A Wet Spring

After a dry start, April has been wet. Everything in the garden is growing like crazy and smells great. Jeanne dropped off some plants for the kids to put in the veggie garden. They planted them this weekend. The first week of watering was Evan's and so far he hasn't needed to do a thing.

So I wasn't surprised a couple of weekends ago when Vivian, Grace and Evan ran down from Carol's and returned a few minutes later asking for something to collect some water in. They had found a creek and wanted to pick up some tadpoles. Yet another few minutes later they returned with eight tadpoles in three glasses. When it was time to leave, Grace donated hers to our kids ("I don't think my parents will want tadpoles in the house"). So we returned to Austin with eight little tadpoles. Evan was hesitant about the whole thing. 

"I don't think my tadpoles like me"

"Why?"

"They were pretending to be asleep when I was carrying them back to the house"

I thought may be they were dead. But a few days later when the kids filled up a large jar with water and we transferred the little fellas to it, all eight seemed to be happy campers. We boiled some lettuce (apparently a tadpole delicacy) and started feeding them. They are growing and morphing right before Evan and Vivian's eyes and even Jo and I catch each other staring at the jar when we walk past.

On Sunday morning we went back up to Carol's. It was overcast and we were contemplating cutting cakes for Michelle's and Evan's coming birthdays. Nicolle suggested a walk to work up an appetite before dessert and it was decided that we'd stroll down to the aforementioned tadpole creek. Turned out that it required jumping a barbed wire fence, clambering down a pretty steep hill and then hiking up a creek bed. Seven cousins (Devyn was napping), four parents and Grandma reached the creek when we noticed that the overcast sky had turned ominous and that the wind had picked up. The kids were told to get back to the house and Nicolle, Jo, Carol, her newish knee and I started climbing back up at a more sedate pace. Lightening flashed, thunder roared, and pretty soon enormous
drops of rain fell.

At the fence, Nicolle and I pushed down on the barbed wire on either side of Carol who straddled the fence while Jo pushed Carol 's foot over the wire. At that instant lightening crackled directly overhead and I wondered what would our fate be if lightening struck the barbed wire anywhere near by. Headlines on Monday's New Braunfels Hearld-Zietung: "Four Stupid Adults On Barbed Wire Fried by Hill Country Storm. Achtung!".

We made it over the fence and up the path and soon were close enough to hear the kids chanting "Hurry Up Hurry Up Hurry Up...".  After a short break Carol caught her breath and we made it back to the house.

A bit later we dried off and celebrated Evan's birthday. I had a forkful of cake and put a slice in the freezer beside the cake that Mona got for me. Waiting till tomorrow when I can eat sugar again.