back to spring

this is the last weekend in may, and a long one at that. but the holiday is taking a back seat to the weather. yesterday was cold, damp, and rainy - a wood stove day if ever i've seen one. last night the wind howled, tree branches came down, and we lost power for several hours overnight. to make matters worse, it snowed. SNOW! today dawned fresh and clean, that clear sky, good-smelling weather that comes after a storm. but it's so cold! i went out into the garden with a vest over my sweatshirt and winter gloves under my work ones. for dinner, there's soup. that kind of cold!

in an effort to get back a little of my "first weekend of summer" vibe, i took a long walk in the woods. i didn't bring my camera, so these are taken with my phone. but finding them was just what i needed to remind me that it really is spring!

appreciation

so lovely to be officially appreciated during the week set aside for teachers. flowers and goodies, lunches and cards. but the most meaningful instance was the mother who came to school to seek me out, to let me know the wonderful things her son had said about me, and how much he thought of me as a teacher. her kind word made my heart sing, particularly since i've been questioning my worth for many months now. such a small gesture, with so grand an impact.

sprung

this week, tree flowers fell from branches and translucent leaves began to fan open. this is such a beautiful time, when the sunlight begins to filter in through the trees. it illuminates the forest floor and makes everything look vibrant and alive. it will only be a few days until the leaves start to throw shade -and then, it will all become a different kind of beautiful.

fail x 2

see the wad of paper toweling i dried my hands with as i was walking down the hall, then shot into the wastebasket? i missed (and i never miss!). but then i couldn't even go recover it - because the basket was in the boy's room!