Lehman's Country Life

At this time of year in your garden, spring has definitely sprung and the threat of frost is either past or diminished to near zero. You’ve weeded, double-dug and enriched your tomato beds and they’re looking so beautiful and inviting you’re tempted to climb in, yourself. The few young weeds that have sprouted since bed preparation have been ruthlessly eliminated with but the slightest effort.

In the greenhouse or the cold-frame, or maybe just that sunny window ledge –a pretty crowded one, by now— are your gorgeous, bright green tomato starts in their 1-gallon pots, some of them a foot high or more and threatening to get even leggier if you don’t do something. But hold those horses, because there are a few small steps yet to take.

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Have you ever looked at a simple plastic fast food straw and seen a weaving loom? Well, most of us probably haven’t and we’ve been missing out on a wonderful craft project. This project is weaving on a straw loom. I am not the most talented person when it comes to crafts involving sewing, knitting, or crochet but this project was easy and fun. Simple household items like plastic straws, yarn, and tape can create a one-of-a-kind woven bracelet.

Use fast food or packaged straws and wash any used straws so that they are clean and unsticky. Cut the straws into two 5″ sections. Make sure that the ends are even and tape them together at one side. Right now I bet you are thinking that this is insane or trying to figure out how this is going to work but trust me. This will be a project that you will repeat over and over.
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Mother’s Day – that special day in May set aside to remember our Moms. For some of us it is gathering for a large reunion of many generations, all enjoying their meal together. For other families it may be a specially cooked breakfast served to Mother in bed.

In my household the celebration centers around a Mid-Day meal. Why do we pick a late lunch or early supper? Mother’s Day is on a Sunday and because it is a school night, an early gathering gives time for baths, quiet downtime from the day’s excitement and maybe a chance at a reasonable bedtime.

Here are two menus for you to try depending on your plans; both are designed to be easy for the grown-up in charge (not Mother – remember, she is off today!).
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Spring is looking better than ever after the cold winter we had.  I’m so ready for the color, the warmth and the time to be outside.  We know that there may still be some windy, chilly days ahead and to avoid the ’spring fever’ grumbling, here are a few ideas to engage children in fun learning activities.

• Have a picnic outside if it’s nice, inside if it’s not.  Grab a couple of books, a blanket and enjoy a relaxing lunch on the floor.  Make it a color picnic if you wish, and incorporate all the foods, clothes, and walk looking for items of a specific color.
• Rice or beans are a great sensory items for children to play with in a small tote or container.  Place it on a tablecloth or sheet for easy clean up and allow them to pour, fill, dump and measure with different containers.
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My daughter’s science project looks at the exponential numbers involved when a single feral cat gets pregnant producing up to twenty kittens in a year. Then the kittens produce kittens and the colony expands. We have trapped two mommies and the drama has begun.

But the gift of life is still a breathtaking wonder to behold!

The cat Brigit calls Spot, gave birth to five babies. By the time we checked on her in the barn cage, one kitten had been shoved away. It was cold and limp. Lifeless. Brigit didn’t want to touch it. Death is a fearful thing. But I gently eased the body of the little Calico out of the cage and rubbed it.

If only it weren’t so cold. If only I could rub it back into life.

As I massaged the little fur ball it began to move, ever so slightly. All we knew for sure was that it wasn’t dead—yet! That was enough to change everything. Nine-year-old Brigit hopped on her bike to get help from a neighbor who is an expert on cats.
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