Take a penny, leave a penny.

Things have been so hectic! (Smile.) But even as I wake up most mornings in a sheer panic wondering how I will possibly get through to the end of the day (I’m very dramatic in the wee hours, and there is not enough sleep for those who work retail), we do. And we sigh. And we laugh. And then we do it over again. Lately I’ve taken to late-night soliloquies in bed—soft, rambling rants and organizations of thoughts that feel like I’m mouth-typing a stream of consciousness into the blackness with only Eli’s warm little body anchoring me to the mattress—which Rob may or may not sleep through. (He’s smart to sleep through them.)

With that, let’s celebrate the little moments in between the exhaustion and the ironic sleeplessness. The weekends, and the front porches. The amazing friends! And the return of ghastly back of hand freckles that will always give me away.

To Spring! To Richmond! To you!

We snuck out of town and had a marvelous Sunday by the lake.

…took an evening bike ride for beers at Curbside to celebrate something, but I can’t remember what.

As promised, we went down to Ledbury to see friends and celebrate the kick-off of Richmond Street Art Festival 2010…

…marched around for Easter on Parade on Monument Ave, a block over from our humble abode. This guy didn’t stand a chance the second I saw his sign. I cut through the crowd and said, “I really need one, can I have one?”

Later, cooling my heels on the porch.

The porch is like the refueling station for The Life C+C. You can witness a lot of things from our little joint: cats up trees, scooter test drives, funny shoes, cranky bicycle chains, and, sometimes, very sad conversations. You can see the life of the Fan coming and going.

I suppose that view works both ways; they can see a little existence going on up there, and it plays a part in the tapestry, as cheesy as that is. What with the grey cat who yells at people from the ledge and the girl fannying about watering ferns (sometimes in a robe) and the guy pouring her wine and asking her to name the varietal. And in so many respects, being a tiny part of that big canvas imparts an energy—the very same one that gets us through the long days, the short nights, and everything else.

So these were our contributions for the month. The taking-part-ins. The continuation-ofs. The buying and selling of fun and good will.

No matter where you live, you’re doing the same thing. Just by being out of doors.

Happy spring.

-C.