Flying

The weather turned chilly today . . .

. . . but the girls still had fun on the trampoline.

Who says you need wings to fly?

Speaking of things with wings,

Joy is using millet seeds

to train our parakeets.

She even got Tia to sit on her finger this evening.

At least for a few moments.

The Crowded Corner

Anna and I decided to play a round of pool this afternoon.

Early in the game, the 8 ball rolled into a sub-optimal position.

Then things got worse.

For both players.

When I had no balls left to aim at

except the one over here in the Danger Zone,

I decided it was time to be bold 

and try to knock the black ball away from the pocket.

My plan backfired catastrophically,

as I rather expected it would,

but taking a chance still felt better

than scratching and letting Anna tackle this tough situation, 

or both of us scratching over and over

until one of us got sick of the stalemate.

I'd rather just face my fear and take a shot at it.

The Return of the Chirp-munk

Remember our little "chirp-munk" friend?

The warm weather woke him up from his long winter nap,

and I've spotted him scampering around our deck 

a few times this week.

It was fun to see him peeking out from under our grill cover . . .

. . . until I noticed he'd been chewing a hole in the top.

Living this close to nature definitely has its downsides,

but I wouldn't trade it for the concrete jungle.

The delights outweigh the annoyances.

Dirt Candy

Winter snowstorms seem to be a thing of the past

(at least for the next few months) . . .

. . . so we decided it was time to set up the trampoline . . .

. . . and then celebrate the arrival of spring

with lots of vigorous bouncing!

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day,

we also received a package from Uncle Rob.

He recently told us about some Mexican candy

which he calls "dirt candy" because it's covered in chili powder.

He thought we might like to try it, so he sent us several pounds of it.

He swears that was the minimum amount he could order.

I mostly believe him. Maybe.

He shipped us several varieties, 

and they were all . . . kinda weird.

The strawberry balls were OK,

but the watermelon things had so much chili powder caked onto them

that we couldn't bear to eat them without rinsing them off first.

Apparently, dirt candy is an acquired taste.

This Is What COVID Looks Like

 Well, I guess I spoke too soon.

A day after my positive COVID test . . .

. . . this is what COVID looks like . . .

. . . and this is what non-COVID looks like.

After a good night's sleep, Todd is back in the saddle

and heading outside to play.

After a lousy night's sleep, I'm quarantining in my room

with an immunity-boosting smoothie (don't worry--it tastes better than it looks).

Phillip is home being Mr. Mom

while I'm trying really, really hard not to be 

a cranky sick lady.

I hope he's having better luck

than I am.

She's Got It!

 The kids and I made a lot of fun plans for Spring Break this week.

None of them included . . .

. . . this.

Yep, two years into this pandemic, I finally caught COVID.

Ironically, I just have a runny nose and some achy joints . . .

. . . while Todd is miserably sick but tested negative.

Given that Daniel never had any symptoms, 

maybe this is what a non-COVID Hendrickson looks like . . .

. . . and this is what a COVID Hendrickson looks like.

(Really?  I have to isolate HOW long?

Sheesh.)

Also, call me weird if you like, 

but I'm kind of tempted to keep this test

as a souvenir from this crazy time.

Easter Flowers

Easter is such a beautiful time.

A time of dainty, pink blossoms . . .

. . . on our glorious weeping cherry tree out back . . .

. . . and cute little bouquets in the glass jars

that our neighbor set out as Easter gifts 

for anyone who walked by today. :)

Holy Week 2022

It's that time again.  The week when we reenact . . .

. . . Obiwan getting ready to say that only Sith deal in absolutes?

Nope!  It's the week when we reenact Christ cleansing the temple.

The week when we decorate eggs . . .

. . . to hang in the "window" . . .

 . . . and eat hot cross buns after we decorate pieces of a cross . . .

. . . to remind us that Jesus suffered and died to save each individual

in our family

and the entire human family.

Whether you're a Christian, a Jew,

or just someone enjoying the wonders of spring,

this time of year invites us all to remember

that God is both mighty 

and loving.

Fixing Star Wars at the Park

The kids had a day off school and the weather was sunny . . .

. . . so we headed to the park.

As I watched the younger kids dash toward the crowded playground,

I thought of the time we went to this same park a few months into the pandemic

and found it silent and deserted.

COVID hasn't gone away, but I'm glad we've learned how to live with it.

I'm also glad the older kids and I had a great time discussing

a bunch of revisions to Star Wars 8 and 9.  Highlights include:

1) Ditch the Casino Planet side quest in 8

2) Holdo tells everybody her plan up front (= no mutiny!)

3) When Leia dies, Finn becomes the new Charismatic Resistance Leader

so he actually has a purpose in the trilogy

4) Palpatine stays dead; Episode 9 is a struggle for power between Hux and Kylo Ren.

(If you really want to give a cameo, make it a flashback or something.)

5) Hire a writer who is better at depicting conflicted romance,

so that smooch at the end doesn't feel so random

6) Ditch the Tattoine scene at the end.  Finish the movie with everybody celebrating at the base,

with Luke, Leia, AND Ben Solo looking on as Force ghosts.

Now, if we could just invent time travel and have a talk with the folks at Disney

circa 2016. :)

Cinderella

A few days ago . . .

. . . the three older kids and I went to see our local high school's production of

Rodger's and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" (the 2013 Broadway version).

We knew a few of the students in the cast and crew,

and it was fun to see them shine.

The stage looks a little simplistic, but the performers did a great job . . .

. . . and I thought it was cool that they had

musicians performing live music.

A good time was had by all!

Our Palm Sunday Tradition

 Traditions are funny things,

because you never know which ones are going to stick.

When our family started celebrating Holy Week five years ago,

we didn't have any palm fronds to wave,

so we used big kale leaves from my garden

to act out Jesus's Triumphal Entry.

The "donkey" had a grand time eating the "palm fronds" . . .

. . . and ever since then, the kids have always asked me to buy (or grow) kale for Palm Sunday . . .

. . . so the donkeys can have a snack.

I never would have imagined that this annual kale-munching 

would become such a beloved family tradition.

Welcome to Holy Week!

A Drizzly Egg Hunt

Our ward planned to have an Easter egg hunt at a local park today,

but rain drove the activity indoors.

We set up tables in the gym, and the bishop asked Todd 

to offer an opening prayer on our "picnic" lunches . . .

. . . the kids did an Easter art project (while singing "We Don't Talk about Bruno") . . .

. . . then everyone with an Easter basket headed out into the drizzly rain to hunt eggs.

If I had to choose between staying dry and getting free jelly beans,

I think I'd opt to stay dry.

I guess that's why no one plans egg hunts for grown-ups.

Let the candy trading commence!

The Pinewood Derby Lives On

Our church doesn't have cub scout troops anymore . . .

. . . but there's still an old pinewood derby track at our building,

so the leaders of Todd's activity group decided to help the boys build and race

pinewood derby cars.

Daddy helped line up and release the boys' cars . . .

. . . while parents and siblings cheered for the racers.

One of the dads took photos at the finish line 

to determine which car won each race.

Todd's car won this heat!

Time for the final race!

The suspense is terrible!

Todd won!  Woo hoo!