SKATE AT YOUR OWN RISK

The wind blew so ferociously last night that I kept wondering if my little cabin could withstand a falling pine. The recently-fallen tree near the fence was not reassuring. And I grew up in Wichita, where everyone learns at an early age to hold tight to the door handle as you exit your car, lest the wind rip it out of your hand and smash a nearby vehicle.

So I don't want to brag, but I totally know when it's windy.

Unfortunately, living with strong winds did not give me a cavalier attitude toward them. Come to think of it, I have an entire wind point of view.

Now's not the time to share, and it's probably boring.

But the closing thought of the essay would have been: "And those are just a few of the negative qualities that wind shares with dust; I plan to one day give god a piece of my mind about both of them."

Morals of the story: I survived the night, spring is blowing into Nederland, and their ice is totally cracked.

I got this shot on my way down to visit town for a little while today. I needed to plump my brain back up with some input after working on a freelance project for the last few days.

Walking into a few stores on a quaint street, I talked myself into and out of a designer hippie handbag, if that's a thing. Talked myself into and then purchased a large lovely smoky quartz that I'll turn into a souvenir necklace when I get back to Kansas City. And I walked into, then back out of, a coffee shop constructed of three train cars—without any coffee.

I realized while waiting in line that I might as well keep my perfect record.

Evidently I've unconsciously been recreating on a tiny scale the survival story I came here to capture in my screenplay. Before I left Kansas City, I spent $110 at Aldi, the first trip I've made there in years. I was thrilled at the choices. Honey goat cheese! Beautiful mangoes! Whole wheat sandwich thins! I topped off my stockpile by raiding our pantry.

Since February 27, I have not eaten a bite that I didn't bring with me. I have not had a sip of a Colorado-purchased soda, coffee or water. Or any coffee, for that matter.

I've saved money, and I think I've slimmed down a little. I've eaten very well without cooking,. Lots of fruits and vegetables, simple sandwiches, things like that. Ramen twice, and good lord I'd almost forgotten how delicious it is.

And I've held on to that dang goat cheese all this time. If you've been to restaurants with me, you know that if an item includes goat cheese, that's likely what I'm ordering.

I'm going to be honest with you here—tomorrow is my last day before meeting Brandon in Denver, and I panicked a little that I would run out of refrigerator access and have no choice but to eat the whole thing like a banana. Because one does not throw out goat cheese.

Instead, I annihilated it over the course of about 22 minutes. With bruschetta toast. Like a lady.

And that is the story of my day.

*bows*