Archive for March, 2010
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »hello, spring fever
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
This week has been amazing, with pre-spring temperatures climbing well into the 60s.
It is just a wee bit of torture having to work all day long in front of a computer inside when I know that it’s warm and breezy and sunny outside. However, with that longing comes so much excitement to be able to venture out during lunch and also try to get home after work at a decent hour.
Plus, I have been incredibly busy and ridiculously productive this week, both at work and at home. Talk about waking up after a long winter! I find that I am trying to get done as much as I can—and as thoroughly as I can—during work. It makes the days fly by so that I can burst through the doors and out into the spring sunshine, without having to bring work home with me. And with daylight savings in full effect, now it doesn’t get dark until about 7:30 p.m. so there is still plenty of time to play outside.
Craig and I went running together after work on Tuesday, and we finished with the last rays of a smoldering orange and pink sunset still in the sky. It was awesome. So nice to run outside, and it was fun to run with Craig who pushes me to run faster. He’ll lag behind me just slightly so that I can hear him and wonder if at any moment he’s going to pass me. He gets a nice break from his usual run, and I get a chance to step up my game. And he’s very sweet because he tells me that he wouldn’t try to leave me in the dust, but I know better. We did my usual 4.8-mile loop, and I ended up shaving 10 seconds off my best time (and that was from when I was in PEAK condition last year).
Granted I’m STILL sore from that run two days later, but it was worth it. Looking forward to running again tonight. And tomorrow…. and….
Tags: exercise, gratitude, running, winter hibernation
Posted in Let's Get Physical, The Daily Balance | No Comments »
my flower gardens are sprouting
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
Well, well, well… Daylight Savings Time is here, and the Growing Season has officially begun.
In fact, I think it started about a week ago, but now there is definite progress in our front flower gardens. I can see crocuses (croci?), hyacinths, and tulips coming up out of the ground. This is so exciting. It makes me run around the front yard checking everything out periodically throughout the day, just to see what is going on.
The chipmunks have awoken and returned to our yard, darting and dashing under the bushes and through the garden across the driveway and into their dens along the rock wall. They will begin to get brazen very soon, pausing on our front stoop to stare at me and make their little squeaky noises. I don’t mind the chipmunks, even though they do burrow in the yard and create holes everywhere. They *seem* to leave my flowers and vegetables alone.
I’ve seen robins in our trees, though not checking out the worm situation in our yard. Not just yet, but soon. It’s been a very rainy weekend, so I didn’t end up working in the garden clearing away winter debris and dead stalks, etc. Hopefully we’ll get some better weather this week, and I can begin to wake the beds up and encourage new growth.
We have tons of sticks and branches down in the yard from the storms we received over the past month—they’ll need to be gathered and added to the brush pile in the backyard that we use as fuel for our fire pit/bowl. Can’t wait to dig that out of the shed and relax out back on a warmer spring and summer night around the fire!
Because of the rain, I spent this weekend mostly indoors, doing laundry and spring cleaning. I took down any and all winter decorations I had up, including the snowmen on the mantle. I want it all gone and put away. Goodbye, winter! See ya waaaaay later! I want to find or make a spring-themed wreath for our front door. I don’t have one, but I was thinking something with forsythia or apple blossoms?
This time of year is so amazing—I can feel my body and mind waking up slowly after such a long winter slumber. I can feel my spirits perk up, and I suddenly start thinking about indoor and outdoor projects and improvements.
I want to start a new garden bed or two this year and figure out what to grow in them. I definitely want to try lettuces and potatoes this year. I want to power wash our fence and reseal it. I want to clip back our front hedges that have grown at least a foot and a half over the nearly 4 years we’ve lived here. And the list will continue to grow…
But one step at a time. I have begun spring cleaning inside and will continue again next weekend to spruce up and de-clutter the rooms of our house. A serious dusting party needs to occur. And the fridge needs to be thoroughly wiped out. Ahhhh, the fun!
But this week what I really need to focus on is… taxes. I started them this weekend, but they’re not done yet. Baby steps. Baby steps. I think I got so much cleaning done because I was full-on procrastinating doing taxes. So maybe not a bad thing in the end.
Tags: gardening, gratitude, housework, winter hibernation
Posted in Household Management 101, The Growing Season | No Comments »
raw milk is back!
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
I’m very happy to have raw milk again at our little “homestead.”
