Little successes

I've slowly been catching up with things since my long block of travel. Last weekend I eked out some time, in between all my social engagements, to plant in the garden. It's exciting to be planting a spring garden this year; last year I couldn't start planting until mid-May because we were unpacking the house. This year, I've planted arugula, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, and broccolini. If even half of it comes up, I'll be well-provisioned for green vegetables. And I don't need any red/orange vegetables, because I'm still eating sweet potatoes and tomatoes from last year.

Along with garden time, I've enjoyed a few other treats. The daffodils are blooming in the garden, and I made a big plate of donuts over the weekend.

On Saturday I went to see the famous cherry blossoms downtown. I've viewed them for many springs, but this year was the first time I watched the parade. I don't think I'll try that again, because parade + Japanese culture festival + people viewing the blossoms = far too many people. I knew that using the Metro would let me bypass the horrendous traffic, but I didn't anticipate that they would close stations because of sheer overcrowding. When I tried to go home, I was met with, "Sorry, this station is now exit only; walk to the next one." I could see why they did that - the stream of people flowing out of the station was continuous.

Lastly, remember these slippers I made last year? They were nice, but I realized I could improve the design. They were far too big because I didn't understand how to size my feet properly, and the soles required a lot of darning as holes appeared. The new, improved slippers fit perfectly and boast a sturdy vinyl sole, as well as stylish infinity-symbol decorations.