Remember back when I was in the market for a hammock? Well, at the end of a fabulous Craigslist tale, in which I embarked upon a trek through Vancouver, Washington, with only a cell phone to guide me, I somehow ended up with a $100 camping hammock WITH STAND for only $20. Since then, sunny days have been hard to come by, until today:

A hammock, a book, a beer and a leftover sandwich that my friend Amanda left in my fridge last week. A perfect evening.

Do you see that, Internet? IT’S MY SHADOW! Do you have any idea how exciting it is to see your shadow after all these months of gloom and rain and clouds? Right after this photo was taken, I ran back into my apartment like Punxsutawney Phil.

(It was a little chilly when the sun went behind the clouds, so I brought a blanket. Okay, it’s not exactly warm right now, just sunny. But when you’ve been in hibernation for 3 months, you take what you can get.)