Spring Cookies, Animal Stalking Continues and Springtime for Hitler

I am not a Spring person.  Sure I enjoy it, but not like the Fall.  I LOVE the Fall.  Especially Fall in NYC.  I know.  I know.  What type of person prefers weather where everything is dying and dropping instead of blooming and budding?

Maybe it's that in the Fall, Octoberfest in Munich, Halloween, my birthday and Thanksgiving all come rolling in one after another. All fun celebrations.  Fall is like the gift that keeps on giving. Then full steam ahead to Hannukah, Christmas, and New Year's.

I'm not a total Spring Scrooge. This time of year in our little German Village Near the Dutch Border is definitely an enjoyable experience for a city girl.  The neighbor's newborn lambs and deer.  The bunnies bounding everywhere. The endless parade of creatures in the garden (the pheasants are my fav). The trees budding and flowers in the garden.



I bring my camera along on my daily walks. I haven't given up on stalking the lambs for a good photo.  Speaking of which, I am certain the newborn deer in our 'hood are in collusion with the lambs.  I cannot get a clear shot of the babies. This is as close as I was able to get to them today.  No babies in sight. My husband saw them all right next to the fence close enough to touch just the day before.

When I'm there, they all congregate on the other side of the enclosure.

And forget the bunnies. They're too busy boing boing-ing everywhere. Fast little buggers. Hard to catch a closeup with a camera. This was the best I could do.

I happened upon my first ladybug of the season and spent a long time waiting for her to turn around but she just kept showing me her butt. She also must be talking to the lambs.

Some sort of "f@%k with the foreigner" creature conspiracy?  Trying not to take it personally.

I have lots of macro shots of flowers and tree buds (they mind their manners when being photographed, unlike obstinate and unruly animals) but I thought this was much more interesting to show.  Here are two bunkers from WW2 in the middle of the lake near us. Because of our proximity to the dutch border, we are close to what was the German front.

When Dr. B was a kid, he used to row out there with his friends on an air mattress to play inside. They didn't have a boat, but they were determined.  He even recovered some shell casings I think.

Because I am twisted and a former theater geek, despite the GaGa on my ipod, "Springtime for Hitler" was running through my head all during my walk around the lake.  Here is a closer view from the other side.

OK. Back to the cookies...


I recently did some major spring cleaning and sorted my cookie cutters. The cutter sorting being so much more labor intensive than the Spring cleaning.  With a handy newly sorted ziplock of Spring themed cutters and leftover rolled cookie dough,  here is my version of April Showers bring May Flowers. 

It's a little early in the season for the strawberries.

I got carried away.

Bees and bluebirds. Umbrellas and clouds. Wheelbarrows and Watering Cans. Sheep and chickens.  Hedgehogs and Snails.  Flowers and Tulips. Strawberries and Butterflies. 

HAPPY SPRING!