Wrangler Dani

It feels like Spring around here. Instead of the usual snowstorms and cold flurries of February, we are enjoying bright, sunshiney mornings and warm afternoons. My bulbs are popping up in the flowerbeds and the grass is trying to grow despite the fact that we won’t have irrigation water until April! Since Spring is springing, I thought I would also get a jump on my manifesto for this season, especially since that’s probably a surefire way to get some snow.

So, this Spring I want to:

• build our outdoor cooking area. We have a Big Green Egg smoker, a grill and a deep-fryer and they all need a home on our deck. We have material and ideas for a nice little cooking area, and this is the time to make it a functional, pretty place.
• work in the yard, and maybe even plant a little veggie garden. I am no great gardener, but I have a compost tub and a lot of enthusiasm. That has to count for something, right?
• go camping. We decided to move to Bend while sitting in our camp chairs on the edge of the river, drinking Deschutes beer and realizing that our lives were going to change in a big way. Whenever big life stuff seems imminent, I want to camp, to remind myself that I’m really not in charge and to reconnect with Adam as we forge forward in this adventure together. So this Spring, as soon as the nights quit being so chilly, we are loading a cooler with hot dogs and we are headed for the boonies, at least for a night.
• enjoy my office. Adam has worked so hard to help me get my little barn office in order, and it’s so much fun to have my own space out there.
• move forward with therapeutic horseback riding. I interviewed with a local therapeutic horseback riding center and have been helping out there once a week. It’s such fun to be with kids and horses again, and I want to continue getting involved, even in small ways.
• pursue girl time. Whether it’s a glass of wine on the deck, a weekend trip or just the occasional email or phone call, I want to spend time with the great girlfriends God has given me, and tell them how much they matter to me – even when we’re far apart or when time together is hard to find.

What’s your Spring Manifesto?