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The going has been rough lately. Too many complainers, more remodeling work than could possibly be accomplished by two people, flopped recipes for supper, and garden plants with curling, blighty leaves. And the weather. Monday and Tuesday were hot, so dense and uncomfortable it was all I could do not to sweat standing still.

But then there was Wednesday. I got home from work, and the cool air outside the car felt like a sigh of relief. I hurried to check the plants in my garden, hopeful that at least they had profited from our temporary tropical climate. Lo and behold, the seeds had sprouted! Green beans, peas, zucchini and cucumbers were bravely reaching tiny green leaves toward the sun. I fawned over them, inspecting their little shoots and marveling at how something as simple as poking a seed into the dirt with my finger could produce these wonders of creation. I checked my "cheater" plants, too - the ones I had purchased in pots at the garden center. The tomatoes' leaves still seemed to be suffering, the edges curling and gray in some places, but they were getting bigger and looked a little healthier I thought.

Heading home to my apartment, I decided it was the perfect night for chocolate cake to celebrate my small green accomplishments. With each window flung wide, birdsong and sunshine streaming through the screens, I set to work. A recipe from the Barefoot Contessa was too good to pass up, with a cup of fresh brewed coffee stirred in right at the end. The scent of warm chocolate permeated the corners of the apartment, chasing out musty, humid smells locked in while the hot air forced us to stay closed tight.

Content, I sat at my computer reading emails. Junk. Junk. Junk. A note from my editor in chief: Two of my stories are on the front page this week, above the fold! "Thanks for all your hard work — it is being noticed and appreciated by the community." How could he have possibly known that I've been feeling like maybe I can't handle freelancing for the paper with everything else that's going on? It's like he has ESP and knew exactly what to say at the right moment. Now I'm smiling from ear to ear and in love with the idea that I have business cards that say "Staff Writer" on them. This guy is good.

When my cake was cool, I whipped chocolate buttercream frosting until my arms were tired, and spread it on the cake an inch thick. Perfect.

And then, not wanting to ask too much of just one day, I went to bed. And the breeze blew through the curtains, frogs singing me to sleep.

Winter is Me

I watched snowflakes fly on Sunday with an ironic smile. On the heels of a lovely warm week, during which snow melt was significant and spirits were high, a dose of winter weather put us back at square one. No more trips to town without long underwear and forget about smelling the aroma of grilled steaks and burgers on our evening walk. Perhaps I should be sad, but I'm not. It is February, after all. On the first warm day, I put out of my mind thoughts of the universe realigning so that we could have a Floridian climate and instead enjoyed the unexpected bounty. Now that it's gone, I've picked up my knitting, snuggled into a fleece hoodie and made myself spiced coffee and scones for breakfast.

I love winter precisely because of its terrible weather. Nature's display of omnipotence never fails to impress me. It's scary sometimes to think that ultimate power resides in people, and we decide exactly how life plays out. Considering my personal mistakes in judgement, not to mention those of others, an occasional snowy reminder that we are not in control soothes me. And as we shift to a digital lifestyle where things are man-made, manufactured, mass-produced, I like the idea that a snow storm can unplug us and create space for wonder and amazement.

I tried to remember these philosophical musings as I scraped two layers off of my car Monday - the top one snow, the bottom one frozen rain. As I worked, the ache of my wimpy arm muscles was drowned out by the clinking of tree branches all around me, their hardened hoarfrost chipping and falling with each contact. I had to smile, amused that every time I get to the point of really hating winter, something stops me.

In the midst of this return to winter weather, I'm reminded of my unemployment. I've come to accept it, though at first, it seemed ridiculous to watch the Today show almost every morning, steaming coffee or tea in hand. Now I see it's sort of like having temperatures above freezing in February: It's a short warm streak, not a change in seasons. I'd better enjoy it while it lasts because just like Minnesota's weather, things will soon right themselves, and I'll barely have time to look back and remember how nice it was to have a break in the clouds.