Spring Break Hijinks: Weather, Whining, and Weeds

It’s spring break for my minions, and this morning we were lucky enough to huddle in the basement during a tornado warning! I must admit, I was very proud of how quickly they followed my directives.  I deposited them safely on lawn chairs in our dank cellar before rushing back to the first floor to carry down my blind and deaf 14-year old dog and our radio. (Life in rural America includes no high speed internet service, and very poor cellular service, especially underground. I needed the radio to have any sense what was going on up above us.) Fortunately, no tornadoes touched down, and less than an hour later, we were outside, enjoying sunshine and relatively blue skies.

The calm after the (first) storm.

As a farm child, family spring break trips hardly ever happened. Spring on a cow-calf operation is a busy time, with recalcitrant cows and heifers waiting until the last possible moment to calve, the weather never cooperating, and a million other activities to complete. I cast envious looks at my schoolmates preparing to leave for a week in some exotic, sun-filled location. Now my family is constrained by the calendar of the Kentucky legislature, who may take spring break off for themselves…but legislative staffers must still work.

Preparing to work cattle, a process the endures in much the same way it did when I was my children’s age.

On Saturday, we cleared out weeds, young trees, and very determined grapevines from the family cemetery – and I neglected to get a before photo of our endeavors. Easter Sunday culminated in way too much excitement and candy, and since I’d spent the night before fretting about waking up in time to ensure the Easter baskets were in place (and dreaming about mice dragging off plastic eggs full of candy – which did happen two years ago), I was delighted to fall into slumber that evening.

Yesterday, we were outside from 8 am until noon, and in addition to construction of a blanket fort, many delicacies were prepared with leaves, blooms, and dirt. I dug many, many holes, for large clumps of jonquils and daffodils are begging to be divided. The sight of all the blooms in the spring sustains me, because digging all the  holes wears me out.

This swath of mid-blooming daffodils is located in what was known as the “Victory Garden” area of the domestic yard.

I love this variety, but its name escapes me.

I have good reason to swear off purchasing any more bulbs from the Narcissus genus. Between what I’ve managed to plant in the last six years, and the thousands of daffodils at my childhood home, I could simply divide and plant from now until my legs give out.

New holes to continue the ribbon of yellow and white flowing over the hill in springs yet to come.

Lunch on the porch concluded with popsicles – because it was HOT!

Nothing can replace jonquils as my favorite flower of spring, but my grandmother’s primrose comes close.

Severe weather threatens to upend our afternoon plans today, but my youngest was so exhausted from the tornado warning, fence climbing, walk, puzzles, and post-lunch dramatic rendition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (I take story time very seriously, with different voices for each character) that he is now napping – so I will approach whatever adventure transpires with renewed energy. I think we may see how much rain fell by exploring along the creek…