Spaaaaaaaa

I just spent the past 45 minutes in complete luxury and it didn't cost one cent. First I was treated to a relaxing music of nature sounds. Next came the warmth -- set upon me like a blanket straight from the dryer. And, when that became almost more than what I thought was comfortable and my thoughts started drifting towards crispy chicken skin, the warmth was muted and I was fanned with a muscle relaxing breeze that brought me to my perfect temperature. And all of this was in my own backyard. I set outside to enjoy a few minutes of reading my book, but found I didn't even want to do that. Never being one of those people that truly could get into -- or understand for that matter -- the true "laying out" experience, I wasn't out there to acquire a golden glow, although let's face it, it certainly might make it easier on the eyes. (Seeing as it is going to be in the 80's for the next week or so and my legs will have to make an appearance, a little color really wouldn't hurt. But I haven't actually stretched out in the sun in a "savage tan" acquiring way in over a half of a decade -- and when you figure I have been pregnant 3 times in that half of a decade that really makes sense -- I have this feeling this isn't going to be the year I go golden either.) And I'm okay with that. After all, who needs to worry about wrinkles more than we already do.

So, I'm in my backyard, which -- although it remains the one part of our house that we really will not be doing a lot to -- is a little rough around the edges, spending time back there really shows just how much character and charm it has. In a nature-loving kind of way. I must have seen 5 different kinds of birds flitting around the 100+ trees we have back there (not that it's a large yard, just very wooded) from sparrows to nuthatch, from cardinals to woodpeckers, and a couple I have to refer to the bird book for. They were chirping and twittering and pecking and scratching just going on with their birdy lives and I wasn't bothering them one bit.

When I first sat down I was inundated with several buzzing, flying things which I thought at first would be a hamper on my oasis seeing as I have yet to develop much of a tolerance for those kind of visitors. However, I found after a few minutes of letting them hover around me and do a few fly-bys I was not that exciting and their drones quieted down and I could finally relax.

My thoughts drifted away from the laundry I had in the washer, away from the floor that really needed to be washed. Away from the previous laundry loads to be put away, and away from the fact that I have one week left of my marvelous spring break. I can't really tell you what I thought about, except birds and bees (not THE birds and the bees) and how the wind was so wonderful and how interesting it was to watch the wind high up in the longleaf pines start from one edge of the yard and go to the other...and so on. (Again, sounds like a big yard doesn't it.)

And now that I've come in for a little freshening up, a potty break, and to put that laundry in the dryer (and of course, to blog this) I think I might put my book back by the bed and get a large cold thermos of water and head back outside for a little more of my own personal backyard spa treatment. Now if only I could teach one of those squirrels how to give a really good maternity massage.