Unearthed

Hints of spring in the air this weekend. Tiny buds on the brambles, fat-bellied ewes, broody hens (ugh!) and all sorts of unearthed treasures.

A fairy house forgotten all winter:


A pair of bulldozers (Come to think of it, this is what our vehicles looked like parked in our driveway a few weeks ago...)



The remains of a spectacular fort (And the tools that created it, too)



So THAT's where that hat went!



And this baseball too.



I feel a certain kinship with these objects today, as if I too, am waking from a long, cold snowy dream.

I enjoy some aspects of winter, really. The woodstove for instance. I even sort of enjoy getting up early to stoke a nice warm fire for the kids. (Our house is primarily heated by wood, so this task is crucial on those below 20 mornings.) And a cold clear 4 AM makes me feel tough. I like Orion in the sky, the look of our neighbor's white fields under a blanket of moonlight, the cozy, homebound feel of "snow days"... and the inevitable power outtages.

Of course, there are many less pleasing aspects of the New England winter. But I won't dwell on those here.

This weekend, the first that shouted "Spring" with certainty was also a weekend of cleaning (Spring cleaning?) and full-throttle writing, of kids NOT stuck inside arguing and puppies out for a walk.

A great weekend all around--

as if we've all shrugged off a little snow and started up where we've left off.