There are so many ways to measure the years, and so many rituals by which to mark their passing. Our homeschooling group's spring play and talent show is one of them, and now that it has come and gone we know for sure that the days will be getting longer and warmer, and that our time will increasingly be spent out of doors. We look forward to it every spring.
This year the play was a little harder to follow, having been written by two girls no older than middle school, maybe younger. I know it had something to do with merfolk and fairies, and I think there was an evil cat, or maybe an evil ring that had been presented by a cat as a gift? There was some adventure that involved merfolk (of which Calvin was a key member) growing legs to rescue ocean water from the bathtub of a castle. There may have been an evil spell.
The plot was a little hazy at best, and the poor acoustics in the gym/theater didn't help any, but it was graciously short, and definitely sweet. And it was followed by the usual cute talent show, with talents ranging anywhere from piano or guitar performance, to running in circles on the stage, or reading aloud one's short story to leading the whole group in a dance.
Plus there were brownies.