Swinging on Birches

Today is March 24th. This morning, it was 17 degrees and we had snow flurries. Today is March 24th. We've been preparing for spring a bit around here. I've been in a crazy purging/organizing frame of mind for about a month now and even the Meat Man is getting into the spirit by spending all of Saturday raking and disposing of the layer of leaves that blanketed our grass through the winter. So, even if the weather won't cooperate quite yet, I'm pretending spring is here. I saw this recipe on a girlfriend's facebook page the other day, and with a couple of minor tweaks, I knew it would be a keeper. Avocado Chicken Salad Ingredients: 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 avocados, chunked 1/4 sweet onion, diced 4 T mayo (I love the mayo made with olive oil) zest and juice of 1/2 lime handful of cilantro, chopped fine *salt and pepper to taste Directions: Cook the chicken breasts thoroughly.  For this recipe, I just boiled mine for 15-20 mi

I want to share a story. A story about a child. He came in to the world in no unusual way--sweet smelling and happy and infinitely loved by those around him. His parents spent a lot of time loving him and in the process, made a bazillion mistakes. Daily. But, they tried. They worked with him to talk, walk, hold a fork, use the potty. They laid with him in bed during bad dreams and allowed him to snuggle in their bed when he was sick. They were lucky enough to be surrounded by great friends and family and mentors. And overall, they did a pretty good job. But again, they messed up. A lot. Sometimes, they pushed him to do things he wasn't ready to do. Sometimes, they held him back when he was ready to move forward. Sometimes, they were too hard on him. Sometimes, they were too soft on him. Sometimes, they got angry when they should've been understanding. Sometimes, they let him get by with something they shouldn't have. And the years pass