I’m sitting on the back patio at home enjoying the abnormally warm and sunny weather today. It’s been like this since our return from Florida. It feels like we brought the good weather along for a ride when we made that trek home last weekend but I know that they enjoyed the nice weather up here while we were gone too.
I’m home today because this is my weekend to work. This change in schedule happens every 13 weeks. Once you get beyond the fact that you have to work for the weekend the gig isn’t that bad. I have been in worse situations.
When I usually get a day off during the week I take the opportunity to go on some sort of road trip. I have a couple of favorite destinations in the Empire State that I like to visit on these day long trips; the Southern Tier and the North Country are both favorite areas of the state for me, but today I decided to stay at home since we had driven so much during vacation. Plus, my commute clocks in at 1 1/4 hours in each direction, so sometimes it’s good to skip putting extra wear and tear on my Jeep and on my body. To celebrate staying home, I babied the Jeep with an oil change and tire rotation (we both purred when the work was completed) and I have been doing geek things here on the back patio.
A little black and white bird keeps flying to the shruberry closest to the table and gives me a glance. I think he or she is trying to decide whether I’m harmless or not before hopping up to the adjacent bird feeder. Scott filled the bird feeder just before leaving for his latest tour of flying and they have already made a good dent in it. It’ll be ready for filling again when he gets back next week.
Earl has been out of town on business since yesterday morning but I received a SigAlert that he will be coming home tonight. That always makes my day better.
As I sit here and enjoy the backyard, I am noticing that the trees are starting to show signs of spring. The maples are starting to show the beginnings of the Leaves of 2012 and the evergreen trees are showing new growth. I think everything may be a week or two ahead of schedule, but I don’t think it’s something to complain about. I can’t remember having such a beautiful March in recent memory. Whatever is causing it (the natural cycle of things, HAARP, Global Climate Change, whatever), it sure is making this part of the country a little more enjoyable. Let’s hope we don’t boil away this summer though.
With my on-call I am working Friday-Sunday and then I have Monday off, where I then resume a normal work week next Tuesday. I’m thinking I might stay local again next Monday and, if the weather is still cooperative, plant a couple of trees in the side yard. Earl and I have talked about planting two trees in memory of our fathers; this might be a good opportunity.
It’s amazing how much one can enjoy life when they find enjoyment in their surroundings. I should remember to do this more often instead of running around trying to find it.
