It’s been the wettest April since 1994 when there was 5.72 inches of rain: .01 inches more than this year. (And it’s raining as I write this….)

Yes, the grass is very happy and it will probably be a very good year for the mosquito population. Lake Champlain is almost 3 feet above flood stage and all the rivers and ponds are full. Our May flowers, as expected, look really good. And after a long, long winter, that’s something we really appreciate around here. Little baby leaves are growing, making the valley forests turn light green, though the mountains are still colored only by conifers.

Rhubarb is taking off and will soon be long enough to pick. I took out the unproductive pear tree and planted a new Liberty apple in its place with high hopes of actually having apples from our own tree soon. The raspberry rows have been pruned of last year’s dead wood and the new retainer system built by my father last fall is ready to hold the loaded canes off the ground come July.

I haven’t spent as much time in the yard as I’d like, though. My growing children, my responsibilities as the head of a church service organization, and a few opportunities to do some professional photography have taken priority.

The baby of the family turns 3 this year, marking the end of all things baby or toddler-oriented. We’re now fully into both Duplos AND tiny Legos. When a little one comes over to visit, I have to put certain toys away and get out the high chair again. Weird.

I won’t go into the details of my church service work except to say that watching and helping a young mother deal with serious spinal meningitis has been difficult. We think she’s going to be okay, eventually.

I have had a couple of opportunities to shoot some portraiture over the last few weeks: a friend is engaged and some employee shots were needed for a website overhaul my friend Ben is working on for a client. It’s been fun. It has made me very glad I don’t have to switch between focused photography work and multitasking motherhood work every single day: it would be exhausting. That said, I hope to do a little more photography in the future. Some of those things and more are up on my new portfolio site called Maren•Photo. (Sound caution: website has music.)

May looks to be just as busy with all manner of essential and non-essential business: play dates, piano recital, a birthday and a wedding to celebrate, church work, yard work, laundry, helping people, dishes, pushing swings, car maintenance, final school projects and celebrations, Mother’s Day, exercise, picking up toys, shopping, reading, etc.

I think I’ll take it one day at a time.