Chats on the Farmhouse Porch: Tulip Tuesday

Holy Tulip Tuesday.... I can actually sit a spell and chat with Patrice and her friends on her porch today! Patrice reports that it is spring in her neck of the woods...

I am crossing my fingers...

and declaring that it is spring here...

finally! 

At least this is the first Tuesday in 6 weeks where we haven't had snow on the ground, or when we weren't expecting snow later in the day!
My spring has been about tulips. I love tulips. Perhaps it's because I lived in the south where tulips were nigh impossible to grow. Two years ago we planted a variety of Dutch bulbs, and last year I dug up and separated some tulips that had magically appeared in my garden, having been planted many years ago by some previous owner or renter. This year it has been all about protecting the tulips from our 'spring' snows and temperatures in the teens.
I became adept at tent making. This lovely tent was constructed and deconstructed 4 times. Each time the component pieces were moved a shorter distance away!

Here is the tent on April 9

Here we are again on May 1

But, the end result made practicing my

Girl Scout skills well worth it...

QUESTIONS 1. How many load of laundry do you do each week (about)? 2. Where do your household pets sleep? If you have no pets, please skip to the next question. 3. What is your favorite thing to listen to while you drive? 4. Do you have to do a big clean-up when you have company, or are you always ready for guests? 5. What's your favorite breakfast food?

Here are my answers to Patrice's questions. You can join the chat, too, by responding in comments on my page, or on Patrice's page, or by linking your blog to Patrice's blog.

Answers:

1. Oh, my gosh! Thanks for reminding me. I started a load yesterday and turned the machine off because the dogs were going to eat dinner. They are afraid of the washing machine and won't go in the laundry room, where their bowls are, if either the washer or dryer are running! Oh, but I digress, I average two loads of laundry a week. When I had the horses I probably had to run at least one extra load as horse dirt magically jumps from horse to human in a heartbeat!
2. Tucker and Gypsy have beds in our room. They don't discriminate about who's bed is whose. Tucker is the funniest sleeper. If when he gets too warm he will move to another location. So he is on and off the bed all night. When he lies down... he groans, a long drawn-out pleasurable groan. It makes me smile to hear it.
3. I switch between an oldies station and NPR when I drive. When the car was a major part of my day, driving hours for work, I would listen to books. I kinda miss that now, but I generally spend so little time in my car now, that it would take too long to get through the book. By the time I got near the end, I would have forgotten the beginning ;-)
4. We always have a 'rush-around, throw things in cabinets, wipe off the counter' type clean up when folks are coming. When my house is neat and clean I swear I'm going to keep it that way, but before I know it, the horizontal surfaces have acquired piles of stuff, dog hair clumps sprout on the rug, and tumblefluffs roll on the floor in the breeze created as we walk by. 
5. If I didn't care about my size, I would eat French toast made with thickly sliced cinnamon bread, and coated in panko bread crumbs. A sweet vanilla sauce on top would be heavenly. Knowing that I wouldn't stop at one piece, and that if I happen to have a loaf of bread like that in the house, I'd be compelled to make it every morning, I just don't buy the ingredients. Instead, I limit myself to a piece of oatnut bread, toasted, or a small bowl of granola. Most mornings I make Mr. Dreamy one egg, over easy. I've become masterful at flipping the egg, and sliding it onto the plate, without using utensils.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!