The Times They Are a-Changin'

Despite what seems like an endless onslaught of icy hell, spring will come. Punxsutawney Phil even says it'll be here early, but I don't put too much faith in rodents (they are the animal kingdom's biggest liars, of course).

By the end of February, things will be quite a bit different. Despite my eagerness to move out and start my life as an "adult", I will be moving back home. To clarify, I will be living on my own, relatively private floor of my parents' two-family house.

My parents are awesome and I have no qualms with living underneath them. It won't be much different than living on my own. There's just that stigma of "living with your parents" that I prefer to avoid. Until I can afford a decent house on my own, I will have to suck it up.

I will still be paying rent, managing my monthly bills, buying my own groceries, and cooking my own meals. The only difference will be the daily comfort of going upstairs and hanging out with my family. I'm only 23, I think I can soak it up for a year or two before I start feeling like a bum.

The reason for this move is obvious if you know me well enough. I'm not going to talk about it much on my blog, out of respect for the other parties involved. Just know that, at least for now, everything is OK.

Green amidst the Bleakness of Winter

I adore snow storms and I'm even more tolerant of the cold this winter, as opposed to winters passed. I was also able to stand the cold ocean this summer -- maybe my body has finally achieved an acceptable level of fat? Whatever the reason, it has kept me from hibernating too much this season. Leaving the security and warmth of my bed is a struggle, but there is work to be done!

Pictured above are the first sprouts of my recycled-bottle garden. I had originally planned on buying all sorts of fancy, indoor-planting supplies -- but why bother? I already have what I need.




I've always loved planting things. It amazes me how fast seedlings sprout up and start reaching for the sun.




Hopefully in the next few months, the snow will melt and the ground will thaw. I plan to build raised beds, since the dirt is less than favorable. I'm going to use recycled materials if possible, including some sort of fencing material to keep the neighborhood cats from using my garden as a litter box.




Until then, I will happily tend to my little chair-top garden. The smell of the organic soil makes my heart beat a little faster, and the vivid, green seedlings bring hope in the monotone winter.