Barefoot!

I actually went barefoot today, for the first time in I don't know how long!

It was odd though. The soles of my feet are so tender that I felt every tiny grain of sand and the cement walkway felt like 20-grit sandpaper! But just being able to feel the earth - make a real contact - was wonderful. We get so used to being covered up all the time, with barriers between the earth and ourselves, that we forget what it feels like. But I remember.

One of my most vivid memories, if you can call a sensory memory vivid, is walking barefoot in the early morning dew on a summer morning. The grass is tall and tickles the ankles, but the moisture is warm and the smell is indescribable. But it is something I remember - and yearn for. Growing up in a sunny country, it's difficult, even after all these years, to get used to being covered up all the time; never having the sun kiss my skin (well, maybe two months of the year we get warm enough weather to be able to wear sleeveless tops) or never walk barefoot through the grass. Or walk along the beach, kicking waves without my feet freezing! Hell, there could be icebergs just offshore!

But I must admit, today was a spectacular day. It was my day off - and I needed it, I was feeling very tired today - and I went to the new Home Depot for some plants. I bought fuschias for the hanging baskets and geraniums because they are so colorful and can withstand the drought that I sometimes inflict on my greenery!

Sitting out on the back porch was very therapeutic - sunny and warm, getting covered with potting soil. The I looked round the side of the house and found that the ranunculus pots I had set out in the protected area last fall were brimming with greenery and...buds! and hidden amongst all that foliage were some lilies also trying to show their faces.

So it seems that it really is spring - raining one minute and sunny the next with temperatures that I can - just - live with.

Even the hummingbirds are back, much to the kitties amusement!