
No, I haven’t been out to Roundrock since December, but thank you for your concern. I don’t think I’ve ever let a month go by without some kind of visit to my woods. The weather wasn’t very conducive for wandering around the forest in January, though there were one or two days when I might have gone.
The first week of February was devoted to seeing the little guy above. I’ve run out of superlatives to describe him, so just take my word that he’s the most wonderful little boy in the whole world. Ever.
He slept most of the time while we were there, but that was okay. Just holding a sleeping infant in your arms is an important human experience. (And I found I still have the soothing skills I had cultivated more than 30 years ago when his momma was an infant.) He began to use his eyes — deliberately use them, that is — while we were there. Once we could get his attention with a rattle or a smile, he would follow it as we moved it, first moving his eyes and then turning his head. Pretty sure that’s a major milestone.
I was hoping to induce a deliberate smile from him while we were there, and I did get a few smiles, but I think they were random. From what I’ve read (I don’t remember such details from my own infant-caring days) it’s still too early to expect that. (His other grandparents arrive for their first visit this coming weekend, and it will be my luck that they are able to get him to smile. If so, I’ll say that I laid the groundwork!) I don’t think I’ll get to see him in the flesh until late spring, which is not my desire but is a reality of the world. I’m hoping his daddy will get him an iPhone soon so we can Facetime.
The day after we returned from New York (a Sunday), the temperature at Roundrock skyrocketed into the 60s. It would have been a perfect February day for a visit. I know the dogs would have approved (having spent the prior week “at camp”). We chose not to go, however, because we were recovering from our trip and getting our Midwestern legs back before returning to real life on Monday.
Instead I laced up and went for an 11+ mile run in the balmy weather. Short pants, only one shirt, a ball cap rather than a knit cap, light gloves instead of mittens. (I struggled for the first seven miles, but then I found a groove and finished well.)

The shoes you see above are my newish Altra Paradigms (where do they get these names?). They are zero drop, which means my heels in them are at the same level as my toes. It also means that my knees and ankles ache after a run since I’m not used to that kind of foot action after my many decades in conventional shoes. I did not wear these on my Sunday run though I did wear them for both of my runs in NYC. I took the photo above as I was riding on the subway back to Brooklyn, having run four miles into Manhattan to pick up some cronuts. I gave a brief account of that adventure here.
The weather for this coming weekend looks tolerable for a Roundrock visit. I hope we can manage it. It’s long overdue.
Happy Birthday, Momma Rachel!