Giddy With Excitement!

It's been a while since I have felt this much anticipation. It's silly really - it's not like I'm going on an exotic vacation, or purchasing the iPod I covet so much. It's just that the weather is turning, the sun is shining, and the temperature is rising!

I know many of you are suffering the effects of summer heat where you are and you may be longing for some of the cool weather and rain that we've been experiencing here in the Pacific Northwest for what seems like an eternity. But I can't contain my excitement at the fact that it's 80 degrees at my house, and they're forecasting in the 90's tomorrow!

I am going to grab a book and head out to the lawn swing to soak up some sunshine. I might just do a little happy-dance on the way!

My day to be cranky

For no particular reason I woke up feeling cranky this morning. 

Perhaps it's because yesterday was the first day of spring and it was beautiful!  Then, last night, we woke to the sound of rain again. 

Here are some pictures I took in the yard yesterday.

Spring...come back.....!

Gratitude on a Spring Afternoon

Do you remember a hot summer day when you were a kid and your best friend gave you just a lick of a her orange Popsicle? Remember how sweet it tasted and how you wished you could have more?

That's how I felt today. The sun has been shining all day, there isn't a cloud in the sky, and the temperature is almost 60 degrees.

This afternoon I put on a pair of capri pants, dug out a pair of flip-flops, and took the girls for a walk around the neighborhood. As we walked I heard the drone of lawn mowers as the first cut of the year took place, I saw cherry blossoms beginning to bloom and women puttering around in their gardens.

I breathed deeply and slowly trying to take it all in - trying to get enough to satisfy me in case this was to be the last day like this for a while.  The weather man tells me that we will enjoy similar weather for the entire weekend but he's been known to be wrong.

When I got home I grabbed my camera to take a few pictures around the yard to share with you.  The crocus and daffodils are blooming!

The heather has been blooming for a while now - hardy creature that she is.

Even the clamatis I planted last summer is beginning to show signs of life.                                     

I took a broom and swept away cobwebs and stray dead leaves from my entry way.  It's all ready for pots of flowers now!

Meanwhile back in Baby Land where my heart truly is, Makiya was out for a walk with her Mommy!

So much to be thankful for....

Spring has Sprung!

It is a beautiful Valentine's Day!  I planted my flower seeds in their little peat pot homes today.  The sun is shining, flowers are blooming, and  I took my first barefoot walk of the year in the yard to take this picture!

I am a barefoot girl through and through. I loved the smushing feel of my feet sinking into the wet spongy lawn this afternoon.  That, perhaps more than anything else, speaks to me of spring on the horizon. 

It is the promise of many months free of the confines of socks and shoes treating myself to pedicures and ice cold Starbucks Frappachinos. 

Breathe

It was a quiet day at the office today.  I have needed a quiet day for months, it seems, so that I could take some time to catch up on some things and try to get ahead of the tsunami that seems to be my workload for many months.

I found myself breathing deeply, consciously, something that I don't recall doing purposefully at any other time.  It was odd when I realized that I was inhaling deeply, pausing, closing my eyes, and slowly letting go.  Peace fell over me like a blanket.

Perhap it was the serenity of the day, or maybe it's because I occasionally picked up the slip of paper I keep beside my desk with a picture of the land we are thinking of buying and looked at the prairie landscape.  Maybe it's because it is the Friday before a long weekend.  It might be because I've noticed that my crocus' are blooming, or because it is still light when I go home after work.  I"m not sure; I just feel lighter.

On the way home from work I stopped to pick up a few things and found that the seeds are out!  I couldn't help but pick up a few packages; planting them will be symbolic of my resolve to slow down.

The lesson I have learned today is that breathing helps.  Who knew.

Please respond to my adoption poll if you haven't yet already. 

Leaving Behind and Carrying Forward

So, here we are on the last day of 2009. New Year's Eve has never been a big thing for me; it's just another night as far as I'm concerned. Tonight, Gerry and I will likely enjoy sitting in the hot tub, perhaps looking at the skies with his new telescope, and I'm sure we'll be fast asleep before the clock strikes twelve.

The message that our pastor gave last Sunday was about things we should leave behind as we move into the new year, and other things we should carry forward. This morning, in a less spiritual vein, I was thinking of some personal things I would like to leave behind as we enter 2010 tomorrow.

