Something special here...

May has arrived! And after a long stretch without rain, we are in a super rainy stretch. I told Jason during the dry spell that it seemed likely that we would then have a long stint of wet weather right around graduation week - I hit that prediction right on the nail!

So for a second year in a row, we hosted the all CJP graduation party with what I hope most felt were "showers of blessing!"  While rain was not predicted to start until 8 or 9 p.m., the initial drops fell as the first guests were arriving.  Some did not let the weather keep them from enjoying the outdoor fire that Kali tended dutifully while Jason directed parking and I did a whole host of other things...  Some walked the grounds or played at the swing set, but most chose to visit indoors (and we used about every corner of the house).

When hosting and also keeping track of our kiddos (and the hunger level of the littlest), I can never be sure if all are being taken care of well and having a good time, but the vibes felt positive.  And I love how many who visit, even if they don't get any kind of in depth introduction into what we are doing here, seem to pick up the spirit of what we are putting our life's energy into.  And I can't think of much of a higher compliment to receive than for our homestead to remind some of our students, who are so far from home, of their homes.

One of our students who mentioned multiple times the way our home and land reminded him of his home, will return back soon to help his people as his village has just recently been destroyed (lives lost, homes destroyed, crops burned).  So many emotions well up inside of me when I think about this little piece of land that we have been entrusted with, the sanctuary that it is for us, and how quickly it could be gone.  It reminds me that all the hard work we are doing has to be worth it for the process itself, not just the end product.

That said, we are enjoying a lot of the "product" of our labors right now. Let's hear it for "Tangly Woods special" spinach seed.  After saving it for a number of years now, we have spinach that winters over uncovered (even if temp gets to 0 degrees!), and is ready to grow like crazy in spring (especially if we apply a small side dressing of compost).   In about 10 minutes or so I can pick a large bucket or sink full of wonderful dark green leafy goodness!  We are eating large salads most days, and did our first (hopefully of several) spinach freezing. The containers with "2016" on them are starting to go in the freezer - just harvested and froze the first bag of rhubarb this week as well.

So for those much more interested in the growing baby than in growing spinach, I'll end this short update with a few pictures of Terah.  Then off to get ready for the CJP graduation.  It's a big weekend for this family...  The girls have done amazingly well this week with me being gone part of most days, opening our home to 75 plus people, dealing with their mother's increased stress levels, and today being drug into town for most of the day. Alida told me before the graduation party that she was excited and scared. They all seem to enjoy the hubbub, but also are taken aback a little bit by the chaos. Terah sure wondered what had happened to our home when the masses started descending. :)

She's so funny.  Right now when there is a lot of noise, sometimes she just chimes in. Not crying or screaming, just vocalizing. It's like she hears the noise and figures, "ok, this is what we do now."  That also applies when I am on the telephone trying to have a conversation!  Speaking of noises, I learned something new about her when I was trying to get some cleaning done for the party. I was cleaning the windows in our doors and learned that she does not like the squeaking sound - ok, so it makes her cry.  What about the vacuum cleaner? No problem!  Or her pulling our alligator musical toy from table to floor with a loud crash? Also just fine. Silly baby!

She is definitely getting more mobile. When the older girls are playing with her, I often hear them saying, "now that's not where you started."  She rolls and scooches, and munches on anything she finds in her path.  Trying to "contain" her is no easy task.  She enjoyed her brief stint in the dishpan with water the other day and is getting the concept of "splashy splash" quite well.

Ok, she is starting to rouse so I better turn my attention to getting this family out the door and on our way to town. The next blog post should be full of garden updates as May is our main garden planting month and we eagerly anticipate getting lots of things in the ground - as well as welcoming more baby chicks AND baby ducklings in a few weeks. Never a dull moment around here...