Optimism

These little tulip buds have such hope and gumption, pushing through the frozen ground and new layer of snow as if to insist that they will eventually prevail. And they will. I've been feeling a little like this tulip lately and trying to force myself to look ahead, out of the gray dregs of winter.

One thing I did this week to beckon the spring is to sign up for a CSA. We've done them in the past but found it a bit burdensome to leave work in time to pick up our share, and then I found myself up to my eyeballs in beets which I really don't care for. Our friends used this new farm share last year and loved it, so convinced us to buy in. Much of the produce will be grown and harvested in West Philadelphia on reclaimed land, creating jobs for Philadelphians and nutrition to boot. As a bonus, we get to pick what we want each week! They give us a list, but we can pick and choose a bit. We also added a fruit share, which will come from local-ish farms and is bound to be delicious. We can add on a la carte for things like eggs and honey and jam, which is a nice option. And the clincher - they deliver! This other business, Wash Cycle Laundry - who pick up, wash, and then deliver your clean clothes on a fancy bike contraption, will drop off our share each week on Thursday evening. This guarantees a weekend of delicious cooking. It means I won't need to schlep fruits and veggies home from the farmers' market while I'm 8m pregnant. And, it goes from May 29 through November! Which means when I'm exhausted and stuck at home nursing a crying baby, at least a guy on a bike will see me once a week and bring me tasty foods. Looking forward to it!