No Place Like Home(r): Signs of Spring

It's nearly the summer solstice, and I am just beginning to notice signs of spring here in Homer. The lilac bushes outside of the library have had tight dark purple buds for the last three days- waiting for a warmer day to bloom. Crab apple and cherry trees finally burst into flowers, and the snows on the mountains of Kachemak State Park across the bay are slowly retreating towards the peaks as green foliage creeps up slowly to meet them.

It has been rough weather the last week and a half, day after day of 50 degrees with overcast skies and rain. This story accurately paints a picture of the mood here: I went to an outdoor BBQ last week hosted by local bar, complete with live music and free food but there was maybe only a dozen people there, all huddled up in jackets and hats. For a brief moment, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. Everyone stopped their conversations, looked up, pointed and exclaimed "The Sun!" and each person (including myself) proceeded to clap and cheer together. As quickly as it came, the light faded away, and people resumed their gray conversations.

The weather did give me a lot of time to work on my yoga pursuits; I built a website, scheduled and marketed outdoor classes which I will be teaching beginning next week (forecast of rain), and fine-tuned my sequences and playlists. If you're interested, here's my website for my outdoor class series and here's my personal yoga website.

I feel much lighter than I did when I first arrived. Maybe it has something to do with the 60 degrees and sun today, but I also feel gratitude for the friends that I have met here- and especially for their invitations to bonfires with s'mores. Maybe soon it will start to feel like summer, but meanwhile I am still homesick for the sweltering hot midwestern days and swimming in cool lakes...