My Crocuses

Remember my post the other day, all about spring coming? Well, the picture you saw, of the crocuses. It wasn't mine. Which I think is totally fine. A picture of crocuses was the perfect thing for the post. And there weren't any around. So I browsed Google Images.

Well, yesterday on our morning walk Cooper and I found these.

They are real, right down the street.

The world looks like an entirely different place. I like it.

I almost forgot

When spring arrives I get an overwhelming feeling of survival....and hope. As much as I loath bundling by the end of winter, I can not imagine living in a place without the distinct separation of the seasons.

We had the kind of weekend here in Columbus that serves as a reminder of what is coming. Sun filled days riding bikes and air warm enough to enjoy a day at the zoo without shivering. What a treat. I know that we will soon be seeing green plants poking through the ground as the grass is now winning out to the snow.

Dar Williams expressed it so well in her song February:

"And February was so long that it lasted into March

And found us walking a path alone together

You stopped and pointed and you said, 'That's a crocus'

And I said, 'What's a crocus?', And you said 'It's a flower.'

I tried to remember, but I said, 'What's a flower?'

You said, 'I still love you.'"

I forgot, like I do every winter, how glorious the warm sun feels, how freeing it is to walk outside without bracing for the cold, how much lighter life itself can feel when the evenings are bathed in sunlight. And, as Cooper said at the zoo, how wonderful it is to have "a beautiful day for running".

Colored Ice

Found this idea over at The Artful Parent. I actually just saw a picture of it and kind-of made the rest up.

All we did was fill a bowl of ice, pour some salt over it (Cooper really loved that part), and Cooper used an eye dropper to cover the ice with colored water. It looked super cool!

 

  

 

When finished we dumped it out in the front yard and then went inside to make some more colored water to make some more colored snow. Too bad I didn't get any pictures of that!

Fun with Flour

So many cold cold days. We've been stuck inside, a whole lot. Here's what I came up with for some fun in the afternoon. A cookie sheet filled with flour!

He started with some letter writing practice (as prompted by me, the mother with the BA in Elementary Education).

 

  

  

 

And quickly evolved into car play. Of course.

Surprising to me Cooper was occupied for about an hour.

Sure it resulted in a big mess since there were requests for more flour to bury cars

but that led to another activity. Mopping the floor!

Great fun!!