out of doors.

Don't you just love being outside? The overbooked schedule and extra-frigid days of the past couple weeks have me longing for warm sunshine and fresh air. Doug and I have ventured outside to the local state park a few times this January, but the bitter cold sends us (okay, me) back indoors much sooner than I would like. These are a few of our frosty sights during our brief outdoor exploits: tenacious evergreens laughing at their deciduous kin; wispy grasses quivering in the icy air; vibrant mosses clinging to the decaying forest. Nature is so inspiring. How do I let myself forget that, even for a minute?

Below is a photograph from the same park where Douglas and I steal a little bit of peace of mind from time to time (and maybe some branches for Doug's arrow ambitions) except this time with lace dresses and tanned skin rather than woolen layers and runny noses. Somebody let me out - springtime adventures are calling my name!

into the woods.

Douglas and I got the opportunity to spend some time out of doors this weekend - finally! I am still struggling with a bit of lingering chest congestion from my winter sickness, but it was nice to have a little extra energy and the ability to get outside for a short period of time. Doug, my bearded woodsman, has set his sights on constructing a bow and arrow set from scratch, so we headed off into the woods to do some stealthy sapling extraction. Since it is not exactly legal to take things out of nature that do not belong to you, I will not reveal the exact location of our confiscation, but I am happy to report that the young tree from whose trunk we took our branch is expected to continue on toward a long and healthy life. Doug is expected to start the whittling and wood preparation tomorrow. Wish him luck. The remainder of our weekend was spent relaxing, enjoying a nice meal (courtesy of a gift certificate I received for writing a college recommendation), and worrying about money and future careers and lots of other nonessentials... Douglas has now returned home and I am left to prepare for the final lesson observation of my tenure year and to restart the effort toward reaching my fitness goals now that my lungs are clearing up. I think I may need a bit of luck as well. Keep your fingers crossed for me.