Frogs Emerged

Wednesday: On yesterday's farm walk the frogs were chirping. They've re-surfaced from the mud and decomposing 2020 pond growth. Happy sounds. Lots of eggs floating. Even a tadpole spotted...

So, I'm emerging from the pandemic slog and slowly, carefully expanding my individual universe to include a trip or two to shop for stuff and food right off store shelves. All masked, distanced, and mindful. I can plan a few things with greater confidence of actually doing them when I decide on a good time for something to happen. The hours spent trying to score online stuff with time-consuming computer research and guesswork, or an elusive curbside pickup time slot is already being replaced by a bit of actual reality shopping!

The apartment I moved to in the early summer of 2019, has begun to fulfill one of my hopes I'd just started to experience before the pandemic--meals and visits here with family and friends. Aidan's 17th  birthday in 2020 was the last such get-together. On Monday, Pat was here for lunch, a walk, and a nice long conversation on a beautiful spring day. I guess we're vax-mates now.

Several Days of Distraction: DIY shelf cube unit in a box...

The middle horizontal shelf had a mishap when a connecting dowel snapped off, the remaining part glued inside. I took the panel to the farm and John reamed it out for me and honed a new dowel to a size to re-fit. Thank you, John! It only took the rest of the next morning to finish construction.
Whew!
Remind me not to do this again.

Now I'm behind on everything else but satisfied to have this unit put together and functioning.

Egad. We had Palm Sunday. Easter! is next. I'm so unready.

Wendy, John, and I got as far as a plan that we'll be together on Easter Sunday thanks to vaccines putting us into a low-risk category though the second shot is forthcoming (soon) for Wendy, John, and Aidan. Keoni's second is finished as of a week ago. But our Easter planning was set aside yesterday so the family could take care of dear old Fancy's demise and mourning a beloved pet. From our welter of text photo-sharing, there is now a new section above titled Electric Attic (see the upper right column) and click on Fancy. 

A counter to our sadness was the happiness of a new little goat kidded at nearly the same time as Fancy's worsening decline. This one is X. His mama is Ophelia, his daddy is Legolis. I could not think of a name to go with X other than Xavier. We'll see what the family comes up with. For now, he is Mr. X for me...

Ophelia & Mr. X

From out West, it was a delight to see Elijah's big smile on a video that Jeff sent of this young man at the wheel of the family vehicle after securing his learner's driving permit. Later this month he will be ready for the manual driving test when he has his 16th birthday.

Just now, a batch of texts arrived with photos Elijah put together for his photography class. He was to photograph a subject or a model. He chose young brother Kingston as a model...

Congratulations, Elijah! on your wonderful new portfolio. You rock!

In Tucson, Paula completed a month of desert colors making a different one each day of February inspired by the desert and its life around her. I relate to the colors and even feel nostalgic pangs for the desert when I look at them...

You can see more of Paula's art at Paula Borchardt or on Twitter Sonoran Sketchers which includes other southwestern artists as well as Paula's work.

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From the Catch-Up Desk: I know I promised catch-up in this space. It will happen but with an addition in design. Above, you saw that I started an "Electric Attic" gadget. Catch-up will go there as I comb through the last few months, my archives in the closet, and items bulging in this laptop. 

It grows late, so I'll end with good wishes and hopes for safety and health to you and your loved ones, including all the different colored ones, and the furry, scaley, feathered, finned, and even the crawly. Remember, Albert Schweitzer didn't even swat a fly. It's springtime.

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Young great-grandneice Lily found her first dandelion of spring...

Outside the front door of Dock Manor.

Moonset early morning a couple of days ago.

Spring is happening, the country is happening. We're emerging from serious woes, one petal at a time. Lots of gardening ahead but plenty of fertile ground awaits us.