Robins

A little troop of robins, red breast feathers fluffed out against the cold, just flew merrily past the kitchen window. After three snow days in a row, these fellows remind us that winter must pass. Warmth and sunlight and green WILL return! Before the storm came, Squirrelboy and I discovered a bunny home at the base of a tree by following their tracks. Faerygirl enjoys pulling out the sled and slipping on the icy mounds heaped up by the winter storm. The Lord and Lady keep busy feeding the woodburners, looking forward to the days when our dragons aren't so hungry. At this time, we have lost 2 hives to starvation, but 5 are still pulling through.

Misty Moisty Morning

Snow on the ground.
Rain comes down.
Fog rises.
Misty, moisty morning with steam in the air.

Squirrelboy and Faerygirl squelched through the slush on this mysterious, creepy morning. Faerygirl remembered a Stephen King story she'd read about an evil fog. I forbade her to speak of it, since it was truly dark and foggy, and I could imagine my own shadowy horrors lurking in the mist. At one point, I saw electric blue sparks somewhere in the woods (could it have been static electricity from the hair falling over my eyes?). Instead, I recalled a charming story I'd read as a girl about a village that only appeared in the fog. Faerygirl thought that was a nice idea. Squirrelboy enjoyed kicking the slush, and Faerygirl remembered how she used to enjoy doing the same. Too soon, the bus loomed up out of the fog, blinking and twinkling its safety lights, to take my daughter away. Squirrelboy's mitten found my hand and we went to fill the woodburner for the day's heat.

First Real Snowfall of the Season

Today the snow sticks! Squirrelboy is terribly excited. He observed that "snow is way colder than sand." Dragonwood and the surrounding fields look so peaceful and festive in their whiteness. Little squirrels are also out and about, chasing each other and frisking their fluffy tails. It's a pretty day.

Squishy Sunshine

Frost lies on the fields in the morning. Most of the leaves have fallen, leaving the trees ragged. Our pretty brown dog blends in with the rustling cover of leaves. We've fired up the woodburner, keeping our toes toasty as the chill settles outside. Although it's been steadily getting cooler, this afternoon arrived sunny and relatively warm. This was lovely, since Squirrelboy had invited a few friends over to help celebrate his birthday. The boys enjoyed crashing through the weedy field in search of "squishy" spiders. In the Manor, we are almost finished painting. The Lord is grouting the first bathroom this evening. The Lady pauses to catch her breath after the birthday party, just long enough to sip a cup of tea and write this for you!

Midsummer's Eve`

Traditionally, this is the time you may see faeries. On the summer solstice, we stay up late because this is the longest time of daylight in the year. This Midsummer's Eve, my family harvested the sweet black raspberries that grow in our woods. I suspect the bees may have had something to do with the massive amounts of juicy ripe berries tempting us to delve ever further into the thorns and poison ivy. Wild berries do not yield their treasures easily. They are guarded by fierce mosquitoes, cruel thorns, and weedy neighbors. Yet to the intrepid, they are full of sweetness, such beautiful temptation that you stain your lips and fingertips dark purple. A day or two before, Faerygirl and I brought home over three quarts of hard-won juicy goodness. Ice cream topped with black raspberries and smoothies soon followed. Delicious!

This is also the time of lilies in the garden. Their bright colors and bold shapes remind me of stars or fireworks. I love the spiky yellow ones; my children like the ruffly pinker ones. My mother-in-law collects daylilies like some people collect knick-knacks, and I am the blessed recipient of several fabulous varieties from her garden.

This season has been quite hot and humid, unseasonable (as has been much of the year). It seems to me that everything in nature is happening about a month earlier than it used to. We've had terrific thunderstorms, and the puddles are full of tadpoles and mosquito larvae. Squirrelboy is keeping a few tadpoles as pets.

Dragonwood will start showing up at the Farmer's Market in July, so this month is full of creative work. Faerygirl is making new faeries to sell, and I am busy harvesting, drying, and mixing herbal products. Look for our goods at the Kokomo Farmer's Market. We'll have honey, too.

The Lord of Dragonwood has hired a young man to help with all the work required to build our Manor. Together, they are priming and texturing the drywall in the upper part of the house. It looks so beautiful. Soon, the Lord and I will be picking out colored paint! This is quite exciting, especially for the children. Their rooms will be done first!