Sunshine

It's a beautiful day in Nelson. The first one we've had since I arrived, actually. It's nothing but clear blue skies as far as I can see. I can't find cause to complain either way, really; I've loved the overcast, spottily rainy weather we've had the last four days, but it's great to see old Nelson as bright and cheerful as it was the last time I visited.
I went for a run this morning, and it was more arduous than I'd expected. I guess I should clarify: as Corina and I are living in an area called Washington Valley, the only non-hilly direction I can take when leaving the house leads me straight into town. As such, I headed up into the hills around the house, and as a result, my "run" was pretty intermittent. Turns out cycling uses muscles far different from hill climbing, and I wore myself out very quickly trying to travel at any speed faster than a walk. Certainly got my heart rate up for a good thirty minutes, though.
I'm easing into life here. I feel as though I'm continually experiencing deja vu, I guess mostly as a result of having dreamed of being here for so long. That said, I do have many awakening moments throughout each day, when I think to look around and then realize that this place really is different from Minneapolis.
For one, I'll have to wake up pretty soon and find myself employment. One thing I'd conveniently forgotten is that everything here is bought at a premium. I'm not worried about it, but the rate at which one must spend money here is a good motivator to continue the search for work.
For two, more interestingly, we just don't have this kind of landscape back home. There are familiar trees for certain, but they mingle with huge ferns and palms and tall grasses all the way up the hill. I'll take photos of all of this, I promise; right now, you'll have to settle for a shot of the view from our couch.
For three, the insects are strange. Our courtyard is covered (without hyperbole, yes, covered) at certain times of the day with these tiny bugs whose backs are covered in a tuft of fur that looks like dandelion seeds. Their backs are arched like those plastic carnival toy frogs with the tab on their backs, the ones you can make hop across the room; and if you put your finger at their backs, they hop in the same way. They also have a habit of hopping from the trees and the roof, and plummet straight down at the ground. At first I confused them for raindrops. They're completely harmless, and I get a big kick out of them. Also, less impressively, there are flies. Lots and lots and lots of flies. The windows here don't have screens, so if we want a breeze to pass through the house, we have to accept the presence of a few extra tenants. (It's alright, though - Corina keeps a big can of Raid at hand.)
Not much else to report yet, really. Everyone here has been warm and welcoming, and I'm grateful for that. I'm happy here, and excited to see what happens in the next week. Hope you're all well.