little limes

it is cold but we've got no snow
harumph

tomorrow she turns five, FIVE.
and there are things to do
plans for a small gathering on Saturday
when asked what she wanted to do she said:
'eat lollipops and cake and swing on the rope swing!'
and so that's what we aim to do,
throw in a piñata and some version of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey
maybe pin-the-horn-on-the-unicorn, we'll see

a good friend asked her if she'd be accepting gifts and she said no.  when then asked what she (the good friend) could bring, Claire said "spinach!"

so, it will be an interesting party, for sure.

in the meantime, she's working through a stomach bug this morning, poor girl
we've been up since the wee hours and I'm so glad I turned in with her after our chapter of
Little House on the Prairie (we've started to read them again) last night

it is at least a bit more pleasant to start and tend a fire, hold back hair of a little loved one as she heaves, and watch the sun rise when one feels well rested
and there is tea


there are articles to write and the house to clean (actually, houses), groceries to buy, piñata stuffers to gather (tea and seeds to add to the lollipops and honey mint patties and little plastic dinosaurs- have I mentioned that, my general opinions about plastic and cheap junk aside, I have a thing for little plastic dinosaurs? it's true), art class plans to ready and
other daily miscellany to tend to.

the limes are growing, still
some have fallen off but several hang on and have grown to pea-size