Spring is here. All the things that go with spring are starting to make themselves evident. The weeds in the yard, the birds nesting in the crawlspace in our attic, the endless rain keeping our 100 year old basement a dank, musty dungeon-y smell. Ahhh.....yes. Aside from all that nonsense that constantly occupies my every thought, it's actually warm enough to rock shorts and a tshirt, so all is right with the world. We can finally go for walks, bike rides and otherwise exit our four heavily mortgaged walls and breathe relatively fresh sweet sweet Illinois air. Ava is most excited of all, as we picked up a swingset/playground for her around Easter, so she's loving the swing, slide, climbing wall and other features of the Kmart special we picked up. I have officially become my parents - looking not for something better than what I had, but rather looking for that which will satisfy the immediate need, however crappy it might be. That said, there is much wisdom in that philosophy. My 35 pound two year old does not require a $4000 playset that can withstand the second coming. She needs but something to thrust her toddler frame into, and as long as it's rated for greater than 100 pounds, we're golden. Score 1 for Kmart.
As the weather warms (and hopefully dries), we're looking forward to more frequent trips around the neighborhood and general surrounds on the bikes (with Ava in tow in the Burley), and otherwise just being outside. The winter was brutal and cabin fever set in long before we were able to do much about it. I've managed to squeak in one decent bike ride thus far and hope to make a habit out of it. I live vicariously through the exploits of others that have the time and finances to continue racing, riding and otherwise being on a bike more frequently than once ever other month or so.
Tom Erb is getting married tomorrow, so I'm throwing out some good vibes for decent weather. It'll be nice to see some old and familiar faces.
