Being sick is the worst. Last week I went from the flu to bronchitis. This week it was just the bronchitis lingering, but that was bad enough. I’m feeling much better now. I’m tired of being sick. I’m ready to resume my life.
Spring is in the air. And it’s official! The Vernal Equinox arrived this morning at 12:30 a.m. And we actually have flowers to prove it! In many years on the first day of spring there isn’t any visible proof. This year the signs came early. Birds, bees, and blossoms all arrived well in advance of the official first day. It may get cold still – in fact it’s pretty chilly today and we drove home from church in light snow flurries – but winter has lost its grip. The world is awakening. That makes me happy.
The snowdrops are at their peak right now. The crocuses have progressed from just the yellow ones (always the first to bloom) to the purple, blue, and my favorites, the white and purple striped ones. The tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils have broken through. It won’t be long before there are lilacs and apple blossoms.
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| Crocuses. |
The chickens have gone from giving us four or five eggs a day to twenty or more now. Eggs are for sale at the Howe house once again!
We had some good bird sightings last week as waterfowl are migrating north. We saw green-winged teal, buffleheads, and mergansers. Over in Tioga County they’ve seen tundra swans, but we haven’t seen any yet.
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| Common merganser. |
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| Bufflehead. |
This week Josiah had some great adventures. On Tuesday he went on a school field trip. They went to the famous Frank Lloyd Wright house, Falling Water, down in Fayette County. Then they went to the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County.
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| At Falling Water. |
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| At the Flight 93 Memorial. |
On Wednesday, Josiah left for the Regional Choral Festival. It was held in Fort LeBoeuf, over near Erie. Stacey and I drove out on Friday and spent the night with our nephew Stephen Pister and his wife Erin. They live in Fredonia, New York. Sarah and Tosh met us there. We had a great evening together on Friday. We went for Friday Fish Fry at a very good local restaurant. Saturday we spent the morning looking around Fredonia and Dunkirk along Lake Erie. We did a little bird watching. Then we all drove down to Fort LeBoeuf to attend Josiah’s concert. The concert was great. Josiah isn’t going on to the state level, so this was the last PMEA concert we’ll attend, which seems strange to think about. After the concert we drove up to Erie and had lunch at Chic-Fil-A and then we all went our separate ways.
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| At Purina in Dunkirk, where Stephen Pister works. |
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| Dunkirk lighthouse on Lake Erie. |
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| At regionals. |
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| Lunch at Chic-Fil-A. |
This week is Holy Week. Today is Palm Sunday. Although Easter is a big event for us, we Mormons don’t do a lot to celebrate Holy Week. We don’t do anything for Palm Sunday or Maundy Thursday or Good Friday. I have my own personal observances that I keep during the week. On Good Friday I will listen, as I always do, to Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, something I look forward to all year. It is my favorite composition by my favorite composer, one of the most profound and powerful pieces of music ever written. Then over Saturday and Sunday I will listen to Handel’s Messiah and other wonderful music celebrating Christ’s victory over death. I have a wonderful new recording of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Messiah. Then on Sunday we will sing the great Easter hymns. The Fredonia Pisters are coming to spend Easter with us. We’ll have the feast at the Shillig’s house. I love Easter.
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| A dramatic sunset last week. |
The week ahead looks to be busy. With doctor’s appointments, the annual Dessert Theater, a long list of things to do outdoors, and the usual round of chores, school, and work, we will have plenty to keep us occupied. Maybe we’ll even get a bit of spring cleaning done. The weather is supposed to be mild and springlike. I can hardly wait.
