April Love 2022

Like every year, I participated in Susannah Conway's April Love on Instagram again. I didn't post every day, but only on those days the prompts spoke to me. Let me show you some of them.

The first prompt was "blue" - perfect for our Pacific Hound's Tongue (Adelinia grande), followed by "yellow" - a dahlia.

Day 3 kept with the "flowers" theme. I always love fresh flowers on our dining table, and tulips combined with baby's breath is a favorite.

"My smile" (day 4) was a bit of a challenge since there aren't that many photos of myself. I usually don't take many selfies - but thankfully my husband has the long arm and can take those kinds of photos easily. This was taken on the balcony of our little hotel appartment up in Bandon, OR, where we spent a few days last summer. I love this place right on the endless sandy beach so much and remember fondly those long long walks along the ocean in windy, cool weather.

My "morning ritual" (day 6) is to meditate which I unfortunately still don't do every day. I started a meditation practice during the pandemic, but boy! it's not easy. Creating an art journal spread was a lot of fun, though!

Day 12 asked what "brings me joy" and of course, it's this little guy and his orange-white companion. He's sitting in my garden which is another very important source of joy for me.

 My "hobby" (day 15)? A look through the window into my 'studio' says it all.

When the Geek and I were walking around the lake one day and took a short break sitting on a bench I noticed the reflection in his cool sunglasses - perfect for day 18, "reflection".

I was "currently reading" (day 19) Matt Gaw's "Under the Stars", a beautiful love letter to the night sky and designated dark sky areas. It often reminded me of the incredible starry sky over the desert where no artificial light pollutes the night. Since then I have learned that there is a designated dark sky area near where I live and I know that I need to go there in a clear night (which might be a challenge since we so often have the coastal fog rolling in later in the day). While reading I'm having a cup of coffee ("drink", day 22) which is also my ticket to Elizabeth's T Tuesday when we show a drink that we enjoy.

"Softly" was the prompt for day 23, followed by "holding hands". Both pictures are old - the first photo shows my dad holding my newborn daughter. This is one of my favorite pictures of my dad. The second photo is of my brother and myself. He was holding my hand in order to put some seeds into my palm that we wanted to plant in this piece of dirt (it really only was dirt and not soil). While those seeds didn't take (no surprise), the seed of gardening was firmly planted within me. Please note that both my brother and I are wearing Lederhosen - simply the best for kids with wild souls who love to be and play outdoors.

When I read "horizon" (day 25) I immediately thought of the wide open skies in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Northeast of Germany. I only had to decide whether I wanted to choose a photo of the endless poppy fields or a field with haystacks.

Day 28's prompt was "love" - always these two, forever.