My laundry this week demonstrates...

...the volatile nature of a Rochester spring.

Included among W1 and L1's laundry were:

Shorts.
Pants.
Sweatshirts.
Muddy clothes from a romp through the sprinklers on Saturday.
Sweaters.
Long-sleeved shirts.
Short-sleeved shirts.
Thick warm winter PJ's.
Light summer PJ's.

But, along with schizophrenic laundry, spring also brings beautiful blooming magnolias in Highland Park:


And tulips:


R1 and I decided that if you bury your head down deep enough into the tulips, you can almost pretend that you are in Holland touring the tulip fields. Almost.

Oh, and read this about tulipomania. Interesting, eh?

The best $1 we have spent in a while.

A marble track purchased last Saturday at a rummage sale.


W1 and L1 played with it every spare minute on Saturday and Sunday. And I must confess that R1 and I rather enjoy it, also.

Money well spent I'd say.

Sunday's after dinner entertainment

On Sunday, these pulled up to the house next door.


A few minutes earlier, I had glanced out our front window and noticed that a lot of smoke was drifting past. R1 and I ran out our front door and saw that the bushes on the corner of the house next door were up in flames. Right next to a car parked in their driveway. A waitress from the Mt. Hope Diner across the street was also running towards the house, screaming, "Who lives there?" and "That car is going to catch on fire!".

R1 banged on the neighbor's door then ran into our backyard to get the hose. I ran into the garage to grab some buckets, in case the hose didn't reach. Luckily, the hose was long enough and R1 had the fire out quickly.

We assume it was someone at the diner who called 911, and our neighbor says that it was probably a cigarette butt that started the fire. His house is right next to a bank parking lot and people often flick their cigarette butts over his fence.

The fire truck arrived a few minutes later, which W1 thought was the greatest thing ever. For the rest of the evening he kept talking about smoke in the front yard, buckets in the garage, Dad with the hose, and fire trucks on our street.

It was a big day.

Oh, and the same neighbor lost his ferret last week. If you come across one, she is black and tan, and answers to Moxy.

My name is L1,

and I like to eat.


Today for breakfast, L1 ate six buckwheat pancakes. That's a record.

Because we faithfully follow tradition.

We dyed Easter eggs this week.

you know it isn't good when:

1. Your microwave is making loud noises, sparking and shooting flames. And now has a charred hole inside. What? I have to heat things up on the stove? I'm not even sure I know how. When I asked R1 if, instead of buying a new microwave, we should just learn to live without it, he said he wasn't sure if that kind of life was even worth living.

2. As you are putting on the parking brake, the handle pops off, and you are unable to successfully reattach it. And you just noticed that the left turn signal only sometimes works. Our Jeep is only 12 years old. Sheesh.

Don't these types of things come in threes? I am keeping a sharp eye on our other appliances. You know, the same eye I use for W1 and L1 that says, "Don't even think about it."

This past week we:

1. Spent a beautiful, sunny afternoon at the playground, and even commented on how it was almost too warm.

2. Noticed as we were putting the kids to bed that it was still light outside, and that it was already light when they woke up.

3. Made chocolate chip cookies, and W1 discovered that while salt and sugar look similar, they do not taste similar. And L1 discovered that chocolate chips are insanely delicious.

4. Captured evidence of W1's love of chocolate pudding.


5. Spent Saturday glaring out the window at slushy frozen rain.

6. Made chili in the crockpot that wasn't a complete failure. (K1, chili and the crockpot have a long and not so glorious past).

7. Stayed up too late on Sunday watching Little Dorrit on Masterpiece, and plan on doing the same tonight.