Sanguine

Um... whoops?

Dear Reader, I am clearly and 100% incapable of holding to my word when I say I'm going to write. I'd show you my sheepish face, but my camera's over there and I'm over here and I'm pretty sure I haven't brushed my hair in a few days.

I have no topic today other than what it is I've been up to. Obviously it's half-past April, not so obviously, unless you live here, the weather has been flat out wacky, full stop. Two weeks ago we had several days of 80-degree weather, back to back. Mom and I took Ro down the canal trail to look at turtles and let me tell you, don't wear mohair socks in your hiking boots when it's hot out. That's a life lesson, kids. Needless to say, all the flowers are up (forsythia! rhodies! dandelions! violets! creeping charlie! magnolias!) And the tulips are already in bloom and I have no idea what that means for the Tulip Festival this year, but I'm still planning to take Ro, like usual. It's not May without an obligatory splash around the Moses fountain. (Charlton Heston, eat your heart out. I prefer this guy.)

Easter came and went without too much crazy. Ro's sudden obsession with Hello Kitty had us in the clutches of a far more character driven holiday than I'm normally bound to gun for. In her Hello Kitty basket she had Hello Kitty pajamas and in her Hello Kitty shaped eggs she had Hello Kitty socks. Oh, God bless Target. (No, really, have you seen the Liberty of London line? Forget about it. Goodbye, paycheck. I knew you, once.)

...Oh right, hah. I don't have a job. Silly me. I guess sending out three resumes a day is just a hobby.

We spend a lot of time at the playground now that it's warm out. A lot. Ro makes roughly three single-serving friends with every visit and I wonder if it's a good idea or not to do that to her. But when I see how well she does socially with other children- (very talkative, engaging, patient, doting, and so sympathetic when they fall down and get hurt.) I keep thinking serious, serious pre-school thoughts. Obviously rethinking the homeschooling idea all together. Oh well, no denim jumpers and prairie skirts for us.

As well as playgrounds, warm weather inherently means it's gazebo season. I helped JG put ours up last week and now that the furniture is all situated inside Ro's been busying herself with making fairy houses by the old tree stump and getting yelled at when she ventures beyond the shed towards the road (of course!) Oh, to live on a quiet street in a set-back neighborhood, oh to have a fence. Me, it's a repeat of last year- sitting out there with my sewing basket and hand finishing the edges and trim and embroidery on umpteen SCA garb projects in anticipation of War of the Roses at the end of May.

This year Ro is getting a new kirtle (unbleached muslin with grey wool trim) and surcote (soft pink linen with chartreuse mohair trim and a tiny pewter button shaped like a bee.) Both are slightly oversized and will probably fit her until she's seven, undoubtedly. She's also getting a black wool hooded liripipe capelet, lined in chartreuse silk. My stuff is mostly finished, I worked on it over the winter. I have a beautiful cream colored cotehardie, a longbelt embroidered with tiny vines to go with it, and a forest green velvet cloak with a chocolate mink collar and bright gold buckles to close it with. (Yeah, Salvation Army curtains!) Photos to come, most assuredly.

(Those of you wondering where the photos of the snow queen I said I was making are, she's not done yet!)

Nothing much else to say other than the fact that I made a pretty bangin' stromboli for dinner, full of hot sausage, pepperoni, onions and peppers. Man, I love the versatility of pizza dough.