Category Archives: 365 Things to Look Forward to

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 12: Reception!

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12. Reception for the artists featured in The Honourable Barbara A. Hagerman’s Summer Visual Arts Exhibit at Fanningbank

Wasn’t I excited when I received an invitation in the mail from the Government House? When I saw the way the envelope was addressed to me and “guest”, and when I turned it over and saw the PEI coat of arms on the flap and the PEI Government House address stamped in gold, I knew right away that my painting had been selected for the Summer Visual Arts Exhibit for Newcomers at Fanningbank, the Government House of PEI.

I right away called up my dear friend Nettie and told her the exciting news. If someone had taken a video of me that time, they would have laughed at how excited I was, hopping up and down and skipping and pacing back and forth.

Funny how, all my life, I’d always been so restrained and never showed excitement. I always just took everything in stride, shrugged my shoulders a bit, and moved on. Even when I received word that I’d won 3rd place in the 2007 Palanca Award for Literature, my excitement was totally contained and never really became the bubbly, happy excitement you see on videos and television, and other games. I suppose the most I ever ventured was a big smile, no matter that it was a gold medal and a 3-foot tall trophy I was receiving for a national competition.

Since late 2010, however, when I first received word that I had been picked to mount an exhibit of my works at The Gallery @ The Guild, I’ve been expressing my excitement in ways I never had before. It’s hard to explain that feeling of being so overwhelmingly happy that you actually, literally, jump for joy. Since I had never done that in my life before, it was a totally new and totally awesome, exhilarating experience. I suppose it comes with experiencing little successes in something that is totally of your own choosing.

So, back to the reception. When I received the invitation on the 3rd of June, I was literally jumping out of my skin for joy. I suppose that’s what it’s like when you say you’re beside yourself with joy. I must say that, apart from a couple of incidents in between, I was in a constant state of HIGH. I was so intoxicated with happiness that certainly kept me going for a long time, all the way to the day of the reception on the 17th June 2011.

The Honourable Barbara A. Hagerman, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, and Me at Fanningbank

My insipid introverted self kicked in, of course, once I was there, although I did smile a lot, greeted people who greeted me, and said thank you when my work was praised or admired. I felt dwarfed by the attention the other artists were getting, even if there were only 17 of us. They had brought more guests, whereas I had only one.

Nettie and Me at Fanningbank

Nonetheless, I was in an altered reality. A dream state that I knew would end, and end it did, as soon as the reception wound down and people started drifting away and Nettie and I drove away from Fanningbank’s grounds. Nettie so wisely and nicely suggested we eat supper out…it extended the intoxication a bit so the hangover wouldn’t be so bad. And what a hangover. It took two days to get me back writing, when I know I promised myself I’d write every single day.

The reception is over. The exhibit will run from the 6th of July to the 30th of August, which is the summer tour season for Fanningbank. That in itself is exciting, as all sorts of tourists will see my painting. The exposure is fantastic, and my art career is moving forward slowly but surely. I’m back in my cozy apartment and trying to decide what my next painting subject will be for my next assignment. Waiting until I’m so inspired I just have to sit in front of my little easel and begin the preliminary work. Waiting until the next reception.

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 10: Getting Those Chores Done

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10. Getting Those Chores Done

No, I’m not a neat freak and no, I didn’t say I look forward to doing chores. I don’t hate them with a passion, but I don’t really look forward to them, either, so I guess that makes me somewhat neutral. I’ll do them because nobody else will, and if I forget about them, well one or two or three or more days without doing chores is a semi state of bliss.

But they need to get done.

When we were still children, my mother assigned chores to everyone and we’d switch them around every week. I guess that was her strategy for getting chores done, although they didn’t always get done thoroughly or quickly. Being a perfectionist, I’m pretty sure she cringed when there were dust spots left on the dark brown staircase. Still, I’m sure she believed we needed to know how to do housework as a life skill. So for  one day each week, we got to do dishes or cleaning. And, because I was the girl, I had the bonus of having to help out with the laundry or the ironing and folding. I didn’t mind back then, except when my brothers got in the way, usually on purpose. I had a horrible tendency to be neat, orderly, and organized, and if I didn’t watch out, I might have become obsessive about it. My sister did. So, as you can see, we were introduced quite early to chores and hence, I do not see them as a huge negative concept. I don’t know what my brothers and sister think or feel about them.

