Wildflowers at Stone Mountain in Georgia

Wonderful, Wacky Wednesday in Atlanta

And wow! It's Ash Wednesday already. It's all sort of blurring together.

I say wacky because my dog, Bauer, was going crazy this morning. I think it's because it was so cold and rainy yesterday that he refused to go for a walk with me. I could barely coax him outside to do his business so now he's got extra energy.

This morning, he was wrapped up in the cozy blanket on my bed and looked to be quite comfortable and like he had no intention of moving, ever. BTW - that red and black blanket? Given to me by a friend when my daughter went to UGA - so it's perfect for the 'Dawg!

After I did my yoga and showered, I checked the weather and it was still only about 28 degrees out.

I could barely pull my clothes on because by then, Bauer had abandoned his cozy blanket and was jumping all over the place, barking, and doing this weird little howling thing he does when he wants my full attention. 

I got some work done and then checked the weather. It had climbed to the mid-30s. Bauer sensed my thoughts about a possible walk and started jumping around again. 

I bundled up and took him out, and, oh, what a wonderful day! The sun is out and the sky is blue, blue, blue!

I took Bauer out for a half-hour and his wackiness seems to have abated a bit. He's pretty much always wacky, but now he's no more wacky than usual. 

Spring Yet?

I found the cover photo of the flowers this morning and it made me anxious for spring.

I took the photo in September of 2017 at Stone Mountain when a bunch of friends and I went for a hike.

I could tell just by looking at it that it was shot with my Nikon with the 85mm prime lens. It's such a wonderful lens.

It was daylight out and I wanted that nice bokeh background. I opened up to 3.5 and was able to avoid blowing out the highlights by using a 1/1000 shutter speed. 

I know we've still got a ways to go for spring, but I'm ready. It seems like the whole world is ready. 

I now have multiple friends and family members who have dealt with Covid. One dear friend just got released from the hospital after having had a bout of Covid-related pneumonia. I'm so relieved she's okay. The weird part is that I haven't seen her in so long because of...Covid! 

I have a big group of ladies I met at a retreat back in 2001. To this day, we meet regularly.

It's such a supportive, wonderful group. I felt a big hole in my heart when I didn't get to see them all for our annual December get-together.

Another friend from the same group of ladies wasn't so lucky. Al contracted Covid and ended up in the hospital for breathing issues.

I was on an email chain getting updates about how she was doing. One day she was expected to be released from the hospital and we were all cheering, and the next she took a terrible turn for the worse.

Now she's gone.

She was 89 years old and weathered a lot of storms in her life, but couldn't make it through this one. Rest in God's peace and love, Al. You were a special person full of love and generosity and your family and friends weren't ready to lose you. 

Today, I'm especially grateful for my good health, blue skies, and the knowledge that spring always comes, even in the darkest winter. Lent feels appropriate. 

Have a wonderful day!

And, see you between the raindrops, which are sometimes teardrops in disguise.

xoxo,
Susan