Another darned doggy departure, and delightful days of dirt and dandelions.

Good ol' Gus gave us all enthusiasm and joy for 10 years but went off on Friday to the eternal land of butt rubs.  Fiona had been pointing at his magnetic fridge image and saying, "'Us, 'Us" in the days leading up.  

Photo credit to Phil from the Gussy Puppy days. 

Otherwise things have been wonderful and springy, nay, summery!

(Knock on wood:) Thursday we're closing on the house next door to Grammy.  

Our neighbors-to-be handed down this awesome water table that's now on her back deck.  

This is what our girl looks like when she's at Kerry and Ross' house an hour past her bedtime with her finger in her Pop's bellybutton.  Being 1 is hilarious!  

I remember laughing like this with Kerry in high school every night we had a sleepover.  Or a Saxy Four rehearsal.  Or took out the garbage.  I think everything was funny in high school.

Confession: we don't yet pay Kerry for music lessons.

 With May Flowers come lessons about which senses are fun for exploring beauty.  

"Don't lick the white dandelions" is this week's lesson.  

Farmer's Market tree to herself.  

And some Stewart Park swinging after a good stroller nap. 

She got Junior Firefighter status at Station 9 as I walked off my pizza with her Sunday night. 

Thanks, Lieutenant Eaton!

Monday we went for a drive up the Lake and stopped into Bellweather Cider's tasting room.  Tasty!

When we got back we did pretty much nothing. 

Until Fiona got together with Thomson and Thompson and got dirtier than ever in her life.  After a sticky base layer of sunscreen we applied copious snot, a few coats of dandelion, well-earned sweat, and ample organic topsoil.  

Ain't she a vision?!

I'm so proud. 

Triple Thompsons.

Gardening skills. 

She could barely hold her head up from joyous exhaustion but made an exception to feed Morgan spinach.  The asparagus risotto is intentionally included in the foreground.  So good, Big J!  As was the Piggery NY Strip and rhubarb pie.  Lordy.  I like these job benefits. 

I had a lunch meeting today and Elliott was with the Pigs so my dad and Catherine came over for a few hours of fun.  Note the new Demon Decon romper courtesy of a trip to Winston-Salem for Catherine's nephew's graduation last week.  Congrats, Brooks!  

The nearly unimaginable may happen soon: the boxes we packed in January may be unpacked.  Don't hold your breath but we might find our shorts.  Hopefully we won't find cold cuts.