Around this time of year, when it feels like spring may never come, Whidbey Island always makes for the perfect escape. I’ve had a serious case of late winter gloom lately, so since Andy and I had our first entirely free weekend of the year, it was an easy decision to head to Whidbey. Happily, while the temperatures were still decidedly wintry, we found sunshine and even a few early spring blooms! It was miraculously warm enough that on Saturday night, I was able to sit outside with my glass of wine to enjoy the sunset - wearing a heavy wool sweater of course! Spring may still feel a long way off, but even a few hours soaking up some sunshine will do wonders to tide me over until we’ve left winter behind.
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These days it's feeling less like winter, but not quite like spring. One bit of excitement for me over the week was finding fresh looking, locally grown (probably in a greenhouse, but still) rhubarb at the grocery store. I immediately bought a pile to bake into my all-time favorite pie. Even if it's not yet spring outside, strawberry rhubarb pie makes the change in seasons feel a little closer. After a lazy Saturday mostly spent baking the aforementioned pie, Andy and I got an early start Sunday, headed for Vashon Island to prune the apple trees. The morning was mostly cold and overcast, with the occasional patch of blue sky and from the ferry, we were treated to incredible views of the Olympics along the horizon. As we worked the morning away pruning the apple trees, we noticed the occasional raindrop. Shortly after lunch, the light rain turned to a downpour, followed by a brief hailstorm. Luckily, we'd completed our pruning by then, and just had some final cleanup to finish in the storm. By the time we'd reached the ferry terminal to head back to the mainland, we could once again see small patches of blue sky. Maybe spring is closer than it seems...
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Spring is coming, but winter certainly isn't going down without a fight! Monday morning, we woke up to snow, and although it had mostly vanished by the evening, we had cold, stormy weather for most of the week, including plenty of hail, and a few thunderstorms. All this dramatic weather, combined with an increasingly busy work schedule, has made it hard to find the motivation to get outside. Even if I spent most of my time indoors, I did get to spend plenty of time with friends over the week! Good times with good friends are the perfect way to fight through this lingering winter gloom.
Read moreLife: Week 9
I started the week with an exhausting one day trip to Sacramento for work. I was at the airport by 5:30 AM, and didn't get home until 10:30 PM. At least I made it to the airport with enough time to pick up an enormous coffee and breakfast. Thankfully the rest of the work week was mostly uneventful. What really made this week splendid was the weekend spent in Wenatchee. With my sister-in-law and niece in town, we dashed over to the sunnier side of the Cascades for some much needed family time. We played games, read stories, and explored the yard. While spring seems much further off in eastern Washington, the crocuses poking up all over the yard were a sign of spring to come. After such a lovely weekend, it was difficult to get in the car and head back home, but we managed.
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