Thursday-3:30pm

Good afternoon!

Annie is thrilled to have the patio door wide open almost every morning.  We've suddenly been having 50s and 60s for highs!

Do you see what is left of the snowbanks? 

They used to be higher than the garage doors! 

Maybe spring is finally here to stay?

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 Annie was rolling with joy in the sun and breeze.

I should have hit video, but this will have to do--LOL! 

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It won't been too long (mid-May) and we can go to the nursery and buy flowers again for the planters!  Dagan and Leah gave me a gift certificate for my birthday for Baker Nursery where we went last year.  :)  I'm bound to have a day good enough to go pick out flowers by then.

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I've had some days where I have felt better--had some energy--felt more clear headed.  So I get a few things done while I can...and pay for it the next day or two--LOL!  Kind of borrowing against future spoons, so to speak.  ;)  But that's okay with me.  I had none to borrow for a long time there.  

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I put together a few pocket inserts from 12 X 12" scrapbook papers.  This wild one is already inside the cover... 

...to hold the stack of ink/drawing pen/marker/watercolor/etc testing that I did quite a while back on the Leuchttrum paper and some other bullet related odds and ends. 

I had a few bad eye days where I needed the blinds and my sunglasses.  Annie wasn't happy but turned them into secret spy days. 

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Something I have been enjoying this month is doing writing prompts and lettering challenges.  Having just a few minutes every day to be creative is good for the soul.  I wasn't crazy about the writing prompts because they were geared more toward working folk, but I loved copying the quotes challenge (even on days my hands weren't working so well) and the lettering challenge of the month was the names of Broadway plays.  I've just been doing them in my daily writing journal...so I covered up the journaling to show you an example of the quotes and Broadway play lettering.

I decided to search for the actual playbills and try to imitate the lettering they used.  Definitely been a challenge--but the funny (but very creepy) part is that google now thinks I am interested in Broadway plays!

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 Anyways, I decided to look for some challenges to continue on in May and decided that--besides doing a quote or saying to copy and lettering challenges--I wanted to add a daily doodle challenge.  I've seen people doing doodle challenges on youtube.  They are just simple line drawings and don't have to be great, you know?  But it forces you to draw a tiny bit each day.

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So I found some challenges.

I don't mind doing the lettering in my writing journal, but I really didn't think I wanted to do doodling in there.  Probably in my bullet.

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I had already set up my bullet journal for May...so I decided to add squares to the left of each day for a doodle challenge.  Going to try that out, anyways.

That's what I have seen--people using small squares.  

I'll let you know how it goes.

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But as long as my energy is limited, this is a fun way to do a little something every day.  I think it has helped this month...and even motivated me.  One day when I felt better I even FINALLY finished the brush lettering alphabet drills that have been waiting since...what?  January?  February? 

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Little by little I am seeing improvement--tada!  I am not zombie-woman every day anymore.  Knock on wood!  ;)

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Oh, that reminds me!!  Had to send my fitness tracker back to Amazon.  I knew something was wrong the second day when it counted 722 steps in three hours while I was watching TV.  Also, if I got up during the night it could never tell I went back to bed.  It just couldn't determine if I was awake or asleep!  Okay, I know I am not that active, but come on!  And by the fourth day I had apparently died--0 steps, 0 sleep and only a working clock.  Oh well.  I'm not sure if I'll try another one.

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Annie has lazy days, too.  Sometimes she sits in the hallway staring into the bedroom for a long time before she decides to go sleep on my bed.  Maybe she's working up to the jump?

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I didn't see any grouse from the time it started to melt until Monday when two of them showed up.  Only the two young ones have been here about once a day.  The grouse have probably moved out to the fields for laying eggs and such.

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The loud, battling grackles have returned...along with the mourning doves and an assortment of small birds I don't know the names of...all dark colors and cute as can be.

The birds love it that I brought in the water dish from the garage and am now filling that with fresh water every morning.  There is much drinking and bathing to entertain Annie...and me, too.  ;)

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No Gramma Day tomorrow again because Ian has a birthday party to go to!  Last week they were recovering from the trip to Minneapolis and Gramma was pretty shot, herself.  Probably this coming week.  We always play everything by ear. 

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I'm very happy that I seem to be having 2-3 good days a week where I can manage to do something besides get dressed, hang out with Annie, and feed us all--whoohoo!  At least I am getting dressed almost every day now.  

Life is good!  :)

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Happy spring for all of you who have been waiting for the shift.  Or happy fall for those of you way down south on this earth.  Have a good one!!  :):) 

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"Do we really need much more than this?  To honor the dawn.  To visit a garden.  To talk to a friend.  To contemplate a cloud.  To cherish a meal.  To bow our heads before the mystery of the day.  Are these not enough?"

Kent Nerburn