The Ides of March

March has been a whirl wind of activity.

During the first week of March we fired the soda kiln at The Clay Studio. I excitedly waited for Sunday afternoon, when we would finally unbrick the door and reveal our wares.

 “It is just like Christmas” one person after the other exclaimed. I would liken it more to Prom. The excitement, the getting ready, and then on date night, well, you never know how it might turn out. The dress was perfect, the date – hot, the dancing was fun, but the good night kiss was all wrong. I pulled bowls and mugs out of the kiln. Unsure of whether or not I actually liked anything. The slips and glazes are new to me, the soda process different from the salt firing I have experience with and I actually attempted to try a few new things (stamping and pleating bowls). My stamps got lost in the glaze; the mugs are, well, functional; the cup, bowl and plate sets I made for Sylvan and Ivory are cute; but the only things I like with certainty are my pleated bowls.

My dad and step-mom came to visit. The weather was fabulous the entire time they were here. We walked around Missoula, sipped coffee and ate great food. For the first time in two years, I strapped my snow board to my feet and rode an incredible feeling of happiness the entire way down the mountain. Ivory had her first ski lesson! 

Adam and I even let ourselves be relieved of the usual bed time routine and actually went out on a date! I put on a dress, leggings, cute shoes and even mascara. And we rushed out the door to see G-Love and Special Sauce. My feet and hips refused to stand still! I had almost forgotten that I love, love, love to dance.

The day that my parents left was sunny and warm and we spent it mulling around in our yard.

I dug in the soil, mounding up dirt.

Ivory eyed it hopefully: “ Mama, can I get my pants dirty”.

“Yes”.

“Oh, thank you mama”, she exclaimed and clamored onto the heap.

She then proceeded to ask me about each additional item of clothing and then her feet, her legs her knees and by the end she was sitting there, barefoot, her pants scrunched up her thighs gleefully rubbing dirt everywhere.

And then, well it got cold again, I spent an entire day cleaning the mud that was tracked though the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom.
We have reached the ides of March and I am listless.

Daylight savings time has knocked the napping routine off of it's usual course. Ivory and Sylvan are hopelessly out of sync. While Ivory naps, I try to get a few long standing projects done and moved out of the way. I have finally mended the stack of clothes that has been sitting on my desk for a length of time that is too embarrassing to mention. I have finally sewn the green and orange and brown patterned patches of fabric together that will soon be a coat rack (more to come on this project) and, maybe by the time we no longer need our heavy winter coats, it will be finished. The entire time I working I am rushing back and forth across the room, because Sylvan can climb my chair faster than I can do anything. He happily grabs the knobs on my sewing machine, the scissors, the pins, leans over the chair trying to pull the push pins out of my pin board. Somehow, he has not yet fallen or eaten a pin, but today I gave up. I flipped the chair back up on the table, folded my not-even-half-sewn-apron back up, put it back on the desk and stared lost around the house.

I pick up my oh-so-tired, but defiantly awake and chipper one year old and take him outside to check on the chickens. I pull a blue egg out of the nesting box. Sylvan cries as we walk back into the house reaching for the outside.

Just as soon as Ivory wakes up the four of us pile into the car and drive to go check on one of our favorite mushroom spots – Adam's idea – we know that there will be nothing there. We slosh through puddles, gingerly step across a few icy spots, peek under logs, collect a few pine cones, enjoying the slight evening chill, but also very eager for Spring.