Before The Month of April Is Gone...

Hello Dear Friends!  It's hard to believe that I haven't posted since the middle of February -- a Valentine's tablescape.  Good grief, I've let the time slip away again.  We have been busy, though, living life, and I'm thankful for that.  In February, we visited a friend whose husband had died unexpectedly during the Christmas holidays.  Then, the following week, we attended a funeral for a man that Hal had worked with for 30 years.  I think it's nice that people are referring to these occasions as "Celebration of Life" now.  Hal's co-worker had lived a life to be celebrated, for sure.  He was quite down to earth, but such an inspiration to so many people.  Both of these men died from cancer, which is another whole topic.  Is it just me, or is this dreaded disease becoming more and more prevalent?        In March, Hal and I took another calligraphy class; this one was held at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem, N.C.  

We had a different teacher this time, and she was really good.  

We like both teachers we've had in calligraphy, but their styles are pretty different.  This written art form has a long and interesting history; it dates back to the first century, according to our most recent class.  Like most other things, if you want to do it well, it requires much practice and patience.   

Also in March, we spent an afternoon at nearby Reynolda Gardens -- they were quite gorgeous on that day.    

I had never been when so many different spring flowers were in bloom -- what a colorful show!   

    As much as I've complained about all the rain this year, we've certainly had a spectacular spring, so that has been some consolation. 😊  March was definitely a busy month.  I made Beef and Guinness stew for St. Patrick's Day and invited Will and our parents to eat with us.  Sometimes we watch a movie when Will comes over for dinner, and so far this year, we've watched "Miss Potter" and "Dial 'M' For Murder."  I've wanted to see "Miss Potter" for a long time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it --even the guys seemed to like it.  "Dial 'M' For Murder" was also a good one; I always enjoy seeing an Alfred Hitchcock movie with Grace Kelly starring.     I'm currently reading a new-to-me series by Martin Walker; this is another one that our son gave me for Christmas.   

   These mysteries take place in the Périgord region of France, specifically in the province of Dordogne.  These are a fun read and very informative about this amazing part of France.  Whew -- if you're still here, thank you so much for reading this.  It's helpful for me to record what we do with our time, as it is such a precious commodity.  Do you feel this way, too?  I've been doing a lot of reminiscing lately, too; perhaps I'll write about that sometime.       I hope you're all doing well and having a lovely spring.  Thank you for visiting today and have a great week!!