I’ve been spending a lot of time by my back window lately.

Here’s what it looked like two weeks ago. This is just a mild Saskatchewan spring snowstorm. You will note that the rake is left out in the snow because Ian had been doing yardwork just that afternoon, I believe.

It’s been a lovely spring.

This was my back-window view last Friday.

Having taken the day off from working, Hannah and I hung out on the back deck in the sunshine. We re-potted my plum trees (see above).

And we started some tomatoes and zucchini for the garden. Until the rain drove us indoors.

Then I sat by the back window, watching the rain and when the rain would occasionally clear, I would take pictures of the birds.

And Hannah sat beside me drawing the birds.

Then the sun came out and I tried to capture that weird post-rain light when the clouds are still blocking the sun overhead, but there’s all this ambient light from it at the horizon.

Today I was supposed to go in to the Menagerie to do consulting work for the afternoon – but something happened and the guy I was to be working with wasn’t there, so I stayed home and will go in another day. That was good, actually, because my kids have all been wretched-sick all weekend, and I spent the day with my stomach cramping up threateningly. I didn’t eat much lunch and I wasn’t looking forward to trying to be useful during the afternoon.

So instead I stayed home and I started cleaning the back room, since it’s shaping up to be the room I spend all my time in this spring.

Oh, and also I sewed this, for my friend, who came over for tea this afternoon:

To be honest, the skirt was already sewn. So what I did today was made the top and attached it. But the top is the finickiest part. It has four darts and it’s lined and it has those folded halter straps that need to be carefully measured and pressed lest they end up different widths.

I made one for myself too, last week, and I haven’t even bragged about it yet.

Soon, though.

Soon.