Country Mouse to City Mouse

1. An evening cruise on the Potomac took us past the Washington Monument after dark. It was brightly lit and standing tall below a full moon. Our vantage point was peaceful compared to the  bustling city and airport across the water.
2. It certainly is a cultural shock to go from mountains to mega-resort overnight like this. I'll enjoy all this metropolis has to offer and take solace knowing that in a few hours I can be back home again.
3. Standing on deck, laughing with friends; Steve searched out the dessert buffet and brought us all a sampling.

A Visit With Chelsea! 600+ miles down, about 1500 to go.

Pop with three fourths of his girls : )

 1. We found her in the parking lot at Food Lion downing a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips. It was an overwhelmingly joyful greeting, especially for her dad and sisters who haven't seen her in over a year. My instinct was to critically look her over from head to toe to make sure she was well. She looked really fit!

 2. We had fun at the laundromat, keeping her company while she performed a mundane chore. There's not too many ways to wash your only clothing if your wearing it. She uses the "rain poncho technique".

3. I can't begin to describe what a perfect afternoon we shared. The weather was glorious, the mountain views were beautiful, so many trees were in bloom, the hostel had a nice porch where we spent our time, and we packed plenty of food along.

Things I thought about after the day was done:

-In the parking lot at Food Lion, I had tunnel vision. I was so focused on Chelsea that, for a minute or two, I had no idea what was going on around us. A moment later, I realized people were staring and cars were driving past as though everything in life was perfectly normal...and of course, it was.
- I couldn't help myself from assessing her condition. I had to be sure that every little thing on her was OK, from her ears to her toes.
- The overwhelming joy and love we felt was impossible to contain. Tears of joy...
- Her sisters gave her one or two hugs and a moment later had to give another. We felt compelled to keep touching her when we first saw her.
- The girls are all great storytellers. Catching up on each others news was done in stories.
- It was very hard to leave her at the end of the day. Very hard. But we'll meet and part and meet and part many times over in our lifetime. The parting will never get any easier.

Chelsea and the Boy Scouts, Longer, Just Do It, Two Treats in One

1. This post brought tears to my eyes. The kindness of this Boy Scout troop toward my daughter...this is what life is all about and how people are meant to treat each other.
2. When I take Henri out early in the morning, I notice the sky is brighter and sunrise is coming earlier.
3. I am on a mission to check jobs off my list and free up some play time for Easter break. The more productive I am, the more productive I become. Productivity begets productivity.
4. B. stopped by with some Tello Fix* from Germany. As though that alone wasn't enough, she put it in a glass canning jar with a hinged lid and topped it with a nest made of purple Easter grass occupied by a silver birdie. 
*Tello Fix is a gourmet bouillon of sorts. It makes every soup and stew extraordinarily better. Sadly, it is not available anywhere that I can get my hands on.

Blooming, Sweet and Sour, Getting Here

1. White blossoming trees are everywhere! Literally hundreds and thousands line every roadway and all the woods. The Redbud is just beginning to open its deep, pinks blooms so, we're in for a real treat later this week.
2. I caught the smell of grass today. It wasn't the sweet smell of summer grass, cut with a mower on a warm summer's evening, but rather a pungent, newly green grass, not yet ripe.
3. What will take her five days to hike, we can drive in a mere ninety minutes. Time for us to visit her, I say!
3a. I asked her to tell me her food cravings and she gave me a pretty long list. She consumes over five thousand calories a day in order to hike twenty miles a day...after day...after day...

Building Raised Garden Beds

We began this project last spring. It's finally completed and ready for the 2014 planting season! Click here.

A Familiar Sound, Swiftly, Goodness

1. A gentle thunderstorm rolled over us right at bedtime last night. I enjoyed hearing this first storm of spring, especially a gentle one like this. 
2. The fog crept into the valleys this morning. Its movements were fluid, like a snake.
3. Daughter #2 has written about receiving heaps of goodness on her hike. I see all these generous people as angels watching out for my daughter. Every cookie, shelter, or ride into town is a blessing that does not go unnoticed.

April Fools, Going Sockless, It's Official

1. Netflix got me! "Hmm, a movie along the lines of Benjamin Button called, Rotisserie Chicken. Maybe it has something to do with chefs or cooking? I clicked on it to see. It was a rotisserie chicken... turning on a squeaky gear...for an hour and thirty-four minutes. I love a good April Fools joke!
2. Wearing shoes without socks isn't the most comfortable thing, but it definitely feels like a warm weather thing.
3. A text from Daughter #3 to say she passed her board exams. This after two weeks of knowing her anxiety, wondering and waiting.