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Scree - April 12, 2011

spring flowers

Spring 2011

Spring has officially come to Nashville. Yes the flowers are blooming, the chickadees and house wrens are playing in the yard, runners and walkers fill the sidewalks, and the Weather Channel forecasts a heavy pollen alert; but those are not the only indicators.

November 5, 2010, I began wearing my Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover and on Saturday, April 9, 2011, it was finally warm enough, not to wear the jacket any longer. For 165 days in a row, I wore the jacket. Just to clarify, when I say I wore the jacket, that means I really wore it. I never put the Nano on for a couple of hours just so I could count that day. The Nano was my sweater layer for the winter.

We keep our house thermostat set at 60 degrees. The low setting saves money and conserves energy; but unless you are active, it is cold. We wear jackets all of the time. When friends and family visit, they might not wear a coat in the car, but they bring one in to the house with them. I wore the Nano Puff.

Of course, I take it off to quickly run it through the wash; but the wash is only for a couple of hours. The rest of the day, I wore it.

I might also add that this behavior is not new, last year, I wore the Nano from Christmas (it was a present) until April 7, 2010 - 102 days in a row. This winter with the whole season I shattered last years record by 63 days!

I am sure the trees can bud a little easier knowing that I have put away my Nano Puff. Winter is gone. Happy spring.

Poison Ivy

Saturday at the Trail's Workshop, I was standing outside listening to Mark discussing trail building techniques. Without looking I rested my hand on a convenient tree. After a short while I happened to look at the tree and saw tiny leaves sprouting from the hairy vines.

Rats, my hand was in poison ivy! For the next thirty minutes I was careful not to use that hand. I did everything with my left hand. The workshop moved from one trail to another. At the new trailhead, the park had restrooms with soap and water. I thoroughly cleansed my right side. I did not stop with just washing my hand, I washed my arm, face, shirt, pants, and then took a towel to rinse off the vehicles door.

Luckily, I did not get the dreaded rash; but I did find a couple of ticks on me. Yes, spring is coming to Middle Tennessee.