Raining...

It's raining! My little corner of the world has been experiencing a drought, so this is big stuff for us. I think it's going to be a good soaker this morning. I've lit a nice candle, and I'm enjoying the dreariness. I also have a bit of glee seeing the rain because my dad fertilized our lawn yesterday! All that good stuff will be melting in today!

My dad rolled into town on Wednesday night with his trailer, leaf blower, fertilizer spreader, and his "Just Say No to Crabgrass" t-shirt. He made it in time for dinner, which for him was my fried chicken and a baked potato. We had chicken tacos. See, for Dad, coming to my house means that he's on vacation. Vacation from soyburgers and chocolate zucchini brownies. So I feed him whatever he wants when he comes to do my yard work.

On Thursday morning, I woke up to beautiful sunshine, birds singing outside my window, and the faint sound of a rake, raking up leftover leaves. After I got a quick shower, I went outside to inform Dad that he would be getting breakfast soon. The smell of spring morning was everywhere, and I opened the windows as I made him sausage, sweet rolls, and eggs. When Seth and I left for Bible study, he was getting ready to go for a load of mulch. I felt loved, knowing he was at my house making things beautiful while I was gone.

Do you ever open all your windows on the first real day of spring? I did. Every window in the house was flung wide open. I did some cleaning in preparation for my in-laws coming, and it was so much like my childhood to hear the sound of the lawnmower outside. The house smells cleaner and fresher now. That sick, sour, winter smell is gone. Yeah! It may be cold again and raining, but we have the promise of blooms to come. I have bulbs that will be making an appearance very soon, according to dad. And when I sit on the porch, I smell the earthy goodness of mulch.

I appreciate that "doing yard work" is my dad's love language. He's the strong, silent type, and though I can always get a hug, I'm not going to get a long poem from him full of mush. But he loves giving me his time, energy, and expertise. He just likes to have us around and be around us. We don't have to have long conversations; we just have to be there. And if he has things in the yard to do, my dad seems especially fulfilled. He comes back in the house all dirty with a contented gleam in his eye. I lamented that we had no yard for him to putter in in the past. He was stuck napping on the couch in front of the golf channel in our apartment in Birmingham. No more! There's plenty to keep you busy, Daddy, as you well know. Thanks for everything! We'll eventually get better at doing it ourselves, and we'll learn something more and be willing to spend more money on maintenance when we're in a house of our own, but we sure appreciate your help now!