Sunday, March 2, 2008

Is it springing?

It cannot be denied. Spring is on the way. The days are longer, the sun's at an appreciably higher angle, and people are going to the grocery store in shorts. (Not being totally nuts, I'm not one of them. I still have my jeans on. It's only in the 50s today, for heaven's sakes!) The globe is warming. Flowers break ground earlier, robins appear before you think it would be healthy for them to be this far north, and the beautiful mourning dove sings his doleful song to his mate. As much as I will regret this warming trend in August, I welcome the chance to open the house and get all the houseplants outside, not to mention my body. The long term forecast predicts highs in the 60s or upper 50s all week. Not only are the perennial bulbs sending their shoots to the sun; so are the weeds. This week I will go outside and dig up the spring weeds, clean the yard up a little bit. I might even drag out my shorts.

The warming of the weather also gets us thinking about our Delaware weekends, and that's an instant mood elevator. We work at our projects there, too, but it's fun work. The projects all go to enhance the good times there. Plus, there are things I can actually do, or at least help with.

Today I am displaced. Steve's still working in the den, where my big ol' chair is supposed to be located, but we are in upheaval mode as long as the den is being painted. I have no place to go but here while Steve paints. More spackling than we thought would be necessary had to be done yesterday, so we aren't progressing as far this weekend as we thought we would. I type and play with music while Steve's up on a ladder painting the ceiling. I asked if there was any way I could help, and he said there wasn't. So why do I still feel guilty? I wasn't even raised Catholic......

Yesterday's turkey dinner was all we hoped for, but you forget just how damn much food you're left with. Another whole turkey's worth of stuffing, more than half the 12 lb. turkey to be left-overed--chopped, sliced, some broken into bits for stock and soup sometime next winter. And when you do a meal like that right, there's plenty of good old butter, too. On the turkey, in the stuffing, on the veggies. As luscious as it all is, butter is still just fat, and it fills you up, especially if you're not used to such a heavy single dose.

Oh well. We all need a pig-out every now and then. What fun is being good all the time if you're never rewarded for it?

5 comments:

Cuidado said...

We are in the midst of a blizzard. Started snowing yesterday, took a bit of a break for a while overnight but began in earnest again at daybreak. We have 100 km (60 mi.) an hour winds so there is no visibility. Of course my 20 something kids are out in it.

I'd love some turkey. I made a pasta sauce at my kid's request - something I only eat when they are here.

Ralph said...

Oops! Didn't mean to rub it in, Cuidado. Of course, Z&M could chime in here with reports of the Florida springtime and put us all back in our macs and galoshes.....

Kat said...

Ralph,
Not a single part of our turkey was ever wasted either. My dad was the champion carcass picker. From his pickings came salad; from what he left came soup.

I still love turkey and cook it for friends at least once a winter.

Ralph said...

I'm throwing together a turkey leftover casserole for dinner tonight, and I stripped the carcass while I was at it so I can make some soup--hmmm...and may a salad, not a bad idea....later.

I think I'll post that casserole recipe on Friday.

Ravel said...

You made me laugh out loud! So, you were not even raised a catholic?
I laughed, becaise I was. And my Mom rejected the Catho preachings and I STILL am able to feel that silly guilt springing out (to use a new word).
Thank you for the laugh... and have fun (??) cleaning the sand dust...
--- Here, it snow, and more snow. 1970's again...