Spring has sprung!!!

Happy first day of Spring to everyone!! It is the vernal equinox today meaning LOTS of great things like equal day/night (which means those LONG summer days are on their way), my full time flip flop season is about to begin, my garlic and chives have begun to sprout in my garden (I better get some pepper and tomato plants started soon so they'll be ready to transfer) and LAST BUT NOT LEAST baby is within DAYS of arrival.

Spring is my new state of mind. I really do love living in a state with 4 dramatic seasons for this specific reason. Every year, there is a fresh start. People are out cleaning their yards and houses, putting their patio furniture out, hooking up their garden hoses, planting new spring flowers and gardens and are so eager to make things fresh, clean and new again. I LOVE IT!!

As a kid, I remember waiting until the snow started melting so that Nolan and I could put on our galoshes and go wading into the puddles in the field. We'd walk in until the icy water just barely reached up over the side of our boots, soaking our little feet.

As a teenager/junior high schooler I remember this time of year because I could finally go to and from school with out a winter coat. For some odd reason (and I still see this today) every 12-15 year old somehow KNOWS it is not cool to wear a coat even when it IS a necessity when living in MN.

Then in college I couldn't WAIT for this time of year because it meant laying out in the mall area at the U of M while cute boys threw Frisbees around, smoking cigarettes and having drinks on a patio bar in Minneapolis, wearing all the cute tank-tops and skirts I could dig out of my closet, and waiting for the inevitable and much loved summer break.

Now I look forward to greeting a new life (very fitting for the season), planting my garden, raking my yard to allow the bright green new grass to grow in, and just enjoying the small spring miracles this small town has to offer. The annual smelt fry is taking place right now actually. It is a fundraiser that the volunteer fire fighters do every spring around this same time and gets everyone out and moving in this little farm town. It's like everyone has been couped up for too long and just waiting for a reason to come out and say hi. It is fun to see the normally quiet and slow town be bustling with people ready to mingle, eat and drink. And you can't really beat the tradition factor. That definitely adds to the charm. Although I opted for the pork chop vs the small fried fish, I was still glad to support our local fire department. I guess it's my job since I am married to the newest member :)

View from My Front Window

Today I slept in until 9. I have been enjoying this lately since I know it will all come to a screeching halt as soon as the baby arrives. I am 33 weeks pregnant today and just like my previous posts-feeling pretty darn good. As I contemplate what I should accomplish today...bathroom needs cleaning, house need straightening, dishes from last night are still by the sink, I decided to look out my front window. It is something that I know I take for granted and hardly ever do. But today the sun is shining in and the fresh snow is being all piled up by the snow trucks in town and I thought...I really do live in farm country. I normally love it and tell people how I enjoy the quiet life a town of 550 has to offer, but today I love it even more. I think there are very few people who can sit inside their warm little houses wearing their robe and slippers on a Tuesday morning and really just take the time to enjoy their life. I am thankful to have everything we have, to live in a small town where my neighbor called me yesterday just to see how I was, to be able to stay home and build a home for my family and make lunch for my husband everyday. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely things I don't understand/agree with about the people/culture in rural MN. I don't understand why when you ask the question "why?" you get the answer "Because that's how we always have done it". I don't understand the lack of tolerance for those/that which is different by people who have yet to truly experience life outside their bubble (ie-Danube, MN) or why my views or those of my husband are bad because we chose to think differently and more openly about most issues. Maybe we are just what a small town like this needs to shake it up a little and show that acceptance and embracing the unknown or different can be enriching and enjoyable. I think my move to this small town has shown me just that, different can be amazing. It's no NE Minneapolis, or Hoboken, NJ, Fargo, ND, Mexico City, London, Barcelona or even an Oak Grove or East Bethel, MN...It is the view from my front window in my quaint, change-fearing, neighbor-loving, snow-covered, farm-driven, small town and I wouldn't have it any other other way.