Today, it’s mild, bright and sunny. The crocuses are already blooming, and the daffodils are well on their way. The sky is bluest blue and absolutely cloudless. It’s a beautiful morning.
Hard to believe that just this weekend, things looked very different:
Oh, Virginia, you chaotic darling. I adore you.
A couple of weeks ago, we went to an oyster roast on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I don’t particularly like oysters, but man, I love an oyster roast. I love the smoky, briny smell in the air, and the gathering around the tables, and the sense that this is an old, beloved tradition that connects us to the people who came before, and will connect us to those who come after. And the mess. I love the mess.
Oyster shells everywhere, spilled butter and sauce, dirty knives and grimy gloves. I just love it. I think there’s something homey and comfortable about it, and about making that kind of mess with other people who appreciate the tradition, too.
And Graham does like oysters.
So, that’s a plus.
Slowly, but surely…
March often surprises us here in Virginia with one last snow. But today, it’s sunny and not too cold, and I can feel the season changing. I love winter best, but there’s nothing quite like watching the world come alive again in the spring.
“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” –Lord Byron
I love to laugh. I think a good laugh can work a whole host of miracles – cheering you up when you’re sad, releasing tension, just generally making the world feel a little less daunting, and also, decent pictures of me actually existing.
My friend got a new phone over the weekend and snapped this picture as he was trying it out. I don’t know what I was laughing about, but I’m glad he captured the moment. And I figured I’d share it today, just in case anyone reading also needs a good laugh. You never know, right?
Well, mostly.
The wall’s patched, and the wet bar’s back in place, and the plumbing issue hasn’t resurfaced, so, yay! But we’ve got some painting to do, and this whole thing’s made us think about what other changes we’d like to make in the basement, and in the house generally. So, we’ll see where that goes. But for now, I’m relieved that this particular problem has been dealt with.
Old house life, y’all. It’s certainly never boring.
This photo popped up in my memories today.
On this day, which was a Saturday back in 2019, my friend Jessica came over for the weekend and graciously shared her family’s dumpling recipe with me. So, we invited over Graham’s brother and our sister-in-law, and together with Jessica, the five of us sat down and made dumplings.
200 dumplings.
I’d never folded dumplings before, and it was a really fun new skill to learn. And the end result was delicious.
Turns out, 200 dumplings isn’t really all that many when you’ve got five people and an entire weekend to eat them. They were well and truly gone by Sunday evening.
Maybe one day, we’ll all get together and do it again. That would be nice. And tasty, too.
We’ve had a lot more snow so far this month than I thought we would, and it’s been so nice. Graham’s been out in the yard snapping pictures (including the little bird from my last post), and I just had to share this one.
This family of deer lives in the woods behind our house, and they’re…not the best neighbors. They eat pretty much everything, including the blossoms from our fruit trees, and they often get stuck behind fences. We’ve had to rescue them more than once. But, be that as it may, they sure are cute, aren’t they?
This photo is from a couple of years ago…
…but Annie hasn’t changed one bit. She still finds all this holiday business exhausting. Naps abound around here lately, for all of us.
Meanwhile, in my waking time, I’m working on December’s short story. It’ll be up on Friday!
I can’t remember the last time I had my picture taken with Santa. Well, the last time before this past Friday, anyway.
I’m so glad someone thought to capture this moment! We had a lovely evening at one of our favorite local spots singing Christmas carols and spending time with friends, and as it turned out, with Santa, too. Hopefully this becomes an annual thing, because it was so much fun. But if not, at least I’ve got the picture. And of course, the happy memory, too. 😊
This is Graham and I, dressed as each other for a Halloween party back in 2017. I have no idea how I fit all of my hair under that wig. And yes, I am wearing Graham’s actual clothes. (And also yes, I do still wear pajamas a vast majority of the time. No shame here.)
My only regret is that we didn’t get MORE photos.
A Virginia Writer's Diary 