Learning to ride a bike...the easy way

My youngest son has been slow on the uptake of learning how to ride a bike.  We have tried and tried.  No go.

This summer, I decided that he was going to do it.  Period.  My mother never learned how to ride a bike and always regretted it.  I didn't want that to happen to my kid.

We tried and we tried.

Yup this is how he felt about it.

FINALLY I googled how to teach a kid to ride a bike and came upon an intriguing method that teaches kids without pedals.  I ran out to the garage and took the pedals off his bike.  YES.  We were doing this.

We did this a few times and boom.  He had it!  Yeah!

This weekend, I upgraded him to the bigger bike with gears and hand brakes.  We went for a nice long ride and turned around when we hit the Leslie construction.  

What a lovely day!

Spring Inspiration and a DIY Found Rock Inuksuk

The other day, in the depths of this horrid, endless winter we're having, I noticed a little bit of purple lurking under a pile of oak leaves.  I decided to go out and investigate today (and clean up a little) and found this!  Proof positive that spring indeed IS coming!  

Yippie!  

I never planted crocuses in my garden.  This one just appeared a few years ago.  I figure a squirrel drug it up and dropped it and I am the lucky recipient!  I love crocuses.  I really should plant some more.  They are such a nice happy sign of spring!

Hubby and I went out for a date night last night.  We walked past a cute little garden shop.  The had these little piggy planters.  How cute are these?  A few of these would make the cutest herb garden!  I would LOVE one but at the moment I have no clue where I would put it.  I just love garden art!

There is a spot on our beach where people balance rocks.  They are not qiute Inuksuk but speak to that general idea.  An inuksuk is Inuit stone sculpture of a "human" that tells you you are on the right path.  I have always been fascinated by these.

Rock Balancing

I gathered a few stones off of the beach and brought them home.  

I took a few and stacked them up and made myself a mini Inuksuk.

Two feet.

a base...

a body which is part of a red brick worn smooth by the water

arms

and a round head

The trick to getting it to stand is picking flattish rocks.  He stands about 15" high.  I think he is a pretty cute piece of free DIY garden art.  He is quite stable and only falls over about once a year.

If only I could figure out how to get the squirrels from burring acorns in my garden. 

 My hyacinth was completely burred under leaves and is a bit pale looking.

Last years hydrangea bloom.