Sprinkler Season

It's that time of year again. There aren't really enough words to lay down in my post to describe the feeling on my run this morning. Well, perhaps there are, I just couldn't do it justice. And really, to be fair, it isn't just today, it's the time of year.

I was up before the sky changed pink, rubbing my eyes. I headed down the hill and watched the sky begin to glow over the city skyline out over the water. Truly amazing and humbling. As I ran along, the sprinkler timers were just waking up to the day. When it's warmer, running through the sprinklers is one of my favorite things. There is just something playful and free about running through them and soaking yourself. Like you get to have brag rights about running through the sprinkler - almost as good as battle scars from something heroic. I guess it's because grown-ups are so seldomly willing to let down their guard and relax and have a little fun. Anyway, then you run along down the sidewalk hearing the 'squish-squish' from your wet shoes. But, alas, I just dipped my toes a bit - it was probably in the mid-40's.

A little way further I bumped into a goose family - well, actually three families, all spaced apart about a quarter mile. It was really funny - the first one had teeny tiny fuzzy yellow babies (okay, goslings). The second one had the comparison of human toddlers, and the third had 'tweens. But it's a guarantee as you go past each family that one of the adult geese will hiss at you to protect the family. (On the way home, one of the parents from the youngest family not only hissed, but flapped it's wings and chased me.) They're hilarious.

The sky went from a glow to a deep pink until you could see the spotlight of the sun reflecting off of the glass buildings. You know you're in a beautiful place when you past 2 photographers with full-on gear, tripods, etc. before 6 am.

What all this really is to me is the change in seasons. The geese are having babies, the days are more frequently sunny, the dawn begins at an early hour, and the sprinklers come on by timers. There are about six months of the year here that we keep the heat on, and for the next six we turn it off completely - and those have just begun. I look forward to so much more time outside wandering and adventuring and seeing so many things that were dormant all winter long. I'm looking so forward to being away this weekend and getting out so many weekends between now and the darker season after fall. Right now it's daylight from about 5:30 am 'til about 8:30 pm. We add a litlle more daylight until the summer solstice and in the dead of winter there's only daylight from about 8:30 am 'til 4:30 pm. Going running in the morning and the evening takes on a whole new light this time of year (like the word play) compared to winter. Sometimes if you're lucky, winter runs are filled with crisp frost and starry skies.

My husband told me about something he wanted to get for an early mother's day present. (sort of a family present) But if all works out, we get to pick it up tomorrow. It should add a whole new factor into my summer experiences. But I'm not gonna tell 'cause I don't wanna jinx it. And I'm definitely not a girly-girl so it's not some floofy thing.

Oh, and I met a lady today from the same place that Iliketoast is from. I learned why he calls it Brisvegas - I always wondered. She told me the seasons are opposite right now - funny to imagine. She actually was amazed at how often the seasons changed here. She compares Brisvegas to the weather in Florida - a 70 degree day here is like a winter day for her. And the Vegas thing . . . maybe it's supposed to be something that makes people wonder, so I'll keep it a secret for a while.

I'm off to a track meet, so I need to go find something to take for dinner. But I'll soon be off to the relay for the weekend so I gotta sing my song (in case you ever wondered about my URL):

Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!