After several years of having my own places to live and being the one in charge, I have developed my own strategies to keep chores to a minimum and to keep the minor chores from from becoming major chores. Here’s how.

Sometimes, I just put used dishes and utensils in the sink and soak them until they pile up and I run out of forks and spoons and knives and plates to use. So I’m forced to do the dishes, and that is one hugely unsavoury chore. I always tell myself to clean everything as I go—and usually I’m pretty good at getting things I used all washed and cleaned right after I use them, so my sink is pretty much always empty. Then one day, I might decide to stage a mini cookfest and churn up a fancy meal (which, to me, basically means something not microwaved or eaten straight out of the fridge or a box or a can). I might even decide to do a bit of baking and launch into a mini bakefest as well. Then things pile up and the cleaning becomes a humongous chore. But I know I need to slug through it or the remnants of cooking will be stuck so hard on my pots and pans and the stove and the kitchen counter top and the sink then I’ll have to soak them much longer and scrape and scrub much harder. Moreover, the pile of used kitchen ware pretty much fills up the sink right away and sometimes twice over, so I really need to get it done right after.

It really doesn’t make sense to do the laundry more than once a week, since I don’t generate a lot of dirty clothing. While dumping everything into the washing machine then transferring them to the dryer isn’t a pain at all, getting them all folded up neatly and put away, and I must add neatly as well, is a chore. Thank goodness for wash-and-wear and more casual fashions that don’t require starching and pressing. I do have an ironing board, but very rarely use it. I have found that if you take clothes out of the dryer right away and hang them up or fold them neatly while they’re still warm, they won’t show any creases! As much as possible, I do not buy clothing that needs ironing. So I never really have to worry about it. And I fold my laundry while watching TV. So it becomes time well-spent and before you know it, the folding is all done.

House cleaning? Oh, don’t get me started about house cleaning, because I have reduced mine to a quick dusting, a thorough sweep of all places accessible by broomstick, and a superficial mopping to get stains and remaining surface dust off. Still, that’ll take the better part of an hour. More, if I pace myself and get distracted by sorting something out or putting some books away in the middle of it. Thankfully, I live in a place where there is very little dust, so I don’t really need to do it too often–about once a month is really satisfactory.

Again, living alone has its benefits. Because I am the only person who moves around in my apartment, where footwear generally doesn’t leave the immediate area of the front door, most of what I have to sweep up is debris from crafts work or cooking, and hair. It’s the downside of having long hair. So a good sweep once a week usually suffices to keep the floor clean, and the mopping is as needed, or once a month, just to pick up dust and hair in corners that broom couldn’t reach.

That leaves the bathroom. Again, judicious rinsing of the walls and the tub every day while in the shower is enough to keep the bath area clean. A mild scrub every two or three days with a scrub brush or a sponge scrubber is enough to keep the bath area smooth and clear. And the toilet and sink are quick and easy to do, again, because I am the only person who uses them. A good rinse after each use and a light scrubbing after brushing my teeth and the sink is shiny and spotless.

As you can see, I don’t have too many chores to do. I have pretty much designed my living so I have very few chores to do. Still, chores are chores and they’re a bore, and if I could avoid them I would. I can always think of a million better things to do than chores, including just lazing about. So it’s always a great relief and a great satisfaction when I get that major once-a-week hoe-down with the broom and mop and duster and get all those chores done!

 

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 9: A Quiet Day at Home

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9. A Quiet Day at Home

Sometimes, there is nothing better than a quiet day at home.

We fill up our lives with all sorts of distractions. We have work, friends, family, events, meetings, school, and more work. We have worries about all sorts of things. We have obligations and responsibilities. And these can all be extremely exhausting.

Sure, you get caught up in the adrenaline rush all the busy-ness causes and your schedule is sometimes so full you barely have time to eat or even sleep. You always have to be somewhere with someone doing something. So you lose time to be with the most important person in your life—you!

I look forward to a quiet day at home every now and then, especially in the midst of a hectic schedule. Sure, I’m guilty of using that time to catch up on chores, do housework, write, or paint. But sometimes, I am actually able to tell myself “None of that!” and spend the whole day just reading, catching up on tv shows, or just simply catching up on sleep. I just do whatever comes to mind at the moment and not worry about chores. After all, it’s not going to kill me to hold the laundry another day or two; the apartment won’t fall apart if I don’t sweep or mop that day; I won’t starve to death if I don’t cook up a proper meal; and people won’t forget me if I don’t open my email or check out my Facebook messages for a day.

