Laowai

Here's my woodland poppy looking big and happy. This is the plant mom brought with her on a plane trip from home. I want a bunch of them.

A few weeks ago Jennifer and mom came my way on their way to see Jenna. We celebrated mom's birthday with a carrot cake. A new recipe that I will make again.

We all went up to Madison the next day to watch Jenna sail.

It was a beautiful day and we came home a little sunburned.

The Union at The University of Wisconsin has some lovely windows.

Bea does lots of sketching when we travel. This is a scene she sketched outside our hotel window in Japan – back at home she built a tiny model based on the sketch.

Another little sketch – in gouache.

I got out my springy quilt.

I planted my sweet peas – including some seeds that I saved from last summer.

I made a green polka dot shirt. It's the Liesl & Co. Camp Shirt pattern. The fabric is from my Japan shopping spree.

We had a low key Easter Weekend. Enjoyed some chocolate eggs that Brian brought back from Switzerland.

My daffodils are making me happy. Especially in the morning when I pull the car out and I turn to see the sun shining low through them – they glow.

My winter sowing experiment is working well this year. The plants are small but healthy. The bigger challenge is keeping all these plants from getting eaten by bunnies when they are eventually planted in the garden. The bunnies seem especially vigorous this year. There's one hiding in the daffodils below. They are my frenemies.

We've had a few days in the 70s so I took out the glass and put in the screen panel on the front door. Saying good-bye to my paper decorations.

Time to make my favorite rhubarb vanilla jam.

I like this package of coffee beans – like April showers.

The daffodils on the north side of the house bloom a little later – they're starting to look nice now.

I don't bother with Tulips since they are unreliable year after year and they are also rodent food. But gosh there is one tulip next to our patio that will not conform. It's been there since we bought the house, all by itself, refusing to give up.

Happy Spring!