it was a magnificent day, 24 degrees. sunny. fog lifting off the lake. we gave edgar a bath and i walked him in the sun to dry. tom cut the lawn. and i took the stepladder into the front garden and washed the windows. and while i was working on the windows of my little front porch, i realized how i missed sitting in here in the early morning sun with coffee. or with the evening sun and a glass of wine. and a book or my blog. a few years ago it stopped being a room and just become a place to walk through to get in the house. with messy recycling by the door and cobwebs and garden dirt. so, i swept and washed and threw away the wicker chairs with the seats broken through (i didn't really throw them away, but they went to the basement) and brought in my favorite white metal chairs. i washed the glass. and swept and washed the floor. i found places for what shouldn't be in the front porch/sun room. and set up a little table to hold a drink. jars and buckets of beach glass and shells. faded lavender hanging in the window. garage sale paintings i love stacked against the wall. a few piles of books..... just in time for my birthday tomorrow. i will have my first coffee as a 45 year old, sitting in my lovely little sunny nook.

edgar got me up at 2.30 this morning. barking at the sounds of night in the backyard through the open window. i didn't fall asleep again until 4.30, and then he was up again at 5.15. he was just restless and wanted to go outside. so i came out with him and slept for 4 delightful hours swaying under quilts on the porch swing. it was wonderful. he woke me up a few times barking, but the birds and the squirrels and the twitter of the leaves with the scent of peonies and climbing roses and honey locust trees all lulled me right back to sleep. and when i was finally awake for the day i lay on the swing watching wave after wave of mist float into the garden. at first i was worried the studio was on fire. and then maybe our very own house, because it was as dense as smoke. but it was a soft pale mist blowing past in waves. what a lovely way to wake up. and although i imagine it will be a groggy day, i loved the way it started.
oh yes, writing this made me forget that 1/2 an hour ago, stella and floyd brought a snake into the living room that is now in our cold air return vent. the drama of the day has begun!!!!

i want the green to race it's way towards me. i want the scent of spring. i want the fresh spicy smell of wet earth and fresh green light. i want my heart to race with it's sharp dream of summer. i want the blur of it. i want the slam of screen doors. i want the tickle of cut grass in my throat. i want the jungle of my front garden, spicy with lavender. i want open windows and leaves shivering on the trees. i want the scent of the lake drifting through the yard mixing with barbecue and sunscreen. i want the sound of my husband's guitar drifting from the porch. i want the squeak of the porchswing and the squeal of children. i want to wander without shoes for weeks. i want the snap of sheets on the line and the smell of sun cooked into cotton. and mostly i want the heat of the sun and the cool of the lake as i sift through pebbles at our little piece of beach bringing home buckets of the smooth and mysterious beach glass.