Time Marches on...

Hello!

Sorry for the pun - I couldn't resist. It is, however, true - March is now really and truly upon us, and seems to finally be bringing with it a taste of warmth and sunshine.  This weekend, we got to welcome in what felt like the first true hints of spring, which was both lovely and rejuvenating.   We have had what one might call a relatively typical East Coast Canadian winter here on the Cape, which is not typical at all for these parts.  And though I like to think that I hold true to my hearty Canadian roots, (and have therefore not joined many of my fellow Cape Cod friends complaining about the winter), I am, I will admit, fully ready to leave the cold and snow behind.

testing the (slushy) waters

I am hoping that March also brings with it a bit of routine.  Routine is hard come by at this particular stage in our lives - just when you think you've settled on the flow of a week, it gets completely turned on its head by one unexpected event or another. The is the continual reinvention of "normal" that I alluded to last post - it is a fact of life right now that is both fun and frustrating. But for the next few months - until the end of May, anyway - we are staying put.  No conferences, no trips, no week-long school breaks, and both kids in child care for at least a couple of days a week.  This MIGHT mean that we can all form a bit of a rhythm... one that lets things tick along a little more smoothly, and (hope beyond hope), allows me and Clark both to find ourselves being more productive than usual. That would be so very lovely.  Fingers crossed!

Juniper, intrepid nature explorer. How cute is she with her fingerless gloves and binoculars?

We are also currently trying to wrap our heads around the time change - an event that is always so much more difficult than you think it will be to get used to (at least when you have two young kids that have their own schedule).  It feels fitting, however, that it falls just at the same time as the warm spring weather and the sunshine. Everything can start anew at once.

Doing "nature drawings" at Spohr gardens.  Juniper brought markers and a notepad specifically for this purpose!

And with that, I will leave you for now, hoping to carry this "new start" flow with me for as long as I can. Maybe in the next few weeks, Linden will become a little less sad at drop off; maybe I can get a chapter written; maybe Clark can apply for a few more jobs and get some papers off to some journals. And Juniper can just keep being Juniper. Lately, she has taken to coining her own bits of wisdom at the dinner table. She'll look knowingly at us, and say something that sounds somewhat proverbial, and usually makes no real sense, such as: "You can come, and you can go, but never say, and never do, and I'll never... say that... again".  Then she'll take a dramatic swig of her green smoothie, nod her head, and get back to her meal.  I'll really have to try and catch as an audio or video clip at some point, because it much better to hear it in person.
Anyhoo, have a lovely week! See you next time.

I hope these two stay best friends as they get older.

**** UPDATE****: I wrote that post last night before going to bed.  Since then, Linden spent most of the evening vomiting, and I might be next. So much for a rhythm. Oh, and it is snowing.  Is it just me, or does it not seem like the universe decided to specifically mock my naïve enthusiasm? Sigh.....