Tag: Spring

The Boys and the Blossoms

On By Tim ValentinoIn GeneralLeave a comment

There are so many reasons for joy in this neck of the woods right now. First, Andrew is thriving in his new role at Sight & Sound. He’s part of the lighting team for their newest production, Daniel, which premiered last week. From his description, theater lighting at that level is much more sophisticated than I had ever imagined, but he’s well suited and trained for it. (His undergrad studies were in film and media arts at Temple University.) Not many people get to say they work in professional music theater—let alone Christian musical theater. He says the show is not to be missed. I get to see it on April 11, which is his birthday.

Second, I got wonderful feedback on my latest dissertation chapter. I’m over the moon about it since this one had heavy doses of Sumerian and Akkadian in it, which I’m hardly an expert in but worked hard to get oriented to. It featured lots of Greek and Hebrew, too, along with a handful of other languages, but I was on edge about the Sumerian and Akkadian because the title of one of my readers is “Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Semitic Languages.” You can imagine the pressure a title like that conveys. It was, by far, the hardest chapter to write, so I really think I can pick up the pace now. Still, academic writing is awfully tedious, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m nerd enough to enjoy it.

Third, the boys continue to grow and delight everyone around them. How cool is it that we live just 10 minutes away from Samuel and Levi? We get to watch them almost every Wednesday and keep them overnight nearly every Friday, which is pizza night. Saturday mornings may involve some  cartoons and pancakes. Oh, and the toy room. And yard time. Below are some pics and clips of these precious munchkins.

Fourth, the flower beds are starting to explode with signs of spring. My cherry tree is always stunning this time of year, and the daffs have really shot up, along with the hyacinths. I eagerly await the arrival of the tulips. Maybe they’ll get here by Easter, which just happens to be my birthday this year. But no one’s allowed to call attention to it. That day belongs to Christ alone.

Finally, below is an interesting tune by Coldplay, “Up with the Birds,” voted one of the top songs about springtime. I’m not sure I would have put it on the list, but a reviewer calls it “one of the most hopeful and optimistic things we’ve ever heard. The combination of cheerful lyrics and the enchanting string of instruments in the background has us feeling like we’re floating right into the warmer season.”

How ’bout we just stay in springtime?

Either way, enjoy!

Levi at 8 months.
No more pictures, Mommy. I’ve got things to do.
Brotherly love.
Learning to take turns.
Flowers for Mommy.
Micah gets a father-of-the-year award for this.
Double trouble at Home Depot.
Loving little Levi.
No poker face on this dude.
The view out my home office window.
The flowering cherry is a gift I’ll always treasure.
The daffs are here.
And here.
And here. (I need to re-set the decorative rocks.)
The flower beds have come alive.
The hyacinths await the arrival of the tulips.
Home, sweet, home.

Beauty from the Dirt

On By Tim ValentinoIn GeneralLeave a comment

After my sour little “chuckle” from earlier today, I thought I should say something happy—if for no other reason than to let everyone know I’m not despairing (or going apoplectic) over the absurdities of our day. Better to be a happy warrior than a curmudgeon. Besides, believers are people of hope and resurrection.

Nothing conveys that great truth better than spring flowers. Up from the dark dirt come the bright beauties of the plant kingdom. Red and yellow tulips in combination are among my favorites, though I have many others, too.

I adore my cherry tree, but it didn’t keep its color very long this year because of the late frost. Maybe next year it will do better. The large addition we put on the back of our house a couple years ago necessitated the sacrifice of a glorious hydrangea bush, which needs to be remedied soon. And then there’s that Japanese maple I’ve been wanting to get…

Anyway, here are a few snaps from the front part of our house. May they brighten your day a bit like they did mine.

Time to Plant the Annuals

On By Tim ValentinoIn General1 Comment

Mother’s Day is the calendar marker for planting annuals in the flower beds around our house, so I’ll be getting my hands dirty this week. We’re trying some new things this year, and we’ll see how it goes. Pictures of the real flowers will come later. The ones below are stock photos showing the ideal.

For the front and side flower beds, I got red and yellow Zinnias to plant, with a few lavenders poking through. They stand about 12” tall right now and supposedly do well in the sun. I chose them to match the color and vibrancy of the tulips, which I adored while they were here. Hopefully they’ll do just as well.

In front of the Zinnias will go the shorter red and white petunias. Last year’s impatiens didn’t do very well, so we’re giving these a try. The flowers are a bit larger than the imaptiens, so if they thrive, the beds will look nice when they emerge.

For the hanging baskets (4 on the front porch, 4 on the back patio, and 2 on my mother-in-law’s patio), we’re trying red, white, and purple wave petunias this year. It will take a while for them to start “waving,” but they’re much cheaper when you assemble the baskets yourself. I suppose it will be my lesson in patience this year. Alas, like Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka, “I want it now!”

My mother-in-law will also get a bed of yellow French marigolds. They are her favorites, and we think she may still have enough capacity to putter around and enjoy them this year.

Below are some unrelated pictures that recently caught my eye. The first is my summer home. 🙂 The second is my summer transportation. 🙂 And the third is a brain teaser. Can you tell what it is? (If you get stumped, turn your phone, tablet, or laptop upside down.)

Have a great week!