Weekly Update: 3.1.25
Today marks the first day of March, but this week has already felt like spring. Starting last weekend, warm sunshine began to melt away last week's snow. Within days, the snow was gone from the ground and began to fade from our memories as we opened windows and turned on fans. We traded our sweaters for t-shirts, shaking our heads at the seasonal whiplash.
With the receding snow, we were able to see the wintery mess our homestead had become. Our porches were caked with mud and salt. Nothing had been properly scrubbed or cleaned in months. So, with the springlike weather this week, we spent several days deep cleaning in the bunkhouse and tent, inside as well as outside. We even shampooed our tent carpet, refreshing everything for our last months of camping in here.
Along with cleaning, we made a celebratory shopping trip to Springfield. Before our brother Jeremiah's birthday on Monday, he wanted to pick up some festivity supplies. We went to the Brown Derby and Costco last Saturday. Grace and I both had Cavender's PFI birthday gift cards from Jeremiah, so we stopped in to spend them on some boots. I felt like a kid in a candy store -- it was so hard to choose a style and fit. Grace and I both found pairs we loved, and we started breaking them in right away. On the way home, Jeremiah picked up dinner for the whole family. It was our first time trying the Flaming Wok, and we were very impressed -- it was some of the best Chinese food we have ever had.
We celebrated Jeremiah's birthday over the rest of the weekend. We made several types of his favorite foods -- scones, monkey bread, steak ranchero, and tres leches. We played some games. We watched some TV.
After all the birthday fun, several of us started a liver detox regimen along with our typical paleo eating style. It remains to be seen how much it actually works, but for now we are all starting our days with lemon water and milk thistle tea. It feels good to be back in our clean eating habits.
It's not spring yet. I know the Ozarks, and how the weather can change in just minutes. Still, this week promises to be mild, and I'm looking forward to how much easier our projects will be. It's nice to be able to use our saws outside, keeping dust and mess at bay. We know winter isn't done with us, but we're enjoying the warmth while it lasts.
