February isn't so bad

 I often think that I like every month except for January and February. But this week, I couldn't help thinking, "You know, maybe February isn't so bad." 

On Monday, I was off for Presidents' Day. This year more than any other, it is important to remind you that Presidents' Day is intended only to honor Washington and Lincoln.

I wanted to do something interesting and memorable for the day, so I went to the bird refuge at Farmington Bay, which is very close, yet I had never been. My dad came along. They had a mile-long walk on gravel paths and boardwalks among the wetlands. It was lovely. They also had a nesting area for great blue herons, so that was fun to see. I'm no ornithologist, so I don't know all the birds I saw, except for the herons and seagulls. But there weren't that many birds overall.

heron nests

There were lots of bird prints on the ice. I was surprised how much ice there was, even though it was thin ice, because it wasn't that cold.

There were lots of black duck-like birds with white beaks. Maybe American coots?

The temperature was in the forties, so with a coat and hat, it was just a pleasant, lovely day and a fun adventure.

It snowed on Thursday, which meant I didn't go swimming or attend a lecture in person. I shoveled the driveway, and I was actually happy to do so. Maybe that's because there's been such little snow this winter; I might have been less happy about it if we had piles of snow from December and January.

And since I'm an adult with few expenses, I was able to go buy things for myself on Saturday, just because I could, instead of feeling obligated to keep using things that are old and worn out: a firm pillow, new running socks, new road running shoes, new trail running shoes. 

I read a journal entry from 2018 where I said, "I feel sad about a lot of things right now—February just makes things sad." That was just days after I realized I needed to quit dating a girl, because I just wasn't into her (for obvious reasons). But this February, I don't feel so sad, even though the country is falling apart.

I think I like the second half of February better than the first, because I like St. Patrick's Day better than Valentine's Day. I have met many people who seem surprised, or even annoyed, that I start the St. Patrick's Day season in February, even though they wouldn't think twice about Christmas a month (or more) early. Because of that, I notice when other people put up their green décor, to show I'm not the only one. On February 15, I noticed that a nearby house had changed their permanent house lights to green and white. I wondered if it was for the holiday or if they just like green, but a few days later, they had changed it to green, white, and orange, which is totally St. Paddy's Day. And then I remembered their name is Doherty, so of course they care about the holiday.

Yesterday I wore this hat for the first time while running. It's specifically designed for running; it's breathable and can be washed easily. It has leprechauns with various sweets: green shakes, rainbow donuts, green pies, and green boxes of chocolate (mint?) cookies.

Of course, this kind of thing is right up my alley. I generally think I have toned down my sugar consumption, but then I thought about all the green things I consumed this week: lime and pistachio donuts, lime and mint mini cupcakes, homemade green mac and cheese, mint and pistachio cookies, and pickle jelly beans. 

And people still seem to like the dream images, so here's this week's:

people put up star-shaped pastries to save seats on a rollercoaster

Mark starts to fill out a form for a running class, but he crosses out his name because he doesn't want to commit

Two days after Valentine's Day, everyone at church is wearing heart clothing, but Mark and one other person are wearing shamrocks

a woman tries to give Mark's last red velvet protein bar to her son, and she gets mad when he asks for it back

people at church criticize the way Mark conducts the music, and he hopes he has pants on

Mark takes down Christmas lights in the sunroom

Mark is invited on a road trip, and then he invites his mom, sister, and neighbor and insists on playing his Fourth of July playlist

Marcie from Peanuts thinks she should break a bottle on a boat before beginning a swim race

Mark tries to write "other" on the carpet with a glue-like substance

a family eats watermelon and sings "Go Tell It on the Mountain"

the chicken at the fast-food restaurant is undercooked, so Mark decides not to wait

the nosepiece of Mark's swim goggles is falling apart because it was in the laundry