Reflections on the 2018 Blogging from A through Z challenge

Now that it's time to reflect on my experience with this year's A through Z challenge, I am almost speechless. What do I say about a month that I spent looking for beauty in likely and unlikely places?

At the beginning of April, I took a selfie with a camera because... C is for camera!

I have managed to find beauty every day. Some of the days didn't seem very promising. There were early spring snow and high wind conditions.

inhospitable surroundings do
not deter the determined crocus

There was an ice storm.

... but winter, beautiful in its
frozenness, was not willing
to leave gently.

There were mounds of litter that needed to be picked up. Those were the most unlikely places to find beauty. There were places in which I found expected beauty. On April 24th, when I arrived in San Diego, after a cross-country flight, I was greeted by the sight of very tall palm trees. As I waited for my nephew to pick me up, I squealed, "Palm trees!" I had managed to leave a winter that didn't want to say good bye and arrive in a place that was warm (for the most part) and full of bright color.

The fruits of last summer have
become these delectable treats
(Grand Island Farmers Market,
April 8th).

For me, the theme was an opportunity to really look at my world and find something good in it. When I started, it was still winter, despite the date (April 1st).

I won the peanuts and bought the
almonds and used a food processor,
purchased at a garage sale,
to make peanut butter and
almond butter. I explored the world
of the foodie, making yummy
dishes with those nut butters.
Food is beautiful, no matter
the weather.

Because I struggle with winter blues, I really had to reach to find beauty in a season that I would gladly skip. I did manage to discover beauty in the coldness and grayness that I have trouble loving. I found beauty in the fun and adventure of my visit to family in sunny southern California.

The challenge was a good experience for me. I did manage to post 26 times, which was exactly the number of posts needed for the Blogging from A through Z challenge.

There was an ice storm. I
stayed inside and cooked. One
of the dishes that I made was
vegetarian West African peanut soup.

It was, however, an exhausting experience because I write each day's blog post on that day. Sometimes, I fell behind, due to days of too much busy-ness or a long day of travel. I am happy that, at the end, I had caught up and was able to complete the challenge of finding beauty in likely and unlikely places every day.

life sized chess game in sunny 
Riverside, California

Western Day Parade in Lakeside was
fun and fun is beautiful.

I look forward to next year's challenge and, maybe this time, I'll buy the T-shirt!!!

What an adventure! We went to a rodeo on April 29th!

Tomorrow: I'm heading to Buffalo to check out the cherry blossoms at the Japanese Gardens on Hoyt Lake behind the Buffalo History Museum, and I will share pictures right here!