Getting Into the Spring of Things.

As the boxes are opened, things are put away, the house is starting to feel more like a home. There's a thrill that comes with sleeping for the first time in a new place, but there's also a slow growing excitement that builds as your brain remembers where things go. When you reach for something without having to think of where it aught to be, just knowing where it should be. Everything's starting to come together.



I wish I could videotape my drive in the morning. Our city is kind of on the fringe of the metroplex - we've still got highways framing the downtown area, but where our house is located it's more farmland than city lights. My drive is incredibly serene. It's so different from driving in to work stressed by all the traffic and wondering if you're going to make the light or if this one slow driving in front of you is going to make you late. Two-lane highway going up and down, pastures on either side and very few lights til I hit a more developed region of the city. My work is located in what I would imagine is a more spread out version of Frisco or Fairview. It's recently developed, has a giant outdoor mall (that I'm definitely going to visit one weekend and see what all is in there), and doesn't have a blade of grass out of place. On my way in to work I get to drive up a hill with luxury apartments on either side, and once you get to the top of the hill you will want to take a mental picture. The road gently slopes down in front of you like you're standing on a mountain, and the trees on both sides of the road are a mix of evergreens and flowering trees (possibly Bradford pears), and it's that moment in the morning when the sun just peeks out over the horizon and yields a pink and yellow light across the world. It is breathtaking.

On my way in one morning I was in the left lane driving somewhat beside this SUV in the middle lane. We both come up over a hill and in the middle of the road is a goose. Canadian goose just waddling around as if it was thinking to itself, Now after I get some greens and fish for the little gooselings I'm going to fly over and see if Charlemagne wants to have a swim date next Thursday. The SUV hit its brakes, moved over to the right lane, and the goose just kept on waddling. Leaving work one evening there was a gaggle of geese splashing around in some water left behind from the day's gentle rainstorms. Maybe eight of them, having a good ole time splashing in some high grass and a makeshift pond. You just have to laugh and shake your head, and then you forget about any stress you may have had.

We have had exceptionally good weather the past few days. Bright and sunny, high of seventy, partly cloudy, and a crisp wind to keep you cool. H and I are taking advantage of the weather and have been taking walks around our neighborhood, exploring the different streets and homes. Here are a few snapshots from our walks.

Taken from far away, but vibrant nonetheless. I wonder how long the flowers last, or if they just give way to leaves. 

 This is the tree I mean when I say Bradford pear. Looking at it again, I don't think it's a Bradford at all. These are the main flowering trees right now, with the rest still in their bud formation.

Behind our neighborhood lies what seems to be miles of farmland. When we got here it was barren (most likely the crop was just cut), but recently it's had something purple sprouting up from the earth. I postulated that it might be lavender or red kale - the only two purple plants I could think of. 

Turns out it's actually a million of these tiny flowers. Little bell shaped purple beauties. H suggested they must be wildflowers that grew where the earth was fertilized, as they don't seem to be as prominent outside of the farming region. 

That's it for me this week. I hope everyone is having or has had a wonderful Easter Sunday with their families. We've seen quite a few bunnies hopping around recently, along with a multitude of robins and some quirky arctic squirrels. I told my mom earlier today that the Easter Bunny hadn't visited us this year, but now that I think about it I believe the Easter Bunny was here because now we have ice cream sandwiches in our freezer. Mmm, ice cream sandwiches.