In the dark, no less in Everyday Ramblings

Seriously this is not a photo from last year inserted to give us all hope. I took this last Monday after I was coming around the side of a garage on my walk home from the studio and saw live blooming iris…in March! I gasped and then took a picture with my phone.

We had yet another unheard of but most welcome clear cold day with sun and I managed to be out in it for a good long while. It is exciting to actually see spring. The trees are all in bloom, there are daffodils out everywhere and it is a glorious year for flowering quince. The later lighter camellias are nestled in their bowers of oh so shiny green leaves.

The farmers market started opening early for the year today. Soon there will be artichokes and local asparagus. I didn’t know so I didn’t go today but next week I am going for those cold storage apples from last season. They are so good when they are local.

People were out and about today in shorts and tank tops and their bare skin was so pink from the cold but then people here go a little nuts when the sun comes out. We don’t quite know how to handle it.

Oh, speaking of nuts, this bird feed I am using to attract all the finches has peanuts in it and I have started having an adorable little red-breasted nuthatch at my tube feeder lately. They have these long thin breaks and are called nuthatches because like jays they hide the nuts and then poke at them later when they need a top up of nutrition. They work their way down tree trunks while the brown creepers go up.

I spent an inordinate amount of time this afternoon resting and trying to figure out if the little orange red and brown guy hanging around was a house finch or a purple finch. I am pretty convinced he was a purple finch but that could just be wishful thinking. I read all these descriptions on how to tell them apart and I would look and look and…

The downy woodpecker that came late got the cat’s attention because he is bigger than the other feeder birds.

I get bonus points for actually managing to change the time on my heart rate monitor wrist unit on the actual eve of the time change instead of days or weeks later. S. and I are walking together tomorrow and I am introducing her to the idea of exercising at particular heart rates. There were times when we were hiking that I thought she might be pushing herself just a bit too hard.

So instead of me telling her to slow down, or dramatically slowing my pace I thought if she got a monitor she could tell herself. Our half marathon walking training schedule is all based on heart rate for moderate, challenging and easy days.

I did manage to get into the next cooking class in about three weeks on fish & seafood. We get to taste everything. Today I organized all my cookbooks so I know where they are and I am going to try to cook at least one new thing every week.

It might be these…oatmeal breakfast cupcakes .

I have maple syrup. :)

The cats at least will be happy with the time change. They will get breakfast an hour early. In the dark no less.

Last updated March 07, 2015