Warm Weather Casualties

Casualty  #1  Two Pairs of Boots
Everything defrosts when you've had days in the 40's and 50's, not to mention days and days of rain.  Warmer weather draws everyone outside, exploring the yard for the first time in months, I really wish that was only mud on the bottom of a couple of pairs of boots.

Casualty #2  Abe's First Shorts
It was warm enough that I even let Abe wear shorts out of the house.  So was it warm enough for Abe to wear shorts all day?  Not exactly.  If your thinking Abe's pants look a little like swimwear, maybe swimwear belonging to 10 year old friend that was found under the seat of my car and gratefully used when Abe  possibly had an 'accident' while asleep on my lap as we were waiting for our windshield to be repaired, you're right.  I only wish I could have found some similar swimwear in a few sizes larger for myself.

Casualty #3  Jo and His Bike
With warming temperatures we see an increase of foot traffic in front of the house, including foot traffic belonging to two young ladies coming to visit one 8 year old boy.  Initially he came running to the backyard, blushing, giggling, and flustered, seeking some reassurance, but after a little encouraging he was surprisingly smooth in his actions..... except for when he carelessly through his leg over his bike and the both of them tumbled to the ground spending the next several moments tangled and hollering for help.  I fought my urge to run to his aid, even though I obviously heard him from my spying post, he'll figure it out, just like he figured out politely and attentively seeking girls company in play will get you all the ladies.  (No way that girl was only 8..... she looked much older like at least 11)

Casualty #4  A Dead Rubber Lizard
It wasn't just one dead rubber lizard that made a reappearance this weekend from it's extended vacation under a blanket of snow.  However he was the one that startled me the most. I'll let him stand as a representation of all the random objects lazily left in the yard this fall.  Maybe come next fall I won't be so distracted and I'll be better at gathering everything that should take cover before it's forgotten under the snow..... maybe?

Casualty #5  Broken Pottery
Every spring a few more pieces of pottery either find a decorative place shoved in a flower bed or meet their tragic trash bin end.  But I was more hopeful for these five pots, I even tried to protect them from the snow.  The hours spent digging and planting might just be wasted, I don't know how safe they'll be with jagged edges and bare feet?

But out of death comes new life.  Sure the garden looks pretty neglected, but there is more then just jagged broken pots beginning to emerge from the soil.  We even fired up the pizza oven to enjoy dinner cooked by an open flame.  And who could forget the love of discovering a new space.

With the forecast calling for three separate winter storms this next week the warm weather has been a nice distraction.  I guess I won't pull out all the gardening gear just yet, I think we'll have a few more weeks of movie watching and indoor games of hide and seek.  Maybe it's for the good, I wasn't quite ready to pull out the hose and scrub brush and deal with the damage a small flock of chickens have done to a few stored rocking chairs anyways.