“Most of the dandelions had changed from suns into moons.”
― Vladimir Nabokov
For a long month, May seemed over before it began! Likewise… holy cow it seems like all we did was drink! (Perhaps that is why the month flew by? lol)
Anyways… there were some good things this month! Like so many sunny days, blooming iris, and unfurling leaves! AND… there were so many not.too.hot days to be outside enjoying the weather!
Always there are things I could have done better, which include doing more spinning during the month. I barely sat at my wheel in May, aside from that photo to start the month. I hope to remedy that and find some inspiration to sit and spin some in what remains of this month.
There you have my May memories. What about you? What stood out for you in May?
The start of April seemed to go unbelievably slowly – inching by at a snails pace. And there were so many days with snow! Gah, crazy I tell you!
I am dividing the month’s look back to Home and Away. One was obviously better than the other, but boy… both were good…different, but good.
First up… Home:
April absolutely fooled us with a snowy start. But Spring fought back and I attended and out-of-doors Easter Service and loved it! We got our Second Jabs done AND had our first outside Happy Hour of the year! Woo! And, speaking of outside eating! The patio opened at Spoonwood Brewery and we went! I also finished a very woolly sweater that I got a good bit of use out of in April…sigh. But, I was so happy that I had it! (Hint… I did not do a very good job on packing for Erie…I forgot a winter coat because my brain was apparently switched off)
Presque Isle…take me AWAY:
Traveling with an aging pet is a challenge – Sherman hates stairs, but he really hates unfamiliar stairs. We have found a place we like… and while it costs a little more than most places in Erie, it is all one level and it has a fenced in yard! And it is less than 2 miles from Presque Isle (and it is right around the corner from the BEST Mexican restaurant! Haha!) So a little more money to rent, but it really works for us. However!! It has ONE rug in the entire house… not good for my aging pup! So we brought Sherman’s Super Highway of Rugs so he could get off that one rug, lol. Oh, and we brought his “cozy blanket” because when you are professional napper you need a good cozy blanket! Hahaha (and yes… you do see a little sweeper in that last photo… Pug owners the world over know that if you go someplace, you need to be able to clean up after your beloved little Super Shedder!
I think the photos speak for themselves… we were outside all.the.time. In all.the.weathers! (only with a Lopapeysa for warmth…silly me!) One thing that Spring does well are skies and boy were they glorious! We got moody and broody skies, white wispy clouds in light blue skies, and not a cloud in sight deep blue skies! And I even channeled Vera a bit with those turtles on the log!
We stopped at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center on our first day there and a Presque Isle Conservation Officer told us about some “less traveled” walks that we would have never found on our own… they are less traveled for a reason! We made good use of these new found trails!
Yes, there was snow. But it was just so incredibly beautiful I could not even be upset about it. It did not last, but wow was it gorgeous! I think that even the plethora of diving ducks on Presque Isle Bay liked it!
I even saw a freighter and quickly texted my daughter to find out where Christian was! (He was not on that boat, but that is exactly like the boat he works on!)
All photos were taken with my iPhone but I was really wishing I had my “big camera” to get some photos of all the birds we saw! There were so many… and so many (more than two dozen!!) NEW to me birds. I have seen them in bird books, but never in the wild! We also watched members of the Erie Bird Observatory banding migratory birds! Watched… as in stood at the table and watched them weigh, measure, record, and band birds. It was so fun!
I worried we would not have a day that we could hike out to Gull Point but the weather and the wind cooperated so we could! The trails are underwater, so you have to traverse along the beach – so if there are strong westerly winds you need hip waders to get out to the point. It was an excellent trek! We saw Bald Eagles, Ospreys, and Common and Caspian Terns!
I will leave you with a wee bit of video so that you can see how Lake Erie can go from wild to calm… and it is beautiful in every stage!
I will be back here on Wednesday for some Unraveling!
It is the seam between winter and spring—though seam suggests an even hem, and March is more like a rough line of stitches sewn by an unsteady hand, swinging wildly between January gusts and June greens. You don’t know what you’ll find, until you step outside.
