March 31, 2011
True to its adage, the last day of March was gloriously mild. The flow of activity outside our house was gentle, content, and deliciously warm.
We picnicked under this sky.
The girls spun each other into dizzy circles punctuated with fits of laughter as they skid and tumbled onto the grass.
Ali sunned herself on a favorite perch.
Sami picked double handfuls of violets and honeysuckle so she could float them in bowls of water.
I inspected the progress of our daffodils. Fascinating, isn’t it, to watch them all bundled tight but lengthening by the day?
Ellis Peters wrote, “Every spring is the only spring – a perpetual astonishment.”
The sight of my shadow made me happy. And all that undiluted sun on our skin worked a subtle kind of magic. Everyone was happy and gentle with each other for the rest of the day.
Eliza made mud soup.
Sami and Ali found sticks and began to dig. (I love her “I am unique” badge – from preschool. It stayed on all day long.)
Spencer and Gordon tossed dirt into buckets of gathered treasures (twigs, rocks and leaves).
Thank goodness Spring never skips her turn. It was the loveliest of days – just being outside with my children.
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” – Margaret Atwood
Well, we did.
Come on in April. We’ve been waiting for you.
