Spring Ramblings

Spring....in my step.... almost a skip.... A soft breeze and a damp smell of growth... melting snow watering new buds...

I missed skiing again this year. The skis were in Kansas, along with my boots and all my other gear. DB is itching to get on the slopes and he's never skied... Next year!!!! He'll pick it up very quickly and we'll race down the mountain, no stopping and quads burning. But for now the bike tires have air in them and we'll be doing some riding. I'm not looking forward to lugging the bikes back and forth from Oz to Kansas, but it will be worth it when DB and I go riding together.

I love the outdoors. What I love the most is the wind in my face. It brings to mind a dog hanging his head out the window in ecstasy. It such a sense of freedom to me. I love the wind whether it's from skiing a run down a mountain, a ride on a horse, biking, running, sailing, and of course the window open while driving with the music blaring singing my heart out and smiling.

Squeaky, my minivan, is slowly falling apart. I try to keep her in good shape, but I've put a lot of miles on her and she wasn't new when she came to me. The next car will also have to be a minivan. It's necessary for carpools, playdates, and traveling with DB and the cat. She goes with us to Kansas and has been since we got her when she was 4 months old. DB has been traveling back and forth to Kansas in the car since he's been three months. They both behave beautifully and there is no DVD player. I'm kind of old school in that respect. I would rather DB read, draw, look out the window and notice the world around him, sing with me, talk to me, and connect with me.

DB and I talk about getting a new car and we're in agreement that the next one must have a sunroof. He's definitely his mother's kid. My first car had a sunroof, and in every season it was open. The only time I drove with it closed was when it was raining (drizzling and it would still stay open) or snowing very hard. For about year I took care of three of my younger cousins (all under the age of three) and even if they couldn't ask for the sunroof to be opened they would point at it.

I've got to schedule an oil change for Squeaky, and I really do have to replace the spark plugs and wires. Dad has been on my case about it. It doesn't take all that long, but I really want to do it with DB so that he can learn how to do these things for himself the way I learned with my dad. He's definitely not going to do anything like this with is father. I still feel a sense of accomplishment in the fact that I replaced the battery. It's not a hard job to do and lord knows I do own enough tools to get it done, but the best part was talking to my dad about it after and being able to tell him something he didn't know. Just in case any of you ever need to replace your car battery always disconnect the negative cable first. It's obvious my dad is proud of me, but when I told him about the cable and then when he saw the new kitchen floor I put down I really felt it. Talk about being confident in my abilities... he wants me to do his kitchen floor next. WOW!!! Ultimate compliment.

I love to work with my hands and enjoy the feeling of knowing that I can take care of myself. BUT, I wish that I didn't have to. It would be wonderful to give over some things to someone else or to even have someone else share some of the responsibilities. It's hard being mom and dad. It's also hard having to be the one to discipline all the time. DB's a great kid so it really isn't all the time, but his father doesn't discipline at all, and so he's the fun one in DB's eyes.