A Monday Pause

No, you haven't lost track of a day -- it's still Monday and I decided I wanted to post, mainly because it was a very busy weekend and I didn't want to have to cram everything into tomorrow's post!

Mondays are usually rough in our house. Rainbow is very much not a morning person and it can be hard getting her out of bed on any day, but Mondays are especially hard -- and this Monday is the first day she had to get up and go back to school in person after being home for the last three weeks (she was on spring break for the last two weeks of March, and then they did school remotely last week to give people time to quarantine without missing school if they'd traveled). Surprisingly, though, she was up and ready to go, and it was a very pleasant morning because of it.

We really did have a nice weekend; while I say it was busy, it's not that we really went anywhere or did much out of the ordinary, but we got a lot done. The highlight of the weekend was probably Friday night, as it was the first time we had our once-traditional family dinner with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law. As I think I've mentioned, my parents came back from Florida about two weeks ago, once they were two weeks past their second vaccination shots. My sister-in-law was the first to be vaccinated because she's a pharmacist at our local children's hospital, and my brother got his second shot about two weeks ago (he has a heart condition that qualified him to get one under Pennsylvania's 1a phase). And though I haven't really been broadcasting it, the Mister and I were lucky enough to get our first shots a little more than two weeks ago. Normally we would have had to wait until next Monday, when the state opens up eligibility to all adults, but we got a tip from several people about a vaccination clinic near us that had open slots that day, and they were looking for people to come get the shots. So because we were now two weeks out from that, it was decided that it was safe for all of us to resume our Friday night dinners. Rainbow is the only one in the group who has not been vaccinated (we're watching those trials for 6-11-year-olds closely!), but she'd been home for three weeks anyway. And let me tell you, it was simply wonderful. For a couple of hours, things felt normal. I'd almost forgotten what that was like, and it was such a balm for my troubled soul.

On Saturday, Rainbow and I did a big clean-out of her closet and dresser, partly to switch over what's in her dresser to her warmer weather clothing and partly to set aside the clothes that no longer fit her or aren't really her style anymore. The synagogue committee I cochair is holding a clothing drive for spring/summer clothes in a few weeks, and we've all pulled out things to donate. Right now there are about seven or eight large shopping bags in the corner of our living room to contribute, and I'm anticipating that pile will grow! Rainbow is delighted with how much space she now has, particularly in her closet, and I'm delighted that people who could really use the clothing will get it.

Yesterday was cooler and windy after some rain overnight, but I did convince Rainbow to take a stroll around the neighborhood with me. I guess I'm fully in spring cleaning mode, because before we left I did a scan of my bookshelves and pulled about six books out to drop off at the Little Free Library in the neighborhood; when I'd walked by it earlier in the afternoon, I'd noticed that it looked pretty empty and could use refilling. Quite a few books in my collections are hand-me-downs from my mother or ones I've picked up from the "free space" in my office, and usually I'm not emotionally attached to them; I'd much rather make room on the shelves for books that I really love and will want to read again. I didn't plan on taking anything from the FLL, but when we stopped to drop off the books, I found a pristine paperback copy of The Nickel Boys that I had to take home (I borrowed it from the library when I read it, and I'd really like to read it again).

We were noticing a lot of gorgeous flowers and flowering trees in bloom on our walk, and when we got back, I had to stop and snap a photo of the dogwood in our backyard, which is in peak bloom right now and know won't be this beautiful for long!

It was a challenge to take this without also getting all of the roofers' tools and equipment in the shot! They are still working steadily and should finish the front of the roof today. We are hoping they'll be completely done by the end of the month, but that all depends on the weather (they obviously don't work when it's raining, and it is April -- in fact, I can hear them yelling to each other right now about the sky looking like rain soon).

I hope you had a wonderful spring weekend and that your spring cleaning, if you're doing it, is going well! I will be back tomorrow with knitting content!