running down into the spring that's coming
Spring is almost here. I can feel it underneath my skin like an unbearable itching that doesn't let me stay still. I am antsy and impatient -- anticipating warmth and growth and activity and summer. The equinox and DST shift has passed, for which I am extremely grateful. At least for the next 6 months.
The weather almost agrees with me. The sun is shining, at least. We had almost a week stint recently where the temperatures hovered around the category of "spring," before diving back to around "freezing" this week. I check the weather every day now -- sometimes multiple times a day -- as if scanning the forecast for the days ahead could bring them about faster. I scroll forward a day, three days, a week, to where the temperatures steadily climb higher. There, I am comfortable outside without a hat; there, I can switch to light sweaters instead of heavy sweaters; there, I can go for a run outside and not be uncomfortable. It's in sight.
I've been starting seeds in the past few weeks, helped by a grow light in our basement, which kept cilantro and a sad little tomato plant alive all winter. I have a teeny baby asparagus plant, barely half a mm in diameter, giving me glee, and hopefully more of them to come, that I can plant outside soon, that will again make me wait for another couple years. I sowed leafy greens, inside and outside, with dreams of fresh salad on-demand. Any month now, I can clear the leaves off the garden patches and start tracking the volunteers.
I got roped into joining a marathon relay team this spring, for 9 months after I injured my knee and stopped all my running, and so I am in training. I've gotten back into swimming, running, and still do regular climbing, with a current goal to build up the leg muscle I lost, and then some. The knee is doing great with it so far, which I am pleased about. While getting regular exercise again is great for my mood, it means that on days I don't get out I am all that much more fidgety. It also means I am almost always hurting somewhere. The age, I feel it.
I tackled some spring cleaning last week, starting with all everybody's clothes dressers, and then conquering the jboys' bedrooms. They came away with boxes and bags of Stuff to be trashed, more to be donated, school clothes that fit, and a large batch of new, clean socks. I came away with a list of other things I want to sort through and organize. I have several pairs of barely-worn, good quality hose and tights that I'd love to give to someone about my size, if anybody local wants to come by and sift.
There are many other things going on, with work, with kids, with house, with people, with me. And they all deserve their own post, but right now I have to get up and do something. Anything.
The weather almost agrees with me. The sun is shining, at least. We had almost a week stint recently where the temperatures hovered around the category of "spring," before diving back to around "freezing" this week. I check the weather every day now -- sometimes multiple times a day -- as if scanning the forecast for the days ahead could bring them about faster. I scroll forward a day, three days, a week, to where the temperatures steadily climb higher. There, I am comfortable outside without a hat; there, I can switch to light sweaters instead of heavy sweaters; there, I can go for a run outside and not be uncomfortable. It's in sight.
I've been starting seeds in the past few weeks, helped by a grow light in our basement, which kept cilantro and a sad little tomato plant alive all winter. I have a teeny baby asparagus plant, barely half a mm in diameter, giving me glee, and hopefully more of them to come, that I can plant outside soon, that will again make me wait for another couple years. I sowed leafy greens, inside and outside, with dreams of fresh salad on-demand. Any month now, I can clear the leaves off the garden patches and start tracking the volunteers.
I got roped into joining a marathon relay team this spring, for 9 months after I injured my knee and stopped all my running, and so I am in training. I've gotten back into swimming, running, and still do regular climbing, with a current goal to build up the leg muscle I lost, and then some. The knee is doing great with it so far, which I am pleased about. While getting regular exercise again is great for my mood, it means that on days I don't get out I am all that much more fidgety. It also means I am almost always hurting somewhere. The age, I feel it.
I tackled some spring cleaning last week, starting with all everybody's clothes dressers, and then conquering the jboys' bedrooms. They came away with boxes and bags of Stuff to be trashed, more to be donated, school clothes that fit, and a large batch of new, clean socks. I came away with a list of other things I want to sort through and organize. I have several pairs of barely-worn, good quality hose and tights that I'd love to give to someone about my size, if anybody local wants to come by and sift.
There are many other things going on, with work, with kids, with house, with people, with me. And they all deserve their own post, but right now I have to get up and do something. Anything.