Yesterday may have been a literal washout for our usual hike through the ravine, given the cool 2.5C and steady rain and wind that marked the day, but the day wasn't a write-off. Among other things, we all opted for pizza. And all of us worked in the kitchen together seamlessly to produce the pizzas. Two; one that Irving and I would share, and one that Jordan put his own preferred toppings on, though for the most part we all shared a choice of toppings. His had olives, apart from the anchovies, and ours no olives, but some pepperoni.

 

 

Later in the evening while Irving watched his favourite pot boilers on his computer, Jody and I played Pictionary. He happens to have skills that were denied me at birth. Inheriting his father's casual capability to draw with ease and precision. My drawings are pathetically nominal. Yet, despite that, he is usually able to negotiate the hints my sad little drawings are meant to convey to quickly come up with correct answers.

 

Where I somehow gained the advantage was my random dice tosses. For some inexplicable reason (twist of the wrist?) I rolled higher numbers consistently than he did, and managed to gain the ascendancy on the board with my piece's steady advance. Each game takes roughly an hour to complete. What's so much fun about playing this particular board game is the fancy-tickling it produces and the laughs galore.

 

 

Today brought us another day of gloomy overcast. But there's nothing gloomy about the calendar position of the day; we hit the Vernal Equinox and rain and wind aside, it's officially spring! A matter of fact that did indeed put a spring in our steps ... one of anticipation. When the rain paused, out we went to the ravine, all of us in rain gear. The weather offered us trail conditions that ranged from icy to deep plunges into the melting snowpack.

 

Expending plenty of energy in the process of moving from one point to another. And so, it was little wonder that we had those trails to ourselves. Very few other people had ventured out on this first day of spring, more intent on avoiding the ice and the slogging mess than celebrating spring with the effort it took to avoid slipping and falling into a morass of snowmelt.

 

 

Snow has been steadily melting, running off the hillsides into the creek below. There are actually some areas now where snow is gone in a patchwork of dark soil finally poking through winter's snow blanket. When we returned from our delightful slog through the forest, the sun had shoved aside the dark clouds long enough to brighten the house interior, just to assure us that yes, it really is prepared to welcome spring's arrival in style. Tomorrow.