Baby, the Rain Must Fall......

(Remember that song from the 60's?)  Yeah....but every day??  Every...frikking....day???  It's a bit much.

So, we had 5 or 6 (who's counting) days of pouring rain....and cold.  Yesterday was gorgeous!!  The next 3 days.....yeah.  Rain.  I don't even know if the ground is thawed out; can't get out there to try and dig in the dirt.  But on the bright side....no more snow!!  (shhhh).

Well, it's been a while.  Last month we drove to Virginia for granddaughter's graduation from the Army training.  She graduated top of her class in helicopter repair and maintainence; was promoted to PFC; and got an award for excellence in her courses, her PT (highest of the women's scores) and her leadership (squad leader for 3 months).  And she got her Wings!!  We were so proud of her and so happy to be part of this milestone in her life.  And....we brought her home.

Now she is with the MN. Guard out of St. Paul.  She hopes to pursue the training with the Aviation Regiment.  When she called the base to inform them she was here, the sergeant said "we've been waiting for you! We definitely need your abilities; yes, we know who you are!"  That made her feel sooo much better.

And it's also time to look for employment and an apartment.  She's a bit nervous about it all...kind of overwhelming, especially for an 18 year old.  But with her determination and "grit"....she'll be just fine.

On the homefront, not much has been happening.  With a few good days, BH has been out gathering, sawing, chopping and stacking wood.  A chore he's been chomping at the bit to get back to since.....March.  If he ain't busy, he ain't happy.  Crazy.

Not much spinning going on.  I started the Aran sweater with my hand dyed painted green Shetland.  Got the back done; knitting both front panels at the same time; 16 more rows before the raglan shaping.  God, I hope I have enough yarn for the sleeves!  Because of my increased body volume over the winter (ahem), I had to add on extra stitches at the sides of the largest pattern size.  But if you've ever done Aran knitting, you know those sizes are always smaller than a regular knit.  You know, all that cabling takes up a lot of yarn and pulls the stitches in, making the sizing much smaller.   That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

Our daughter-in-law is graduating from college this Friday.  6 years of schooling....while raising 2 boys and working 2 jobs.....and she finally made it....a  BA in Social Sciences.  We're planning on having a dozen red roses delivered to her Friday, and sending her a gift card so she can indulge in something that doesn't have to be figured into their budget.

She's the type of person who doesn't like to be in the limelight; no accolades, no parties, no fuss, no recognition.  She just wants to keep it quiet...it's just everyday life.  That's just how she rolls.

I can't believe Mother's Day is this Sunday.  The months keep flying by, but the seasons are having a hard time keeping up.  Like we're in a time warp or something.

Our son from the Cities is coming up with his buddy.....because it's "Fishing Opener" this weekend.  So....guess what I'll be doing.....cooking and entertaining.....and not for my benefit.  I was kind of hoping that the lakes would still be iced over.  I know....that's bad. 

Today we're going to take a ride and look at some apartments....at least from the outside.  We found a few areas that we didn't know about last year.  One in particular is what they call a "patio" apartment.  One floor, like a little ranch home, with an attached garage and a bit of ground right out your door.  Just what we're hoping for.  Of course, we're still waiting for some action on the sale of our house.  But....a girl can dream, can't she?  That's one thing the rain can't stop!