Spring Fever

After the snowfalls, the deep-freeze here in the South, I'm so glad the last week or so has been gorgeous and warm. I suppose you never know how much you are a "warm-weather" person until you get a real dose of cold and snow. I like some snow, it's beautiful, but honestly? I want it to melt off soon, and life to get back to normal. And I hate being stuck indoors when getting outside means a possible slip on ice/snow.

Anyway, the past week has been wonderful -- mid-60s to 80. I hope it's an early spring, though I am not looking forward to yard-mowing. However, I'd rather be outside mowing than stuck in the house miserable. I never, ever thought I'd feel this way since I have always been an "indoor" person, sitting at the computer, writing and/or reading. As I've aged, I have become more and more appreciative of nature -- observing the natural even in my own backyard. The birds, the squirrels, the wide-open sky, the stars at night...there's a peaceful calm when you sit quietly and absorb nature. Unlike the wild, crazy screaming, fighting human drama going on everywhere in the world these days. I have become a "porch-sitter"...like my grandparents who loved nothing better than to sit outside on the porch and be quiet, perhaps absorbing the natural world around them instead of the turmoil of humans.

I've also been on a cleaning spree, getting the cats' sunporch scrubbed down, doing my windows, and today, painting/touch-ups outdoors. More to come, I'm sure!

I did finally get my blood test results: my cholesterol was not as good as I'd hoped; the overall number was a bit higher than I wanted, but the good/bad HDL/LDL ratio was excellent. If I was a vegetarian for health only, I'd be a bit discouraged. However, when I decided not to eat dead animals, it was mostly due to ethical and moral reasons: it's just wrong, in my opinion. Though I am not religious, sometimes I do ponder spiritual matters and I've wondered "what if." What if reincarnation is true and those who eat animal flesh will come back as tortured, tormented animals slaughtered by humans for food? It's as feasible as western Christianity, I think.

Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of my late husband's death, but I found I had nothing to write/say about it. Life goes on...with or without loved ones.

I'll end this post with some photos:

Amazing how my backyard looks now compared to early February and the snowfall!

My sister & bro-in-law were in Tennessee recently and discovered a winery with the same name as my late husband. They brought me a bottle of the wine, which was great. Then I decided to turn the bottle into a candle-holder for a keepsakes. It's a 70s idea, which I thought would make a neat conversation piece!

With that, I'm outta here!