I think we all need a “me” day. Just to do whatever we want to do at home—all forms of work excluded—and just have time to relax, calm our minds and bodies, and recharge ourselves.

Understandably, you might sometimes need more “me” days, and if you can take them, you shouldn’t feel guilty about having them. I know I sometimes feel guilty that I’ve put off something I was supposed to do…not that it had a deadline at all, but I know I need to get it done. But, believe me, if anything becomes so urgent that you need to get it done this very minute, then you’ve probably been putting it off too long or taking on too many responsibilities.

When I was much younger, I took “me” days for granted. My schedule was always full of so many things to do and attend to that I sometimes spent days away from home, and very rarely had much time to myself besides to sleep. It’s not that I was always with someone, but I had so many activities and projects going on at the same time it just kept me perpetually busy.

Now, I cherish every day I don’t have to go anywhere or am expected to do something. I even cherish the half days I don’t need to leave home, and cherish the evenings I am able to spend at home. It’s probably the best thing about living alone. You have no one to answer to or answer for. You can do anything you want, any way you want, any time you want. You can be just you and simply you. As long as you don’t set any expectations for your special day by yourself, you’ll find that it will be something you will actually look forward to. No matter who you are, or what you do, you’ll find it’s a day to step back and see things from a distance.

If you are able to detach yourself from your usual busy self and do absolutely nothing related to anything else or anyone else but you, then you are on your way to enjoying a real quality “me” day.

 

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 8: Random Acts of Kindness

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8. Random Acts of Kindness

I know I perform random acts of kindness whenever an opportunity presents itself, and these range anywhere from giving strangers a big smile to helping someone cross the street or giving away store coupons to the next person in line who has a huge purchase and no coupons. But I have not, to my knowledge, personally been the recipient of a random act of kindness. Until today.

It being Sunday and a day off from work, I decided to make it my laundry day as well. I had kept track of the wash cycle time and went down to the basement to transfer my laundry to the dryers, which would take 45 minutes to an hour. Back in my apartment, I continued browsing through magazines, to look for inspiration for my next painting.

As expected, I completely lost track of the time. I forgot what time I put my laundry in the dryers, so I estimated that I should be able to take it out around half past one. But I was in my book room, which was also my art supply room and just-about-anything-else room, which had a clock that I kept on “normal” time. (Every other clock in the apartment was on Daylight Savings Time.)

What else should happen, but I started nodding off as I browsed through old magazines. By the time I’d shaken the heaviness from my eyelids and looked up at the clock, it was nearly two, so I hustled to the to the basement, hoping I wasn’t keeping anyone from using the machines. I could hear the dryers still spinning, but it sounded like they were near the end of their cycle, or someone else had started laundry. Wasn’t I surprised to find all my laundry from one dryer neatly placed in my basket, and the sheets and other beddings from the other dryer folded and neatly piled on top of the dryer, waiting for me.

This was a really pleasant surprise, and I have to say that it has made my day!

It also made me wonder who would have done it….I have a guess, but I can’t be totally sure. I know that on the rare occasions someone got to my laundry before I did and took it out of the dryer so they could use it, they’d just taken it out and piled it up on the dryer…it seemed the usual practice in the building, and what I would also do, every time someone left their laundry in the washer or dryer (and didn’t move or claim it for at least 15 minutes of waiting). But to actually fold someone else’s laundry! I know I’ve been tempted to do it myself, but I’d always been careful about doing that, because I was wary of handling other people’s laundry, in case they felt it was a violation of their privacy or they didn’t want people they didn’t really know handling their clothes. So with being politic as an excuse, I never really did it.

It has made me think twice about how I deal with other people’s overstaying laundry. If I did it, though, I’d probably always be doing it…and it takes a good deal of time, and they might just get used to it!

Still, I think it was a lovely gesture. The first thing I wanted to do was to write a little thank you note and slip it down before the good-deed-doer’s laundry was done, but have decided against it. Simply because doing that would ruin the magic of randomness and unexpected kindness.

