Last Lingering Days of Spring

I feel like I'm living on borrowed time. The weather here has been lovely--mid sixties in the morning, warming up into the low eighties, clear skies, cool spring breezes, and low, low, low humidity. It's only a matter of time before the skies cloud up, the temperatures shoot up, and the humidity mugs up the days and nights here in south Texas.

I'm reveling in every last gulp of dry, cool air, taking longer walks, squeezing in bike rides. My family ate both lunch and dinner outside on our patio last Saturday, and it was lovely. Everything is more pleasant in this weather. I had to get gas today, and I actually enjoyed waiting for the thirty gallons to pump into my Suburban (I know!)

I dread summer. Much of it I love: swimming, vacationing, snowcones and ice cream, summer fruits and grilling... But the weather here is just overbearing. Going outside between the hours of 7am and 9pm is much like getting smacked in the face with a warm wet washcloth and then having it settle over your body like a cape. And the heat--we're talking 100 degrees--doesn't let up till late October. Rainy days bring out the mosquitos in droves and crank up the misery yet another notch. It's crazy bright, and blue skies are incredibly rare--mostly we get a gauzy cloud cover for miles in every direction. And when there are fires in Mexico, we have a hazy grey smog. Oh, and it's hurricane season too...until October. (I should really write for the Texas Bureau of Tourism.)

But right now, it's lovely, and I plan to take full advantage. Maybe tomorrow they'll be pictures...

A lovely spring day...for a movie.

I'm having the sort of day that makes me want to curl up by myself--maybe with an ice cold can of Dr. Pepper--and watch a romantic comedy. Preferably one with lots of outdoor shots. Because it's spring, and it's lovely outside, but there's also pollen and the sounds of lawn equipment. And plus I don't have a outdoor TV, so...I thought maybe I could just watch someone else having picnics and skipping through fountains and getting tangled up in dog leashes. (I have no particular movie in mind here.) I've been waiting to see 500 Days of Summer for a while now... This could be my day. I also have She & Him Volume 2 on order from Amazon. If it comes today, it'll be almost like Zooey Deschanel and I are hangin' out. I wonder if she likes Dr. Pepper...

Spring, Glorious Spring!

I feel, vaguely, like a racer poised at the starting gate. I'm ready for spring and all that comes with it: the vibrant chartreuse of new buds, the bold splashes of newly planted annuals, light and frothy spring dresses, Easter chicks, bunnies, and pastel eggs, bike rides, kite-flying, and yummy picnics, and the great goodbye to all things winter.

And for me, right now, that is symbolized by the first strawberry picking of the season. I called the farmer's market we occasionally frequent this morning, and they told me that the pick-your-own strawberry free-for-all would start on Saturday. Now part of me is itching to go on Saturday, but I'm trying to give way to the more sensible, patient side. It will be extra crowded on Saturday, and if I wait till next week, it will be a fun Spring Break outing for the boys and I. We went twice last year and were a tad over-eager. They were eating strawberries at every meal. Not that they were complaining, but I felt like we'd completely abandoned moderation. Really what I need to do between now and the Great Strawberry Picking is to find some recipes that make delicious use of strawberries.

Any ideas??

I'm feeling like there could be a bout of pickle-making too...