I absolutely love this time of year. While the weather has been gradually shifting towards spring for months, suddenly it seems like everything is blooming and growing. Everywhere, instead of bare branches, there's new green growth. The walks I took through our neighborhood on the long, warm, sunny days were significantly slowed by my constant pauses to snap photos of many of my favorite blooms. The dogwood are blooming! Along with lilacs, dogwood are my favorite flowers. Lilacs, I love for their smell, but dogwood I love for their sturdy, large flowers in bright pink, white, and sometimes even pale green. They're everywhere this week.
Read moreLife: Week 13
Sunshine, glorious sunshine - a whole week of it! I remember writing a few weeks ago about my excitement over working with the windows open. This week, keeping the windows open at work became a necessity! Most afternoons, we even had to close the windows and switch on the air conditioning. It's been like a little taste of summer in Seattle!
Read moreOld Sauk River
Lately, many of my favorite hikes have been demanding trails that require high effort for the rewards of dramatic views or sparking jewel lakes. Then, along came the Old Sauk River trail, which asks very little, but gives so much tranquility and beauty in return. This is a trail that makes you slow down. Surrounded by the giant, moss covered trees, your eye is forced to the tiny details of the forest. When I hiked it on the first day of spring, those details were primarily budding leaves and blooming flowers.
Read moreLife: Week 12
This was a quiet week. I spent most of the week trying to get over my persistent cold (I think it's finally gone!) so I didn't do too much. By Saturday, I was feeling well enough for a long walk at the Redmond Watershed Preserve. Even though it's close by, I haven't been to the Watershed in nearly two years. The last time I was there, it was a sunny summer day. On the overcast, spring Saturday, the woods were damp and muddy, with trillium and young ferns poking up everywhere. For Easter, we had an early dinner with some of my family, and I made a strawberry rhubarb pie. It's been a while, but it was just as delicious as I remember!
Read moreLife: Week 11
After the power outage last week, I wound up getting my Monday breakfast from a favorite cafe near my office - a large chocolate chip cookie and cardamom latte. I definitely need more of that latte in my life, although I would prefer something a little less sugary and a little more hearty for breakfast next time. In other news, spring is officially here! Every morning now, the air smells like flowers and rain. It's so much better than any perfume I've ever found. In other, other news, my first cold of the year is here! I've gone from feeling almost recovered to feeling miserable at least twice now, so it seems like this one will be with me for a while. On Sunday, I felt well enough to make it to my first Alpine Trails book club meeting. We hiked the Old Sauk River, then sat on the mossy forest carpet to share snacks and discuss the book, Grandma Gatewood's Walk. All morning, the skies looked ominous, but we only had the occasional light sprinkling of rain. It was the perfect trail for the day, and I can't think of a better way to have spent the first day of spring!
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