 

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 7: Making a New Friend

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7. Making a New Friend

I have always considered myself a fairly shy and introverted person, and I always felt that I had difficulty making new friends. I’m the one who’ll attend an event–perhaps and workshop, lecture or seminar, or even an exhibit, and just move around on my own without knowing anyone at the start, and leaving without knowing anyone! I just sometimes get so intimidated by people, especially in crowds.

It’s a reflection of my being so self-conscious, I suppose. I never really consciously have thoughts running through my head, like “Will he/she like me?” “Will they talk to me?” “Will they want to be friends?” “What will they think of me?” and so on, but I’m pretty sure that’s how my body feels, and that’s probably what every single brain cell in my head is thinking. But they don’t tell me about it. They don’t speak out aloud to me. I rather wish they would, then I’d be able to process the feelings. But they just silently think away and make me avoid contact.

That doesn’t mean I don’t want to make new friends. If you looked at my Facebook page and checked out my friends, you’d see over a thousand, and the list grows a little more each day. I’d like to think they’re all friends, but a Facebook goes, they’re really all people I’ve met in various occasions over the last several years of my life—pretty much from childhood friends to colleagues. The vast majority of them, really, are former students of mine. And I’m really happy that I’m connected to them through Facebook, and see what significant things are happening in their lives.

If you really counted them, I’d have a fairly good number of friends whom I communicate with occasionally. Most of them were made through work, or in school. Still, they’re not all friends who’d understand my little quirks and foibles and my wry dry sardonic humor…in fact some of my really good friends still don’t get my humor, sometimes. But those I have spent the most time with and who know me enough to figure out what I feel and what I’d say or think about some things most of the time, are a very select number of people who are now mostly halfway around the world. And the only way I can communicate with them constantly—or at least as frequently as I can given the 12-hour time difference, is through email, Facebook messages, and the occasional live chat.

So when I do creep out of my shell (oh yes, there is a shell, but it seems to have gotten more transparent) and say “Hello, I’m Cindy!” to someone, it’s because my guts tell me that person can be a friend, or would be interesting to know, or would be nice to speak with. It’s also because I’m in a totally new country where I am starting a whole new life thousands of miles away from old friends, family, and acquaintances, and I need to start making new connections and building new relationships.

I think, if we don’t go out of our way to say “Hi! I’m —. What’s your name?” we’ll never make any friends at all. Who knows what’s beyond that chance meeting? And if the other person doesn’t respond the way you hope they might, then you don’t really lose anything, do you?

I was so afraid of being rejected by people, that I suppose, that was the major reason I didn’t go out of my way to make the first introduction. But after having been a teacher, mentor, manager, actor, dancer, emcee, and so many other roles that require constant communication and initiative, as well as a certain amount of aggression and loads of confidence, I’m really quite confident in my ability to step up to someone and say “Hi! I’m Cindy. What’s your name?” I’m not worried about rejection anymore, since I’ve experienced quite a bit of it in very painful ways, and I’m still alive and still have lots of things going for me, and I know I can be a wonderful friend to others, if they’re interested in having me as a friend. So if I feel there’s a particular person who could be friendly in return (yes, I do play safe and just don’t go up to anyone on the street!) in a situation that isn’t threatening, I might just go up and say “Hi, I’m Cindy. What’s your name?” and start looking for areas of interest or things to talk about besides the weather, and the weather as well.

I just did today, and I think it’ll be the start of a wonderful new friendship!

365 Things to Look Forward to: Number 6 – Performing!

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6. Performing.

Okay. Let’s face it. Not everybody might look forward to performing. But really, everyone does some kind of performance at one time or another, some more often than others.

Most people think performing is just getting up on stage and acting or singing or dancing. Already, that’s 3 kinds of performances! When you’re really into it, there’s nothing like the thrill of getting ready for a performance…sure, the rehearsals might be difficult and you might be getting it perfect during rehearsals…but actually performing to an audience, live or otherwise, is a special kind of thrill. If you’re new to it, you’ll probably rehearse over and over again in front of a mirror, psych yourself into facing the audience, then experiencing that fluttery feeling in your belly, and sometimes that empty, sinking feeling when your belly feels like it’ll sink right through you to the floor. Then your hands get clammy and your throat tightens up. Sometimes you get all sweaty and it just won’t stop pouring down your face and back. That can be a very uncomfortable feeling. It’s usually called stage fright. And some people never get over stage fright.

