Prelude to Spring

During these first weeks of March we've been anticipating

Springtime. Two weeks ago it was chilly and rainy so we

played indoors.

Claire and Evan designed a marble raceway par excellence.

Just don't shake the track!

Meanwhile, Ryan explored The Magic School Bus in Space,
a favorite he hadn't done in months.

Later, Ryan slipped in to design his own marble raceway.
Success!

Just a week later things had dried out and temps hit 70.

Out we went!

Evan was the first to request a ride on the bicycle built for two.
Oh what fun! The exercise doesn't hurt, either.

When Evan's a teen he can pay me back by letting ME ride in
the rear.  That'll build up those leg muscles for soccer!

Ryan eagerly agreed to his very FIRST ride! Last November he
wasn't too interested and I wasn't too confident.  But today all
went great.

Rounding the final turn and heading toward the finish line!

"We made it, Grandpa! And I'm not a bit tired!"

Claire and I toured the whole neighborhood. She has the
advantage of the longest legs of the three.

A lady of leisure.

Our backyard cafe' was another hotbed of activity.
Claire is gathering what she needs to prepare today's specials.

Ryan, her sous chef arrives and gets right to work helping.

Customers always appreciate nice hot tea and fresh fruit.

Just enough time remained for the kids to plant our

2019 potato crop.  The frisbees mark locations until

the plants emerge, possibly by early April.

Grandpa failed to color-coordinate the rows.
Maybe next year.

Don't tell our restaurant customers we sometimes dig with soup ladles.

This is serious business to these guys. They're attentive to detail.

Claire removes an offending sprig of Bermuda grass.
It's not a friend of gardeners, but it's hard to get rid of.

In a few months they'll digging the fruits -- er, veggies -- of their
 labors. They'll get to eat them, too. Though Evan doesn't like taters.

Once the potatoes sprout we remove the frisbee rings and spread
pinestraw mulch to keep out the weeks.  The rest of the garden
will be dedicated to tomato plants in about a month.

I regret that I have no pictures of Evan shooting baskets.

He was playing on behalf of an assortment of ACC and

NBA stars from past and present.  Of course, the ACC

tournament and NCAA tournaments are of huge interest

to him.  Especially since he won his bracket last time

Villanova won the championship.  I have a feeling he'll

be predicting Duke and Zion this year!  Good luck, Evan!

That's hard for a UNC fan to say, but easy for a Grandpa!

Ya dig?