The cow we were getting raw milk from locally had stopped producing, but the family has another cow that just gave birth to a calf and is now fully ready to give her milk! This is very exciting.
I had decided to try raw milk back in November 2009 after going to the dentist for the first time in 2 years. I know, I know… bad me for waiting so long between cleanings. But I found a great holistic dentist who recommended I try raw milk since my gums were receding and I had my first cavities ever. Ick.
I was skeptical. But since I eat very little dairy besides sour cream and the occasional cheese, I gave raw milk a try. And I was immediately hooked.
I have never been a milk fan. I don’t super love the taste of it, and it kind of always made my stomach feel a little topsy-turvey. As a kid I would balk at drinking milk. I don’t think I have lactose intolerance, but I just never wanted milk. Or ice cream (if you can believe it!)
But raw milk is different. I love the taste, and I don’t mind the richness. In fact, cereal has never tasted so good. Or smoothies. Or mashed potatoes. Or cream soups. Or quiche. Or corn bread. Or whipped cream. Or anything I’ve made using raw milk.
And my body responded right away. I could seriously feel the difference in my teeth and gums immediately. They no longer felt uber-sensitive to hot or cold. And my hair got stronger and shinier. And my nails grew faster. And I just felt better. I wondered if it was the placebo effect, and who knows… the skeptic in me says perhaps.
But when the cow we were getting milk from stopped producing regularly about 6 weeks ago, I was bummed. After getting used to picking up milk weekly, it was suddenly hard to get used to not having it again. And my teeth suffered. I started having sensitivity in my gums again.
But now it’s back! There’s something really exciting about getting my milk locally. I love being able to go pick up milk after work in a big 1/2 gallon mason jar. I’ve done tons and tons of research on the pros and cons of drinking raw milk—and I’m willing to continue my experiment. The health benefits in my opinion are worth it. And I’m certainly not alone in my wanting to consume raw milk.
The demand is high and growing. And, quite frankly, anything that gets me pumped to wake up in the morning and have breakfast is a good thing.
Tags: crustless quiche, holistic, organic, raw milk
Posted in Cooking Adventures, The Daily Balance | 2 Comments »
march is for composting
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
My March banner is finally up! It’s only March 9th, right? For whatever reason, it wouldn’t appear and I spent more than a few hours trying to fix my site with no luck. Add a little wine and swearing into the mix, and I’m surprised I didn’t break this site completely.
Thankfully Craig came to the rescue (once again) and got my banner to reappear. Still not sure how I managed to mess it up in the first place, but I’m grateful for his patience and all that he teaches me. I’m still learning as I go.
So now that you can SEE the March banner, it’s a little compost close-up! As in a lovely collection of all the things we collect in our house to add to our compost pile in the backyard. In this particular sampling, we’ve got egg shells, tea bags, paper towels, coffee grinds, orange peels, red onion skin, carrot peels, and some sort of greenery that I’m not sure of—probably lettuce ends.
I think a lot about compost during March because soon it will be time to bust open the bin and see what we’ve cooked over the past year in order to fortify our Spring gardens.
So for now we’ll keep on adding new things to compost to the growing pile, especially as the weather starts to warm up and the compost gets easier to turn in the bin. Soon I’ll start adding a little extra liquid and turning it regularly with the pitchfork to aerate it. I haven’t done that since last fall when I added heaps of leaves and grass clippings from the last of our raking.
Compost is just one more thing to look forward to in Spring! I can’t wait! Happy March!
Tags: compost, gardening, gratitude, organic
Posted in Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Growing Season | No Comments »
sun day
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Sunday was such a lovely early March day. The weather reached 56°F at our house, and my mom said it was even warmer at theirs.
I went for a late morning run that wasn’t my best, but it just felt so good to be outside playing in the warm weather. I ran for a while, and then I slowed down and walked for a long ways. I could hear birds chirping away. Folks were outside raking their yards, fixing cars in driveways, and playing with their kiddos at the playground.
It was really wonderful. And I think this warm stretch is supposed to last for a few more days. It’s a nice way to start the week, as I try my best to transition smoothly back in to the routine of work, food shopping, bill paying, budgeting, chores, blah blah blah.
I’m trying my best not to get anxious about it all. It was so nice to get a break from the routine. And I prefer the mellow-gazing-out-at-the-ocean me. But I’ll take the sun and signs of spring here and remind myself to breathe and be present.
There is much to look forward to.
Posted in The Daily Balance | 1 Comment »