There is plenty going on outside, what with all the crocuses and snowdrops, I have bowls of flowers on the table again. Eva is an avid flower picker/ lover. Yesterday she saw the first bee pollinating the crocuses and today we saw more on the wood violets- which smell divine, by the way, particularly after being sick and cooped up inside! I cleared away quite a few oak leaves from the violets today and am having trouble convincing Jack to stop peeing on them. He has been going just over to the side of the house all winter it seems, to save himself the trip out to the yard first thing in the morning. Jack is willing to work with me on these sorts of things, as long as he knows what is going on. Right now he keeps looking at me as if to say, "What flowers?"

Eva asked to wear all flower clothes today and rushed out to see if the bees liked her as well. She doesn't pet them anymore, after the incident last summer when she pet the angry bee caught in the screened in porch area. That really devastated her and she was upset for days following it, asking over and over why the bee would sting her, she likes bees. So we talked a good bit about how bees like their space and some bees, like the angry bee on the porch, really like their space because they feel trapped and scared. I have never told her not to touch bees because they might sting because it seems like fear tactics or something and besides, for a long while there, she could go right up to them and pet them while they pollinated and they all seemed quite fine with it. She even saved a yellow jacket once and he just flew off. I think they sense her lack of fear.

On the food front, there are chives out in the garden and while they are still small, we cut some anyway and brought them in to put on the eggs. Actually, I was going to put them in an omelette but Eva asked me if she liked chives in her omelette and when I answered yes! she was dubious and asked if I could put them on my eggs and leave hers out of it. So I did. And I also brought in dandelion greens, remembering from last year that this is just the time to eat them, and put them in the stir fry with the other more wintry greens from last weeks produce basket, along with a carrot Eva found in the garden. And that is all making me think if we go to Sauvie Island we will find some fresh nettles to pick and bring home, which is always a lot of fun and very satisfying in a gathering sort of way. Plus, I have these neat new clippers and I know Samuel would enjoy helping to harvest.