Spring 2014

Spring unfolded mildly this year, with very few of the downpours I expected, and none of the dreary drizzling that often lingers far beyond its welcome.  It seems buds were appearing on the trees before I knew it.  The lengthening of the days was quite welcome, and Josef and I went on many early morning wagon rides and walks, as I attempted to survive the interminable 6a-9a shift.  In a joint sanity-preservation maneuver, Rachael and I decided to take turns doing the dreaded early morning wake up.  On my free mornings I would jog to Bald Hill on the little path that runs along Oak Creek and over the covered bridge, or I would work out in the basement.  Alas, a persistent elbow injury convinced me that my mornings off would be better spent asleep, so I abandoned my quest for a rippling physique and instead worked on reducing the dark circles under my eyes.

Little Josef continued to expand his language, adding words and phrases at an astonishing rate.  I started keeping a little list of his vocabulary for my own amusement, and perhaps to look back on and enjoy someday, but it was growing so fast I couldn’t keep up!  His deep and abiding love of trashcans continued to flourish, and with the weather warming up and drying out, he spent many fine afternoons removing dirt from the planters and piling it up around the yard or in other planters.  He will certainly be a good little helper around the house soon.

I did a month of swimming lessons with him at the Aquatic Center, but he never really took to it.  For some reason he always seemed more interested in wandering around and observing the other kids, than being forcibly dunked underwater repeatedly.  It appeared the class was doing a nice job of teaching him to hate swimming, so we decided to postpone further lessons in favor of more casual playtime in the rivers and creeks during the summer.

We discovered an unfinished wood floor under the carpet in Josef’s room, so we spent a week or two giving his room a little makeover.  Rachael and Gramheart painted it a cheery yellow and put up some stencils, and we had the wood floor finished.  It looks really warm and inviting in there now.  We also planted a nice big garden in hopes of having enough for a fresh salad every day.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and tons of lettuce.  We also put in some corn, pumpkins, and squash for fun, as well as some heirloom beans that my Onkel Hans brought back from Hungary.  What a treat to daily track the growth of these little plants!

I also got to spend a day butchering a hog with JD and his dad, which was something I’ve always wanted to do.  We had a great day out on the farm, and each came home with a healthy allotment of pork.  We smoked our own bacon, stuffed a bunch of bratwurst, and dry-cured some Tuscan salami.  There are two prosciuttos hanging in the basement, so asking me how they turned out in 9 months…

Just in time to help advise on gardening, Gramnette arrived in May for a lengthy visit!  She stayed with Sarah and JD just down the street, and we got to see her joyful visage every single day.  She and Josef went on many splendid trashcan walks.  They are best of friends.

I’m sure there were many more noteworthy happenings this spring, but as you may have observed, I am writing this in September.  I struggle to remember the events of last week, let alone last Spring, so please forgive any omissions!  Suffice it to say that the whole town was blooming, and so was our precious little son.  We love him dearly, and are thankful to see him growing up so healthy and happy.  Hope you enjoy the many photos and videos below.