Alright, I'll admit it. I'm starting to go stir crazy.
I find myself making strange faces at myself in my computer before and after video chats. I refer to my walk between my bedroom and my living room as my commute to work. I think things like, "Note to self. Strange fuzzy on left. Need to vacuum."
I shouldn't complain. I'm not ill. I have a place to stay and food to eat, and they even had toilet paper the last time I went for groceries. Yippee...
Ok, now what? An article I read said that I should write because it would make me feel better. I write to make a living. And lately, I've been struggling to come up with things to write about. My daughters are sending me prompts to help, but my writing is turning to horror. Goblins and imps abound. It's not good.
I look out the window, and it's springtime. The dogwoods are quickly shedding their blossoms. The red buds are still out. The daffodils are gone, but there are still some fabulous tulips in the neighbor's yard. Down the block are some irises about to bloom. Yes, I walk around the neighborhood, and you should too.
When I saw the trees with their blossoms, I thought about other places where I'd like to see the flora. I've never been to the Washington, D.C. area during the cherry blossom festival. I'd love to go to Japan and see their famous cherry trees, too.
Though my brain is struggling to leave its surliness behind. Ideas and places are starting to come to me.
I think I've seen water lilies in real life, but I'm not sure. When I travel, I enjoy going to botanical gardens. Flowers make me happy. Whether I've seen them in real life or not, I have seen Monet's Water Lilies in New York. I checked to see where it was painted. Monet painted the series of paintings about water lilies in Giverny, France. I don't see Giverny in my immediate future, but according to Google, water lilies bloom into the late fall. There's a chance!
When my kids were little, one of the places we lived had a giant apple tree in the backyard. In the spring, we would lie on a blanket under the tree and watch the blossoms fall. The blossoms are wonderfully scented.
I haven't noted any regular apple trees on my walks. I know where a crabapple tree is, and it will bloom soon. However, I suspect someone might call the police if I were to throw a blanket down on the sidewalk and lie down under the tree.
Besides, though I love the blossoms, I'm in it for the fruit. I know several places in the US where apples are grown. So, maybe a trip for fresh apples this fall might be fun. Out of curiosity, I checked to see where the most apples were grown.
I was surprised. My search showed China as the country where the most apples were grown. I've lived in China, and apples were available, but most stores had only one variety. In the US, I frequently find 5-10 varieties each time I go to the store. My search also showed that Turkey and Poland produced many apples. Who knew? The real question is how is their apple pie?
I've noted that the maple trees are coming out of their winter nap. That means soon there will be helicopters everywhere. I live where most of the maples are silver maple, but I've been to New England and had fresh maple syrup several times. I've not been to Canada much, but I'm willing to go.
I guessed that tapping maple trees would be a fall event as well, but it is not. Evidently, tapping happens in February and March. That means we have plenty of time to plan a great trip. Spring Break 2021? Tree tapping, skiing, followed by a warm soak in a hot tub.
I have several things I need to do, but I feel better. I hope you are well too.
Walk around your neighborhood. Look at the fauna and the flora. There are several blue jays that like to yell at me as I walk by their trees. I saw a robin pull a worm from its hole the other day. It was both disturbing and cool. Maybe it will be the flowers or maybe the animals but be inspired.
Where would you like to go on your next adventure?