Not long after we slept in our igloo, Minnesota gave up its half-hearted attempt at winter, moving right into springtime. Practically overnight, birds began chirping, and our icy abode was nothing more than a patch of muddy grass. In Illinois, spring came even earlier, bringing with it blooming cherry blossoms, magnolias, and fresh farm-stand vegetables.

The arrival of spring has brought with it a fierce case of wanderlust. Each day I spend typing away on my computer, working on my cookbook, I find myself daydreaming about our future travel plans, things like bicycle touring across the USA, hopping on our motorcycles and traveling down Mexico way, and strapping on backpacks and hiking boots to take on the Appalachian trail.

I feel like the poky little mole in The Wind in the Willows, who leaves his dark burrow, bewitched by the rising sap and budding leaves that urge him to go. He takes to the open road, carefree and curious, ready for whatever adventures lay head.

Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.

Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

But, now is not the time for vagabonding. To everything there is a season, and this is the season of preparing for adventures to come. For now, instead of setting off, we're staying put, busy laying a foundation that will support us for the rest of our lives. Thankfully, remembering that we're working on the long game makes it easier to keep my bewitching case of wanderlust in check.