For those of you who remember last year's chaos trying to fight the woodpecker while raising young puppy? The blasted bird is back, knocking a fresh new hole in my siding. I'm not worried about Ember eating the insulation and getting sick anymore, she's grown beyond that phase, but I am going to have to call out the handyman again!
Ember got a longer than usual leash walk Saturday morning, clocking in at 1.2 miles. I was hoping to at least take the edge off her energy before the family event.
The Saturday afternoon Easter Egg hunt was a success. It was a beautiful day for it, which is good because Easter Sunday is supposed to be chilly and wet.
During the Easter Egg hunt we swapped off holding Ember's leash, since I don't quite trust her to not go after things on the ground. Sometimes my son held her, other times it was me, or my daughter in law. I've got it in this shot, since my son was busy doing a dad thing, helping his foster son reach they egg he could see but needed to climb a tree to retrieve.
The kiddo had five cheerleading adults giving him conflicting advice on where to look next, but the inevitable result was that he found ALL the candy and money-filled eggs.
The egg hunt was followed up by foster dad and son shooting hoops while Grandma Barb watched the two dogs, who exercised one another well, and took rest breaks in the shade from time to time.
It was easy to let the time just slip away while we enjoyed one another's company, and Ember settled in at my feet and began to snooze. At this point I looked at my watch and thought "no wonder, it's nearly 6 p.m." At this point, I bundled her into the car and brought us both home with leftovers in a bag.
Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025
Brrrr! Chilly and drippy. How is it that a temperature that would have felt "mild" six weeks ago is now "cold"? The wheel weaves as the wheel will. (That is a reference from The Wheel of Time fantasy series, for those of you who aren't geeky in that genre.)
As dark and overcast as it was, and as tired as Ember was from her very busy Saturday, it was pretty easy to ask her to crate in time for me to drive over and meet my elder sister for church and brunch. Easter is our big catchup day, and as it turned out it was just us ladies, as her gentleman friend opted to go to the church to which he belongs. He and she hold membership in different churches, across town from one another.
As every year, the music, the message... masterful. I love seeing the things that are the same and the things that are evolving, year after year. I teared up a bit during a couple of the traditional hymns. Yes, this is my cultural heritage.
We'll have another sister catch up day in just six weeks or so, when we drive up together to a family wedding in Omaha.
And "little" Ember? Stayed patiently in her crate for four full hours, and we even napped together for a bit in the afternoon as it kept on dropping rain from on high. We are grateful for the moisture!
Marathon Monday, 2025
I tend to use the Boston Marathon day as a day to remember and honor my brother, who so many Sparkers knew as MOBYCARP. His screen name, in case anyone is curious and doesn't already know, is a punny reference to being a big fish in a small pond. A "fish" comes from his chess playing days, smart enough to recognize the bait, and dumb enough to swallow it.
Kevin ran and finished the Boston Marathon 3 times, beginning in 2016, at age 60. The last time he finished was in 2018. In 2019 he and I were there together as spectators, as he had qualified but was injured and unable to run it. My laptop's wallpaper is from that year, when I ran the 5K, and he was in a boot.
Sunday evening, I got a text message conversation with Laura, who some of you remember as STRONGDOG. She met us in Boston all four years and kept me company as a spectator the years he ran. She showed us the sights. Not just me, but our mutual friend OVERWORKEDJANET came up a couple of those years as well. The Boston Sparkmeets are still big in my memory book.
This morning as I read the news of the passing of Pope Francis, I thought of Laura again, as she is a devout Catholic. It's a huge reminder, the two things happening so close together... we are all mortal, and will one day leave others we care about behind.
As Kevin always ended his blogs, here's your message: Life is good.
Cherish it and Spark on!
OH NO! Not Woody again. Oh how I remember the woodpecker battles in our first house (wood siding). Good luck. We ended up putting a plastic on one of the deck posts and didn’t have a problem after that. I would have put a real owl there if I thought that would work better!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad that the Easter Egg Hunt was good! Always fun. And good for your foster GS that he found all the eggs! Wahoo!
Yup . . . that’s the weather we had and are having . . . chilly and drippy. Guess we need the drips, but don’t need the chill!
Awwww, ((((HUGS))) on this anniversary date. Always bitter sweet – nice to remember the good times, bitter to miss your brother.
Yes, sad that Pope Francis passed. But he will long be remembered for his support of the underdogs in life – the poor, and others who are not ‘mainstream’.
HUGS and blessings on this Easter Monday.