Some people, on the other hand, take to stages like fish to water. No matter what they’re doing on stage, whether they’re performing, making an announcement, delivering a speech, they look like the perfect picture of a suave seasoned stage artist. They move into their act smoothly, maintain contact with their audience, and just get carried into it.

I know that I always wait for the response of the audience when I perform…when I hear any response, especially some kind of emotional response, I know my performance is working. And when I finally hear applause at the end, that is the sweetest most triumphant sound I glory in, because I know my performance is a success! It can get addictive, but it doesn’t mean you don’t go through that little bit of pre-performance nervousness. I know that, after all these years of acting, dancing, and speaking on a stage, I can go right up there without feeling nervous at all. Public speaking? Pooh. Folk dance? Just give me the right music. Acting? Anytime. As a student, I had joined so many spelling bees and speech contests that it has practically become second nature to me. As a teacher, on any given day, I can go up to the front, or side, or back of any classroom and get speaking on almost any topic you might give me…or at least begin a dialogue on anything, if I don’t know what I’m talking about.

I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing that I haven’t made performing my life’s calling. I’m still too self-conscious and introverted to flaunt my performance skills or offer them unless I’m asked. But those who know me and have seen me perform know what I do and can do when I am given the platform.

I think the greatest performances of my life have been in the classroom. If I could reproduce those days when I’d have a class completely attentive or rolling in laughter at what I do, I’d have had it made as a stand-up comedian. Step aside Patrick Ledwell, Cindy Lapeña is on a roll! But no, it’ll never happen because, unless I have to do it, I won’t, again I repeat, won’t volunteer. Someone will have to volunteer me. I hardly ever say no.

365 Things to Look Forward to: Number 5 – Watching a Play

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5. Watching a Play.

I am substituting for a Grade 5 teacher today, the 9th of June 2011, and the Vice Principal gave me a really pleasant surprise as she walked me to my classroom. The 5th and 6th graders had put up a production of Hairspray and were doing a dress rehearsal/special performance for the first half of the morning, with 2nd graders as an audience.

I have always loved theatre–thanks to the exposure I got from my mother–but also because it must be in my genes. My maternal grandfather was a thespian, as is one of my paternal aunts. I also have a special place for musicals in my heart and imagine I could have done that, if my mother, in her contrary way, would have let me become a thespian. She actually considered the profession immoral in a very old-fashioned way.

Theatre, to me as a child, was a magical world that took me away from what would otherwise have been the very drab, introverted world of a nerdy bespectacled bookworm. It not only transported me into the world of my books, it came alive for me so that I didn’t need to stage elaborate and full productions of books in my head.

Whenever possible, my mother would obtain tickets to a play so we could watch it–and while not very frequent, it happened enough times that I remember. The most affordable plays were done by a local repertory company with plays staged in Filipino. I know I learned how to speak and understand Filipino better because of those plays. Plays done by the leading English repertory theatre company were a little too costly, so we got to watch these only once in a rare while. So it was a glorious treat when I became related to that company by virtue of marriage. I was able to watch every play I wanted to as often as I wanted to, and so rarely ever missed one. Then, I worked with this company, as well as another theatre company based in the Cultural Centre of the Philippines, so I had the time of my life!

With every play I watched, I drank in every scene, every song, every detail. I couldn’t get enough of just  watching plays as a child, so I started looking for plays to read. By the time I was done reading every single children’s book in the collections we grew up with, I needed more to satisfy my craving and discovered my dad’s Classics Club collection–and encountered my first complete collection of the works of William Shakespeare!

I never just read plays. In my mind, I became a director, designer, and actress. I could see the play running through my mind, complete with sets, lights, costumes and sound effects, with characters speaking as if they were standing right before me. My secret desire was to be a famous thespian–it didn’t matter if I wasn’t the star, as I was painfully self-conscious as a child. I could be the director, the designer, even the playwright. Anything, as long as I was part of the play. And if I couldn’t be part of it, well then, the next best thing was to watch it!

And so, as I watch a grade school production of Hairspray I am drawn back to the world of my dreams. I only wish live theatre as entertainment were much more affordable. But you can bet that when I get that full-time job that provides me with enough income for all the basics and more to spare, and enough downtime so my evenings and weekends don’t have to be spent working, I will be at the theatre, sitting somewhere in the middle or near the back where I can get a good look at the whole stage and be transported into an alternate reality!

