spring’s sprung

we had our first thunderstorm, complete with lightning, last night.  it was intense.  the wind howled . . . . oooOOOOoooooo . . . .. the rain thudded against the windows, walls, and roof, the thunder rumbled and clapped, and best of all was the bursts of light released by the lightning.  i was putting little bird to sleep and stormy was snuggled in with her doll, blossy, when it began.  next thing we knew, tenderfoot and little man had joined us for a big bed pile up.  we enjoyed the storm and segued our way into the thunderbird and brave wolf story; a favorite for stormy weather.

in this rendition, brave wolf has not been found yet as thunderbird has just laid her eggs and is fighting off the baby monsters with her thunderstorms.  she’ll do this all spring, and as the days go by, some eggs will be stolen off and once they hatch, some chicks will be carried away.  she will fight off and defeat many baby monsters, as they too are growing in the lake below the cliffs where she lives and climb up for food to fill their hungry bellies.  by springs end, only one monster will be left and he will be undefeatable, even by thunderbird.  this is when she brings brave wolf to her aid.  he heats things up, and we move into fiery summer where the hot rocks he empties into the monster’s mouth finish him off, leaving thunderbird with a few chicks to raise until next year . . . .  when the baby monsters will hatch (they take a year to do so) and she’ll lay more eggs and the cycle begins again . . . . by the time we were done, so was the storm, and we all went to sleep in our own beds!

so spring has been ushered in, loudly!  beside the thunderstorm, daffodils are blooming, rhubarb is uncurling her leaves above ground, the spring peepers sing their songs so loudly that little bird often pauses to ask, “what’s that noise?”, the newts are under leaf mold and in the pond, skunk cabbage leaves unfurl, and the lilac is greening.  we spend almost all day outside, with most of it in the creek or the pond shallows.  hence, lots of wet, often muddy clothes, to wash and dry daily.  i’ve made the time to needlefelt a doll for my cousin’s seventh birthday, coming up next month.  the children took turns needling and picked out the colors for her clothes and hair :0)

the puppies are growing and love it outside too.  they especially seem to like the woods on hot days, and have found the creek so they know where to get a drink when thirsty.  the chickens stay clear of them, giving them such a wide berth that they’re now not only free-ranging but far ranging too.  with the longer days we’re getting more eggs, and little bird is the self-appointed gatherer, racing to the coop if she even thinks someone else might be going there.  she can be found in the coop waiting for long periods of time while a hen sits in a nesting box, laying.  she’ll wait and wait, then bring the egg in and go back to the coop to wait for the next sitting hen and the next and the next, until alas, she’ll announce sadly, shaking her head, “no more hennies.”  and so the days are rolling along, gurgling . . . . .