We are finally heading into my sweet spot temperatures! Most days look like they'll be in the 50s and 60s for a 10-day stretch without a terrible amount of rain (although it's supposed to rain this afternoon). Weather days like this are a gift. It's easy to think "man, it's nice enough to go ahead and put in the flower seeds," but it's not. Upper Northeast Tennessee is tricky. You can have stretches of beautiful weather this time of year, then bam! A massive cold front with a hard freeze and sleet or snow will move in over top of the nice weather and then your seeds will never germinate. So the key is to wait until at least the second week in May to put in seeds and plants. See my giant red zinnias from last year? I love zinnias so much. They're very nearly the perfect flower.
I've been visiting a friend in the hospital. Yep. We're finally back to being able to do that! She can have up to two visitors at a time. This tells me a lot about the Covid situation, that it's definitely improving. I'm still being cautious. I'm not yet terribly big on having indoor gatherings, so we're not doing that just yet. I think we'll probably wait until after Easter to see how numbers look after that holiday before we do anything where people are indoors. Even then, it'll only be our immediate bubble of six. I know some people are just kind of heading into a free-for-all and going back to normal. I don't think that's wise, so I just keep away from those folks for now.
The thing that has struck me through all of this is the decrease in flu and severe cold cases. I don't hate wearing a mask as I have managed to get quite used to it, and, given a choice during cold and flu season, I think from now on, I'll personally choose to wear a mask. I've not really had flu much in my lifetime, but the two times I had it, I thought I was dying. Two weeks, deathly ill, then a cough that hung on both times for over two months. No, thank you. I've never cared about what people thought of me, so if I'm the last gal standing with a mask on, so be it! Having said that, if others choose not to wear a mask once this Covid stuff is under control, then I've no problem with that, either. Personal freedoms and choices are a wonderful thing!
Prettier weather equals more kitten time outside equals more allergies. Buy stock in Benadryl, y'all. I'll personally be raising its value over the next three months! But it is SO nice to go outside and not have to be wrapped up in five layers! It's so funny how I forget about that aspect of the warmer months. The first time I'm able to take Lacey out in the early morning hours, while it's still dark, and am able to wear shorts and a T-shirt is just absolute heaven. It hasn't happened yet. We'll be cold/chilly in the mornings for a while longer yet, but it's definitely something to look forward to!
I'm ahead of the game this year for Easter. I've already double checked with Peggy Ann Bakery about my bunny Easter cakes and eggs. They said it's the same this year: they'll make lots and lots, but call ahead with an order, even if it's just for one or two of them. They cannot keep them on the shelf, they make them and they go out the door the minute they finish decorating them. So next week, I'll call and place my order of six bunnies and six eggs for each person in the bubble. The frosting is to die for, old-school stuff. Pictured below are last year's cakes. See what I mean?? CUTE! It's incredibly nice to have a local bakery where the stuff tastes good. I could never work there, though. I'd get fired for eating the profits!
We go to 65 today, but the afternoon rain will make it feel chillier and damp. I think I'll make a mini spinach souffle a bit later on to eat with a French baguette that I need to doctor up with butter and Parmesan and bake for about 10 minutes for that gold finish on top. When it rains in late afternoon, it's definitely indicative that you need to slow down and do something a bit mindless. For me, it'll be a movie while I work on laundry (that ever-present house chore!).
Another weekend has rolled around. At some point, I've got to get myself in gear. The time change is this weekend, and I promised myself that with the time change would come a food change this year. We don't eat terribly bad, we do pretty well with vegetables, but there's significant room for improvement. I used to use the time change to switch us over to a semi-Mediterranean food plan. Very healthy and fairly easy to attain. I may go that route again. If you are careful with planning, it's not expensive to execute.
Hope your Friday is blessed and your weekend is calm and restful. Don't forget the time change on Sunday!
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