We started last weekend with a birthday party for Tricia. We had some friends and family over and called it a BYOHH party (Bring Your Own Happy Hour). Lots of good food, conversation, music, and I even got to dance with Alexis. Our dance floor is pretty small!

On Sunday Tricia made crispy Parmesan rounds topped with mushrooms and goat cheese, one of my favorites. I made a layered eggplant, tomato, Gruyère, and basil bake.

Unfortunately Tricia woke up Monday not feeling well, thankfully today she is getting back to her normal self. We took it pretty easy all week, and I did get a painting done of a place we went on our central Oregon trip.

Here is a bit of a teaser for Tricia’s blog today – she will be posting about a trip we took years ago to Mexico. We even climbed the pyramid at Chichén-Itzá. I added the places we went to the map I started last week.

I hope your week is going well. We are already thinking about spring. In our contemporary Western culture March 15, equinox, is the start of spring, but that is not, has not been universally recognized.

The Celts considered the equinox as the midpoint of spring, with spring starting on the first of February – Irish meteorologists often use March the first as the beginning.

Shakespeare gave a bit of credence to the Celtic view when he wrote Mid-summer Nights Dream, the solstice as the midpoint of summer, which would make the equinox the midpoint of Spring.

So I have counted February the first as the start of Spring for many years. I await each year to see the crocus plants announce the season, always in spring. So happy spring, it starts on Sunday. The days are getting longer and I watch the trees out the window for buds.

Spring is a time of hope, and we so desperately need that now after this “winter of our discontent.”