Lee was discharged from the hospital on Saturday. His hip replacement went well, and we’re all relieved–relieved that it’s done, and that the wait is over, and that things might slowly get back to…normal (ha). It’s idiotic to talk about the sadness and terror of seeing the person you love reduced by illness, because of course, it’s that much more terrible and terrifying to be the one experiencing it all…But Lee’s absence was hard on the kids, and although there are challenges involved in taking care of four little ones and an adult who will be convalescing for the next six weeks, I’m actually finding a lot of hope and joy these days and especially an appreciation for the presence of my husband. And Spring! Today, the sun was glorious, so after lunch, we decided to go for a walk down to the river while Lee slept.
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The kids were thrilled and delighted by the sight of…mud! “Look mum!” they all said. “Mud and dirt and water!” It’s a revelation.
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Treva immediately started a rock collection. “We can actually *see* the rocks now, mum!”
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Before long, everyone’s hats and mittens were off.
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And Felix got into some mischief. Ready-made snowballs!
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I know that look…
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Getting ready….(big brother doesn’t suspect a thing)
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And set…
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Kapow!!
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Hilarious! And it was. I made a pitiful effort towards reprimanding him, but abandoned that. Even Horus thought it was funny.
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And since Horus is normally the culprit when it comes to shenanigans like this, we all found it quite fitting.
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My girl.
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Horus was enraptured by the tracks in the snow. It was all he could do to resist the temptation to wander out onto the ice…I was firm (the ice is not). By his deduction, the tracks were made by either a wolf or a dog. And he really wanted me to call the CBC and tell them all about it. Sweetheart.
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Cosmo observed everything from above.
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Who lived here all winter?
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Budding
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And when we got home, we helped Lee get his long-johns on, and out of bed, and down the stairs, and out onto the front verandah.
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Where he sat quietly for a few minutes.
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With company.
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It was a quietly wonderful day.
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