February is the month when winter begins to feel perpetual. This time of year, hot, sandy summer days seem eons away and the trees look like they may never turn green again. But this year what’s normally the coldest month, has been unseasonably warm. As in 70 degrees instead of hovering around the 20s. While thoughts of climate change lurk in the back of my mind, I can’t help but enjoy this reprieve.
Last Friday, I typed legal briefs with all of the windows open on the second story of my house. The breeze actually smelled of summer! The weekend before, we took advantage of the warmer temperatures (in the mid 50s at that point) to take a long walk through the woods.
I’ve also been able to get in a few beach runs, an activity I’ve generally put off until late March in the past (opting for the treadmill during the frigid months). There’s absolutely nothing like a good run outdoors. Especially without concern for freezing ears and fingers!
Apart from the warm spell, I’ve also been going a bit mad for smoothies/smoothie bowls this February. The blender that’s been sitting on my counter since summer is finally getting some use, mostly thanks to my rediscovery of Angela Liddon’s amazing vegan recipes on Oh She Glows. I highly recommend her In the Buff smoothie bowl (which tastes like iced cream) as well as her Green Tea Lime Pie smoothie bowl (OMG!).
The six-year-old also approves of some of these smoothie recipes. Pretty remarkable, actually, since lately she boycotts nearly everything that isn’t pizza or macaroni and cheese. 
I’ve also begun to think seriously about some of my 2017 goals for becoming more environmentally conscious. Grappling with the knowledge that modern consumerism is pretty much an ecological nightmare, and the fact that I really enjoy shopping, hasn’t been all that pleasant. Especially when the least necessary purchases I make tend to be in the spirit of fashion.
To be honest, I have more clothing than I know what to do with, and purchasing anything additional would be unnecessary and irresponsible. Especially since, due to time constraints, I buy most of my clothes online, using more resources to package and ship the items.
So here goes–I’m not going to buy any new items of clothing for at least three months. This may sound like a ridiculously short amount of time to abstain, but starting with a year, or even six months seemed sort of daunting. It’s really awful, but I honestly don’t think I’ve gone three months without buying anything new for a very long time. It’s the sales that usually get me. Let’s see how it goes and just maybe three months could turn into six, or longer. (;
Have any of you tried this? If so, I’d love to hear how it went!
Until next weekend,
Cate
Weekend Blog 