"It's been a long day and I'm tired, so I'm going home."

How did the day pass so quickly?
Shane and I realized that we had to go to the store for a couple of (non-food) items, so we biked to Fred Meyers. While we were there, I decided to pick up some Greek yogurt. I love yogurt, but there are no local producers. One of my friends has a recipe for how to make it in a crock pot (it does require a small amount of store-bought to start it, but makes a huge batch--would certainly cut down on my garbage) but we don't yet have a crock pot. (Does every couple count on their wedding registry as much as we are?) As soon as we get one, I'm going to start making my own yogurt. Because I eat way, way too much of it.
This time of year is funny. You'll never hear a local calling it spring, because it isn't. Spring is what happens in about a week, from the first touch of green on trees to full-blown leaf cover. (You think I'm exaggerating? I'm not. It's literally about a week.) This season is breakup. The snow is melting, slowly, and there are suddenly lakes everywhere, and rivers on the roads that are practically big enough for spawning salmon to swim up. It makes biking interesting, to say the least, since there are also big patches of ice and slush in the shade. This is the time of year when ski bums still have the skis in their vehicles, but you can also see boys playing football or throwing baseballs on any available stretch of brown grass. In the afternoons, it's not uncommon for people to be wearing t-shirts, even though it's about 40 degrees. Coming out of winter, that seems warm around here. Especially when the sun is shining.
The promise of summer is everywhere, and it's tantalizing. It's a conscious effort to remind myself that it's not here yet. The nights and mornings are still below freezing, which helps. It's really no surprise to me that this time of year tends to be harder on people than the winter. In the cold and dark months, you hunker down and endure because what else can you do? This tease of what's coming but isn't here yet, when you're so, so ready for it is worse than any of the cold.

This is also the only ugly season in Fairbanks. Not only is dirty, melting snow completely aesthetically unappealing, it reveals all the garbage that people have thrown into it over the winter. There is garbage everywhere. I don't think it's a coincidence that I started my personal campaign against waste during breakup because I'm shown daily exactly what I think is wrong with our current system. Why I think it's imperative for all of us to reduce the amount we discard. How can we not see that it affects all of us, and our home (Earth)?
It just makes me angry.
Moose roast for dinner tonight. So good! With potatoes, carrots and onions on the side. Mmmm. We also had people over for dinner, and I have a favor to ask. If you pray, please pray for our friends James and Lucy. They just found out that Baby-on-the-way has what's called Snowman heart. They have to go to Anchorage next week to see a specialist, and probably Baby will have to be taken for heart surgery as soon as she's born (in Anchorage, via C-section). They're staying upbeat ("At least we have insurance...") and both sets of grandparents have told them not to worry about the cost, but it's worrying. So please pray for them.