Decorating Eggs

We may not be kids anymore, but Kid Sister and I decided we weren't too old to decorate Easter eggs.


And so last night, while the boys watched the NBA playoffs and stood around the bar in the basement, we commandeered half of the bar for egg decorating.


I have to admit, we were a bit rusty, as neither of us had decorated eggs in years.


But we decided to get a bit creative anyway.

Our finished eggs weren't masterpieces, by any means. But they're festive enough. And it was fun.


I hope your Easter is full of fun and faith and time with friends and family. And perhaps an Easter egg hunt, too.

Tiptoeing Through the Tulips

Unlike their friends the daffodils, the tulips in the front yard don't think it's absolutely necessary to be among the first flowers to bloom each spring.


Sure, they're excited to make an appearance and to open toward the warm April sun. But they're going to wait until they're good and ready to do so.


Good and ready happened to be, for the most part, last week.

This also happened to be when the rain showers and thunderstorms and tornado warnings settled in. So today was my first opportunity to snap some photos of the trembling tulips as they danced in the breeze.


Most of the tulips in our front yard were planted long before we arrived in our house. They were a pleasant surprise our first spring.

This year, however, I supplemented those tulips with a few bulbs of my own.


Once they bloomed, I realized just how different these bulbs are from the ones that came before.


A little variety is kind of nice, isn't it?


Butter thinks so too.

Happy Spring (From Butter)

Hey guys. Now that it's spring, I figure you're probably going to want to stop by soon and check out our flowers (and pet me).

So I wanted to let you know that whenever you arrive, I'll be ready and waiting to welcome you at the front door.

Come on in (and pet me).

Little Pretties

A steady stream of little pretties appeared this week ...


in the palest of pale yellow


and purple


and more purple.

And there's more on the way too ... for months to come. Hooray!

More Spring Blooms

Not wanting to feel left out, the daffodils by the old mailbox began blooming long before their companions elsewhere in the yard were ready. Can you blame them for being in a hurry?

Spring Flowers

Rejoice! Spring has sprung in our front yard.

It actually began a couple of weeks ago, with some new buds never before seen on our property.

That's when the first of the smattering of bulbs I planted last fall made an appearance,


starting with the anemones.



Followed closely behind by the giant hyacinth.


And then the crocuses.

Pretty little buds signaling a pretty wonderful start to a new season, wouldn't you say?

Bringing You Bentley

Booker, the sweet little pooch I introduced you to the other day, wasn't the only four-legged fellow I hung out with on my Idaho-Wyoming adventures.


Bentley was there too--and he wants you to know it.

He's older. And wiser. And exceptionally slobberier. (Yes, I know that's not a word. But if you've ever seen this bulldog drool, you'll understand that he deserves his own word.)


Bentley doesn't move as quickly as Booker, so he couldn't accompany us on our snowshoes like the little guy did. But it didn't stop Bentley from joining us outside on occasion.


Of course, everywhere he goes, he shakes his head and says, mournfully, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

It's a terrible burden, isn't it, Bent?

A Question

Look at this face.


Now tell me: What would you do if you spent the weekend with this little fellow?

If you answered, "try to steal him," I wouldn't blame you. That's what I tried to do when I finally got to meet Cousin BH's little buddy, Booker, for the first time.


How could you not love this little angel?

I mean really. Look at that tongue.


Don't you just want to scoop him up and take him home with you right now? I sure did.

Returning to You (And the West, In Spirit)

Pardon the interruption. Things got a bit crazy over here. But what's new?

I realized today how long it's been since I said hello. I also realized I still haven't finished sharing snapshots from my Idaho/Wyoming adventures. That's just not right.


So here are a few from our trip up to Grand Targhee on my last full day out west. It was a snowy one, that's for certain.


Which reminds me of something I've been meaning to tell you Midwesterners. Next winter when a decent snowstorm hits and paralyzes your town/city, just remember this: It snows more than that on a regular ol' winter day up here.


And people rejoice and get out in the snow when it happens rather than buckling down for Snowmageddan. I'm just sayin'.

Backyard Snowshoeing

After everyone else headed for home or went back to work, Auntie L and I donned our snowshoes in the backyard and headed toward the Tetons. We didn't make it that far, of course. But we made it all the way to Ski Hill Road, and that was quite a trek. It was the most beautiful day yet.

Sunrise Photo

My first two mornings in Driggs dawned beautiful but overcast, such that the sunrise and the Tetons were obscured by low clouds. On my third morning there, just as My Parents and cousin and uncle prepared to leave, the clouds broke. This is the first thing I saw when I woke and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. It meant, I decided, only one thing: It was going to be a beautiful Idaho-Wyoming day. And it was.

A Week Ago Today Photo II

The boys headed up Grand Targhee to hit the slopes. The girls snowshoed at the Nordic track along the base of the ski mountain. That's My Mom and Auntie L. It was Auntie L's birthday--and a big one, at that. I doubt you'd believe me if I told you either of their ages, though. So I'm not gonna do it.

A Week Ago Today Photo

A week ago today, I woke up to this view. I was in a little pocket of Idaho (in a town called Driggs), gazing up toward Wyoming's Tetons and Grand Targhee. I was at Auntie L and Uncle B's cabin in the mountains. It was an absolutely dreadful way to start my Spring Break, don't you think?

Friday Afternoon Photo

The curtains dance on the almost-spring breeze sneaking in through the open window. The first buds of the season peek out from the damp soil where the sidewalk meets the front yard. Butter stands at his window, surveying his domain. He looks especially handsome in his new collar, a souvenir from the islands.

Saying Goodbye to Maui

It's hard to believe, but at this time last month Conservative Hubby and I were still in the middle of our honeymoon adventures in Hawaii.


Now, after weeks of sharing the highlights of our time in Waikiki and Maui with you, it's time to close out the Hawaii portion of the blog.


And so I leave you with a few shots of the sunset on our last evening in Maui, when we sat on our balcony and watched the sun sink behind the islands for the last time.


If you're devastated that the scenes of sun and shore are coming to an end, never fear. An entirely new set of posts--this time, focused on scenes of sun and snow--are coming up next.

I live a rough life, don't I?