I’m writing this as we anticipate another freeze tomorrow. My phone’s weather app is telling me it will get down to 28 degrees on Friday night. I think about the momma robin who worked so hard to craft her nest among the clematis vines and hope she will be okay. Not to mention all my perennials that have already started blooming.

1)  Now that the weather is above 45 (at least until tomorrow), I’ve started to take daily or near-daily walks again. Magnola trees are always gorgeous with their fluffy petals, although ironically we always seem to get wind storms in spring, which blow those delicate petals right off.

2)  My garden is popping up, which is always super exciting. Pics above show the difference of one month. Many of these plants came from my neighbor, Shirley, who I think of often. It would be impossible not to, really, with evidence of her presence just over the fence in her still-beautiful garden, as well as in my own yard. Some of her plants have creeped into our garden and I like the connection of her space bridged with ours.

3)  I’ve walked the same streets over and over again for six years now. I’ve been trying to find newness, which is around if one looks hard enough.

4)  I always love looking at all the homes. I’ve been trying to look at them with a fresh perspective to keep my creativity in check. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does.

5)  We were gifted this beautiful loaf of bread from a co-worker’s daughter (who also babysat twice before this whole pandemic went down). Everyone seems to be making their own bread lately and why not. I have yet to, but aspire to at some point. I do have flour and yeast, which are getting harder and harder to find.

6)  Not to say that we haven’t been baking. In an Instagram post, I said that I think I’ve eaten more dessert during lockdown that I had all of last year, and I believe it’s true. Cupcakes, muffins, banana bread, pistachio cake, cookies, scones. It’s a big problem. And yet. I continue baking and eating. Because if you have been stuck in your house with the same people since mid March, you deserve many, many treats, this I know to be the honest truth.

7)  We did allow ourselves takeout once this month. HURRAY! It was such an exciting day, I cannot even tell you how happy I was to not have to think about what to make that night. But moving on.

I made ceviche for the first time ever. My friend posted a photo and recipe on Facebook, and I had all of the ingredients, so I gave it a go. It took longer than the recipe said, but it could also be because I didn’t cut the pieces small enough and maybe they weren’t fully soaked by the citrus. It tasted great and I will definitely make it again, next time with less oregano and more hot peppers.

8) The little one turned our guest bedroom into a fort. Which lasted over a week before my OCD brain could not handle it any longer and I took it down (with her blessing). She slept in there one night, too, which was pretty cute.

9) People are getting really casual during this kooky time. Me included, but I’ve always been pretty casual, especially when at home. This local news article made me laugh, which has been hard to do nowadays. Not the make me laugh part, which is always a challenge, but finding humor in a news article.

10) Finished the Bear Brook podcast (while puzzling, of course). It was very well done. Good reporting, likeable narrator, good “characters,” interesting story. If you like true crime, I recommend.

11) I couldn’t focus very well this month, so reading was minimal. I did finish ‘Untamed” by Glennon Doyle and unlike a couple of my friends who didn’t like it at all, I enjoyed it. I felt it was much too long, that she could have said what she wanted to say in half the space, but I felt many of her passages made sense to me and felt empowering, or at least made me take a look at my own life.

12) I am sooooo glad I purchased the spring flower share from Detroit Abloom. It’s the first year they’ve offered it. Usually shares start in June, but they opened up a small amount of shares for spring. How needed are flowers right now? MUCH needed. And they are beautiful. Plus, the pick up location is my porch, and I love seeing them all when they get delivered.

May is already here. There is still so much unknown floating around. But there is also so much hope. It’s spring, after all.

We had a glimpse of warm weather last weekend, so I am looking forward to more of those days. I’ve talked to family and friends I haven’t chatted with (outside of texting or emails) in years, I’ve FaceTimed with people I usually just talk to on the phone. I absolutely LOVE taking my time in the morning to get ready for work. That’s probably been the best benefit of the lockdown. Being able to have coffee in the morning and my own 20 minutes of peace and reflection before calling for the kids to come down for breakfast.

That’s a wrap on the strangest April to date. Sending you love and wishes. Happy May!