Springtime

I don't know why this year seems different, but it has been a glorious spring.

It came early, for one thing. We had gorgeous daffodils followed by sumptuous flowering trees. Then came the tulips, which are just now starting to fade. The colors have been so intense you can almost taste them, unlike our usual gray, rainy springs that make even the brightest yellow blossoms look muddy and dull.

On Monday the girls and I attended Jonathan's track meet. It was the first meet we were able to get to, and he seemed very pleased to see us. I love how Jonathan smiles with his whole face. He is nearly six lanky feet tall now, and when he runs, he looks like he is loping around the track, his arms and legs so much longer than the others that he overtakes them with a seemingly languid effort. The grass was an intense green, the sky an equally bright blue, and the track a vivid reddish orange. It reminded me of when I play with pictures in photoshop and bump up the color saturation. Of course, I had forgotten my camera.

The pool is open, which means that we took the ugly black winter cover off and cleaned the water so it is a sparkling blue. Everything out the windows is happy and leafy, growing and vibrant. This is the best time of year, because later in the summer it will get dry, and there will be more brown. Right now, everything is newly back to life, fresh and juicy with the youth of the season.

Of course, I still blow it. Last night, I stayed up way too late. This morning I awoke late, got up later, and took forever to get in gear. In the end, I did do a little tidying, a little vacuuming, a little shopping and a little laundry, so it was not a wash. But I wish I had gotten going more quickly. I will try to do better tomorrow. There is so much to do if we are going to have a graduation party for David.

Yes, David is graduating. Also, he lost his cell phone, which is a very sad thing. He is pretty sure someone stole it, and I am pretty sure that if this is the case, that same someone also smashed it for fun. What else would you do with a cell phone? David agrees. As I said, it is a sad thing. Especially when you start looking at what it will cost him to replace it.

Shannon is done with college for the year and waiting to hear where she will be doing research this summer. It is nice to have her at home. It is also nice that she is incredibly decent about sharing her car and helping me pick people up in different places.

Tonight Shannon took Laura to the dress shop to pick up her prom dress now that it has been altered. Laura goes to prom on Saturday. I'll post some pictures when it happens...

New leaves, pretty blossoms, track meets, graduation, six-packs of sweet allysum, tests out of the way, prom... This is spring 2009.