Weekly Update: 2.24.24
I’m as restless as a willow in a windstorm,
I’m as jumpy as a puppet on a string!
I’d say that I had spring fever,
But I know it isn’t spring."It Might As Well Be Spring", Rodger's and Hammerstein's "State Fair"
A new energy fills the air this week, as if the seasons are changing behind the scenes. Verdant hues tinge the taupe landscape. Morning birds sing more brightly than they did just a week ago. Our dogs, for the first time since fall, ask to go outside first thing in the morning. Sugar ants trail across counter tops again, reminding us that the whole world is beginning to wake up. Spring is technically still a month away, but I rather wonder if Punxsutawney Phil was correct in his prediction of an early end to winter.
The longer, warmer days have made for an adjustment to our routine, as we can start earlier and work longer. It feels good to race the sunrise in the morning, to fetch breakfast beneath the pink dawn, and to start in the bunkhouse with the day still sparkling and new. While our progress continues to be slow -- the extra couple hours of work make all the difference. It was another week of roof and rake walls. Levi worked on the roof yesterday, attaching purlins until we ran out of wood. We knew this would happen at some point, as we had some loss to termites. We sisters spent most of the week continuing with the rake walls. We aren't sure why we have struggled so much with this particular job, but thankfully we are almost done. We just have one more wall of studs, which we should finish early next week.
On Monday, we celebrated Grace's birthday. We gave her a day off to just relax -- something that never happens around here, even on the weekends. In the afternoon, Bonnie-Jean dyed her hair darkest brown with a natural indigo treatment. In the evening we all indulged on Domino's pizza, sugar-free pina coladas, and chick flicks on the projector.
The day before Grace's birthday, I worked quickly to finish her gift -- some beaded fringe earrings. It is a crazy time to start a new hobby, but I've wanted to try my hand at earrings like this since I was a kid. The story behind the earrings deserves a post of its own, so I will save it for another day.
The weather has us all doing a little spring cleaning already. Grace and I cleaned out our game box one day this week. We have a huge deck box full of board games -- and as of Christmas, it was officially too full. It was too cold to do much about it. This week, we sorted through our games and dispersed some of them. Our card games are in the tent. The kids' games are in totes stored in the bunkhouse. Now, the rest of us can see what we have. We are still working on our 100 games winter challenge, though we are admittedly behind after all the sickness.
The cats and dogs are enjoying the warmer days as much as the rest of us. All of them have spent most of their days either outside or with us in the bunkhouse. Dagger's paw continues to improve, though Bonnie-Jean is still soaking it daily to support its healing. I'm still shocked that stepping on a thorn could cause so much damage -- literally weeks of paw issues. But apparently, such is the life of an Ozarks dog.
The springlike atmosphere has boosted all of our morale. I'm excited about finishing the rake walls and working on something new next week. We plan to order our plumbing supplies in the next few days. Today, we are planning to spend the day in Springfield to celebrate Jeremiah's birthday. It will be fun to do some shopping but also just enjoy one another. It was a long, hard winter -- and it really isn't over. But spring fever has broken out here on the homestead, and I am indulging in the anticipation.
