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It turned cold and rainy this afternoon. When I went to get the mail, I felt chilled for the first time in a few days. Fortunately, the garden got more attention before the rain started to fall. Looking out my upstairs windows, the colors of the blossoming trees were popping. A nice little lift to a dreary evening.
...it doesn't get quite the attention the front does. But someday, it too will be something more than it is now...or shall I say, its true self will be revealed. Nature is quite willing to be an accomplice to creating magic.
It warmed up to the mid eighties today. That's a lot warmer than normal for this time of year. It felt really good, though, to be in the sunshine and warmth, to have my hands in the dirt. I got a lot done in the four hours I was outside. Little by little the garden is waking up.
This morning I picked a good bunch of greens...kale and mustard. They're cooked up now with onion, mushroom, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and will be placed in (on top of?) puff pastry, along with crumbled feta and baked. That will be dinner...along with a salad.
I feel longing for my old life these days. Even though I'm introverted by nature and am used to spending lots of time alone, the self isolation that's come to be with the pandemic is making me weirdly homesick. I feel home and grounded, mind you, but I miss partnership and the company of family quite keenly. Making these photos reminds me of all the Polaroids I have from life in California...and I hold the appreciation, the longing and ultimately the acceptance for what is now, in my heart.
Avery and I are taking a little rest after working in the garden today. And what a delightful day it's been!
It was a super lovely evening...
The garden is building some momentum. And what a joy to be out there making discoveries!
I really can't complain. The rain has been moderate, but winds calm, no severe storms and we need the moisture. But the grayness on top of these days of isolation is getting to me a bit. I'll be okay, but just by virtue of observation I know I'm feeling...melancholy. I'm missing my family and living in partnership...and I'm trending nostalgic. As long as I'm aware of what's going on, that's okay. The feelings will process, the sun will shine again (making it easier to get out in the garden to work and absorb those beneficial UV rays) and, some time down the road, this current crisis will have moved on.
After completing my daily drawing project from 2019, I returned to photo/blog post dailies. This past weekend, however, I finally pulled out the brush pen Julian gave me last Christmas and started playing with it. I don't set out to draw something in the sense that I have a preconceived notion of the image. Instead, I start with a shape that pleases me...that somehow feels physically good to make...and let the drawing go from there. Sure, the designs are kind of weird, but I actually like that. Some times when I'm done I go back to see what's there, how the shapes come together to remind me of...something.
I work remotely with a local property investor. Some times there's a lot to do, a lot of running around, or maybe, like last week, a lot of online research. Well, the current state of affairs has made for reprioritizing. So as a change of pace my employer asked yesterday if I'd like to meet her for a walk, where we could keep our appropriate social distance, this morning.
Strangely, after our 85F temperature just a few days ago, it was about 45F today! Not only that, it's gray and rainy. This meant a lovely, empty park...to take in the green hills, the just barely leafing out trees, and redbuds coming into bloom.
I think this whole Covid 19 business is catching up with me. This was the first day when I was feeling my isolation. Maybe it's because it's my daughter's birthday, although I haven't had the opportunity to spend it with her in a number of years. Still, there is a longing for family that's increased by all that's going on.
On the plus side, I got to talk with my brother who shares his birthday with Laurel, even though he's in a hospital having gone through bone marrow treatment for cancer. It was good to connect and tell him that I love him. I also found myself experiencing heartening neighborhood interactions (all at the proper distance) with folks asking after each other. Lastly, my employer called to check in and see if I wanted to do an acceptably distanced walk together tomorrow. Long story short, I ended up feeling less isolated and melancholy than when I started the day.
There's always something to be grateful for. An evening out by the fire pit was a lovely way to end this Sunday.