365 Things to Look Forward to: Number 4 – Early Bedtime!

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4. Going to bed earlier than usual.

I am a night owl and notorious for staying up very very late. This gets worse when I am caught up in a painting or writing frenzy. And it is absolutely disastrous when I get a really early phone call in the morning–early as in before the sun rises, or shortly after–which means I feel groggy all day long. When that happens, I do my best to sleep in the day after…as long as I don’t have anywhere important to go (like work or an appointment), but somehow, it just doesn’t seem enough. So once in an extremely rare while, I chuck everything, turn the TV off (I’m glad the major show seasons are over, and there evenings when there really isn’t anything I really want to watch), and turn in early.

On nights like that, I don’t even touch the books on my nightstand. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I switch off my bedside lamp, pull the sheets up to my chin, and close my eyes. Now mind you, some nights are near tortuous because even with that ceremony done, my overactive mind just keeps on tossing thoughts about clamoring for attention. On those nights, I end up sleeping at my usual later hours–or worse, not getting any real sleep at all. But on other nights, within seconds of  tucking myself in, I am blissfully unaware of anything and everything around me, as I fall into the deepest possible sleep.

That’s what happened last night, which is why I’m only posting Number 4 today!!!!

365 Things to Look Forward to: Number 3 – A walk on a pleasant day

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3.  A walk on a pleasant day.

One of the things I do look forward to is taking a walk on a pleasant day. There is nothing like the gentle warmth of the sun caressing you while a mild breeze keeps your hair away from your face. Or mine, because I have long hair. But the breeze in your hair and on your skin keeps you cool as you walk.

Because I cannot take long or brisk walks, I am forced to walk at a slower pace than most people, with occasional pauses or periods of slowing down to almost a crawl. But, precisely because of this, I am able to luxuriate in the wind, enjoy the sunshine and see the little things that most people miss.

I love watching butterflies winging their way to flowers, birds squabbling on grassy lawns, the leaves of clover and other weeds intricately woven into lush green lawns after a rainy day. I see the minute lines and creases in the barks of trees,  how all leaves on a tree are practically all the same, save for some stray vein or creased corner or different-colored spot.

I see the cracks and lines in the pavement, tiny ant hills and ant holes loosening the red earth into separate grains, insects and other creatures with unknown names and unknown number of legs scurrying, crawling, slithering, or slinking their way across your path.

I see the rich red earth, uncountable stones and pebbles and clods of soil, variations of red, maroon, brown and black…and then again, mainly red.

I see clouds in all kinds of shapes and formations. Herringbone, sheep, cotton buds and stretched cotton, spirals and lines, rows and clumps, massive towering blobs of shaving cream  and fluffy bits of foam and fiber. Solid waves or sheets or cushioned.

Only some of the things I savour on a stroll on a pleasant day.

365 Things to Look Forward to

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2. Sunshine!

There’s nothing like a bright, sunny day to lift your spirits. And if you can’t have a bright sunny day, there’s nothing like a bit of sunshine to lighten your day and your mood. Even on a cloudy day, I bask in the glory of one feeble ray of sunshine pushing its way through heavy clouds just to reach me. I turn my face to the stream of energy-giving light and smile. Even during winters, I love waking up to see sunshine streaming through my window blinds. It’s the best reason to pull up the blinds and let the sunshine in!

This is one of the reasons I love PEI—lots of sunshine, even in winter. It’s not likely anyone living on this island will get SADD.

Today is one such wonderful day! We hear of rain and cloudy days and storms and hurricanes and hail elsewhere, and we have sunshine! Of course, the last couple of days were cloudy and rainy, but that didn’t mean we didn’t get even a wee bit of sunshine. And after those few short stretches of gray skies, we get beautiful clear and sunny skies!

Never mind that it’s summer in spurts. I call it those random days of summer. Pretty much like those random days of spring. Even the trees were confused because they didn’t know if winter was finally over and it was time to bud! So the leaves came late this year…well into April, as opposed to as early February and March last year…and summer seems to be a hesitant visitor, not having decided whether or not to stay the while. Still, we get glorious random days of double digits…today is a sunny but single-digit day…so we alternate between tank tops, shorts, sandals and denims, running shoes, spring jackets.

And we wonder if Summer will finally arrive when Fall is here. But enjoy the sunshine in the meantime!

P.S. Don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses.