Nature: A Feel Good Elixr

Spring insn't officially here, but I definitely felt and saw signs of her approach this weekend. Hubby and I went for a wonderful hike in Harper's Ferry on the Maryland Heights Trail This was our first hike in the area, so we parked outside of Harper's Ferry, asked crunchy hikers to point us in the right direction, walked half a mile to the historic Harper's Ferry (that always feels eerily empty to me even when it is overflowing with tourists), and headed out over the old railroad bridge. The steps leading down from the bridge to the canal path were open-grate, which was mildly disconcerting given the swift running water, nearly ready to overrun its banks. In fact, the river was lapping around the final step. The trek up the riverbank was steep and reminded me that my hiking legs had not had a good workout in quite some time. Nevertheless, it felt wonderful to be active in the fresh air!

Sunday was a local hike day. We visited three open houses...Hubby even obliged me and went in. We also strolled Baker Park and discovered Great Stuff by Paul. Usually when a shop has "great" or "best" in the title, I can almost discount its greatness or bestness; however, this was different. They truly had great stuff. I found candle holders made from old sugar molds, and Hubby found a factory cart that would make a cool coffee table. Given that we don't actually have a house yet, we decided to refrain from purchasing the items. The house is coming along, though. The plumber was working on Sunday when we stopped by. Hubby and I had a small tiff over the master bath shower, but we just have different styles of doing things. Hubby likes to make a decision NOW. I could spend the next six years researching the issue. We compromised. I researched for a few hours and we had a decision.

I'm feeling good after spending time in nature. I feel more like myself. Maybe it is getting back in touch with Pennsylvania roots where every free moment was spent outside or maybe it is reconnecting with nature in a way that is inherent in us all. Either way, I'm ready for more!

Small Town Living

Friday we had dinner with our soon-to-be neighbors. I feel that having good neighbors makes a huge difference in domestic enjoyment, and I'm glad to have good neighbors. Our dinner conversation revealed that we are indeed living in a small town. They knew people who we knew...interesting.

Matt and I went for a walk in Reston Saturday morning. We always have good talks while we walk, and this time was no exception. We walked around Lake Ann through my favorite community, Waterview Cluster. These are a group of townhomes on or near the lake, designed in the mid 1960s. They are filled with windows and light. So beautiful. I definitely had house and neighborhood envy, making me second-guess our choice for Frederick. That was all for naught, because after volunteering at the tea shop downtown, walking though Baker Park, and standing at the bottom of the tower as the bells chimed, I was happy to be in Frederick.

Spam-not-so-delicious

I ran out at lunch today to pick up dried apricots and walnuts at Costco...half the price of Target! Costco was a zoo...noon on a Thursday...must be the pre-holiday rush. As I was searching for the apricots, I passed the canned meat section just in time to hear a mid-50s woman telling her mid-70s mother, "No, mom. I don't like SPAM. I just ate it because you bought it." Mid-70s mom says, "What??? All of these years, I thought that you loved it." She was clearly hurt. I was biting my lip to hide the chuckle.

Things that go boom in the night

Hubby and I were awakened at 3:00 AM this morning by the loud sound of glass breaking. Hubby stumbled to the living room, looked out the window, and groggily announced, "Some chic just ran into a parked car right outside our door." I made my way to the window, pulled the shade to reveal an older model Volvo with a crumpled hood. The new Audi that stopped the speeding Volvo had no visible damage. Soon, a hysterical early 20s blonde girl ran screaming to the car and tried to reverse the car. A bystander (who Hubby said came out of the house and asked the girl if she needed help) tried to simultaneously console and protect the girl from doing further damage to herself or the car. He took her inside, and a few minutes later, the police arrived. Next, we heard a sobriety test being administered. I don't think she passed. Less than 40 minutes later, all was cleaned up.
It could have been much worse. If the car hadn't been parked on the street, she and the Volvo would have careened into the next door building. How sad, though. Her life will be forever changed by one decision.

