April, Come She Will

As we continue to celebrate spring, April gifts us with so much.  In particular, we are shown so much rebirth as flowers begin to grow everywhere!  We have a gardenia bush that started as a little, plant, probably costing us under 10 dollars.  The plant had a hard time finding the right spot as we moved it around the yard a few times until it really took root. Now it is a pretty huge bush that lives in front of our home and in March I watch the buds start to grow wondering which one will be first to blossom.  Much of nature is unpredictable, while other parts, you can count on like clockwork.  April mornings, we can always count on the beautiful scent of gardenia and living through 2 Aprils of a pandemic, they seem extra sweet, and are appreciated more than ever.

Mitch and I are both very grateful to have had no side effects from either Pfizer shot, receiving our second dose yesterday(just about 24 hours ago).  I have less soreness in my arm this time, as opposed to the first (which was also mild) and we literally had NO side effects.  While I realize that could change, I am quite optimistic it wont.  Once again, yesterday, we had an amazingly pleasant experience at the vaccine site.  We were in and out and home before our scheduled appointment time.  IF YOU LIVE LOCALLY and haven’t gotten your COVID-19 vaccine yet, call 954-686-4273.  This is a hotline where a real person actually answers the phone.  I asked for an appointment at the Coral Square Mall, (Coral Springs) but they have a list of facilities and you may find something closer to you, but it is worth traveling a bit to get to this site as it was really about as good as getting a vaccine can get.  We are quite ready to get back into the world, especially at this most beautiful time of year.

Another gift we get from Mother Nature as the weather warms, is beautifully, naturally ripened fruits and veggies.  Last week our neighbor left papayas from her tree on our door step.  They are so rich in nutrients and I love the color of the flesh.  Plant based meals are so easy to put together and look so pretty!  I love to cook up some fresh veggies and then have them warm on top of a salad.  The warmth seems to make the meal more substantial…and fun!

And, speaking of food, YES, we are still, and plan to continue to till further notice, collecting and delivering food to Feeding America.  Our next drop off will be either the last week of April or the very first week of May.  Our front door area and park bench remain drop-off areas.  I spent some time in the garage making room for more food storage, so thank you for your support in this effort we call Fighting Food Insecurity TOGETHER #F.F.I.T.   It is TOGETHER that we make this happen.

Finally, remember that April 22nd is Earth Day.  As we work so hard trying to scrub the environment clean of COVID, perhaps we can put a bit of effort into our own communities, cleaning, planting and giving back to our Mother Earth.  This is an especially great month to lead by example.  Our neighbors who once looked at us like we were on a chain gang, now recognize us and honk, wave, shoot a thumbs up or stop us to say “thanks”.  We really, really don’t mind at all, and our hope is that the less trash on the streets, the less likely people will be to litter.  Earth Day is a perfect way to let little ones get involved!  Who doesn’t love a good old scavenger hunt?  I can totally see kids competing for who got the most, or trying to find items on a list, or whatever seems age appropriate.  Think of it like an Easter egg hunt or trying to find the hidden matzoh!   Turning clean up (of all kinds for kids) into a game, instead of a chore, is a lesson that can last a lifetime!