Day 52- May 3, 2020

Day 52- May 3, 2020

This morning felt like summer.  The temperature was in the low 70's, the sky was a bright blue, and since it was Sunday, there was no school work to be done.  E. had her breakfast (cereal with milk from Abma's Farm) at the patio table, sitting in the wrought iron seat and twirling between spoonfuls.

The sun's rays grew warmer as the day progressed, and we opened the windows in the greenhouse for the first time to prevent it from growing too hot.  I carried down a giant tupperware container of summer clothes for E. and R. to pick through, so that they could try on bathing suits (more on that later) and find weather appropriate outfits for the day.  E. was excited

to wear her yellow crinkle dress, tying it around her arms and chest instead of her neck ("otherwise it's too tight and pinches me!").  She and her sister were happy to get outside again, bringing out their umbrellas to twirl and toss in the air.   They also decided they would jump off of a variety of objects in the yard with the umbrellas to try to fly, because, in R.'s words,  "I've seen the cover for Mary Poppins, and she flies with her umbrella!"

This made for some good photos, but after a few jumps, I got a little nervous about the success rate vs. potential for broken bones, and we moved onto pulling out an Easter present that the girls' great aunt Marian gifted the girls.  It's a splash pad, and after fiddling with where the hose attaches (it had a piece on it that was apparently an attachment to help if your hose was abnormal), I was able to hook a hose through the greenhouse, and pull it over to the plastic contraption.

Meanwhile, R. ran upstairs to change into a bathing suit, while E. continued running around with her umbrella.  As the splash pad inflated with water,  water began to spout out of small holes around the exterior.  R. gleefully ran and jumped through the fountains, which got higher and higher as the pressure in the pad mounted.  E., seeing the wet fun, decided to go change and emerged a few moments later to slip and slide her way through the water.

I ran into our tenants in the driveway, where were having an impromptu "bachelorette" party for Traci.  They are set to get married on May 23, but with everything going on, there's a greater likelihood that will be delayed. But there they were, toasting six feet away from some of their closest friends and happily smiling at the love enveloping them.  They have each other, and whether their wedding day is in a few weeks or months, that's not going to change.

There's something magical about having time outside in the sun and warmth, that makes you feel like everything might just be okay.  Yesterday, driving home after bringing Jeff dinner, we watched the sun set while playing "Wake Me Up" by Avicii.  The song has a peppy beat, and the girls were singing along, their words flowing in the breeze.  Today, watching them galavant around the yard, it was a reminder of how much there is to enjoy in each moment.  From Jeff playing chess with each kid individually to cooking homemade veggie pancakes (carrot, zucchini, and potato latkes) with E. for dinner, each day has its own special times that can be held onto when moments of doubt or sadness creep in.  In a few more weeks, as the daylight hours increase and temperatures rise, we can hopefully find ways to combat this virus, and rise above it to be better people who appreciate the little things in life.