Delights: March 12 to March 18

March 12: I pushed back my stool in astonishment. As the waitress bisected the patio to present my lunch, the women at nearby tables gasped and whooped. We all looked at the low ceramic boat of rigatoni, cheddar cheese, crabmeat and shrimp, topped by a crispy cheese cap and paprika freckles. As you know, dear reader, I do not write about food. I do write, however, about new connections made, stories shared, and toasts offered among strangers lured out of our bubbles by bubbling cheese.

March 13: “But I always see the ponies when I go!” my neighbor said. And at last I saw them too. Four horses, casually grazing on a grassy corner near a three-way intersection at the park’s entrance. Their coats were so thick that, against the light, each horse seemed draped in fringe. I knew they would eventually push back into the bayside bramble, grateful for their fringe, leaving us grateful for them.

March 14: Zipping down the highway, by chance I glimpsed a horse in a fenced backyard, bearing a child and responding to instruction. Minutes earlier, I had emerged from a lengthy detour. Yes, the delay altered my afternoon plans. And yes, in a caravan of stopped cars, I spied a creek like a ditch, and a creek like a creek, and at a distance a white horse, in a fenced backyard, still as a statue and waiting for its own child. 

March 15: In the back, in a surprising patch of sunshine, our first daffodils saluted the season. They believe spring is coming, and so must I.

March 16: At the insistence of my sons, I uncoiled myself from work at 6 pm and we went out for burgers. Literally, out: under heat lamps and blankets, and grateful for the warmth of masks. Once home, I did an hour of chores. Overcome by yawns and nighttime stretches, I wondered, was it too early to go to bed at 8:30? No: we had changed the clocks this weekend, so it was really. . . um . . . 7:30 pm. Ha! I’m bed-ward bound anyway. Divine.

March 17: (I didn’t take my pajama pants off today.)

March 18: Woo hoo! The email has arrived. Nationals Park, home of the 2019 World Champion Washington Nationals (ahem), announced today that the ballpark will open to 5,000 socially distanced fans per game. I’m ready to grab my COVID pod (and my coat and scarf and hat) for April baseball!

Baseball is back. Who needs to be calm?!

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