The day started out gray and cool. Hubby had to work, so I went for a morning walk along one of my trails. The flat light makes the redbuds’ purple blossoms stand out. I’ve seen no further chewing activity on the beaver tree, which makes me wonder whether the town trapped and moved my toothy friend. I hope not. My other friend make her usual rounds through the garden, but alas there was nothing for her to eat. A couple of human friends also stopped by for food–specifically to harvest chard, which we have in abundance and it’s only early April. (If anyone local is reading this, let us know if you want chard.) I spent most of the day putting the finishing touches on my next book before sending it to the editor; hoping to publish by June 1.

Later in the afternoon, the sun came out and warmed things up, so I decided to combine an overdue errand with a second walk in a place I don’t get to much. The errand was picking up leftover copies of my first two books at a local book shop. They were selling signed copies for me as a promo for some online book events, and the shop owner wanted me to pick up what hadn’t sold. She wasn’t at the shop, but I talked to her on the phone while I was there. We disagreed on what she owned me based on the leftover inventory, so I left the box of books there, which she will count herself when she returns next week. Then I went for a walk around the nearby lake. One of the townhomes along the lake has some amazing rock art. When I was circling back to the book shop, I got a call from a friend of mine whom I haven’t seen since COVID. She and another friend were at the book shop and wanted to each buy a copy of one of my books! It was one of those happy coincidences: the shop and I both got to pocket more money for sales, and I got to see two friends I haven’t seen in 14 months. We had coffee at a café across the plaza and caught up on lost time. A lot of people were out on the plaza, enjoying meals at the handful of outdoor eating places. There was a wedding, and the village was also celebrating founder’s day, so I small brass band floated up to the plaza on a boat and people danced.

When I came home Hubby was up to his elbows in soil in the garden (after working a full day), signing loudly with his headphones on, for all the neighbors to enjoy, and happy as a pig doing what he loves. I zoomed with Mom, showing her our blooming tulips on video. She looks well and is in a good spirits. We’re all very grateful for that!