Spring is starting to appear in Boulder. It’s been warm for the past week, barely even dipping to freezing temps at night. Most of the snow is gone. And the plants are waking up, I’ve noticed, both in the garden of my rental house and around the neighborhood. It’s the end of daylight savings time this weekend. There’s a palpable sense of momentum.

I ate breakfast outside this morning. This fact makes me incredibly happy. I love how living in California, stepping between inside and outside or just having the slider open all the time became second nature. I’ve missed that.

I’ve been pouring energy into finding a place to live after mid-April, when I move out of the place I’m renting. The bigger picture for me is still full of a lot of uncertainty around what this year will bring, but I’m trying to focus on simply attending to the present. I was recently listening to a podcast about Marketing that discussed a Keats quote: “Wisely improve the present: it is thine” followed by something about then going forth to meet the shadowy future. So dramatic, but yet it feels like fitting advice for me right now.

I knew this already, but this place I’ve been in is a rare gem — I won’t find another house like this, sadly. It’s such a cared for little house and garden, and you can feel that. The Boulder area rental market is tough. I’m rapidly revising my priorities. A garage or nice kitchen have fallen to the bottom of the list. I am looking for a place with lots of windows (since I expect to become very into houseplants in lieu of a garden). My dog, Edie, has lived in an apartment before but she loves nosing around outside so I need at least a tiny bit of outdoor space, like a patio. Now, my friends know I do tend toward psychological projection onto my dog, so I’ll just go ahead an own up to the fact that I love nosing around outside even more than she does.

There’s a complex in Boulder, close to my office, my current neighborhood, and the garden plot I rented. But, it’s a middle row house, with limited outdoor patio space and not as much light as I’m hoping for, and feels a little overpriced. I’m also looking at 2 apartment complexes, both a bit of a drive away, but which could work in a pinch depending on the lighting. There’s also a small house that’s quite a drive away that I’ll look at this week. It will be more space than I need, but apartments aren’t much cheaper. I keep telling myself something will work out. Stay tuned — the adventure continues.