Do you see what I see?

I was out in the garden, watering & clearing out debris after all the wind this week, & look what I found peeking out of the ground:

I’ve planted a couple dozen lily of the valley pips over the past couple of years & this is the first one I’ve ever seen come up. Actually, this is the first real one I’ve ever seen- I didn’t realize how tiny they are.

It’s been a typically full weekend here in the Garden. Friday turned into a rather stressful day; Sam’s school was on lock-down for nearly 5 hours, because a number of threatening notes were found taped on buildings around campus. Sam called me from class, filling me in on what was going on & asking if I could come get him; after talking with one of the staff in the office, I decided it was safer for him to stay where he was. They were finally released around 1:30, after one young man was taken into custody; Sam’s best friend’s mother picked up the boys & took them to her house. (I will not do a rant on the utter stupidity of this nimrod- it goes with out saying) After work, I dropped by the knitting shop for a little help with my sock & stayed to visit for an hour or so. Then, I collected Sam from Gino’s & we drove into Livermore for dance class- we had a dress rehearsal for our demonstration on Saturday.

We drove into Fremont to Ardenwood Historic Farm for the Tartan Day Clan Gathering, our first performance of the season. This is a very pleasant one-day event, small & family oriented; our group contributes here every year, usually with one performance & a session teaching Ceilidh (Gaelic for “party”, pronounced KAY-lee) dances.

I took a busman’s side trip & toured Patterson House, which is on the grounds & is a member of our House Museum association. The house is quite nice, with quite a few of the family’s possessions, & the grounds are just beginning to bloom. After our performance set, Sam & I wandered around to the barns & blacksmith shop then had a lunch of bangers & chips (mild sausages & fries). I’ve added pictures of the grounds to the “Historic Houses” album here.

Today, I was out at Ravenswood, covering for another docent who had a family commitment. We had an unpleasant surprise while opening up- sometime in the past two weeks, bees have taken up residence in the Main House. My partner for the day is allergic to bees & she was pretty jumpy most of the time, so I took most of the tours, giving the house a wide berth. Fortunately, we weren't terribly busy, since the weather was cool & cloudy; there is a call in to the park district office (who own the property), so I’m certain everything will be cleared up by the next time we are scheduled to be opened, Memorial Day weekend.

The coming week is looking as eventful as the weekend; Sam has a tennis scrimmage on Monday & a tournament Thursday & Friday (BTW, the West High tennis team won the TCAL title this past Thursday- the second undefeated season in a row); Saturday is our turn to host the House to House gathering, so evenings will be spent doing the little last minute fixes & cleaning; Tuesday, I have my next dentist appointment to start my new crown for the root canal 2 weeks ago, & a haircut appointment; & Friday, Chris is finally returning home around 9:00 am- I’m taking a half-day off so we’ll have a little time alone before another busy weekend is upon us.