The cabin fever is real. And...this being the first day of spring, it's right on queue! I've been entertained by observing how we all cope with the last bits of winter that drag on, when the snow is not great for playing in, and the walls around us start to feel like they're closing in, not to mention the frequency with which you've seen the same faces. Nerves start to wear thin, patience wanes, cabin fever sets in. Of course the easiest answer is travel, preferably SOUTH. But the more practical and accessible solutions are even more entertaining than that. My friend got a puppy. Ezra dyed his hair blonde. I followed by cutting ten inches off my hair and coloring it for the first time in ten years. Ada followed me by cutting off ten inches of her own. She's posed her sweet baking self an epic challenge of gluten free (sweet) goodness. Harper has created a speed board game whose rules I cannot determine but what appears to be ten games in ten minutes. Papa keeps starting puzzles. And I keep crocheting a blanket that we'll all fit under soon.
We all find our ways of wading through this stretch of time. And when I feel like tearing my hair out or snapping at whoever is closest in proximity, I remember that this is actually really good for us. This time of year stretches us a bit. It brings out our creativity and new ideas that otherwise would never come. And it gives us this time together before the season - of the year, and of our lives - where we scatter and spread away from one another.
And so it was that in front of the wood stove early on Sunday afternoon, me knitting, Papa puzzling, Harper and Ani board gaming, Ezra strumming the banjo, and Ada baking cookies (and Lou and Cal skiing), that the idea was casually mentioned by one of them that Harper and Ani might enjoy being roommates. Ezra paused the banjo, thought for a moment and said enthusiastically, yeah, I'd totally be into that. Since it was a Monday afternoon in March, it was only about twenty minutes that passed before we all pounced on the idea of such a project and change of scenery and dove into the epic project of a bedroom switch. Later, tucking everyone into their new bedrooms, there was a whole lot of excitement about the new arrangement. And I think, it just might work too - it's a combination and set up that makes more sense than what was before actually. I began to tell them that all I needed to do was some painting perhaps later this spring. "No!" Ani protested. "This is the color of ROYALTY!" (the same color Ezra proudly chose for it's resemblance to the color of a bandaid). And similarly in the other room, Ezra declared, "I actually really like this color pink." And well, that's that and my work is done.
Really now, what WOULD we do if it weren't for these late days of winter that stretch us so to find the fun?
A very happy Spring equinox to you and yours!
