It has been bluebird days here!  The sun is out and warming our little corner of the earth beyond its January wont.  All things feel springy, melty, Marchy.  As spring is still months away and as this is Montana, the winter gods will assuredly still have their way.  But knowing there is more winter yet to come has made the enjoyment of these days all the more rich.  On Saturday, Tim and I took the kids on a hike.  Corin brought his walking stick, carved with a mountain goat's head, to hike with (or chop remaining ice with as opportunity presented). Seth wore sneakers that were inches deep in mud by the end.  He remains staunch in his refusal in all weather, inclement or not, to wear boots as they hinder his running.  And run he did, up trail and down, racing Tim or Birtie or the wind if no other competitor was willing.  Birtie fell twice in the mud and was wet front to back by the time we finished our walk.  Somehow she made it out of the house in leggings with stars all over them, the Rwandan-print fabric dress she wore as a flower girl in her Aunt Kara's wedding, and a purple fleece with large flowers everywhere.  Needless to say, the mud helped harmonize the whole.

We walked in a treeless area to maximize our sun exposure and enjoyed every bit of it.  It is amazing what real, deep, generous sunshine will do for a mood.  Of course, we've all experienced that lift before, but it seems like a new discovery, a wonderful surprise every winter.  Those bluebird days just go right to the core, throw the windows open, and give your spirit an airing.   

On our walk we found a little copse of shrubs under which green was already peeping.  Bending beneath the branches, we got inside their little surround and I suddenly felt enfolded by scores of good stories: all the ones where characters have found secret worlds - from Narnia to the Secret Garden. Stories are the best company to keep and it pleased me to have all these wonderful characters slanting through the branches like the long rays of the afternoon sun.  

Tomorrow, whether or not the sun continues its glorious reign, we are back to routine after this three-day weekend.   Tumbling sleepy kids out of bed, packing lunches, herding kiddos who can seem to lose their way (or their will or their backpack or their gym shoes) between the front door and the car, are the first tasks of a day which continues apace.  But in the midst of all of it there will be the fact of our walk on Saturday, our copse of shrubs, our bluebird skies and our freshly aired spirits to carry us through.  That little green peeping up was just the beginning...