Spring Fever

Yoko Ono hand picked 20 SONGS FOR SPRING  that are sure to get you in the mood for these breezy semi warm days..lately on my play list is a little Sting..Crystal Castles..and throwback 80's tunes..the doors and windows are all kept open this time of year so heres hoping the neighbors like my choice in music..thus far no critters have made it in the house..I was reminded that it is indeed snake season around here as I was hiking my way through the Fountain Hills Botanical Garden today but we didn't let that stop us..Living in the desert you always here tall tales of encounters with rattle snakes, funny because the only time I have ever seen one up close was while vacationing in Long Pine. Nebraska of all places... Not only did I encounter a rattler on that trip, but while tubing down the river noticed the water was full of snakes too..guess that wasn't fish tickling my toes..yikes! One of my favorite posts via social media ever was a girl I know who exclaimed "Now Taking Applications For A Spring Fling!" Gotta love it..It has been a relaxing Spring Break so far..It is very nice to wake up whenever I feel like it which is usually somewhere between 8 and 9..instead of jumping to it and getting everyone ready we linger in bed with books for a good hour until fully awake then go about doing whatever feels right for the day..We have gone vintage shopping and got a few projects in the works..I have been spending an hour or so working on the yard every day which is really meditative and aside from the thorns and prickers still in my finger tips I am getting some good sun, just enough for color.We have taken to going out for lunch and I am indulging in freshly bakes bagels with lucious cream cheese and amazing lox..topped with juicy tomatoes, capers and thinly sliuced red onion..yea I think I have to go back to DJ's tomorrow.. I am back in the kitchen and hiding veggies and healthy stuff in everything I make for my husband..he really has no idea which is great. Tonight I stuffed bell peppers with basmati rice, cuban black beans and ground tukey. I added plenty of minced onions, cumin, ancho chilli powder and garlic so he wouldn't  notice we weren't having "red" meat..cleverly disguised by lots of gooey melted cheddar and Newmans Own tomtato sauce..yes I used jar sauce but so far I cannot master a sauce as pleasent as Newmans Sockaroni..it's perfect. We had a big salad and rosemary garlic bread from La Brea bakery..to me this was the perfect meal on a balmy night like tonight and he didn't notice a thing..tomorrow Nicholas and I will get fresh made tortillas to eat up the leftover stuffing for the peppers mixed with eggs and cheese...We have loads of books this week to read and I have been immersed in reading about chakra balancing..family dinners and my old fav author Sarah Ban Breathenach.. I also got Howard Gardner's Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed, Educating for the Virtues in the Twenty-First Century..Not sure what to think about this one yet...That being said Easter decorations are up and I have began contemplating what we will be on the menu..There is a certain calmness in the house and days before the Spring Equinox I think I am finally embracing the season upon us...