Spring

I’m gazing out the window at cottony, white clouds floating through a cornflower blue sky….sigh. I love spring! The birds are returning sharing their sweet carols; little busy bodies clamoring around the feeders for a quick meal.  Little sprigs of fresh green grass are starting to peak their heads through the dried up grass and weeds of last year, bulbs shooting their way upward from the bleak ground.

Spring gives us a sense of renewal. After a long and cold winter with many storms and the ground heavily covered with snow, it gives hope for something new and refreshing. New life… whether it is in the plants, the animals or ourselves; hope for new ideas, dreams, and goals.

It’s time to get outside! It’s time to putter in the freshly exposed dirt, time to rake the long hidden pine needles, brush out the rapidly shedding horses and give the dogs their spring grooming. Just to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine. The sun had been hidden most of the winter, and now with its bright face shining on earth; it gives a person a whole new outlook!

I love spring!

A missing piece

Part of the wood "pile" left today.
I know it's inevitable, it's a part of life. But I still don't like it. I guess some parents are anxiously waiting for their kids to spread there wings, become independent and  leave home. But I'm not one of them. Sure there's one less mouth to feed, one less person to pick up after. But after homeschooling for so many years and always having the family together, it's a weird feeling to have one leave. There's a piece of the family missing; the kid that makes me laugh. The kid that sits down and plays the piano once in a while. The kid that leaves his greasy, gas smelling work clothes at the bottom of the stairs after work. The kid that doesn't always clean up his mess in the kitchen. The kid with the handsome smile. (Ok, they all have that.)
Don't get me wrong. I do want them to become independent, confident, responsible adults and go out on their own. I'm just not good at changes, especially when it has to do with my kids. I miss them when they're not around.
Well, at least I'm getting eased into this "empty nest" thing. The first one will only be gone for spring quarter, then home for the summer. When fall rolls around, both the older two will be off full time.
And the last "chunk of the pile", well, he won't be heading out for a few years yet.