• high cholesterol
• about "nn" extra pounds
• sore feet (sorry Val!)
• hot flashes
• insomnia

As I look over this list I realize that it's the list of an old woman - a grandmother even! And I realize that it IS the list of a grandmother, and that is the greatest blessing of 2009!

I'll take these things as we move into the new year and I'll try to improve what I can and embrace what I can't.  I'll do my best to carry foward:

• healthy eating habits
• commitment to exercise in a way that suits me
• flat shoes
• refreshing sleep
• my memoir
• new writing goals

And most of all, I'll carry forward being the best wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend that I can be.

And I'll close this year with yet another picture of my beautiful granddaughter!

Have a Happy New Year all!

It's coming

I can feel it getting closer....

When I came out of the office today the sun was still shining and the sky was blue.

There was a car in the parking lot with it's window rolled partway down.

On the way home I saw someone driving a red convertable with the top down.

In my neighborhood there were kids playing outside wearing shorts and sandals.

I can almost taste spring...!

Signs

I am starting to see subtle signs that winter is on it's way out and we're getting ready to usher in a new season.





Here are a few things I've observed over the past few weeks that have me thinking "Spring"!


1. A flock of geese flying north

2. Robins in the trees at work

3. My daffodils are up

4. The other day when I was in my sewing room I heard the honking of geese

5. They were power washing the garden supply area at Fred Meyer the other day

6. It's still light when I leave work these days

7. I opened the sun roof in my car one sunny day

Are you thinking "Spring"?

I saw the light!

I noticed something yesterday when I left work. It was something that made my heart sing and made me step a bit livelier.

So what was it? Actually, it's more like what wasn't it? It wasn't dark! There was some daylight left, and as I walked to my car I glimpsed the sun just beginning to drop below the horizon. It doesn't sound like much, but for someone like me who only sees the light of day on weekends all winter long, it's cause for celebration!

Today was a picture-perfect day here in the Pacific Northwest. The sky was blue and the sun was shining, I even saw someone driving a convertible with the top down!

I observed a couple of other things this afternoon that also made me do a little internal happy dance. My grocery store was selling daffodils! The bright yellow flowers literally scream "spring" don't they?

And finally, on the way home I saw a flock of geese......flying north!

I know it's only January and we're still a long way from the official change of the seasons, but I'm thinking spring!

Seasons

Last evening, I put turkey bones into a pot to make stock for soup that we'll have for dinner tonight. This morning I got up at my regular time to get ready to go back to work after the Christmas holiday. When I turned on my radio I heard no more Christmas songs instead the format had returned to the regular contemporary Christian music that I enjoy. Our snow is mostly gone, and we've returned to the Pacific Northwest rain.

It occured to me that one of the reasons that these past four days have been so special, is that they were a break from the ordinary. We would get sick of having turkey leftovers every night (actually we already are sick of it!). Christmas songs are so special because we only hear them for a brief time each hear. While I am looking forward to retiring from my job, I know that when I do there will be a different routine established, and so a break from he ordinary will still be special.

"To everything there is a season.....". I am going to work on enjoying this new season as I return to the "real world" for a time today.

P.S. In case you're wondering, the gadget that I posted about earlier, is a Solio solar battery charger!

Snow days

The snow keeps falling here in the Pacific Northwest. In an area that is not prepared for the volume of snow that we are receiving that means that it's often wisest to stay off of the roads as much as possible.

This past weekend we stayed home and enjoyed our down time together. What a refreshing pause in the hustle of daily life!

I'm not sure what the morning commute will look like today, but we'll do the best we can to ease back into real life.

A weekend of rest was the silver lining in our snow-filled clouds!

Storm warning

Today we are under a severe winter storm warning. People have been out shopping last night and this morning stocking up on supplies in case we lose power because the forecast is for cold temperatures, snow, freezing rain and high winds starting this afternoon.

Earlier, it was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the winds were non-existent. Gradually, the clouds have begun to roll in though and we know that the storm is on the way.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had storm warnings in real life? Most often the storms in life come suddenly in the form of a phone call in the middle of the night, a lump found while showering, investments losing money, or perhaps the loss of a job. We usually have no opportunity to prepare for the storms in our life and so we ride them out the best way we can.

Appearances can be deceiving, like the beautiful blue sky this morning, and storms can come unexpectedly. We have prepared the best way we can for the weather system that's on it's way this afternoon.

Tell me, is there anything that we can do to prepare for the storms in life that are sure to come?