― V. E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
This quote from Addie LaRue describes exactly the March I had. A rough line of stitches sewn by an unsteady hand perfectly recounts the days of the month. One would be hard pressed to sew a straight line with the wild winds that March brought! (I know because I attempted a bit of sewing on the pergola cover that the wind has wreaked havoc with!)
In March I jumped on the Costco Tulip Bandwagon and thoroughly enjoyed their brief, but spectacular display! I also got my first COVID-19 vaccination (dose two happens today!) which means I am one step closer to seeing family that I have so desperately missed. Though there is no photo as my daughter does not want photos shared online, Olivia reached the 6 month old milestone. Thankfully, I do get sometimes permissions from Heidi to share Vivi and Winston… and this month’s Winston just made me laugh! Those curled up toes. That hat! (Bald headed babies are just the best, yes?) I have been enlisted to do some hat sewing, which I hope to get to this week!
I enjoyed seeing the movement of the sunrise as it inched its way up from the back corner of my yard heading to its summer rising point.
Despite winter wanting to cling on a bit, the signs of spring kept gaining ground.
And that was March… I hope your March had some high points! See you all back here on Wednesday for some unraveling!
But February made me shiver… — Don Mclean, American Pie
As I put this look back together Don Mclean’s song kept echoing in my head. A melancholy song for a melancholy month… a month of some hard emotional lifting. A month that the weather, miraculously, matched my mood.
But as I look back, I see glimmers of hope… increasing daylight, a gift of flowers that remind me how very much I am loved, a brilliant young poet who speaks to my heart, not one but two finished objects, and a wee doggy who is simply the best companion – especially on the hard days. Oh, and the snowdrops closed out the month, gently reminding me that these melancholy days are not permanent.
I have been debating with myself since the waning days of December about doing this last “Look Back” of the year. It was just such a month of “nothing.” Yes, I decorated for the holidays. Yes, I listened to music and sang along loudly! But it just wasn’t at all a “normal” year. Christmas gifts were ordered (for the most part) on Amazon and shipped directly to the recipients. If I thought mail was slow moving here in my neighborhood, well… Michigan said “Hold my beer” with their mail delivery foibles (a simple anniversary card has yet to arrive, though it was mailed on December 14th). A package that was full of special things for Vivi was sent at astronomical cost via UPS, but at least it arrived safely!
Yet, though all of this… it just did not feel like “year end” if you know what I mean. December just felt very discombobulated. I found myself waffling between these two sentiments: how on earth is this year over and how on earth is this year NOT over!
But there are photos (minus the 28th when I just did not take any photos at all!) and, though they are far from exciting, I am sharing them with you!
The Best Part of the Month
Are things that are not reflected here. A handmade Christmas and Birthday card from Vivi. My daughter’s ingenuity in making an ornament with Winston’s wee handprint on it! FaceTime calls, phone calls, and text messages galore. And my son getting a significant promotion at work. Those are simply the best things ever.
Something New Old
In this month that lacked any semblance of “sameness” I found the best comfort in “old things.” Things like ornaments my kids made when they were little and Firestone Christmas carols.
Also… me… yes, I quietly turned 60 in December. And that was exactly how I wanted it to be. It was a day of reflection for me… where I have been, where I am now, and where do I still want to be.
Best “Oh, Wow” Moment/s
I loved that the Scott Volunteer Fire Department brought Santa around… masked and safety protocols in place… so that the child in all of us could experience again the wonder that is Christmas.
The Christmas morning photos of Vivi and Win just make my heart sing with joy.
AND! That $6 amaryllis that I got from Trader Joe’s that started to open on my birthday.
What I did Well and What I can do Better
I did these “Look Backs” for the entire year, but I think they can be better. More unique. More individual. My word (Release) is helping with that… in fact it might be the very first thing I let go of… the rote task of scrambling to take a photo. Yes there will still be a look back in 2021, but it will look and feel very different!
That is it as I shut the door on 2020. I hope you enjoy this look back as much as I do! If you want to see the entire year of Look Back, you will find them all here!
Thanks and I will see you back here on Wednesday for some Unraveling!
