RVentures with Doug and Chris: April Showers Bring ... Decision Time

My Easter lily was not impressed. With seven inches of snow on Easter, the April ''showers'' here in Minnesota have been as strange as the everyday life that we are all currently experiencing. We are grateful that we have been able to hunker down in an apartment during the past month and develop a daily routine. This routine has helped us enjoy some normalcy when life around us is everything but normal.

The blanket of snow covered our world for a few days. But as the temps warmed up, we noticed the grass greening up under the melting snow ... as the most ''hardy'' of all Minnesota wildflowers made an appearance.

During our evening walks around Cascade Lake, we observed flocks of pelicans and a couple loons making an overnight stop on their way north. Who knew that this lake was as popular for the migrating wildlife as Walmart is for migrating van-dwellers like us??!!

As van-dwellers, we had hoped to be able take flight like these creatures and go where the wind might blow us. Covid-19 has changed that. ''Sheltering in place'' has given us plenty of time to discuss the current developments, think about our next move, and ask ourselves ...

What will the April showers bring???

Not just for us,

but for our family and friends,

for our community,

for our country,

and for our world.

Our answers showed up in the beauty of the new life that has started springing up around us ...

The sunshine, pleasant temps, and blooming beauty of the last week has us thinking that maybe, just maybe we can bring Baby Beest out of hibernation. Time to de-winterize her and move back in! But where to go?? And what to do?? With campgrounds, restaurants, breweries, and local attractions still closed, our options are a bit limited at this point. We have decided to follow the example of the nature that surrounds us. Van life is all about flexibility. We can use this flexibility to ''fly where the wind takes us'' or ''bloom where we are planted''.

And right now it feels good to be ''planted'' in Minnesota for the time being while also being flexible enough to ''follow the wind'' if we are called to help out family or friends who may need us during this unpredictable time. Thanks to some dear friends, we have a driveway to hang out in and a shower to use while Minnesota continues with its ''shelter in place'' way of life for the next few weeks.

Yes, these are difficult times, but some things don't change.