Spring Is A New Beginning

Spring Is A New Beginning

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joan walsh anglund

Spring is a new beginning...

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It is a season of young life...

of nesting birds

and crocuses.

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Yellow is its color...

the warm yellow of the sun...

of the bright buttercup

and the daffodil.

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Then all the world is leafy-tipped and new.

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Then the earth is rich with seedlings.

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Then come delicious days

of hunting wild strawberries...

of picking violets and forget-me-nots...

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of sailing boats and dipping eggs

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and finding hidden bunnies.

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This is the season of the tadpole

and the duckling...

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of robins' eggs

cupped in a soft bed of straw...

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of calves

trying out their wobbly legs...

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and of the fawn's first brown-eyed look at spring.

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Then new life presses out from every growing thing...

fulfilling our trust,

renewing our faith

that this has always been,

that this will be again...

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Spring brings an end to winter

and a fresh beginning.

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It is a gentle farewell

to yesterday

and the birth of new hope.

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This wonderful little book autographed by the author, was a gift from a very sweet friend appropriately named Spring. I adore the message, as it rings true to my heart. I welcome the new beginning that spring brings, as I have come to a new resolution this spring...

I am not what happened to me, I am who I choose to become.

The Boy Is a Teenager

Well, it finally happened...the boy became a teenager. And what does every teenage boy need for his 13th birthday? Why a new gun of course.

In fact he needs a .22 cal Marlin semi-automatic rifle with a scope.

And then he needs a totally legit gangsta hat (thanks Dione) to pose with that new bad boy gun. Happy 13th Birthday to the boy. Welcome to the newest stage of your life. We love ya and can't wait to see what great things are in your future.

Boston Girls Trip

Cassandra, Dione and I just finished our first adventure of what will be an annual Garlick Girls trip. We ventured to Boston to check out a couple of law schools to help Dione make the big decision of which to attend. It was quite a trip...

Cass kept seeing "red boxes" and wondering what they were. Finally we got a close-up of her with the fire alarm boxes located on every street in Boston. Sorry...no DVD's in this red box. I missed my nice Nikon camera, but we did alright with the little point and shoot camera instead.

We fell in love with the incredible architecture of the old houses of Boston.

This corner home had such a sweet color.. like bubblegum.

And this one has almost a Russian design.

Sisters act alike don't you think? The trees were just blooming while we were there. So beautiful!

And the azaleas...oh how I love the azaleas. They remind me of the Springs when we lived in Maryland. I wish these flowers were hardy enough to grow in Utah.

This is Boston College, one of the law schools Dione has been accepted to. She was eager to have a look around the campus and sit in on an actual constitutional law class.

In downtown Boston we found a very old cemetery. This happens to be the grave of Mother Goose. She raised 20 children...10 of her own and 10 from her husband's first marriage. No wonder she had so many stories to tell. As it turns out, the old woman in the shoe must be her autobiography.

The girls couldn't resist posing for a pic with Mr. Cigar man.

Here are the 3 of us enjoying an afternoon treat at Mike's Pastries. Mmmmm!!

While Dione attended her next campus tour at Boston University, Cass and I set out for Salem Massachusetts, the place of the Salem Witch Trials. Did you know that 20 people were executed during a period of only about 3 months? All because a few young girls made up a story and pretended to be possessed. It's amazing what fear will do to a paranoid society. The Salem Witch Museum was hilarious...not really a museum at all...more of a tourist trap.

Here is the cemetery located in downtown Salem. Isn't it great? We find ourselves drawn to cemeteries wherever we go.

This is called The Burying Point in Salem. We also found a fun quilt store in Salem.

And more houses...Cassandra and I almost bought one while we were there.

And finally a shopping day. Check out this camel made of nylons in the Copley Center. Why nylons you ask...maybe women of the world are just tired of nylons and there is a surplus now.

After a long day of shopping we were in desperate need of a treat. So we found a place called Johnny Cupcakes and walked in. We were extremely disappointed when all we saw were t-shirts for sale where there should be cupcakes. We were sad...and then angry...and then very hungry. We didn't find it humorous at all. I call that deceptive advertising. And yes...still hungry!

Newbury Street has a plethora of different shops. If you go there, don't go to Johnny Cupcakes...remember that.

Boston in bloom...beautiful!

And then there was the time when we stalked the Kennedy's and the Kerry's who live on this street in the very prestigious Beacon Hill area. Now that was fun!

Acorn Street is one of the most photographed streets in the nation. The street is very narrow and lined with cobblestones. We did see one car drive down this steep, narrow, rocky road.

See if you can see what's wrong with this picture...

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I couldn't have survived my driving experience in Boston without our GPS, which we fondly nicknamed The Wench because of her proper English accent when she gives you instructions. However... on occasion The Wench failed us, as in this photo. She said turn left onto a one way street going the wrong way. Aaagh! And Cass captured this pic to prove it. After a couple of days the girls proclaimed that I had really improved my aggressive driving skills and I was an official Bostonian driver. II have to step it down a notch now that we are back home.

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We had a fabulous time. And this news just out today... she picked Boston University! Congratulations Dione and best of luck! We love you!

Teenage Girls

I love teenage girls...always have...always will! Hopefully you are lucky enough to have a couple of them in your life for they always make things more exciting. These 4 fabulous girls came over for dinner this week. It was so sweet to hear their infectious giggles and delightful stories.

Camber, Sid, Autumn, and Lindsay can light up a room the minute they walk in.

There are many things you can learn from a teenage girl. Here are just a few that I have learned from many years of hanging around them.



You can never have enough clothes, makeup, shoes, friends, boyfriends, parties...
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Sleeping 12 hours a night is so easy to do.
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Surviving on 1 hour of sleep a night is so easy to do.
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Boys...boys...boys what else is there?
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Parents love to chapparone the all-night graduation party for the senior class.
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Texting comes natural to a teenage girl...I think they learn it in-vitro now.
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Animal crackers are hilarious when you hide them all over the house.
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Milk duds fall in the dairy category of the food pyramid.
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Teenage girls are not afraid of acting crazy in public, like dancing on the patio at Grand Targhee in ski boots to the song Cotteneyed Joe.
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If all else fails just tell your mom you had salad for lunch...even if you hate it.
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Dad can never make enough money to keep his girl in the latest fashion trends.
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"Everyone has one" means everyone in the conversation at that moment.
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Teenage girls sometimes think parents can be cool...just don't tell anyone.
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Speaking in a Sean Connery accent can inadvertently make swear words..."Shit down" or "Do you need a baby shitter?" And that is always hilarious!
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Life is just better in heels... no matter how tall you are.
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Any vacation is worth cancelling if your teenager has something really important coming up...like an audition for a lead in the musical.
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And these are just a few, so next time you come across your favorite teenage girl...give a hug and tell her how cool she is.