The Waiting Game

March is such a tease.  Temperatures spiking in the 70s tempt me to stash the heavy winter coats, and two days later single-digit numbers on the thermometer remind me never to trust this time of year.  March taunts and torments with sunshine and snowstorms, but mostly it just flirts.

And knowing it's a flirt and not able to commit to anything serious, I am withholding my heart from it this year.  Slowly I am learning.  Oh yes, I'll delight in its warm and sunny teases, but I won't be devastated when a late spring snow blankets the slowly thawing ground.

But in anticipation of June, that much more reliable, faithful and gentle month that actually keeps it promises, I bought seeds!  Yea!  The tomatoes and some flowers are already nestled in warm little pots filled with fragrant dirt (inhaaaaaaaale... awwww!).  It smells like happiness in the dining room now.

And I spent my birthday money from Dad and Mom DW (thank-you!) on a new pair of snips and a dazzlingly versatile hose nozzle I'd been trying not to covet from my neighbor.  And some dahlia bulbs.  And some freesia bulbs.  It was so very hard to stop there, but I know the greenhouses will try even harder to pull me in than the gardening aisle does and so I must exercise restraint at this time of year.  Like I said, I'm getting better at dealing with March so as not to be betrayed by it later.

Less than a week left of this deceptive month before its nearly as unreliable counterpart tries its hand at love.  I will enjoy April's company, but my heart is holding out for true summer.  Come quickly, dear summer!  I will greet your arrival with seedlings, gardening gloves, a rototilled garden and new gardening tools!

Going Political

Oops, missed the Wednesday deadline for writing something again.  But here are a few thoughts that have been swirling in my mind recently.

Advance apology:  this is a bit of a rant, and it's political, so stop reading now if you want.  I wouldn't blame you a bit.

I do not claim to understand the stress of people in high positions whose duties and schedules I have no comprehension of.  However, all the whining by secretaries, justices and even park rangers over government budget cuts is driving me nuts!  Yes, trimming a budget hurts, but for Pete's sake, can't people at least try to work with their smaller budgets?  Do they not realize that our country needs to reduce spending, and that their own agendas are not the only ones to be pinched?  Maybe the cuts weren't made in the best way -- I truly don't know -- but made they were and our leaders should buck up and deal with it with the best attitude they can muster.  Didn't their mothers ever tell them to keep their mouths shut if they can't say something nice?  Hmm, quiet politicians... what a thought!

As their and our patriotic duty, in demonstration of love and support for America, every citizen -- and especially her leaders! -- should be willing to say, "Yup, it hurts, but I can do this for my country."  Public servants should, in fact, be the first to set this kind of example.  Come on leaders, lead us well!

Okay, there's my rant for today.

Wednesday again

Alas, I missed another Wednesday blog post.  I could make excuses (cuz really it's been a busy week and it's only Thursday!), but I'm trying to encourage my kids to not make excuses but just buck up and admit, "yup, I missed that one.  I'll try harder next time."  So here I go.  Oops, missed that one, but hopefully next week I'll do better.

Speaking of training up children (isn't that what I was just talking about?), Wade and I just finished reading "Raising Real Men" by Hal and Melanie Young.  A few of their ideas and suggestions were noteworthy enough to... wait for it... make notes of!  One (that we actually did write down so we don't forget about it) is holding a coming-of-age observance for sons when they reach 13 or so (sounds very Jewish, no?) and intentionally bestowing more responsibilities and freedoms on them.  We liked that idea.

There have been several things we've made note of lately in the child-rearing department.  Sadly, many of them have come up because we feel like we didn't do them well with Nick, who has been our teenage guinea pig.  Again, I could make excuses about having to deal with teenage issues before we'd had time to think them through, but really, there are some things we just dropped the ball on, and we'd like to do better in the future.

The next book Wade and I are tackling is "Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement" by Kay Wills Wyma.  Wade heard an interview with the author on Focus on the Family and was intrigued.  I think it sounds fabulous.  I'm harboring hopes though that much of what she suggests is stuff we're already doing, because I really do try to teach our sons responsibility and helpfulness and duty in the home.  If it's fabulous, expect to hear about it in a few months when we finish it.

And now other duties call, so I'm signing off.  Have a lovely night, y'all!