Cold and distant, but with a warm heart

Last Friday, I looked out of the window during the middle of my work day and saw that it was snowing.

My patio table was a blank slate, calling to be
messed up.

There weren't as many people out when I went for my post-work walk, so I got to enjoy some of the scenery.

Minnehaha Creek flowing east, just before it
enters Lake Hiawatha

Little ice drops hanging from the tree
like little crystal earrings.

Despite my good mood, sense of wonder, and big winter coat, I still had quite a chill.

This time of year it is harder to predict exactly
when my fingers will go white. 

I just realized those sentence sound like I'm writing a children's book or something. That was unintentional, but I'm not going to go back and edit them because it makes me laugh. 

Anyhow, thankfully, Saturday was warmer. Dan and I drove to a nature park that wasn't too crowded. We went separate ways so he could explore on his own and so that I could do a bouncy, fast-paced walk that one might call running. I call it "trying to move but not slipping on wet leaves or mud."

I found this little loop off the main trail that no one
was on, so I ran through this loop twice. I liked the
angles of these trees.

I also took a couple of minutes to listen to the frogs. This is springtime in Minnesota, in one soundbite.

All the parks around here, regardless of jurisdiction, have been posting social distancing signs. For the most part, people are doing a really good job of following the guidelines. A few people seem a little clueless, but I don't think they are intending to be unaware.

And some of the roads near lakes and rivers have been closed to car traffic to allow walkers, runners, and cyclists to space out a bit. I really appreciate this move by Minneapolis and St. Paul. I feel so fortunate to be in a state that is thinking through so many social distancing issues and doing all they can to keep people safe.

Given the changed guidance about masks, I pulled out my sewing machine and made a variety of masks. I think I made 15 total. I used whatever I had on hand so some had weird ribbons (the most colorful version is not pictured here), some had elastic, and some used those things you pull on to tighten the masks without having to mess with tying bows behind your head. I put six in the mail today, dropped one off on my neighbor's desk, kept two for me and two for Dan, and delivered four to my friend Marcy's house via bike yesterday. So, yeah, 15! I broke a sewing machine needle in the process, which I think is fairly impressive, considering that I was sewing cotton.

I'm modeling elastic ear straps (L) and ribbon
ties (R). I made that big green one for Dan to cover his beard. 

The wind was a little chilly yesterday so I didn't ride as far as I could have, but I wanted to go further than my roundabout way to Marcy's and straight home. I decided to try some new roads and rode to my brother Matt's house. I texted him to summon him outside and got to say hi to him and his big, big sweetheart dogs. My sister-in-law came out too, but I missed getting a photo of her. 

Arthur (L) is tolerating this. Ginny (R) actually
likes it. Or so it seemed.

The great part about riding to their house is that I got a really nice tailwind all the way home from their house, which made me feel like I'm in better shape than I am. But the best part about riding to their house is that I got to have some human, face-to-face contact (albeit from a distance) as an added bonus to seeing Marcy, which warmed me up nicely despite the chill.