I had a lovely email from a reader this morning, inquiring after our health and wanting to make sure we are okay. This made me realize that I haven’t written since mid-February, so here’s a quick check in just to assure all of you that yes, we are well! Here’s my short report.
School and Work: Incredibly busy right now. Tom’s up to his eyeballs in work and I’m similarly occupied with projects and writing. I am taking a very full load in order to graduate the end of this calendar year (fulfilling a dream I’ve had for my entire adult life!). I’m also having some existential debates over getting a job vs. going on to get a Masters Degree. Meanwhile, I’m very distracted by the weather and the sunshine which is constantly calling me away from my computer, which brings me to…
Health: I know I wrote about our journey to better health and resiliency last December. Tom and I have both prioritized this, which means that much of our free time is spent meeting our activity goals. It’s easy this time of year, with mild temperatures and green hills motivating every step. Soon it will be so hot and dry that we’ll have to make sure we get our exercise in before 9 am, but while it’s so beautiful, we both are getting outside as much as we can.
Kids: It’s crunch time for our daughter Rin, who is a senior in high school and is making big college decisions, so a lot of time is being spent discussing and weighing pros and cons and figuring out next steps. Adam is still safely at Cal Poly, alone in a dorm room, on a computer all day. He’s looking forward to coming home for spring break and cooking!
Garden: We are eating fresh peas, kale, arugula, and asparagus most days of the week. Last night, as we were shelling peas and popping them straight into our greedy mouths, Tom mused that nothing tastes like spring more than fresh peas. I concur! My pepper starts are ready to be planted on, and instead of moving them into 4” pots, I think I’m going to try transplanting them directly into their summer locations and covering them with fleece to keep the birds and the morning chill off of them. It’s a bit cold at night, yet, but I think it might work. I’ll report back. This weekend I will also be starting tomato seeds indoors! Exciting times. The chickens are producing lots of eggs now that the days are longer, and at least one of our meals every week consists of a frittata, which is one of our favorite spring dinners. Tom is also making ice cream several times a week with the beautiful yolks. The bees are extremely busy collecting pollen and raising brood.
Irrepressible energy: One of the biggest benefits from our ongoing health journey is that we feel about twenty years younger, and our moods are super high. Even with all the stress, we are happier than we’ve been in a long time. I usually have some sort of seasonal depression over the winter, which always knocks me sideways. There wasn’t a hint of that this winter.
So, my friends, all is well here, and we hope the same for you and yours. Look for more garden-inspired posts as the weather continues to improve!
(And Juliana, thanks again for checking in with us. You’re so kind!)