How do I know it's spring?

I've been busy at the loom. 

I took off twelve or so yards of sapphire woven on the sapphire warp.

Here it is, ready to go down to the washer and dryer.

And here is my cat, Toby, who considers himself essential.

And there behind him is Helen, my essential and unassuming model.

Suddenly I heard her say "I wish I had a pair of basic jeans. Like the ones the pretty girls in the Land's End catalog wear."

How can I deny her?

I stopped at Village Thrift, in Cuyahoga Falls.

A very large second hand clothing store.

I was blinded by the racks of spring pastels.

I felt like I had entered a cattle chute.

Where were the basic jeans?

Perhaps somewhere in the store,

but I was already sneezing from the fumes of the dry cleaning solution.

I stumbled to a rack of summer shorts and picked a pair for Helen.

She wears them well, even as a mono-ped.

We all are enjoying the saga of the ski run managed by millenials, I know, 

so here is another mini chapter.

Emily threw herself into the car Sunday, slammed the door,

snatched at the seat belt and said

"I hope ALL their snow melts!"

Millenials as they are, these youngsters have pretty much sorted themselves over the season.

Sunday someone from "upper management" showed up, and began assigning them to lifts.

"But we pick our own!"

Didn't fly on Sunday.

Emily was assigned to the north slope lift, the one limited to experienced skiers.

"They aren't nice!" (The skiers)

"When I say 'Good Morning' they grunt or snarl.

"When I ask them to fill the seat, to keep the line moving, they say they're going alone!"

I guess the cheerful little earfull is much happier with young families.

There probably is a two foot base on the runs.

In spite of fifty degree weather,

There will be skiing next weekend.

Hopefully "upper management" won't show up.

Pig and toad, surveying our 18" base.