4/6: spending time outside

...twice today.

In the morning, Chris and I went to see the dogwood blooms in our woods.  There was only a single tree flowering this year.  It's sad to think that "our" dogwoods may have run their course, but I'm glad we got to see one today.  I also checked out the tulips whose bulbs Chris had planted.  The strong storms this week came at a bad time for them:  their stems got broken.  But their colors were bright on a grey day, and there are maybe two buds that escaped damage and may bloom in the coming week.

In the afternoon, I squeezed in a short walk. When we finished doing our federal taxes, it wasn't raining, so I took advantage of the window of opportunity.

4/5: sending out

...a swap.  I send a lot of mail, but it's been over a year since I've participated in a formal swap.  When partners got assigned last weekend, I got nervous about what to send and if the recipient would like it.  But this morning things felt more possible--I felt more optimistic--and I put together a (hopefully pleasing) envelope of things and got it in the mail before I could second-guess myself.

4/4: safe travel

...to and from work over the past three days, which have been filled with tornado and thunderstorm watches and warnings.

4/3: a meeting

...that turned out to be much better than anticipated.  A bunch of us were so relieved and glad as we left together after it was over.

4/2: receiving

...three great notes about recent mailings to friends.

4/1: reading

...the students' comments on one another's altered pages.  They were perceptive and generous.

3/31: dropping

...a big mailing of pamphlets (40-ish envelopes) into the post office blue box this morning.

3/30: a sweet hour

...or so this morning.  I was drinking coffee and reading.  One cat was in my lap, one was in a cat-bed on a side-table next to my chair, one was on my footrest, and one was on the chair opposite mine.  We were quiet, content, and cozy.  As I read and they dozed, I finished The Ellsworth Assortment series by Christina Dudley.  It ended with a celebration of family, and that felt fitting because the cats and I were having our own sort of celebration too.