In the time I've been not been blogging, winter came upon Portland with a ferocity rarely seen in the last gasps of the season here. In the last few days I've noticed, as have many of the people around here, that spring's tidy little sprouts are starting to poke up out of the ground, and there's an angle to the light that's slightly different in the late afternoon.

I should spare you the excuses - it's such a tired refrain. I've been absent. Away Without Leave. Missing In Action. Nowhere to be Found. Silent. Estranged. Incommunicado.

I should also spare you the apologies, groveling, and promises to "be back soon!" But truly, I mean it.

So get ready to have the excuses poured on, and poured on heavy. Squeezing every last minute out of the day has become the status quo around here lately. I added quite a lot to my plate in February, and honestly it's been a bit rough. I always have a longer adjustment period to new additions to my schedule than I expect. Keeping up with the fundamentals and growing with my schedule has kept me running just fast enough to be forced to drop a few things temporarily until I felt adjusted.

With all of the new stuff I've taken on come new stories and a laundry list of things to share with you over the next few days. I feel like I'm settling into the routine. It feels good to be back.