Spring fever is in full swing at our home with the need for lots of outdoor time to release the fairly vibrating energy of all of us indoors.  While more snow fell again last night, we are seeking places to leap and swing and run with abandon.  Hay sheds are good for that and the fact that they are necessary for keeping our animal’s feed dry is secondary in importance to the need for this mama to let her kids get their ya-yas out, as we say here.  I have long imagined the fun for a child to make forts amidst the sweet smelling hay, to pretend their pirate ships have run aground, and to be giants leaping from country to country.  There have been many afternoons out in the hay shed lately, despite the trampled alfalfa and straw.  I have heard plans underway to bring hammocks out in the summer to sleep out there…fun!

The birds are returning!  Finally there are a little group of Stellar’s Jays hording the birdseed that spilled from our snowmen…they are such bossy birds, but oh so pretty.  The chickadees try and grab a seed here and there, but it is the Stellar’s who are plumping up on the free buffet.  Sunshine and I collected all our loose bits of yarn we have been saving and stuffed them into a bird feeder to hang for nest supplies.  One friend on Instagram mentioned that many birds become entangled in long bits, so Sunshine took them all out and cut them up into pieces less than an inch long.  It will be fun trying to spy remnants of our own sweaters and hats in the bird nests around our homestead.  One more bit of bird news, the swans have returned to our river…it is always a delight to see their graceful presence so close.  I still have yet to capture them in a good photo, but I keep trying.

Earlier in the week, the last of my children succumbed to this month’s fevers and chest colds…it seems we heal up only to begin again.  Honestly, it has been a long journey of wellness these past four months, and I know I am not alone in that.  Luckily, we have a bit of a warning of who will be next as one of our cats has the uncanny ability to seek out sickness and then lay on top of whomever is unwell.  We have taken to calling her Dr. Pumpkin and while she is normally quite aloof and distant, when there is a loved one suffering, she is reliably there, purring away with comfort.

For those of you not on Instagram, I am thrilled to be a contributor to this latest issue of Taproot Magazine.  I have an article in there on weaving lavender wands and I am so excited to see it in person as my copy has yet to arrive (border crossings and all that!).  The issue is themed Weave and it is chock full of crafty goodness.  In case you missed it, Taproot is also hosting a Craft Along with projects from the Weave issue, and you can check that out here.  Fun!

I imagine that all this indoor energy will soon turn to boundless outdoor adventures as soon as the snow begins to melt.  It is hard to imagine a melt beginning as snow continues to fall outside right now, however, it makes mud season all the more welcome…dirty, wet dogs indoors, and all.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!