Who would have thunk? Certainly not me. Yet here you have it:

1. February 2014, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
2. March 2014, Dali and Shaxi, Yunnan Province, China
3. April/May 2014, Cambridge, MA, United States

I have been home in East Cambridge, now, for two months and am enjoying a third Spring this year, albeit one that is slower to warm up (it is almost officially summertime and we are several weeks behind what we typically see at this time of year). Since returning to the U.S. from Asia, I have been surrounded by a blooming crab apple tree as well as flowering plum, cherry, apricot, and peach trees, tulips, allium, wisteria, a climbing hydrangea, and more. The garlic has given us a large crop and we have used many of the leaves in our cooking. Yesterday I cut the scapes. In July we’ll pick the bulbs. I have seen the leaves on all of the trees turn from that bright lime green freshness that I only associate with the new start of Spring to a deeper green that indicates that Summer is here – or at least on its way. When it arrives, it shall be my second Summer this year.

Clearly, I have settled into life at home. I am in love with my home, husband, cat, the New England Area, and knowing that I am close to my family and friends in Montreal. Yet I know (and I have mentioned this before in this blog), I will want to be on the road again, soon enough. It is a matter of striking a balance between nurturing my life at home and moving about – with my heart and feet grounded here, yet being able to live elsewhere – even if it is temporary.

I have moved more than twenty times in my adult years. I seem to be always searching. The places I’ve lived and visited have helped me find home, including inside myself. But I have lived with Steve for 16 years now, and find that I have learned to cultivate home and love. Here I am.