Life in these strange times: spring cannot be quarantined

Yesterday, it got warm. And there was this strange U.F.O. in the sky, shining bright... oh, the sun! Never mind. The sun was shining. It hides all winter so I kind of forget what it looks like. Yeah, sunshine.

So I went out for a walk to celebrate the loveliness of the day. Also, I wanted to reflect on the April blogging challenges. And celebrate the happiness of having a macro lens. Almost immediately after leaving the house, I noticed that I was missing something. Well, it wasn't almost immediately. I had already turned the corner and was walking down the next street.

You can't take pictures without a camera. I went back home and collected the camera. And started my walk again. Once I had everything that I needed, I noticed something else.

The trees. They were sporting new colors. The flowering trees were adorned in pink and white flowers. And some of the other trees had big buds that were bursting in green happiness. 

People were outside, working in their yards, riding their bicycles, walking their dogs, and jogging. We were all making sure to stay well more than six feet apart. Before the pandemic, I probably would have hugged a few of the friends that I spotted on my adventure. But now, a touch is terrifying. It will be a long time before we can return to a normal life.

Nature, on the other hand, is glorious. The unseen danger that stalks human beings does not affect plantlife.

The forsythia have become radiantly yellow.

Dandelions have taken over lawns. People call them weeds, but I call them little bits of sunshine, radiating yellow from the ground. Dandelions have a lot of nutritional value. You can eat every part of a dandelion. It helps, however, if you don't mind consuming bitter food. I have tried dandelion greens in a number of ways, but I can't get past the bitterness. It makes kale taste sweet in comparison.

But I digress. Sort of. Anyway, it was a beautiful day. And it's May now. So, the April blogging challenges. My goal was to document my experiences during this pandemic, when everything was shut down. And now, it's a month later.

Everything is still shut down. The blog, however, went in directions that I didn't expect. I continued to blog through a very intense depression. But, somehow, I found my way out of that and am in a much better place. A place of healthy imagination. And speaking about imagination, my round-the-world tour is still in Kazakhstan. 

Stay tuned. The adventure will continue, both here and in distant and awesome places.