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.

April showers will still bring forth May flowers ...

... and we will be strengthened with the HOPE that life will be even better than before as we all work together to weather this storm!

Sporting our fancy Easter bonnets in a winter wonderland!

Finding Calm in the Midst of Quarantine

Take a deep breath and for a minute forget about all the craziness that surrounds us.

Good advice ... that at times can be hard to follow. I am not going to lie ... in the past few weeks I have had some challenging days as I am sure all of you have also experienced.

Days when watching the national news moves me to tears.

Days when hearing about family and friends' financial and health struggles builds up my fears.

Days when I can only lift up in prayer those whom I wish I could hold near!

And days when having to ''stay at home'' is quite a challenge ... even with the one whom I (most of the time) call ''Dear''.

As I am sure some of you have discovered, it is difficult being an extrovert in the midst of our current ''stay at home'' situation. I want to meet up with old friends, help out those facing difficult times, and generally just ''get out'' a couple of times a day. My introverted ''amor'' is very content to follow the rules and stay put. After a few not-so-good days, we figured out that we each have to compromise a little and support each other in order for both of us to find our calm in the midst of this quarantine.

While none of us are experts on how to survive during crazy times like this, I would like to share some of the ways that we are working to support each other during this ''stay at home'' time ... activities that can support and recharge both our introvert and extrovert personalities.

Daily walks are vital! We are fortunate to be close to a nice walking path. While this path can be very busy at times, making ''social distancing'' a challenge, we have found that late morning and just before sunset offers the perfect time for avoiding crowds while taking in amazing displays of color and nature. And if I am REALLY lucky, we sometimes run into a friend out for a walk or run, and I can enjoy a brief face to face visit ... 6 feet apart.

There have been a few warm days that convince us that biking season is coming. Riding our bikes on the quiet country roads and up a few of the hills in the area is a perfect way to tire this crazy woman out so that her introvert hubby can enjoy peace and quiet for an hour or two after we get back home. 

Video chats ... the next best thing to being there! While we would love to get together over lunch, the weekly Facebook Messenger chat with my girlfriends does wonders for recharging my social batteries!

Recharging our spirituality is also important during difficult times like this. We are truly grateful that our home parish is video streaming daily and Sunday Masses complete with a small choir that is ''socially distanced'' yet in perfect harmony.

With restaurants closed, making meals in our apartment kitchen keeps this ''busy beaver'' happy! Armed with my basket of spices, I have all I need to cook up Doug's favorite comfort foods with a little added ''kick''. Cooking has always been a very calming activity for me (or maybe it is the ''cooking'' wine that calms me??!!), and Doug is more than happy to reap the benefits of this ''therapy''.

Studying Spanish, texting with friends, blogging, doing online continuing nursing education programs, and following the news developments (in moderation) is keeping this crazy extrovert busy while her introvert husband rests up for our next walk or bike ride. Some days seem long, and there are still sad moments and many unknowns, but working together, we will find the calm in the midst of this quarantine ...

... and signs of love everywhere we look!

Stay Safe and Stay Happy as you

Stay Home!

We would love to hear what you are doing to maintain the calm in your lives during these challenging times. 

From Doug ...

... daily naps are mandatory
and it is OK to stay in your pjs all day!