It would have been a beautiful Derby weekend.

post #488
          It's still spring here because we've been experiencing a long cool spell. Many trees show a slow road getting to that deep summer green. They're not there yet. Yesterday was beautiful -- my birthday, for one thing. Calls with friends and family, but still mostly #HealthyatHome.  SO, to prolong spring even more, I want to share some of the most recent spring views as the pandemic continues its harsh path through the reality of our lives while the efforts of so many citizens to take one for the team have helped us all out. Thank you all, including the ones who aren't always sure they are making a difference by seeming to do nothing.

OUT AND ABOUT, favorite spots, in the car, by myself:

rear wheel drive sculpture

Closer to home:

coming home after a walk

One birthday, three friends (a surprise) in three different cars, tea and sympathy  -- and laughter from way more than three stories of our long history of these families helping each other out. Thanks for the surprise and the company!!

bluets again, all over everywhere

DISCOVERING THE LAST BLOOM IN A PATCH OF DWARF  IRIS IN THE NEARBY WOODS.

          Can the red-winged blackbirds be found? There's one in each photo -- a summer rerun at the pond:

the other birthday in the family, T. is now 9!

having to redefine "close" with family, for the time being

Two hours ago, at home:

         Most Kentuckians continue to be so grateful to Gov. Andy Beshear, for his clear commitment to helping as many of us as possible to stay alive.  He and his team put common sense science and compassion ahead of political games and, well, to be blunt, greed.  
          And let's hope that if we do have the Derby instead in September, however unlikely that is, that we have an equally beautiful day for it. It's quite the tradition in Kentucky.

expressing thanks in the moment

post #485
          I give thanks for this lovely spring, for my extended family, for friends, neighbors, my Quaker community, long ago college classmates, and for my curiosity gene and trusting heart. I want to keep things simple today, partly as a way to express those thanks, and partly just because it feels like the proper response to a world having to reexamine itself. 
        Just for the record, I don't think not having a church service -- for the sake of the health of other people -- is a strike against religion. Instead it feels to me like a gesture of solidarity with the human race, making things safer and holier for everyone, assuring there will be less lives lost. In this circumstance, I am very pro-life.

         OK, first a celebration of a favorite tree, the redbud.  This year they have been quite their wondrous selves.  Here are a few recent photos; I have others from earlier years, but that's for another time. They are early harbingers of the fuller spring beauty to come.

along route 504

        I also want to acknowledge the ongoing remarkable response across the nation to the enormous effort happening all around us. Thank you everyone who's working so hard in the face of the Covid19.  This reality is far from finished, and the need for continued patience is huge. I have a subscription to the New Yorker magazine, and I'm sharing last week's cover -- an image that speaks loudly and clearly.  Also thank you everyone who's going along with #SafeAtHome.  It's all about one day at a time.

a TV screen shot from our Governor's daily report, sharing compassion and clarity - again so many of us thank him for his reliable truth telling.

I did go 4 miles from home today for Easter dinner -- I brought my own table, chair, table cloth and silverware!  I enjoyed dining in the carport with my three local family members before returning home. They ate before I came and then sat on the back of the pickup during our short visit.  

I SO LOOK FORWARD TO WHEN I CAN HUG MY FAMILY and FRIENDS AGAIN.

T. drew me the hug bug I had requested a few days ago!

A recent moment at my pond, and I do believe there's a fish in it! I also find ripples a vivid reminder of how what we each do goes so far beyond ourselves.  Again, a topic for another time. Enjoy.