Lovely Things from May

Homemade ‘za

Homemade ‘za

I have a column in my planner that’s simply called “Lovely Things.” It sits right opposite the “To-Do” list, as a reminder to stop and smell the proverbial flowers. When I added this trifle early in 2020, I had no idea how odd everything would get, or how much ugliness I’d see.

Guys, it’s been a rough one. I’m sorry. I hope you’re safe, and near the people you love.

Yesterday I read this essay in the Washington Post, and it really spoke to me about the week’s devastating events. It’s from a sports columnist who revisits the Colin Kaepernick story. I recommend it highly.

And earlier in the month, there were many other lovely things. Here are a few of them.

  • The mixed berry pie from the Umpleby’s Bakery & Cafe. Do you have a local business that you’re spending extra on right now? We have a couple. My husband is trying to singlehandedly prop up this lovely local bakery. We’ve always bought our bread from Umpleby’s. But since isolation began, we also buy our coffee beans, frequent lunches, and way too many desserts. If my backside is larger after Covid19, it’s definitely the pie.

  • Suzuki Violin Recitals on Zoom. This worked surprisingly well, and I didn’t have to leave my living room.

  • This moose in a pool.

  • That Snickerdoodle Pound Cake from the NYT. (See also: my giant behind.)

  • First pink wine of the season.

  • First black bear spotted in a meadow. (Not our meadow, luckily.)

  • Making homemade pizza with the 14yo. I didn’t drop any of them on the floor. (See: an incident from 2017…)

  • My husband teasing the teens that he’d joined a virtual scream therapy session that just happened to be starting during their school zoom meeting hour. (He gave us a demonstration.)

  • My snap peas climbing up their trellis.

  • Being interviewed by my 14yo son for a school project, with both of us laughing so hard that we had to start the video over four times. I can’t for the life of me remember what was so funny.

  • Why is potato salad so good?

  • Launching another book with Jenn, Natasha, and my ARC team to help. THANK YOU GUYS. It’s not so lonely when I have you!

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