on princesses and springtime

Spring has sprung!!!
i have green sprouts of something flowery in  my garden bed (latin name:  greenish flowerish).  my barbecue has been put to good use.  the table cloth is on my patio table, the hammock is swinging in the breeze.  scott and i have been stealing kisses whenever the kids are looking the other way (these are not the type of kisses we want them watching...).  the bikes have been ridden, the water gun filled, and the car vacuumed. 
i feel like my body, at the molecular level, is breathing a sigh of relief and contentment. 
is there anything more beautiful than springtime?

i think my trees are budding by the sheer force of my will.  i keep going out to check them, and i pet them a little and say encouraging things.  yesterday i was gardening in a maxi dress - that's one of those long sundresses that you see hanging on the racks in Winners and you think "are those for all the nine foot tall women i've seen wandering around these parts?".  Lord only knows why they've been given the title "maxi" - i suppose it's the opposite of a mini, but still...too many negative connotations for me.  anyways, i found one in california for a solid 5-foot-four-er like me.  i do feel like a bit of a princess when i wear it - without shoes it trails on the ground a little.
i believe i've told you before that i've always dreamed of having the classic disney princess experience where animals and birds would sense my purity of heart (and depth of royal character) and come to me.  deer eating apples from my hand.  birds landing on my shoulders.  well, i'm in this dress on my back deck and i decided to try my luck.  i sang the ariel tune - you know the "ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah" ditty from the little mermaid.  i sang it quietly, kind of nonchalant - animals don't like eagerness.  i waited, but no squirrels scampered close, and no birdies alighted on my fingertips.  i blame it on the fact that i was knitting at the time, and to an animal those needles could very well look like weapons. or maybe it was the four year old boy of mine stomping around the backyard - he wasn't exactly an invitation to royal tranquility.
i'll try again sans knitting and small child.

today is my thirteenth anniversary.  someone said to me "lucky thirteen!".  what?!  lucky for them i didn't see who it was - they would have received the stink eye for sure.  i know that's not very pure of heart, but still.  i hadn't even entertained the thought of this being a bad-luck year until that little cryptic comment.  women at church socials can be so snarky.

anyways, i feel extremely blessed that i spent the weekend making out with my husband of thirteen years, loving every second of it.  he continues to be God's daily "i love you" in my life.  today my son asked me "do adults ever get frustrated with other adults?".  wow!  what a treat that was to hear on my anniversary.  i explained that yes, we do, but adults don't stomp their feet and go to their rooms and yell - we talk about it and work it out.  i'm wondering how far that little gold nugget sunk in.  probably not very deep since he spent the better part of the evening tormenting his sister.  sigh.

i hear rumours that there's some cold weather in the near future but i'm totally ignoring them.  i don't believe they exist.  i will cling to spring with all my heart and continue to practice my princess songs.  if you spot a deer walking down my street, you'll know why.