Gardening and a Canoe

It was a gorgeous weekend so we got started on our gardens on Saturday. The girls worked on the Mary Garden. The perinneal ground cover came back from last year. But I think everything else might have been annuals. We'll see. Our tulip and daffodil bulbs came up. They planted some daisies for Our Lady. Now to figure out what else to do... I don't have a green thumb.

We don't have a fine-till rototiller so after using a disk (or is it disc?) to dig up our vegetable garden Aragorn came up with a make-shift-dirt-smoother-outer. Chained to the back of the lawnmower was a pallet with wood stumps (later to be burned when the weather turns cold again!) It worked like a charm.

The children and I worked on the garden. It's quite a large garden at 96 ft long by 31 feet wide at it's widest point and tapers down to maybe 15 or 20 feet at the other end. I haven't figured out why it is tapered but it worked out well. The shorter end is just the right length for a packet of seeds and the wider end for the greater space-taker-uppers.

We planted just about every common vegetable and some herbs: carrots, lettuce, radishes, scallions, spinach, basil, onions, parsley, dill (love the smell!), peas, beans, broccoli, potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, GIANT pumpkins, birdhouse gourds (not one of my choosings.... but guess what art project we will have in the fall!), etc... Tomato plants weren't available yet at the local temporary green house so those will go in this week, along with marigolds at the end of each row.

Pippin got his first ride in the *big* tractor. He loved it... of course!

Another highlight of the weekend is finding a "new-to-us-but-very-used-to-someone-else" canoe on Craigslist on Saturday. It's 17 feet long. We picked up paddles and 3 life-preservers on our way home and then promptly drove to a small lake near our house to give rides to the children.

First lesson Pip learned was that lake water isn't all the same depth like a bathtub. He went running right out into the water and *plop*... at first he wasn't very happy but he got right back up and did it again... and again... and again!

Galadriel tries her hand at paddling.

We didn't find any baby/toddler life preservers yet so Merry and Pippin just got to sit in the boat along the water's edge and go in a circle... they were satisfied! *phew*

April Birthday

Mom's the April Baby this time. Aragorn ended up with a Saturday service call so we made a little trip out of it.

This is one of the Amish farms we drove by. I think I could get used to riding around in one of those buggies!

We stopped at the Ripon Good Cookie factory and sampled quite a number of cookies.


We found a few we liked!

Then we had a picnic lunch at lake. Swings never grow old do they?

Remember these?

Pippin thought it a bit odd.

And needed a bit of encouragement.... at first. Not much later we couldn't get him off the duck!

No, Eleanor isn't a ham.

Nor is Merry.

A group shot.

Sam isn't eager for his uncle, aunt and cousins to visit... he stood up in this tree about 4o minutes!


And we know Pippin isn't a ham.

Isn't this one cute neice?

And here are Eleanor and Merry when they squeezed themselves into a box from the butcher. I guess they are hams afterall.... it was pork that was in the box before these two hams (hahaha).

Catching Up

As Ma Ingalls said "If April showers bring May flowers, what does an April Blizzard bring?"

It brings back wintery puzzle building for one!

The 3-D Country Cottage Puzzle. It's an act of humility to do puzzles with the children... they are much quicker than I!

Dying Easter Eggs on Holy Saturday.

Samwise served as torch bearer for Holy Thursday. He was chosen do to the "clackers" during the procession to the Altar of Repose. He said because he was one of the tallest... ! He enjoyed that honor immensely! He also served for Easter Sunday morning Mass.

Our little Resurrection set. I'm drooling over one of those lovely Fontanini Holy Week and Easter sets... some day, when we find that buried treasure, right?

With the bright sun in the front stained glass windows, it was hard to get a good picture of our beautiful newly-painted sanctuary! It's actually a lovely pale rose and darker shade of rose in the background with a dusty red, dusty blue and gold ornately decorating the arches. On the ceiling above the Altar are 3 coat of arms, one for the Vatican, one for the diocese and one for the Institute of Christ the King.

Here is a bit of a closer up shot. It really is lovely.

Rare are the days we ever *do* bubble gum (I got too much in my hair as a child!) but the days we do we sit at the table and attempt to blow bubbles. The children received some in a giftie and this is Merry attempting to blow some bubbles as big as Mommy can!

He was very satisfied with his attempts! We all just chuckled!

The environmentalists burn off the marsh across the road from the other end of our property every year.

Zooming in we could even see the wee men in orange.

Since spring has sprung again, we are now starting some badly needed outdoor projects. Aragorn is working on some kind of retaining type wall bricky thing for under the porch.

Happy Easter - Christ is Risen!

Christus Resurrexit, Alleluia!

Resurrexit Vere, Alleluia!

May you have a blessed and joyous Easter Season!

Holy Triduum

Holy Thursday

"I have given you an example, that as I have done, you also may do."

"A new commandment I give unto you: 'that you love one another' as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

"Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke and said: Take ye and eat: this is My body, which shall be delivered for you. This do for the commemoration of Me. In like manner also the chalice, after He had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in My blood. This do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of Me. For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink the chalice, you shall show the death of teh Lord, until He come. Therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of teh Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord."

Good Friday
The Seven Last Words of Christ from the Cross:
First:
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Luke 23:34
Second:
"Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise."
Luke 23:43
Third:
"Woman behold thy Son...Behold thy Mother."
John 19:26-27
Fourth:
"Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabacthani? ... My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Mark 15:34
Fifth:
"I thirst."
John 19:28
Sixth
"It is consummated."
John 19:30
Seventh:
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
Luke 24:46

Holy Saturday

End of March and Palm Sunday

On one of our muddy nature walks there were a few neat footie prints

Obviously a deer hoof.

These perplexed me but were so doggone cute! I was hoping it was a little monkey or something but not likely in our parts. Anyone know? Perhaps a raccoon or possum (hardly as alluring as a monkey!)

Ok, this was just mine!

Samwise finds a rock with crystals inside, it was a perfect heart-shape hole.

We aren't sure waht this was. Some tried to convince me it was some kind of molten rock or part of a meteor. But I didn't buy that one. Anyone know? It's very interesting.

Proud as a... turkey.

The sight of a new fresh nest in spring is always welcome!

Other than hats, one of Merry's oddities is falling asleep in the most unlikely places. Here he is leaning against a beam in the boys room in the small space between the boy's bunk and the wall.

A couple days of the last week of March we enjoyed 78 degree weather! It was glorious so we went on a hike to the stream (which is now back to more normal depths).

Pip enjoyed himself

Frodo finds a skull and is excited to find he could remove the teeth... (I beg to differ)

Old Man Willow

Wading in March!

Pip takes a dip.

Eleanor enjoying a Popsicle.

Palm Braiding on Palm Sunday.

This is a braided crown of thorns.
The directions are found on this website.
This Italian woman has an amazing spread of Palm Braiding!
A few other ideas here!
We are very much amatures but we do enjoy it just the same! We save the bits and pieces for our Christmas manger sacrifices for Advent in place of straw.