Nobody Here But Us Chickens

This morning when I was reading, I came across a poem by William Carlos Williams called The Red Wheelbarrow. It's simple, but beautiful in it's simplicity. It got me thinking about my Dad's wheelbarrow, which is also red. When we were little, he would give us rides in it. When my brothers and I got older, we wheeled each other around. Our house was on a flat spot in between two hills. We were much less careful pushing each other than my Dad was. We would get going pretty fast on the hills. If we hit a bump, the wheelbarrow would sometimes tip over sideways, spilling us out.

The poem and the memories inspired today's collage.

 

The chickens got in there because there are white chickens in the poem, and we had chickens, too. Ours were mostly Rhode Island Reds.

 

Yes, that's me and my brothers in the wheelbarrow. I guess we'd have a hard time fitting in there now! And, can you imagine my Dad's face if we asked him to push us around in the wheelbarrow???

 

I might need to try that, just to watch him sputter! Have a great weekend, everyone. See you back here again tomorrow.

 

Friday In The Garden

Not what you would expect, maybe?

Any signs of spring are hidden under about five inches of snow.

The only sun to be found in the garden today. At least it adds a bright spark of color. Not real warm, though.

Definitely not my favorite April Fool's Day surprise. (That would be my oldest brother.  He's probably not reading this, but just in case, Happy Birthday, Brother!) Here's hoping next Friday will bring us a little more color.

List-It Tuesday, Enjoying A Quiet Moment

My list for this week was written Monday, just before a last push to get everything ready for a visit from the in-laws. It will be a strange Thanksgiving this year, with the older Daughter staying in Pittsburgh. I'm sure she will have a great time with my brother's family, but we will miss her.

Check out Aimee's list of mood indicators that she suggests wearing on post-it notes on your forehead, to warn people you meet in the morning. You can bet that bouncy and perky would not be on any foreheads around this house in the morning! There are links to a lot of other interesting lists in her comments, also.

Friday In The Garden

There are some daylilies blossoming this week, that were not in bloom last week. Out front we have several clumps of Prairies Moonlight planted among mostly native plants. Even though this is not a rebloomer, I love the color, and the huge size of the blossoms.

Closer to the house is this gorgeous creamsicle colored daylily called Serengeti. (The spell check just suggested that I change creamsicle for either crepuscular, or grotesquely. What on earth is it thinking???)

And, out back is this beauty. It is from the Siloam line, but I have lost track of exactly which variety. It used to be planted out front, where it did nothing. I moved it behind the house, and it blossoms like mad!

The most fun this week was not in my garden however, but in my parent's yard. My youngest brother came north with his wife and kids, and I was able to make a quick overnight visit to see them. It's  always so much fun when we can get the cousins together. And, I'm also lucky that all of my brothers married wonderful women (I'm not quite sure how they managed that...). I don't get to see any of them nearly enough. 

During my short visit, we managed a concert in the park, a playground trip, lots of good food, and some rousing games of kickball, complete with cardboard bases. It was just like when we were growing up!

Here is my youngest brother trying to get an out against The Sister of The Girl Who Is Never Out.

And here he is again, showing off his legs kicking skills.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) there was no picture of me tripping while running back to first base when the little person on second base decided not to move. I actually managed to tuck my shoulder and roll, and somehow not hurt myself! Like I said, it was just like when we were growing up.