Our First Spring in the Mountains

Little updates from our spring so far.

Happy Earth Day! It’s bittersweet this year, considering our public lands are at risk and beautiful mother nature is hurting more than ever before, a topic I will be writing more about in the coming weeks. As we mourn Pope Francis, I am reminded of his courage in speaking out about climate change and our communal responsibility to protect our planet, especially when many of his followers are working against that very cause. You can read some of his most important quotes about this topic in this compilation taken from his encyclical, Laudato Si. I hope that we can honor Pope Francis’s legacy by becoming better stewards of the earth, and also just better human beings to one another.

Our first spring in the mountains has been eventful. Not exactly in a good way considering I’ve been in and out of the hospital with an array of health issues, but we have still been able to find little joys here and there.

We have been spending many afternoons resting and reflecting by the waterfall and the beach. Living in nature has been a blessing and has provided us with brief respites from the chaos of daily life. Overall, the weather here is roughly 10 degrees cooler than where we used to live, and often there is a nice, cool breeze. It is starting to warm up now though and become too hot for comfort. That, along with the bugs, is making going outdoors more difficult but we are continuing to make plans for outings, trips, and mini-retreats even if we have to cancel them in the end. Because what if I do happen to feel good enough when the time comes?

There is a handicap-placard only parking lot located next to an accessible boardwalk trail that leads to this stunning waterfall- a huge win for the disability community! Of course, there are also several hiking trails that lead to the falls and give you different vantage points. Being able to utilize the boardwalk trail and view the falls during lower-energy days has been a blessing!

Also, the falls in the fog is pure magic.

A photo I took during a foggy walk to the falls.

The beach, too. I have always loved the feel of sand under my toes. Beaches (when they aren’t crowded) are very peaceful. Watching the waves. Walking along the sand. Feeling the breeze go through my body. Our beach is quite tiny as it is by a small lake, but it is relaxing nonetheless.

A photo I took at the beach.

My husband and I have also been trying a lot of “new to us” things this spring, from recipes to hobbies. Our apartment complex recently held a flower planting event and it was a lot of fun to plant and take home a surprise flower! We’ve been anxiously waiting for them to sprout and grow and see what types of flowers they turn out to be. Hopefully I’m not allergic to them.

Our penguin child, Snowy, anxiously waits for the seeds to sprout and grow.

We’ve been baking muffins, too (check out the blueberry muffins we made here), and experimenting with new dinner recipes (like peanut butter + broccoli cheddar ramen which tasted SO GOOD but don’t ask for the recipe since we kind of just threw things together LOL), and revived our Nintendo DS’s for when it is simply too hot to do anything or I'm unable to get out of bed. I have been thoroughly enjoying Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, Yoshi’s Woolly World, and Mario Tennis. I played Pokemon Ruby for Gameboy as a kid so playing ORAS has been whimsical and nostalgic (but also makes me a little sad that I can’t travel and explore scenic new places in real life like I can in Pokemon). My husband has been enjoying playing Yoshi’s Island and Luigi’s Mansion!

Lastly, we’ve been enjoying the occasional outing to the mall and our local grocery co-op! Our mall is a bit of a ghost town…the stores are open and operational, but I have a feeling they won’t be for much longer. It works out very well for us though because as a severely immunocompromised person, I have to avoid crowds and large gatherings. I love being able to leisurely explore Barnes and Noble without having to worry about being in close contact with others, and walking through an empty mall is a great way for me to get my steps outside of the summer’s heat. Maybe the mall will become busy again when schools are out for the summer, but I sure hope I can still enjoy some hours of the mall to myself!

Mirror selfie at the mall because I’m just a girlie.

We are OBSESSED with our local grocery co-op and have been going during off-hours when there are few people there. The coffee. The deli. The grocery options. Not to mention the fact that many of the employees wear N95 masks (incredible!!), which makes me feel significantly safer on multiple counts. I have been purposely coughed at in public for wearing a mask, so the employees wearing masks helps me feel safer as I wear my own (and of course, reduces the risk of any viral transmission). Gosh, finding this gem has been AMAZING for our kitchen (and quality of life). Does your town have a co-op market? Now is the perfect time to support them.

The cute little co-op coffee bar!

Well, that’s all for now, folks. Spring has been hard, but the joys have been sweet. Until next time!