in like a lion

February has gone

and with it, my month long ode to L O V E.

Thank you, February. You did not dissappoint.

And welcome, Lady March! We are enjoying your 'tude (though it was unkind of you to wake up the MonkeyFish last night with your terrifying crashing wind. He's just a little guy, after all) and did so enjoy running about town yesterday minus an outer layer of clothing.

I am having some pretty intense urges to pack picnic lunches and go camping. I am feeling like we must hurry and get in as much as we can before we're reminded that we live in a freakin' DESERT and the oven cranks up and I turn into Grumpy Stepper for 3 months.

March, we all know (and appreciate) that you come in like a lion.

I am coming in to March much like a lion, myself. A to-do list as long as Winter, and a newfound energy that just might be up to the task.

Stepper's list of pending feats:

1. Finish project User Manual (technical writing project) being sure to add some color and a titch of awesomeness.
2. open up all the windows until I'm darn sure that all the old and stale air has been replaced by the fresh stuff.
3. dust dust dust from all them windows being open
4. project SPICY (to be explored in future post - but let me allure you with the single stirring idea: fabric fish mobile)
5. Change something. Perhaps re-arrange some furniture. Perhaps dye my hair. Perhaps adopt a highway. No, not the last.
6. The MonkeyFish's quiet book that I've been DYING to work on ever since the grand unveiling of my Brother at Christmastime. (Bill, my love, how DID you know I'd become such a sewing aficionado? I swear, sometimes it's scary how well you can guess me.)
7. finish writing THE STORY, finish a few of the ILLUSTRATIONS and get the thing SUBMITTED so I can get my first REJECTION LETTER already!
8. Commission a painting from mr. William McCrery - a rainy scene with a red umbrella, please. It needs to feel like the Seattle that I miss so much.
9. learn how to make this.
10. teach Wy to say "thank you". He's very good at saying 'please' - especially when there are muffins involved.
11. Learn how to speak HTML so that I can finally wipe this NOVICE stamp from my forehead.

And, of course, March and I plan to go out like a lamb.

There will also be evenings of dancing with good friends, sharing a blanket with Bill while we read good books, trying out new recipes, walks around the neighborhood, playing Ticket to Ride: Nordic countries, visits to grandparents and great grandparents, and, of course...

a visit from THIS MAN.

Yes, March. Welcome, indeed!

Later addition: I finished writing this post, hit "publish", and scampered off to read some of my bloggy fav's. First in line was C-jane, who wrote a lovely post about hamburgers, which made me wish I had the fixin's because now I got me a full fledged hankerin'. upon further reading, I realized that I had missed her yesterday's post which was about...the coming of March. And an accompanying to-do list. I kid you not - it was like we were sharing a brain - only hers is far more eloquent and quippy. So go read C-jane's welcome to March, and wish (like I do) that my post were as good a read as hers.