Sweet Spring, you precious dear. Sweet Spring, you lovely, shy sister. Sweet Spring, you powerful and understated wonder. Sweet Spring, you beckon beyond the snow-trimmed tree line. Sweet Spring, you whisper along the rays of sunshine pouring into my window. Sweet Spring, your temper tosses the pines, shallow roots upturned. Sweet Spring, you saturate the green patches and swell the streams. Oh, Sweet Spring, how I smile when I take in your breeze! Oh, Sweet Spring, how I am filled with joy as the first shoots emerge! You know, my lovely friend, we've prayed for you each grey day. We dreamed of you, as we've seeded trays and sketch garden plots. Oh, Sweet Spring, with your Celtic tunes and your layers made light. We sway as we step, we hum as we toil. Oh, Sweet Spring, what joy you bring. (first blooms, our first year at the cottage)

You know that time... when you have a third kid and you KNOW your vehicle situation needs to change? Leave it to Subaru  to release a powerful *third row* contender! The hubs and I have been torn which vehicle would best suit our growing brood, now, the answer comes clearer... We stopped by the Cleveland Auto Show to give the Subaru Ascent the once over. She's lovely! Standard roof rails, a towing package, and (of course) ALL WHEEL DRIVE! The Ascent offers optional upgrades that include built in window shades for the second row, as you might find on a Cayenne. She has options for navigation, auto start, and larger wheels for adventurers, or heated leather seats, copious USB connections, and upgraded sound system for the discerning buyer. The Subaru Ascent offers a tidy cargo space, first highlighted in their roll out video, also confirmed by my handy pocket tape measure (#dorkymom #whatfits #measuremuch)  It is a little tighter spacing on the to

Roots are as important as wings, in my humble opinion. This, from a lady who is genuinely, powerfully, and passionately a fan of wings. Roots offer one a springboard. They give you something to push off from. They offer perspective and grounding. Roots nourish the soul. Roots anchor the heart. Roots tether our decisions and roots add depth to our experience. From a young age, my younger brother and I were deeply curious about our ancestry, perhaps to a peculiar level. We wanted to know about the Native Americans who inhabited Northeast Ohio. We wanted to practice their language, fashion clothing, weapons, tools, and footwear in their style. We wanted to know the heroes of their culture and we read whatever we could about their way of life. Not unlike so many Americans now, who seek stronger ties to their ancestral heritage, I suppose, we wanted to understand where "our people" came from, how they lived, and why they were gone from the landscape. Such conversations in 2018