an explosion of spring

Inevitably, reluctantly, spring finally came.  Stunning blossoms and vibrant green grass that brags of its sunlight diet has replaced the worn, brown landscape of early spring in Maine.  It has been a slow start, then a rainy start when a glance ahead at the week at Intellicast would show a rain icon as far as the eye could see leading me to wonder if we lived in the Northwest instead of the Northeast.

But alas, all is forgiven when a morning run means lilacs on the dawn breeze, when the the woods thicken with the most spectacular gradients of green that seem to be only available at this time of year and when I can walk out to my garden with a kitchen knife and cut chives or mint when I'm making supper.

I can almost forget ground hard like stone and being cold.  Almost.   After all, I was still wearing my winter coat (my DOWN winter coat) to baseball practice last week to keep warm.  

Spring came so late that it had a lot of catching up to do!  Suddenly everything in my gardens has exploded on an accelerated schedule and I have felt behind the bus.  I have been mowing and weeding, transplanting and mulching like a mad woman and loving every minute.  Add to that baseball for Maya, softball for Ella, work, and the endless end-of-year activities at school (field trips, field days, parties, performances, etc.) and I don't even have enough room on our family white board to keep track of it all. I have moved to a sheet of stock paper listing out each day of the week with its corresponding obligations.

I've also been riding my bike as much as I can to get ready for the Trek Across Maine which is NEXT WEEK already!!  Sandi and I get to leave town together for 3 days of riding together (along with our awesome Gold's Gym Trek team).   We did a 50 mile ride this weekend and, because it is so infrequent that we get to bike together, I was reminded all over again how much fun we have on our bikes.  I am really looking forward to getting away.

It is not too late to donate!!  No amount of money is too small and it all goes to the American Lung Association.  They hope to raise $2 million and most of it stays here in Maine.   If you want to sponsor me, please donate here.  Thank you so much!

In other news, I am starting to reintroduce food from my very restrictive, anti-inflammatory elimination diet.   I had some very encouraging lab results recently and it made me feel like all my work is paying off.  That being said, true success cannot be measured until I can come off this medication.  For now we have reduced my dose and watch how I tolerate that.  Fingers crossed.

Reintroduction of food is more scary than it seems it would be.  You pick and item and eat it for 3 days and watch how you feel, noting any and all ill effects and signs of inflammation.   I am a little nervous that I won't notice anything but that I will be creating inflammation at an unseen level, thus undoing these 2 1/2 months of hard work.

So far I have had lobster and wine (yes, that is apparently what it comes down to) and tolerated it fine.  My next items are bread, peanut butter and oatmeal because I don't see how I can do the Trek and eat away from home without these staples.

I hope you are all enjoying spring, eating outside, and wearing shorts!