you give me fever

*note to readers* - my apologies for being a bad blogger. Getting up to speed at a new job will do this to a girl. I resolve to post more regularly now that things are settling down. Promise.

Yesterday, Minneapolis topped out in the low 40s. We went from ice box to defrost in less than 24 hours, and I was totally digging it. I walked across downtown -- outside -- for lunch yesterday. It was gorgeous, even if I had to trample through crusty, dirty mounds of icy snow pack to get there. The air smelled warm. If you are a native Northerner, you'll understand what I mean. If not, take my word for it: spring air smells different. There's something biting and stale in winter air, cold, clinical, sterile. As the air warms up, life starts to seep into it, and trickles into my lungs again: it's like the world around me collectively exhales.

We ran around Lake Harriet after work yesterday. It was gorgeous; the wind was mild, the path was (relatively) clear, and everyone we passed smiled as we went by. Maybe it was the nonstop 3-year-old motormouth in the stroller, but I would like to think it was a shared bond of being a hearty Minnesotan who braves 35-degree sunsets in order to get the first outdoor run of the year in on February 19th. I imagine being able to see through people on days like yesterday, into their lungs, which are pink with blood and inflated with cool air, and almost radiant with the joy of being outside once again. I was reminded last night why I love my big little town, why Minneapolis renews her siren-call to me every spring, why I stay. It's so beautiful, and I get the people here. I know I could live anywhere, but Minneapolis is just... home.

Oh yah. Spring fever, in the worst kind of way. Thankfully, it's meant to be in the 40s for much of this week. I'm ignoring the snowstorm they mentioned on the news last night. If I didn't pay attention, it won't happen. Right?
Wait. Minneapolis, in March. A whole month's worth of snow yet. Hrm.

Additional signs of spring:

• I ordered all the seeds for the garden Sunday. They should be here in a week or so. The planting begins March 19th!
• Pitchers and catchers reported yesterday. Randy Shaver reported in shorts from Florida last night. He always sounds so damned exhausted when he reports on-site; he makes me feel like I should go to spring training and report for him; I'd be all kinds of enthusiastic, no matter how hard I worked during the day. It's warm! It's baseball!
• Paige and I had a rousing conversation yesterday about going to the Twins home opener (squee -- I cannot wait!). She's stoked about getting to eat hot dogs, snack on popcorn, and scream her little lungs out. Now, I need to help her memorize the line up...
• It's light when I get to work. It's light when I get home. (side note: I'm a little concerned about how this new daylight-savings-time thing is going to work. Not for all the computer problems it will cause -- I lived through Y2K using technology -- but simply for the circadian rhythm adjustment. The spring forward is always difficult for me; I am a little anxious about extending it for almost 2 months.)