The incredible scent of lilacs!

Our yard is surrounded by these lilacs. It's heavenly to be out there enjoying the scent.....except that it's been raining since Saturday and is supposed to continue for next day or two at least. (By the way, this is the patch I started weeding by hand.) Since the guys were still so busy with seeding, I actually found a replacement belt for the rototiller in town and figured out how to replace it - on my own. Now for it to stop raining long enough for me to get at it.

As for seeding, I wish we could say we are done but there is till a day's worth of wheat to seed as well as a few acres of beans (a bit of an experiment for us). But everything's on hold and so it looks like we're heading to Regina to the science center with our homeschooling group. It should be a fun day!

 

Here's a little guy with a big load coming through! 

Springtime....Weeding, Eating, Squealing.....

My rotortiller broke a belt! That's a minor calamity for me. I've spent some pretty major hours in the last couple of days weeding our orchard area by hand and it sure is a lot of ground to cover! It takes me at least two days with my rotortiller. You can imagine how many days it'll take me at this rate.

So I worked straight from 7 am to 11 am and then my reward was to join in a ball game and barbecue in Wymark. It was sooooo hot but thankfully there was a breeze and by the evening it was beautiful. It's too bad Ladger is still busy with seeding and is missing out but hopefully we'll continue these through the summer months. I love to see all ages getting together for an informal game of ball. I think it's something we often miss when we get so heavily involved in organized sports.

Rory was getting tired in the heat and no wonder.... when he was out in the field and someone was running bases and we were all shouting , "run", Rory started running the bases too. We all cheered him on and had to laugh at him working so hard when he could have been been taking a break out in outfield waiting for balls to come his way.

And later he tried out a bicycle that belongs to our friends and it was a treat for him to ride on payment. It was funny to see him pedal furiously and squeal as he went by with the sheer delight going at such a smooth fast pace.

He has such a capacity to enjoy things to the fullest and I love that about him!

Paxton, on the other hand, was excited to find some good-sized dump trucks and he played with them content to be left on his own for much of the time. He could play by himself very happily for long stretches of time. So he's really easy to bring to outings like this as well.

Today it's time to go and get my house in some semblance of order. Blessings!

These days....

• I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for our busy seeding days. The peas are done. The lentils will be done today and tomorrow we'll be starting to seed durum wheat. And here I've just gotten used to the routine - early mornings (5:30 am to 6:30 am), daily trips to the field, down time for the afternoon, gardening and yard work in the evening and finally I fall into bed....tired, tired, tired.
• I'm taking great joy in every little bloom, every tree unfurling it's green leaves, every beautiful, earthy scent - the smell of freshly mowed grass, fresh rainfall, spring blossoms and the wild flowers that Ladger picked for me yesterday. They're bright yellow and have a beautiful smell and I have no idea what they are.
• I'm managing to keep the homeschooling schedule fairly consistent despite the interruptions and inevitable switching gears that take place in such a busy season.
• are a gift.

What happens when you are competitive but lack skill?

The other day, we joined other families in the area for a softball game and a barbecue afterwards. The game got rained out but not before I got a chance to bat. I swung with all my might and connected but for some reason that ball just doesn't go too far. And so I ran with all my might to first base but I could see that I was losing the battle. You'd think I'd just accept defeat gracefully but oh no! I made a flying leap to the base and made it...flat on my face. Everyone cracked up and maybe me most of all. It was just what I needed after a hard week. Laughter is such a precious gift - even if it's at ourselves!!

I've been wanting to fill this little corner beside the dining room table for a long time but I'm realizing that I'm a little fussy as it's taken me a lonnngg time to finally find the perfect buffet. I wanted glass doors and drawers (so I could hide our homeschool materials) and I wanted it to be wide enough to use the space up efficiently. When I saw this one with the shelf above the buffet table...I fell in love. I just got it yesterday and spent the evening putting it together (by myself) and I'm thrilled with it! I may find myself enjoying this organization/housekeeping thing yet. 

Crazy days....

I took the day off from teaching at the school today because I was not feeling too good plus I'm overtired and overstressed. I thought a restful day would be beneficial. HA!!

Ladger promised to take Rory with him on the field but Rory went to Grandma's for a drink and Ladger left without him. That meant I had a very upset boy on my hands so I packed up the boys to drop Rory off for a couple of hours. Then I tried unsuccessfully to get Paxton down for a nap. And then I got a phone call that Rory was ready to come home so back out to the field and then I left Paxton with Ladger so he could have a turn and so I went back home to make supper and then out to the field again to pick Paxton up and drop off Ladger's supper.

It's now past 11:00 pm and I really should be sleeping as Ladger is likely to get up at 5:30 am or so. But I crave peace and quiet by the time evening comes and I find myself reluctant to go to bed as soon as I ought to keep up with these crazy early mornings.

And once again I'm reminded that peace does not come from a quiet household but from a quiet spirit that has spent time with the One who is the source of all true peace. May His grace and peace fill our hearts today.

Well this week is not going so well for seeding. It's more like a little Christmas holiday with snow on the ground and a chill in the air minus the good cheer and hot chocolate.

But it is a chance to fill out our census and agricultural survey - thanks to the government we never seem to be done with the paperwork. I thought we could 'feel done' now that all the income tax and GST for this quarter has been done. But Ladger is pressuring me to get off the internet so he can make some more phone calls. Honestly, I'm lucky to get on at all these days!!! Do I sound in a bad mood? Honestly, it's not all gloom and doom around here. I'll try to get back here later.