Raindrops keep falling on my head...

The first rainstorm of the spring has arrived! I find this terribly exciting. Umbrellas sprout across campus in various hues--yellow, bright red, polka dot, navy, black. Campus is refreshed. Gone are the last vestiges of snow and slush. The air is warm and fragrant with a hint of growth to come. Standing beneath a pine tree after a hard rain is heavenly. The crisp tang of evergreen, the delicate beads of moisture clinging to needles. Nothing makes me happier except possibly the sight of worms poking through good black earth. Now I can believe in my heart that spring is really here.

I began weaving my overshot today. My design has proven slightly larger than I had anticipated but I guess it doesn't matter. It is only a table runner after all. It feels good to finally be weaving on the loom. Nothing I hate more than setting the whole thing up. Painstaking and time-consuming work. But that is momentarily behind me. Now I can focus my attention on the process of weaving, which is most enjoyable. It goes pretty quickly too. I am already almost done with my first band of pattern. Not too shabby since the rest will be broadcloth.

I spent most of Saturday outdoors, which was incredibly uplifting. I didn't plan on taking three walks around town. It just sort of happened but what a pleasant diversion. I woke early on Saturday and decided to take a walk around the neighborhoods bordering campus. It was a lovely day--sunny and warm. The streets were sleepy, hardly anyone stirred. After lunch I went for another walk with my friends down to the Rock River. Mallards were swimming and a lone fisherman sat on a picnic bench casting. We ended up downtown and walked back to campus via the park. Naturally we stopped to swing and play on the equipment. Across the street we could see the campus Poetry Garden where a youth group had gathered with a bunch of balloons that they released before we left. A chaotic and lovely scene with all the different colors drifting away, fading into the horizon. After dinner my friends and I headed down to the Pleasant Street Coffeehouse to relax and read their fascinating coffee table books. If I have one piece of advice for incoming freshmen it is as follows: take advantage of gorgeous days by exploring off campus. You never know what you might discover.