The tide is turning. I can feel it. Spring is definitely in the air.

There's still feet of snow on the ground, only less, because it was over 40* for two days and then it rained, so now there's feet of snowbanks covered in ice (only you wouldn't know it's ice till you get right up close and personal with it). The back "yard" has lots less in it, and I can actually see grass patches!

There's supposed to be new snow this coming week, and this week has seen temperatures once again in the single digits at night and 20s in the day, but...I can feel it. I can feel it. I can SMELL it. Spring.

I have three friends and a relative with birthdays this week, and one almost-brother-in-law who has an Equinox birthday. I can't believe that Ostara is only three weeks away! My new Pagan friends and I are planning a small ritual. I'm pretty excited to be Doing Ritual with other people! We did go to a couple of public family events but they were rather geared toward much younger children than mine, and while we did have fun, we had to travel umpteen miles to go to them. I want stuff to happen right here in my town, and this city is twice the population of Asheville, so, there's no excuse...I am going to sniff out the Pagans somehow. I found three. Now to find more.

My personal life is looking up. True Love and I are working out the kinks of having me actually BE here, in the same town, instead of our relationship being some Utopian thing that Doesn't Exist Yet except in our imaginations. It's Real and getting Realer. Which is wonderful, and sometimes not so wonderful, because nothing is ever up to the Utopian standards we hold ourselves to! And, things are getting better. You know you have a good relationship when things can be talked out, worked out, and we still love each other super duper lots.

The Sentinals that guard the parking lot of our building have lost their snowy mittens. They had shelves of snow that rather resembled chicken mushrooms. And I am seeing squirrels again, and a bird this morning. I think the sparrows really did go south a bit. I can't wait till they come back. I miss the crows terribly. Ain't no crows here on this property. True Love has them at his place across town, and I bought a crow-caller, but I feel like an eejit blowing that thing outdoors.

Working on grounding and shielding more often and more frequently throughout the day. I do feel the better for it.