better days...

This is a week of rain in New England - at least Western Massachusetts - where it is all rain and a wild fluctuation of temperatures. When the precipitation has not been falling, I've been tweaking the garden - adding wooden borders or granite blocks from our neighbor - and replanting native flowers and plants. It is our hope to saturate the remaining gardens with wild flowers this weekend. We need to rake and clean out Louie's "Milkweed and Butterfly Garden" too before I head west to spend a week with Phil and Julie. 

It feels a little weird to know I will be flying across the country after being in seclusion for 14+ months. My doctor and friend said that he and his beloved have been trying to visit a new eatery every Friday since being fully vaccinated. That feels like pushing it to me but, as he says, "I spent more than a year masked in small examination rooms. Thank God I made it through that healthy, so now I'm going to reclaim some of the beauty of life with gusto." I wonder what it will be like in San Francisco? Or the airport? To be honest, I am much more at peace puttering about our Zen Celtic garden, but love calls me to the airport.

For the first time in more than 14 months I won't be live streaming on Sunday morning. That, too is pretty weird. Nor will I be connecting with my community in L'Arche Ottawa via Zoom. I am going to do an abbreviated FB live stream of "Small is Holy" on Saturday, May 8th (time to be announced) so those who are engaged in our Mary Magdalene series can stay current. But then I'll be off for a full week. 

Upon my return, my musical buddies and I will start to plot a late summer/early autumn rock and soul concert: it will be a time of returning thanks to God and science for all the sacrifices that have been a part of our shared lives during the COVID lockdown. I can't wait to KICK OUT THE JAMS, brothers and sisters, and make a TON of rock and roll noise! Stay tuned, dear friends, as the next month is going to be wild. I can't wait to see my loved ones on the West Coast. I can't wait to celebrate my anniversary with Di tomorrow. I can't wait to get back into the garden. But wait, I must. This poster Di posted earlier today gets it right...