Weekend Round Up

This weekend we rounded up
- a brand new pedestal sink and a Moen faucet for a grand total of $85 (thanks to Howard for bargaining with me)
- casual visits with our soon to be neighbors
- a scouting trip to Second Chance in Baltimore (and a 30 minute detour because we got lost)
- granite countertop (Kashmir White or Bianco Romano)
- plans to see the next MET show with soon to be neighbors and realtor and her Swedish beau
- gifts for the niece and nephews (since when do Legos cost $75??? and no, nephew, you aren't getting those)
- a free yoga class
- a trip to Wegman's (hummus, oh how I've missed you)
- Trader Joes cheap (and might tasty) wine
- a new friend
- several downtown walks
- a repaired floor board in the stairs of the rental (Hubby is uber-relieved)
- coffee from Hubby's new favorite place, The Frederick Coffee Company
- window peering as we passed Volt
- an awesome Alaskan salmon and fresh asparagus dinner

First First Saturday

On the first Saturday evening of each month, the shops in the downtown stay open until 9:00 PM. In addition, Everedy Square had a holiday event with music and food. After a day of painting on a roof (Hubby not me) and an afternoon of working on the tax application and scouring the internet for deals (I found subway tile for less than .80 per square foot...score!!), we were ready to enjoy our town. It was a lovely event. Lots of people were out and about. Bands were playing music on the street, and the mood was festive. (Note: Picture Annie in the musical when she first realizes that she will be living in the beatiful house with Daddy Warbucks when you read the following line). "I think I'm gonna like it here!"

Martha Stewart vs. Common Sense

Costco...the seeming antithesis of simplicity. However, I am very thrifty and Costco has some great deals. The problem is that I turned into Martha Stewart as soon as my trendy German boots struck the concrete warehouse floor. First I saw the giant bag of fresh cranberries. Visions of cranberry sauce and cranberry/squash/walnut hand-crafted original recipes and cranberry garland hung around my door danced through my head, forcing my hand to place the ginormous bag of cranberries into my oversized card. That was two days ago, and I still haven't decided what, exactly, I will do with the cranberries. I did drop one on the floor and my cat rather enjoyed batting it around. But, I can find better uses, I'm sure. I did find many good, practical, deals after Martha vacated my sensibilities. Wild caught frozen Alaskan salmon for less than TJs price, raw walnuts, free range omega 3 eggs, fresh green beans, blueberries and strawberries. Yum. Great ideas, and I was proud as punch driving home with my treasures until I realized: 1) I live in a tiny apartment with zero storage and 2) The tiny apartment with zero storage is on the second floor with parking about 100 yards away and 4 locked doors to navigate with arms filled with aforementioned heavy and frozen treasures. Ah, life lessons :)

As I write about wanting to live simply, things seemed to churn into a furious chaotic whirl, at least that's how I felt. Hubby visited our rental property and returned with a hefty list of needed repairs. I set about calling to schedule those today. Those of you who know me know my disdain for those types of chores, but I will grow by doing so. We are still waiting for the contractors to provide their quotes on our place, so that we can choose one and close on our property. The Eastern-European accented German taxi driver has yet to send me the receipt for the ride to the airport last week despite my persistent, some might say nagging, calls and emails. The folder containing all of the documents for our shipped car went missing, and I ate way too much chocolate, cheese, and wine yesterday.

On the upside, I've spent more time in the house this week, taking pictures for the MHT tax credit application, which is proving to be quite a bear of a process, and I've met with subcontractors onsite. I like it. I think it will serve us well. I've enjoyed walking to and from the house. People have been so friendly, or perhaps that is normal and my recent frame of reference (Germans who don't smile at anyone...ever) is a bit skewed. Nevertheless, I'm happy to be in a friendly place again.

Now, I'm off to community yoga to practice balance (literally and figuratively)!

Morning Walk

I have always loved morning walks. Morning walks with changing leaves is like finding a $5 bill in your winter jacket pocket...bonus!