Tending

We go to the library about once every three weeks, give or take a day or two.  Well, to be quite frank, we usually go to the library every three weeks and a couple of days which means, once you add up the ten billion children's books we've got checked out, I regularly owe approximately $500,000 in late fees.  I've started to look at late fees as my philanthropic donation to the library.  I growl and grumble a whole lot less that way.  I like to imagine the library might put a bench and a plaque with my name on it by the return box someday.

Anyhow - for the first time in a long time I checked out a couple of books for myself.

Aren't they pretty?  I got the one on top so I could learn more about these ladies.

I kinda...I sorta...I mean...well...I kind of want some; four I'm thinking.  They'd be a combination food source, pet, and child responsibility.  Of course pg. 153 or so was about lice and mites and other small critters that can infest chickens and that slowed my enthusiasm some...but still, I dream in clucks.

In the second book I saw this picture.  There is a pastoral something in me. 

I would be thrilled just to have vegetables grow that taste good.  That really didn't happen for me this last gardening go-round.  But my ideal is that when I am settled in one house for the rest of my days that I can create a masterpiece like this.  If this were my garden I'd sit in it and read good books all day (I guess all of the day that I wasn't weeding, or planting, or picking, or canning, or planning, or mulching, or composting...or...well, yeah...whatever).

I'll probably spend the winter imagining what I'll do to make my beautiful backyard farm, but I'll still most likely spend my summer toiling, laboring and tending to this.

"#2 how many times do I have to tell you not to play in your sister's crib!  And #1 how many pictures HAVE you taken with my phone today?"