Every spring, the buds start to appear on the branches of our magnolia tree before sprouting into full, pink-and-white blossoms above the deck, outside our upstairs bedroom window and over part of our lawn.
It’s not a small tree, so there’s a lot of pink and white.
And the other day, snow was hanging off the blossoms.
April snow is the evil twin of the false spring, New England’s way of reminding us where we live and saying “So you’re ready to get on with things, huh? Nope … not yet.”
The actual snow wasn’t much — if it was an inch, it was a lot — but it was just enough to cover the blossoms on the magnolia tree, the street in front of our house, the green starting to emerge on the lawn and my mood.
Tomorrow, April 19, could be a big day, as it’s finally the day when the general public can sign up for vaccinations in Massachusetts.
I’m still getting three texts per week — why they can’t do in one, I do not know — reminding me that I’m still preregistered to book an appointment and that I’ll get a message when my turn comes up, but I’m not going to sit around and wait for my phone to go off.
Instead, I imagine Suzi and I will go on the websites of the pharmacies near where we live and try to line up appointments. We’re even toying with poking around in New Hampshire’s signup system, since we live near the border and the state’s waiving its residency requirement.
I just hope it’s not like the time I tried to buy Liverpool tickets, when I got up at 3 a.m. — first mistake in planning … momentarily forgetting that tickets went on sale at 8:15 a.m. Liverpool time — only to sit in the queue for an hour while tickets sold out.
Although I guess if that happens this time, I’ll just try again the next day.
The snow was never going to last. It was already melting by afternoon, and nearly all gone by the next day.
The magnolia blossoms looked none the worse for wear, and will continue to brighten the area around the house until they fall off, at which point they’ll just make a mess.
A mysterious yellow orb even made a couple brief appearances.
It’s supposed to be 70 on Tuesday, and by then, I hope we’ll be able to get on with things in more ways than one.
HUGE, MASSIVE, GIANT UPDATE
Suzi and I got text messages this morning informing us we could sign up for vaccinations, and our first appointment is Tuesday!
WHAT I WROTE
Sometimes, when you need to fix something, you do it with whatever you can find.
STUFF I READ
Pea Green got some potentially exciting work news. So did Vee.
Renata had a miscommunication with her friend. It happens, but there a reason it made her upset.
Graham’s youth soccer team finally played another game. (He also wrote about losing friendships for Smelly Socks and Garden Peas.)
Rosie wishes she was better about letting things roll off her shoulders. Me too, Rosie … me too.
For T.B.C., Sariye writes about her guardian angel.
Lindsay wraps up 100 days of lockdown.
Austin has given himself a wonderful gift.
Jeff has the story of a boy who said something silly once and has never been allowed to forget it.
Darren tells of his experiences being bullied for his wife Lisa’s blog, The Procrastinating Mum. There’s some pretty rough stuff in here.
Becky has found a new hobby during the pandemic (which I almost wrote as “a new pandemic during the hobby,” because … brain).
Jamie has five more tips for starting a health journey. The first is “Make it easy.”
Jackie remembers kicking a hole in the wall … and even though she won’t come right out and say it, is enjoying something that has me looking for walls to kick these days.
Chef Paulo has … information … about some common foods.
Giggles had quite a day.
Did you have any idea there’s an International Laundry Day? I didn’t (although coincidentally, I did do laundry). But the day not only exists, Andrew has a story about how the British army used laundry against the Irish Republican Army.
Forget vaccines, Sabrina just got her first COVID test.
Zoe draws life lessons from gaming.
I probably could have warned him this wouldn’t be wise.
TWEETS I LIKED
You know … I thought we got rid of the dust when we cleaned the house last weekend.
A teacher once told us he had a very important video to show … home movies of his and his wife’s new baby.
Only constantly.
First you have to stir it, then put it in the fridge so it holds together. The trade-off is that it gets really lumpy after more than a few days.
To be honest, I’m probably more guilty of this one.
Absolutely!
We once went for “New York-style” Italian food in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh is a wonderful city with many fine qualities, and I would love to go back someday.
However, if I do, I will not be going back to that restaurant.
This gives me the impression that some dating profiles are poorly constructed.
Or … how about a coffee machine … that serves ice cream?
A Silly Place 
Thanks for sharing, Bill ☺️
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awesome recap like always. I wouldn’t mind a coffee machine that serves ice cream though.
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Good luck with your vaccination appointment. I was lucky to get vaccinated as a walk-in at a local pharmacy last week. My husband got vaccinated on Friday. We’re on our way.
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We have Magnolia Tree envy. It looks beautiful. And good luck with the Vaccination. Both my folks have had theirs. Dad has already has his second. Bar the fears of Astra Zen – the UK is doing well, surprisingly! Enjoy your week Bill and thanks for featuring us again xxx
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