Hello from a chalk circle drawn on the street in front of our house!

Our neighbor Lori hatched a great plot to bring our community together. Everyone perched in their own circles to share a beer, some music, and some slightly shouted conversation during our socially distant block party. It was the first time I’d worn something other than yoga pants since March 14.

It was also the biggest social gathering Dan and I had been a part of in that time. Bizarre and wonderful at the same time. A few other things we’ve been up to lately:

More time on our porch

The sunsets lately have been phenomenal, as though the sky knows how bored I get around 8:30pm.

Our patio concerts have become a regular occurrence, though we’ve expanded to watching shows such as Dead to Me and Riverdale. Somehow it’s just more enjoyable outside.

More outdoors time

The weather is gorgeous these days — which keeps the parks and trails busy. One of my favorite things to do is to dress like a doofus and head out in the rain instead, when I get the parks to myself.

I’m also on my bike 4-5x per week, usually with this masked avenger below. In this instance Linda let me tag along to see how the library book pickup system works these days — I’m fascinated to watch all the different ways businesses and organizations are adapting.

The Moon in Seven Jars

The small book of poems that I printed has seen so much support from friends and families that I had to do a second printing. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me…

…in fact, the photo below almost killed me with joy. That’s my sister Jenny reading my poems to my baby nephew James!

And you know I’m not going to miss an opportunity to share a picture of my niece Fiona as well. She’s wearing a shirt I sent her!

It’s not all fun and games and sunsets over here — for instance, next week we would have left to drive home to Ohio and see our families, including baby James, and we’re feeling that loss deeply — but it helps to stay focused on the fun we’re having and the ways we’re adapting. We have plenty to be grateful for.