Normal

 I realized as I was cleaning downstairs today, that last year at this time, I was furloughed, JP was quarantined, and the girls were home from school.  How different it is this year!  We are all fully immunized, except for L, who is too young.  The girls are back to school 4 days/week.  I am working again, and doing many telemedicine visits.  The girls and I have masks to coordinate with all of our outfits.

This is our new normal.  We are going on with life.  We did our annual Easter Egg hunt outside on a beautiful April day.  J said that she wanted to continue to do this as long as possible because "I always win!"

Even Stella got Easter Eggs!

The girls are currently at their first dress rehearsal this afternoon for the Spring play, which opens in 10 days.  I am worried that things are opening up too much and too soon.  JP is seeing a huge increase in the numbers of positive COVID tests every day he works.  J is planning for prom.  I typically work at one vaccination clinic per week, and I see shots going into the arms of hundreds of people, but I don't see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow yet.

But we continue on - what else can we do?  J has been accepted at YSU (#goGUINS) and I am effectively blocking all of the emotions that go along with that - at least for the time being.  She recently sent in audition recordings for the theater program, and had a virtual interview with the director and several instructors of the program last weekend.

I keep cooking and baking, with many successes and several fails - such as this Angel Food Cake.

Spring keeps advancing - the tulips that we transplanted from raised beds in the garden to my flower bed by the house are in bloom.

The peeps were racing across the feed trough that we started them in, flapping their tiny wings ferociously, so we moved them into the hen house.  It didn't take them long to settle on the next-to-highest roost!  Unfortunately, I found one dead this morning of unknown causes.

The redbuds and the dogwoods are blooming in the woods.  The grass is growing.  JP will soon have to get the mower out!

My seedlings are going crazy in the house.  I am hoping that we can soon till the Rye cover crop in the garden so I can plant them because I am going crazy in the house too!

So embrace the new normal.  Keep going, because giving up is not an option.  Be careful, because the virus is still raging out there.  Dig in the dirt because it is good for the soul.