Fresh Air

It's been a very long winter. Literally and figuratively.

The prolonged cold snaps and late March snow storms made a season that is notoriously depressing....even worse.

But this post is not about winter. No, it's about the END of winter, and the beginning of a wonderful season called Flooding....err, I mean Spring.

The snow is almost completely melted now, and the ice jams on the river seem to be behaving, reducing the likelihood of us needing to gather the children and bare essentials in a panic and running for higher ground! Okay, we were never in any danger of that, but it sounds more interesting than saying the kids got all muddy in the puddles forming in our backyard, and I have tons of laundry to do.

I think the opening of windows and the freedom to head outside without 5 layers of clothing has put a spring in my steps and a song on my heart (I promise not to sing out loud....again).

I decided it was high time that I get out to do some walking with Kalyna. She seemed eager to jump into the backpack carrier (yes, at 3 years old, she still gets to ride on Mommy's back!), and join me for the hike--well, technically I live on the prairies, so 'hike' is not the right terminology....but it's my blog, so I'll write what sounds best.

Anyway, we set out for our first walk of the year. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and people were just really friendly. I enjoyed the smiles I met as people realized I had a child on my back, not just a backpack loaded with textbooks from the University.

Kalyna took in a deep breath, let out a huge sigh, then stated, "Ahhh....Fresh Air."

Indeed.