Ready

We're about a week away from opening the screen-less windows and letting the fresh air in. The snow is melting into that gross, slushy brown stuff, everything comes inside soaking wet and dirty, I'm never sure whether to use rubber boots or keep up with the winter ones. Spring is coming. Mother Nature might actually make good on her promise to be here for the equinox. I have started doing nerdy things like making a spring cleaning list, buying consignment rain gear, and re-arranging furniture after a long winter spent indoors. Hailey and Robin's bedroom got an upgrade with the addition of my old bookshelf from my mom's house, and I am happy to report it is so far not a hazard to their safety during afternoon quiet time (which is about where my expectations lie).

We're also continuing to get more greens and healthy stuff into us. After a week's worth of delicious dinners were mostly turned away by snooty children, I made plans to be more covert. I am now sneaking anything orange into pasta sauce, (like grated carrots, pureed bell peppers or pumpkin), making green smoothies (parsley, spinach) taste good with honey and frozen mangoes, and sneaking ground flax into everything else. 

I used one of Angela Liddon's recipes for chocolate pudding with hidden avocados and it went over very, very well.

The longer daylight hours and warmer temps also mean it's time for me to call an end to my winter hiatus from running. I admit, I am seasonal. The serious runners may scoff at me come springtime for not being hardcore. I can cop to that. I am not hardcore. I detest gearing up in skin-covering layers to run on ice-covered sidewalks in -30. They can keep their claims to bad-assery. It means this time of year, though, I am a gasping, red-faced hot mess moving down my local sidewalks and trails at a faster pace that is a mix between a nice runner's gait and a hunchback hobble.

We have planted a few seeds indoors, spotted the squirrel running up and down our fence with nest-building materials, spotted the cardinals out singing and splashed in the first puddles of the season. I am so ready to get back to outdoor living again!