This week held lots of downs & ups for me. It’s so hard to be isolated from friends and family, isn’t it? I count my blessings daily that I get to be sheltered-in with some of my favorite people…but I miss being with my other favorite people!

Here are this week’s highlights…

Happy birthday / happy Sunday celebration – complete with 2 kinds of cake, socially distanced greetings planted in the ground, and melty, melty candles!

Curbside pick up of Great Harvest Bread! Not only did I get to drive somewhere, we got to stock up on delicious bread (which we were nearly out of!)

Writing songs with Ida. Her newest song, “Why are You Afraid of Me” is spectacular. This filled my heart right up. 🎶❤️🎶

Ida’s emoji art: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️🐬🐬🦄

My sweet and darling friend, Terri, who sent me this comic on a day when I really, really needed to see it.

You are doing great.

Learning to be okay with not being okay

Impromptu ballet performances of Swan Lake (complete with lily pads, swans, and flamingos) in the middle of one of those down days. I’m so fortunate that my down days include some amazingly bright spots. I even got 5 handmade, autographed tickets to the show. After it happened. 😄

New noise cancelling headphones (sublime!) from my dearest, darlingest Sarah. Plus Ida’s ingenious new storage solution for them!

My bony old lady kitty, Luna. Still hanging in there, still ready with purrs and snuggles.

Spending so much time in the house together has led to some fun creative collaborations. These projects are helping us stay centered and connected. And yes, even though we are together All. The. Time. — we need to find ways to connect rather than simply sharing space.

And since we Purple House folks are all introverts, we’ve begun building in more “alone” time for each of us, with various sub-groups out walking or doing a project elsewhere in the house while one of us revels in the quiet.

Every day I appreciate my profound privilege in being able to stay safe at home and still get work, education, play, and basic needs met. And every day I send my prayers out to everyone who doesn’t have that luxury. ❤️

I feel like I’m continually adjusting these days. I sort of get the hang of a thing (online school, online work, online shopping) and then it changes, so I have to play catch-up.

And while the hows and whens of things keep shifting, there are a few solid anchors in the Purple House for which I am profoundly grateful.

• Humor. No matter how nutsy things get, we are all ready to laugh at the foibles of being human — and at ourselves!
• Humility. We know we are going to bug & be bugged by each other. So when it happens, it’s neither surprising nor a big deal.
• Love. Underlying everything we’re doing is a solid foundation of deep, abiding love. I have never felt that more securely than I do right now.
• Friendship. We not only love each other, we genuinely like each other. I absolutely appreciate how lucky I am to be part of that.
• Good stuff big and small… like going out to howl at the super moon, washing dishes family-style, Ida adoring her new stuffy, video chats with our extended framily, and the sweet joy of Ida finding Easter eggs hidden by our darling friends. ❤️

Bubble wrap socks (Ida’s request!)

Crocuses

Zoom chat with Pam. Oh how I’ve missed her! And she said it was fun for her, too, even though as she said, “It’s hard to talk to you while you’re in a French movie…” 💙

Cozy time with Ida

Delicious dinner thanks to the best shelter-in-place companion a girl could want. 😊

Angry pancake (with flowing hair) for Ida. We like our food to match our moods around here…

My energy this week has been up and down, as has my mental state. Shocking, right?!?

Here’s some goodness from last week…

Baby steps introducing the downstairs cats to the upstairs cats.

Sweet gifts for Ida, including Rachel (Pink Glitter) – Interactive Plush Narwhal. Ida loves her! We adults are undecided as to whether we love David for his sweetness or hate him for adding this beloved…and noisy… member to our household while we are stuck here all. the. time. 😆

Quick clean-up challenge! The first few pics are what our house looks like most afternoons. After a ten-minute-tidy challenge, things looked pretty good again. 💗

We did it! We used up all our old chalk before the rain came.

And next we get to use the NEW chalk. Yes, it is in rainbow order at the moment. No, that will not last.

Oh, and in case you’re keeping track of our art supply status, we now have 48 pieces of sidewalk chalk, down from a gazillion little stubby pieces yesterday. 😄

Morning fun with Ida:
Counting crayons (we have 73), and tending to – and naming – her plants!