Why We Didn't Mow the Lawn and What We Did Instead

      Spring arrived in Geneva this week. Before we left for Easter Break, the mountains were snow covered, the evenings were dark, and the yard was dormant. Now the sky stays light through the evening, the flowers and leaves have exploded into color, and we walk through the sunny wood looking at the melting snow on the mountaintops. That's what Eric and I did Sunday afternoon, anyway. He was the only one I could drag along on my Adventure of Exploration along a side of the Rhone we haven't visited before.
       The Adventure was not the reason we didn't mow this weekend. Nor, really, was the fact that the ground was sodden -- which it was from day after day of rain. This is why we didn't mow the lawn:

      All the wildflowers are just too pretty! I think we're going to have to pull out the blades and cut them down this weekend, though. Otherwise, the grass may be too long to plow through.
       In addition to providing some needed beauty and light, the advent of spring has also brought on a spate of spring cleaning. The problem is that with the bright, beautiful sunshine coming through the windows, I can see the smudgy, streaky windows themselves. So we did the windows. Vinegar, newspaper, the lot. Then, sitting on the couch in a satisfied exhaustion, I happened to look at the ceiling and see wispy clusters of spiderwebs hanging all along the wall. The living room is usually Luc's responsibility, and he does the kind of job one might expect from a 13-year-old boy, which is to say that the room looks better when it isn't quite so sunny. I trotted downstairs to get the feather duster and tackled the webs. In Switzerland, the houses are very solidly built, from concrete blocks that provide excellent insulation. Unfortunately, the preferred method of treating the indoor edge of the blocks is to paint over them with textured cement, which is then whitewashed. Pictures do not hang well on this material (as our broken drill attests). All marks show up on this material. If you brush your hand on this material while walking downstairs carrying a laundry basket, you will end up with bloody knuckles. Furthermore, this material is non-dustable. The spider webs just stick in the texture as unattractive grey balls. I was about to give up on having a clean house and go find something more fun to do when I had an unfortunate brainstorm. I hauled up the vacuum cleaner, put on the dusting attachment, and sucked all the webby dust from the walls. It worked so well I took care of the lint on the laundry room walls as well. I'm now a martyr to clean walls. I also showed the children how to use the dusting attachment to manage the corners and crevices in their rooms. They are as disappointed as I in its efficacy -- living in dust was far less work.

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       When not dragging reluctant family members on hikes or discovering new ways to torture them with cleanliness, I have been leaving them in peace and hiding out with a book. I have found the perfect combination of fun and edification by reading Martha Grimes mystery novels translated into French. I will know how to call for a medical examiner or explain that I found a corpse in the woods, should the need arise. For inspiration and interest, I am also reading Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God by Noël Piper, which tells the stories of five different women. So far, my favorite is the story of Lilias Trotter, who was rejected by mission boards because of her heart condition, but took off for Algeria anyway, not knowing anyone there or a stitch of the language. I love that she fell in love with both the landscape and the people and her creativity in finding ways to get to know the Muslim women. I love it when people love what they do, especially if it's a calling I never thought about. Purportedly for educational purposes (but mostly for enjoyment), I am reading Ivanhoe aloud to Lucas and Johanna every day after lunch. To me, the chance to read aloud would be reason enough to homeschool. I do have to agree with Mark Twain that Sir Walter Scott could have cut way down on the verbiage in Ivanhoe, but I disagree with Twain's dislike of his books. There's nothing like a mystery knight, a disinherited son, an evil templar, and even Robin Hood to start the afternoon off right. This year, we've read Tale of Two Cities (which made us all cry), The Moonstone (which kept us all in suspense for weeks), and Tom Sawyer (which made us all wish we were young scalawags in 1800s Missouri). I think we will have time for one more before school finishes (not until the end of June!). Any suggestions?

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       I did promise cooking in this blog as well, but I need to go . . . cook dinner (or the vegetable portion at least; Lucas is working on a meal inspired by Epic Mealtime which, clearly, will include no vegetables). The cooking news will have to wait.