Prairie Home

Fall has arrived, and it's marvelous. I love the smell of decay in the air--the fallen leaves breaking down, the grass turning brown, the flowers dying back. When I walk by the small patch of prairie by the First Street railroad tracks, the smell of the prairie transitioning into winter mode reminds me of home. Rain has stripped some of the trees bare, but others still have leaves, often in more muted or wine-colored shades. (The notable exception being the bright yellow gingko outside of my office window, valiantly clinging to its leaves against wind and rain.) Drab skies have descended over the past few days, but I don't mind...yet. (Talk to me in February when it's been cold for ages and the landscape is nothing but endless brown and gray.)

We went hiking at Indian Lake a few weeks ago on a gorgeous, bright day. After tromping around for a few hours, we ate apples and granola bars and drank leftover coffee on the back bumper before heading back to the city. I'd definitely like to make a return trip.

And today was a lovely little Saturday. It included a little paper-reading, coffee, and a bacon biscuit from Batch Bakery, and then picking up a few more items for my Halloween costume (Mia Wallace, Uma Thurman's character in Pulp Fiction) from Mallat's Pharmacy.

In the evening, I cleaned my house, did laundry, and fell in love with Two Fat Ladies...and Bitchin' Kitchen... and Nigella Lawson and those crazy guys from Food Jammers. The Cooking Channel kicks ass! I may never leave my house again.

The Day Off and Harbingers of Spring

Today, I took the day off. I didn't do anything terrifically exciting, but it was wonderful to do whatever I wanted and get a few basic things done. I slept late, then had breakfast and went to yoga at noon. At class, I met a new friend from Rome, and since I had planned to go for a hike in the arboretum after class, I invited her to join me. We grabbed lunch at Cargo Coffee and reminisced about various travels. (We were also hit on by a guy at the table behind us. He asked if he could take us bowling sometime. Yes, bowling. It was very odd.) Then it was off to Trader Joe's to get groceries. After putting away my groceries, I sat in the eucalyptus steam room at the gym and then picked up a few items at Target.

On the way home, I saw a gorgeous, gorgeous moon. It looked a bit like a mottled blood orange hanging in the sky. I'm choosing to interpret the beautiful moon as a harbinger of spring. I am so very glad that it is finally March. I know I'm supposed to appreciate all of the seasons, but the Wisconsin winter wears me out. By February and March, I am desperate for heat and sunshine and open water and green things.