Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails: Rhododendron Time

Every once in a while I like to look back at how things have changed. This is rhododendron time. We have been living in this house over 6 years now and so had 6 times when the rhododendron have blossomed. They are particularly beautiful bushes and blossom usually when the weather is just getting to a warmth that pulls us all outside to play and plant. I try to remember each year to get some pictures. Some years the weather hasn't allowed more than a picture of the house and I didn't take any pictures in the spring of 2007. That was the spring I had a miscarriage (ectopic pregnancy really) and my mother was dying of cancer. I think maybe even the rhododendron didn't have much of a chance of reminding me of the hopefulness of spring. Miraculously the following spring Robert was born.

In the spring of 2008 we have a series of pictures of which are pretty good. Robert was a newborn and we had just gone on a walk with him in the baby bjorn. This was the spring before Harry started kindergarten. In 2009 we had so much rain that spring, that I think we just didn't get a chance to have a picture taken with people. I found one of the house and the bushes were very nice, but I guess there wasn't a dry time to pose all out in front. Who knows, maybe it was the hustle and bustle of chasing a one year old around while also trying to pay good attention to our six year old. It is funny how just a few years change things.

My favorite pictures are from last year. The boys were just in a posing mood I guess. I hope I'll catch them at some point this year too. They play together nicely once in a while, but it is hard to find them both presentable and in the mood to smile for the camera. I think I was telling them jokes last year and that worked out well.

There have been some major changes since we moved into our little rectory. In 2009 the house was painted blue. I thought it was blue when I first saw its picture online when we were looking into the position here. When we came to visit we found out it was grey, so when the house was in need of a paint job, I asked if it could be painted blue and it was and I think it brought out the soul of the house a little more. Another big change is that the driveway was paved last year. It was a joy in the winter when we needed to shovel and it has been wonderful for activities like drawing with chalk on the driveway. It also added an additional parking spot which is nice when we have guests. Finally this year we have been working hard on the planting beds. I don't think we are quite done, but we've mulched around the bushes in the front and back yards and edged and planted some new plants. We added a garden last year which we planted again just this past weekend. I will update on that another day. So following are some pictures of our lovely cozy house in May.

2006 - Our first May in Rhode Island - note the house is grey and there is a tricycle on the porch

2008 - Robert was two months old and we took some pictures after a walk.

I love the reflection of the flowers in the door and I wonder what Harry was heading off to do - he was five at the time

One of our neighbors was driving by and he stopped and said please let me take a picture, I know how hard it can be to get a picture of the whole family :-)

2009 - this was the spring of the floods in March - I only have a couple pictures of the house - I think the weather was mostly too wet to do more than appreciate the buds from afar.