I Wander'd Lonely As a Cloud

"I wandered lonely as a cloud

   That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

   A host, of golden daffodils;"

Okay, so it's not quite a host, but our little daffodil patch has begun blooming, bringing a little sunshine to our hearts!

The crocuses are also making a show, although you about have to get down on your hands and knees to see them. :)

The lone trillium (the chickens killed its friends) is about to bloom as well, which means that morel mushrooms will be popping up in the woods.

Ground ivy is blooming, and its flowers have a sweet, dainty fragrance,

And the primrose on the dining table has inspired a beautiful nature journal entry by an older daughter~

It is snowing right now in our neck of the woods, and we are praying that the cold weather will spare our flowers, peas, and greens coming up in the garden!

Love,

Marqueta

 "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." -Isaiah 60:1

Dear Friends,

These sunflowers seem to be obeying Isaiah's words, do they not? There is something delightful about the face of a sunflower, and their smell is of earthy chocolate (especially the dark brown ones). They speak of joy and hope, and we always have planted them, since we were first married (and have measured our children's growth by them). Whenever we're driving around town and see a few sunflowers in a yard, we feel that we have found a kindred spirit, and are happier for it.

(Senora thinks that sunflowers make great playthings, too!)

My wonderful mother surprised us by sending rhubarb from our old home~
" Hey, bambina! Vieni ad aiutarmi buccia di questo rabarbaro!"

We found this nest on the ground while going for a walk~ It's perfect and petite, and we think it might belong to a cardinal.

One thing's for sure; this baby bird didn't hatch out in it!

Love,

Marqueta

“Where you are is who you are. The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave.”
― Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun

Dear Friends,

Happy Monday to you! We've been having lots of fun outside, bouncing on our new "hoppity balls" and planting more goodies in the garden.

 

Each child picked out their own four-pack of pansies at the local nursery, and we planted them in a bed out front (where the chickens can't get them).

 Evangeline, Frankie, and Rebecca decided that we needed lots of onion starts, too, so now we have a pansy/onion bed, along with LOTS of peas that we had to stick here and there, since we soaked way too many for the area we had prepared. :) Someday we'll have a normal garden that's just in one spot!

These robins were waiting patiently for us to leave, so they could get any worms that we may have unearthed!

The rest of the birds are more shy, and like to watch us from a respectful distance!

Our two little clumps of daffodils are blooming along the side of the house, and we've noticed that the magnolias in the neighborhood are begin to unveil their lovely pink and white flowers. Ah, spring!

Mr. Graham and I took a class the other night on making kefir and other fermented foods and drinks, and have been inspired to start some internal "house cleaning" with these wonderful, life-giving foods. At the moment, we have kefir and sauerkraut working, and everyone is drooling waiting for them to be done! Talk about slow food! We are also dehydrating some rye berries that we soaked until they sprouted; we will grind it into flour and make a more gut-friendly baked goody than that of unsprouted flour. Here is the website of the lady who taught our cultured food class~ she has lots of wonderful, creative recipes!

We hope that you're enjoying this day, wherever you are, and creating wonderful memories with your family.

Love,

Marqueta

***********

"Spring Is . . . "

Spring will make the flowers grow,

Spring will melt away the snow.

Spring will bring the robins home,

Spring will let imaginations roam.

Spring will . . . be spring!

~Audrey Graham

******************

"Spring"

Did you hear the robin today?

His song sounded so very gay!

And did you see the grass so green?

And did you hear the flowing spring?

The snow is melting all away,

We will see it another day.

Yay for spring!

Yay for spring!

Yay for Yay for  everything!

~Tasha Graham