Of all the adventures I had over the years with my cousin Henry, I think the one everyone found hands down most entertaining was the time he traded me to a Mexican for a pitcher of beer (“And a t-shirt!” Henry would always add).
Category: another day in the life
Spring Insanity
It has been an absolute whirlwind here lately. I mean, really. Yesterday was our first unscheduled day in at least two weeks, which is slightly misleading because by ‘unscheduled’ I mean, we’ve got loads of things to do, we just didn’t have any solid commitments before we hopped back on that busy bus for the next few weeks.
The large, glorious rhododendron bush.
Horse Chestnut bloom.
Rhododendron
Close up of the horse chestnut blooms
Recent Dinner Successes
Remember last week’s threat to make that recipe I shared with you all using kale? Well, I tried it and while I was at it, mixed it all up, using rice noodles instead of just rice and then because I had some mushrooms I had to use up, I threw those in as well as some onions for flavor.
I rather liked it. Continue reading
Upcoming
Back yard view, with dogwoods and Brian’s redbud in the distance.
May, always our busiest month, is next week you guys! Which means we are fast approaching the days where Pat and I traditionally communicate by post-it note, only recently enhanced by technology and the ability to text each other. But that is entirely dependent on my carrying a device in which to text and since I rarely do that, the post-it note is still generally the most reliable form of communication here. Thankfully, Edie is old enough we can leave her home alone, because we’ve already had one incident where both of us committed to something without looking to see if the other one was around. Edie has started realizing when I ask her if she has her key, it means she stands a good chance of being locked out when she comes home if she doesn’t have it. Ah, spring in the Calvert house. Continue reading
Blooming this week: April 16
Buddha and tulips
Brian’s tulip
First bloom
We are at the point in spring where the landscape one sees at dawn is different than the one sees at nightfall. Case in point – last Saturday afternoon, Pat & I plopped down in the front yard waiting for Edie to get ready for her soccer game. We noticed the tulips had sent up buds and wondered when they might open. After soccer, we plopped down in the exact same spot and noticed the tulips had opened up. Just like that, while we weren’t looking that afternoon. Continue reading
Springing.
Every year we worry the tulip magnolia tree in the front yard is going to get pinched by frost. It’s a glorious tree to behold – the magnificent pink blooms can be seen as one approaches our house in every direction for at least a block. It is the first tree to bloom every year and many neighbors have told us they consider it the first official sign of spring. Every few years though, Mother Nature gets the last word on the beauty of the tree, for unlike other early blooming trees, the tulip magnolia does not react well to frost. In fact, frost makes the large pink and white flowers turn brown, definitely not as glorious. Continue reading
It’s not all rainbows.
This past Friday night found me home alone, as my family had taken off for different sides of the state with one in Williamsburg and the other in Lynchburg for their various activities. What did I do with my glorious alone time? Why I scrubbed out both showers, removing the shower heads to be soaked in vinegar, caught up on some netflix and had pop corn and ice cream for dinner. Of course. Isn’t that what every forty-something wife and mother does when they get alone time? Continue reading
Popping up
Routine.
I have absolutely nothing interesting to blog about today. It has been a rather routine week – not only our second one in a row, but our second ‘routine’ week since some time in January, which is surprisingly refreshing. There’s been no snow, no dinners of note, no one has been sick, everything that was scheduled has happened when it was supposed to with the exception of Edie’s soccer game last Saturday which was called on account of rain. It was supposed to be the first game of the season, so not having it didn’t throw us out of a routine as much as it just put off starting our spring Saturday routine.
Report from Snuggle Acres.
Our friend Mollie left for India 8 am last Thursday morning as one of the faculty chaperones on an immersion trip for Christchurch School. Our initial plan for the weekend was to head over to Urbanna Saturday afternoon to give Will a hand with the kids Saturday evening and Sunday, but Thursday’s storm threw our plans out of whack. Continue reading
Chicken Wire & Paper Flowers 