Daffodils and Sydney

April 2, a week before normal, the daffodils were blooming on an old compost pile on the back three acres.

These are surprise, unplanned daffodils. A few bulbs mixed in with the garden waste got dumped on the compose heap. The bulbs were very happy in their new home - bloomed, and multiplied like crazy.

No daffodils I ever planted on purpose have thrived like these. Compost is magic.


As I was leaving for Idaho the morning of April 4 it was cold, dark, and lightly snowing. For a brief moment, I regretted that I was going to miss taking pictures of daffodils in the snow.

When I arrived back in Kalamazoo the evening of April 11 (20 hours after my original itinerary. You don’t want to know the details and I’m not sure I can remember all the cancelled flights and late flights and dashes through airports) it was raining/sleeting/snowing.

This picture of the same daffodils was taken yesterday, April 12, after eight days of freezing temperatures and snow. Daffodils are extremely hardy flowers.

This afternoon it's 43 F/6 C and thawing. There is no snow in the five day forecast for the first time in over a week. Maybe spring will come for real this time.


Now for some happy pictures.

Granddaughter Sydney in Idaho received 2 year birthday balloons from Great-grandma in Kalamazoo. They were a big hit.


Sydney and I had great fun with hair clips one morning.

She would hand me a clip to put in her hair and I, of course, would put it in her hair. She then ran to the mirror, admired it, ran back to the hairclip bag and found the next one.

The result is - ah - well you can see it. There are no clips on the back of her head because she can't see the back of her head in the mirror. Grandma knows how to make a little girl happy.


For those of you who want to see and read more about Sydney, her balloons, her birthday party, and her Easter, son John has many pictures on his latest blog post here.

I haven't knit a stitch in ten days, but plan to remedy that situation before this day is over.