Barb
1cd
Oh, yes, Woody again! Persistent creature! I did get hold of the handyman service that fixed my soffit where the leak had been last Winter, and the same carpenter that works on siding will come out, probably next week sometime. They gave me an estimate and will put me on his schedule. Who knows how much more damage Woody and family will do in the meantime?
DeleteMost of the week has precipitation forecast, and for this we are grateful. Hope it gets us out of the drought!
Hugs and blessings returned. Hope Jason starts feeling better, and he's fortunate to have you watching over him!
Oh my goodness; that darned woodpecker!!! I've not had experience with them ... wasps and ground squirrels, yes, but not woodpeckers. The squirrels we don't have much problem/damage as our two dogs will kill them if they catch them. Wasps ... we have to be vigilant and destroy their nests as soon as we see them. Apparently they leave pheromones so return to the same site each year. I hope you can research, experiment and find a way to deter the woodpecker. (Of course I thought of Wiley Coyote and the Roadrunner ...)
ReplyDeleteYour Easter with faith and family sounds lovely. I put the ham and baked beans before leaving for church in the morning, and we ate about 1:30pm. It was relaxing compared to when I was cooking for extended family at my folks' house. We also had carrot cake for dessert, but not home made. My son-in-love works for Costco, and they make a pretty delicious carrot cake.
So glad Easter egg hunt was a success the and grandchild was able to find all the treats with the adults getting to enjoy a special day with him. Another special memory for him and you all to store in your treasure box.
Happy Monday.
Yes, those wasps can be a nuisance, too, and I have a "bug guy" that comes out four times a year to take care of the entire insect population, keeping them OUT of the house, at least.
DeleteYour Easter meal sounds nummy, too. Glad you had a good holiday!
Happy Tuesday, too, to go along with Monday!
We have a large woodpecker population in the woods here. The 'experts' tell us they're after the bugs/larvae in the tree. Is there something in the wood siding?
ReplyDeleteGood fun and good food and family to share it with. Doesn't get much better than that. A successful egg hunt! Yay!! And a good doggie.
Bittersweet memories of your brother. My condolences for your loss.
🤗💖
Inside the wood siding is a layer of insulation. I have not seen evidence of insect life there, but who knows? I do see a nesting thing going on, though.
DeleteHope you had a fine and meaningful Holiday, too.
I thought of you, too when watching for those runners yesterday. The weather looked perfect.
ReplyDeleteGood times! Tell Laura I said hey. We lost touch.
Egg hunts were good here, too. The kids got back from Yosemite around 4am Easter morning. "Nana" bunny ensured the Easter tradition still endured for the last believer in the house. Mom and Dad were grateful.
I held the feast and when it was over, one kid was comatose on the couch, Little Miss, now 9, was on a sugar high. The freshman was alternately coughing from his vacation acquired cold and showing me the photos he took. He's developed a dry sense of humor, not unlike his grandparents. Leftovers go to my second child's house today for an Easter, part deux.
Good job on the Easter tradition, Nana bunny! Poor Freshman with his cold... hope he feels better soon, and that "Little Miss" comes off that sugar high. I'm kind of worn out from all the peopling, and grateful for my Tuesday break while Ember is off playing with her puppy friends.
DeleteAnd I also hope your part deux Easter went as well as the first one did!
Yes, I was stunned Monday morning to see the news that our Pope had past after blessing the crowd just the day before on Easter. I had to look at all news feeds just to convince myself. What beautiful pictures you have posted and Ember such a busy but good girl. Hope the woodpecker goes away soon. Have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteAs ill as the Pope had been recently, you have to wonder if he "held on" just to get that last Easter blessing delivered. Have a good week of reflection and appreciation in his honor! And prayers for the Conclave to deliver a wise choice for the next pontiff.
DeleteI think he did. And thank you.
DeleteGood Morning America just had a piece about a woodpecker vandalizing cars in Massachusetts. The link is for an NBC station.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.today.com/video/woodpecker-terrorizes-vehicles-in-massachusetts-neighborhood-238235717556
Guess I'm not the only one "blessed" by the natural world!
DeleteNot sure that counts as a blessing. 🤣🤣
DeleteThanks for sharing these updates! It sounds like you had a busy but meaningful week, full of family, reflection, and managing life's little (and not so little!) challenges. It's nice to hear about Ember's adventures and the successful family gathering, alongside the more poignant reflections on your brother and recent news. (((BIG HUGS)))
ReplyDelete