost.

Trillium always mark the beginning of spring for me, and they just bloomed the middle of this past week.  I saw these ones while I was out on a run. 

The run went poorly, so I took some pictures while I waited around for the waves of nausea to pass.  This is my outfit for my lumberjack runs.  I think I'll go to the thrift store for a flannel to cut the arms off of and cut the legs off some jeans to make a summer lumberjack outfit.  Sometimes I have to stop running to laugh at myself... which is a good core work out.

Saturday night at the swamp.  I watched bats swoop down to grab insects off the water.  Mergansers flew overhead while a turkey gobbled on the far side of the hill.   Life is good.

 

All the best to the rest of you!  

If you get a chance, check out the blog below.  I'm trying to raise $500 for the Youth Farmers at LACS.  Any amount helps.  Just follow the link and donate to my page.  100% of the donations go straight to the young farmers who, in turn, support our community and our future.  Thanks for considering it.