One Year Later

There's been plenty written about the anniversary of the week when the WHO declared the coronavirus a pandemic and the world suddenly changed. It's been strange to think back on the last 365 days - how much we didn't know at the beginning, my naive assumptions that things would look more normal much faster, and the sheer exhaustion and blur of it all.

Back in December, I started drafting a "year in review" type post, but obviously never got around to finishing it. I am thankful to have the draft to go back and look at though since it contains some details I would not otherwise remember. The post is broken up into 1-3 month segments, and for March I wrote, "went camping on Assateague after cancelling our trip to AZ at the last minute," and "started walking around the neighborhood...a lot."

This year, we didn't think for a moment we'd be able to celebrate my mom's birthday with her in person in Arizona. Instead, we celebrated her passion for birding by taking ourselves and our new binoculars to the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge for an afternoon of exploring. We saw and identified (!!!) at least 11 species of birds, which I don't think is too shabby for newbies not willing to get up at the crack of dawn.

I'm also going to take the opportunity to finally post the photos from last year's, last minute, local adventure: camping in Assateague. I had really been looking forward to a trip home and desperately needed a change of scenery. After cancelling our flights, I moped for a day and then decided we should check off a local bucket list item instead.

That early in the spring, campsites were plentiful, and spending time by the water and staring into the fire at night were a much needed break from work and thoughts of cancelled plans. 

As you can see, we got lucky with the weather and it's amazing to me that after a longer, wetter winter, we have almost the same weather this weekend as we did then - brilliantly sunny, but with a steady breeze that makes it feel cold in the shade.

The view when we arrived after the ~3 hour drive. As we drove, we listened to the news and promises of corporate America setting up testing centers in every neighborhood.

Exploring the next morning. Sunny skies and fairly quiet before the day users arrived.

We didn't bring bikes, so we ended up walking about 10 miles exploring the park on Saturday. We saw 6-8 wild ponies, including accidentally getting a bit too close to one at night.

It was only a 20-30 minute drive to get provisions and do an indoor beer tasting that would be our last one for a long time. 

Barring any unforeseen events, we'll be back camping by the beach again over Easter weekend, replicating a different trip that was cancelled by the pandemic last year. Hopefully we get repeat weather (60 degrees and sunny) for this one too!

Currently - March '21

I think this month's post is done in time to join the link up over at Anne in Residence. Isn't that exciting?

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

choosing - To embrace each month as it comes instead of worrying about where the previous one went. I'm ready for warm weather and eventually getting vaccinated; enough of this winter stuff!

imagining - Getting a camper van and visiting National Parks out west. Or doing some bike touring. Job? What job?

making - Our weekly grocery list does not vary much, despite my efforts to plan different types of meals each week. There's usually a pasta dish, some kind of stir fry or curry, maybe something Mexican inspired, or a soup. 

Recently though I've gotten some renewed inspiration from old Blue Apron recipes (Kale & Plantain Salad) and the show Nadia Bakes on Netflix. Watching Nadia decked out in bright colors in a gorgeous kitchen makes me wonder if I would have the same boundless energy and enthusiasm if I embraced more color in my life. :-D

recommending - We sped through both seasons of Blown Away, a glass blowing competition show on Netflix, and most Sundays you'll find me listening to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and/or Ask Me Another as I do things around the house.

wearing - The same 20% of my clothes over and over again. Certainly, some of that is seasonal - can't really embrace the sundresses and tank tops when it's 40* outside - but a good part of it is working from home and needing everything to be warm and comfortable. Stretchy jeans and relaxed sweaters FTW.

***

And before it becomes even more of a blur, here are a few good things I want to remember about February:

• Becoming an aunt! Cora Meadow was born on February 23, and the photos and videos my brother and sister-in-law send make my day every time.
• Riding 43 miles on the bike trainer, plus a few outdoor rides. Indoors, I follow videos from Train with GCN.
• This recipe for California Roll Sushi Bowls, which was so good we had it two weeks in a row and also has my mother's seal of approval.