Oh Happy Day

1. Lindsey is home.

2. Playing ticket to ride last night with Livie, Tori, Lindsey, and Ashley. And laughing like you only laugh with sisters, cousins, and really old friends.

3. I emptied my mending basket today. I seriously mended the stuff too. Awhile ago, there was a comic-- "Mending basket? Isn't that where things go until they are too little to wear?" And generally, that is the case. But this time, I mended. High five, me!

4. I sorted through Mom and Dad's legos. I don't think I have played with legos in... oh about 20 years. But Gilbert wanted to play this morning, so I started looking for the makings of a truck. Which led to sorting through legos. Which led to a disturbing number of dismembered lego figures. Which led to obsessive me having to find all the pieces of their little selves. We are still missing several body parts, but oh! the sense of accomplishment when I completely suited up one of the lego Islanders from topknot with steer horns to shield (which I thought were Zulu warriors) and  figured out the palm tree.

5. Last night, the kids wanted to help Owen and the girls feed some of the last hay bales of the season. So I tagged along, worrisome mother that I am, to make sure that the kids did not fall of the 4 bale high stack on the top of the wagon that Owen assured me was perfectly stable. It was all so beautiful in all the evening light, I was wishing I had brought my camera. And I was still lamenting not having had my camera when I was inside watching the cows feed. And then the calves started running. In that senseless, glad-to-be-alive way that calves do. And I decided I had to go out and take pictures. Just as I was starting out, I realized the calves were out on the road. Running down the road away from us. And then everyone was out. And Owen hollered from the tractor to let them be--"They'll come back to their mothers!" And they did.

Aunts and kids

Runaways

Exuberance in calf form

Watching

Coming home

Rounding up the stragglers

Blurry Aunts and kids