Bullfrog Joy

By Susan VanArsdale

No snow! And I am full of joy about that, but wasn’t last week’s snow beautiful? The sky was blue, the sun was bright, the temperature wasn’t really cold as long as you had a hat on, and the snow just sprarkled -until it didn’t. And there’s the next joy. It only lasted a few hours. That, my friends, is springtime in Illinois!

March 20 was also my mom’s birthday. It was a beautiful day to go outside, check to see that my daffodils would be OK in the snow and think about my mom and how excited she got about spring and flowers. JOY!!

By now you’ve surely seen your first robins. If you haven’t then you aren’t looking very closely. I saw my first two in Kansas last week! Then we came back to Illinois to robins just prancing all over the place and doing their little chirp.

The coolest sighting though, made me giggle. On one of those very warm days last week I was out walking and saw a huge puddle in the middle of an alleyway and a single robin in the middle of the puddle. He was having so much fun. I felt like I could see his smile. He splashed a little on one side, splashed on the other, lifted one wing and splashed underneath, lifted the other and splashed under it, then just strutted around in that puddle. His own private bathtub, except there I was about to spoil his fun. Of course when he saw me, he flew away. I told him I was sorry and that he didn’t have to go, but I don’t think he believed me. I’m glad he got his bath in when it was warm!

Last week I was in Kansas for a very interesting band concert. The youngest grandson is in the 6th grade beginner band. The oldest is a senior going through all of the “this is the last time…” rituals. This was 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, high school band and two jazz bands. All the bands were on the floor at the same time. Each band did a couple numbers by themselves. Then they did a couple numbers as an entire band. There were easily 400 band members all playing the same song. The seniors might have thought the song was a little easy, but they did it so the beginners could play along. It said to those 6th graders, “This is what you will be able to do, eventually!”

Fun story, I took my clarinet out with me so Andrew and I could play together. It hurt my mouth a bit, but it was worth it. He told me about one of the easiest notes to play on a clarinet. No squeaks. The band director chose well to make an easy song sound amazing and to not make the kids feel like the beginners that they really were.

When we got home from Kansas I managed to get sick…not a joyful time. I just felt miserable with a bad cold, and sore throat. I slept a lot, but…I also had time to read. I found a new Baldacci hero, John Puller, Jr. a detective in the army. I have read some books of David Baldacci and liked them OK, but somehow I missed this character and the three books he is in. He is huge and strong like Jack Reacher and honest, loyal, smart, and caring, AND he follows the rules. He’s a good guy! (I love Jack Reacher, but he does not follow the rules or stay within the law even if he is working for the good.) Oh, and get this…he has a cat named AWOL. When he goes on a long assignment, he takes the cat with him. The cat loves to travel, so you know Puller has to be a good guy!

Oh my friends, I wish you joy this week! I don’t see any more snow in the forecast, but even if there is, it won’t last long. And March Madness…do you follow it? Basketball and basketball and more basketball. And there is always a Columbo or NCIS that you can find instead. Support the people you love. If they like basketball, watch a little bit of it. Put two TV’s in the room! We do! If they like band, go to a concert, if they like to walk, ask if you can go with them sometime. My mom loved flowers…so now I love flowers! I miss her, glad I took time to share her interests, and I have such joyful memories. Joy to you all! Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea. Joy to you and me!