Outside

It is finally starting to feel as if spring has properly come.

Yesterday I rode my bike to Savage Mill instead of driving and it was wonderful to feel that air blowing past my face again (especially since my hip didn't hurt a bit).
My wild hope, now that my only driving-around car is the truck, is to start running some local errands when I'm by myself on my bike. I set 5 miles on certain roads as my radius (pretty much meaning NOT Guilford Rd. between Vollmerhausen and Oakland Mills-scary).
LIbrary, post office, Weis, Harris Teeter, Savage Mill, here I come pedaling.
I'm even hoping to use our old kiddie-cart that we never got rid of to haul some groceries home occasionally.
We'll see. Me and my big plans.
But those gas station receipts  are making me really sad.

I found my first ever pair of cycling shoes that ACTUALLY FIT my feet.
You have no idea what a triumph this is. I have always loved riding my bike and ever since Eric taught me the power and efficiency of clip pedals (you can PULL up as well as PUSH down when you pedal), I've enjoyed riding that way but oh, those skinny little Italian racing shoes drive me nuts.  In recent years, there have been more sneaker-like shoes for mountain biking and commuters, but alas, still too narrow for my short fatties.

Leave it to KEEN to be my rescuer. I feel like they have a mold of my foot in their factory because all of their shoes just work for me, which is really saying something. When I found that they had cycling shoes, my heart leapt.  Now I can clip my feet to my pedals and yet still feel the blood pumping in my toes. Joy.

The yard and garden are wonderful right now-the weeds are small, the earth is damp, and the bugs are not too big and squishy yet. The peonies and roses have been glorious. The time spent patrolling and puttering is quiet and contemplative, but yet my mind is active because I'm thinking constantly of what comes next, what I need to do today, what I can change, etc.. I love the moments I can spend there.

Right now we are harvesting:
Spinach
Lettuce
Parsley
Thyme
Cilantro

In the summer we'll have:
Slicing tomatoes (brandywine)
Canning tomatoes (roma)
Grape Tomatoes
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Peppers
Cucumbers
Pod Peas
Green Beans
Carrots

Then hopefully in the fall we'll have:
Pumpkins
More lettuce and spinach
Broccoli

I hope you have some good outside times today!