.embrace the winter weather.

So Scott and I managed to stay away from all fast-food restaurants until today - which I guess we can say is the new week - when we tried out a Popeye's.  But we did make it a whole week eating our farmer's market food, so maybe we could just say that we were just awarding our good behavior with some guilty-pleasure fried chicken.

While I've been reading lots of negative comments on Facebook about the snowy, icy, and frigid weather, I have to say that I've not been one to complain about it just yet.  I might not like having to trek in the snow to catch my shuttle for school or having to wear snow boots and then change into flats or heels for teaching, I don't mind getting to come home to our warm apartment, curl up on the couch with blankets, and read or watch TV - which by the way, if no one has noticed, Parks & Recreation has returned for its second season on NBC after being bumped in the Fall thanks to Outsourced - boo!  So Thursday nights allow for a wonderful night of TV viewing in the McDaniel household with Community, The Office, and P and R, and I don't even feel guilty for sitting in front of the TV that long because it is snowy and icy out.

But today was perhaps the first day I realized I'm, in fact, secretly looking forward to spring's arrival and I'm hoping to try out some new things on our small balcony.  Jenna Woginrich is a farm writer/blogger from New York who has written books about the pleasure of the homemade and beginning farming.  Scott and I hope to have a farm sometime in the future so we perked up when we heard her story on NPR's The Splendid Table today.  She was explaining the surprisingly easy lifestyle of raising hens in urban areas - I couldn't believe that people actually have hen coops outside their New York apartments!  Now while I'm not planning on going out and purchasing a small hen and pre-made hen coop as a project this summer (I think our balcony is too small unfortunately) I love the idea of having one soon - so it will just have to wait for now. You can see some of the pre-made coops here.  I do, however, want to start an herb garden and perhaps a couple of tomato plants.  My only concern is that our balcony gets too hot, because it was difficult keeping the plants we had last year watered enough.  So I suppose I will have to do some research before tackling this little project.  And I know that some herbs can be grown inside but we have no more room!

So to those of you have begun complaining about the winter weather, embrace the coziness of the indoors and join me in making spring plans - it'll be here before you know it!