Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Hoppin' down the bunny trail,

Hippity hoppity,

Easter's on its way!

Happy Easter! It was a long weekend so we decided to go to Ruidoso. We have a place up there and wanted to check on it to make sure all was okay. I wish it was closer because I sure like it up there. Evan wanted to go we picked him up in Seminole.

Callye's cookie...too pretty to eat!

As we got closer to Ruidoso it was depressing to see the damage the recent fire left. The once green trees were just burnt sticks standing on the top of the mountain. We saw how close the fire had come to people’s homes. We saw where one house had stood, now just a pile of charred ashes, with warped metal that were cars, sitting nearby. It was sad.

It was still light when we got to the house. As always we went in and looked around to see if anything has changed since the last visit. Alan turned on the water and the hot water heater and I put our things away and started to gather things for supper. They made a quick trip to the store to pick up the few things we needed while I began to cook.

It is always such a peaceful time there. The weather was so nice. It’s still dry, as is everywhere around here and the fire danger is high. But the pine trees and the clear mountain air were refreshing. The house has a great deck and E can go outside and play. We hang out there a lot. We cook out there and even eat outside sometimes.

Sky through the pines.

The deck

The neighbor's bear.

Alan picked up some corn and a bale of hay so the deer might come up because E likes to see them. Sure enough, at dusk, there they were. The dogs were locked safely on the deck so they couldn’t cause a commotion.

Hay for deer.

Where's supper?

Time for a nap!

Later that evening we played games and watched TV. Alan went to bed early and E and I stayed up watching Spiderman, the movie. I’d never seen it but he had and filled me in on every detail!

We all slept in the next morning, at least at late as the dogs would allow. I started the coffee and E and I had a cup. He loves to have coffee with me. His is half a cup of milk, one Splenda, and coffee to fill the cup. He calls it Doctor coffee (doctored coffee) like my kids did when they were little. We had breakfast while Alan got caught up on some much needed rest.

Picture of the dogs Penni took in the office

Later that afternoon we had to make the mandatory trip to ‘Walmark’. E is a shopper and he figures if he’s alone with Mamye and Pap he’ll make the most of it! I had promised him a toy so he went to get what he wanted. He picked it up and showed it to me. I glanced at where it had come from (I thought) and saw 19.99. I thought it was a little steep but decided he’d been really good and what the heck, it was only money, so told him okay. Alan kind of glanced at me like I was looney but then he does that a lot so I didn’t pay much attention. We got the rest of the things we needed and headed back up the mountain.

In the parking lot E was so excited about his toy, some kind of spy watch that took audio and video, and asked me if it cost the same at Seminole. I said yes, it was 19.99 there too. Alan said I think you’d better look at the receipt. I did and guess what? The toy was 49.99. I wondered how what I’d bought added up so fast! Oh well, it’s only money and E will certainly get that much enjoyment out of it.

$50.00 spy watch!

As is always the case when you are enjoying yourself, the time came to an end too quickly. Getting things ready to go always seems to take so long. We change the sheets, clean the bathrooms, wash the towels and sheets and anything else that needs washing, do the dishes, clean the kitchen, mop and vacuum. That way if anyone else goes up there everything is ready to spend the night. We sometimes rent it out since we don’t live there full time.

We start home and E immediately says he’s starving, probably to death, if we don’t stop at McDonald’s. He’s such a funny little guy! We stop, get some chicken nuggets and he’s okay for a while. He sleeps some, I knit and Alan drives.

When we got to Seminole, Callye had fixed a wonderful Easter dinner for us! We had roast with tiny potatoes and carrots and mushrooms, roasted asparagus that she’d cooked in brown paper bags, broccoli slaw, pasta salad, hot rolls and for dessert, strawberry shortcake! Everything was delicious. The kids then went out and hunted eggs. It was a bit later in the evening than our traditional activities but it was still a lot of fun. She made a platter of her beautiful Easter cookies and sent them home with us.

Carrot cookie with no icing

Easter platter from Callye and family

Little Easter lamb!

All In all it was a great weekend with plenty of rest and relaxation. I knitted on a bias shawl with some of the yarn I got from DFW, Brooks Farm, Ellie. I actually finished but want to get some beads for the fringe. I’ll post a picture later. I got the rubber tiles needed to block my other shawl but haven’t done it yet. I thought about hauling it all with us but decided I wouldn’t have enough time. Turns out I probably would have. I’m finishing up a toy ball for E and then will start something. I don’t know what yet, but I’ll be doing something!

Brook's Farm 'Ellie'

Wound for a Bias Shawl

I’m thankful for the time we got to spend together and enjoy each other as a family. And if some jelly beans or chocolate bunnies or Easter cookies get thrown it it’s even better! I know what Easter is really about. And I’m thankful. Hope your Easter was happy!

Bringin' ev'ry girl and boy,

A basketful of Easter joy!

Things to make your Easter

Bright and gay!

Hippity hoppity,

Happy Easter Day!

Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs

And I guess it always will. If it didn’t I suppose you’d be dead and wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore! Saturday DD and the three DGKs came over. I had hoped they’d make it early but it was after 5. I think this is the first time they have ever come over to spend the night except for a holiday. I wish it would happen more often. The kids make me smile. Sometimes they are the only thing that can make me smile. Their sweetness and innocence and unconditional love are refreshing. And their honesty is so genuine. Not to say they can’t come up with some tall tales! But they aren’t lies like grownups tell but products of their glowing imaginations. The stories and the make believe, the obsessions with dinosaurs and baby dolls and little action figures are all being knitted together to form the fabric of their personalities. It’s going to be interesting to see what comes out.

We had a great comfort food dinner, finally, pretty late that evening. At least the kids enjoyed it. Roast, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans and macaroni and cheese. And more gravy! The gravy seemed to be a hit. Kids after my own heart! But eating so late seemed to give them a second burst of energy! It was wild for two or three more hours! Junior, the five month Rottweiler puppy doesn’t quite know how to take them. He likes them, you can tell. But he wants to play and he’s big and doesn’t know it and can get a little rough for them. He loves to snatch their things and have them run after him yelling No! Junior! Stop! He snitched a ‘pacifur’ and instead of tearing it up like we expected him to try to do he just sat with it in his mouth like he’d seen baby girl do. It was hilarious! But he wouldn’t stay still long enough for a picture. I guess he was afraid it might spoil his bad dog image!

Sunday after a few hours of getting rounded up, feeding the chickens, gathering the eggs, donuts, coffee (1/4 coffee, ¾ steamed milk with Splenda), bacon and sausage, (the sausage was hot and it was funny to hear the middle one explain that it had ‘cheelay’!), we headed to their house with food and Easter eggs and had a great time. Barbeque, relaxing, family, egg hunts, playing…a good day.

Knitting…I had to take out about 2 ½ inches of my Landscape scarf. It was sad! The marker slipped through a YO and instead of counting like I usually do I trusted the markers. So the holes were off one stitch. Would anyone notice? Probably not. But I did! So ripped it was.



And the Knit a year project is still going. Saturday had some ups and downs. Just stuff. So I picked a bumpy yarn. I think it might be LB Homespun. It has some beige and some green, and pink to remind me I can’t always be looking through my rose colored glasses! Sunday I found a variegated sock yarn that was Easter colors. Happy and egg memories.


And I’ll keep in mind...

Life has its little ups and downs, like ponies on a merry-go-round. And no one grabs the brass ring every time.