curved

Some tulips wear a curved line of green along the edge of a single petal as they prepare to fully open.

a daffodil

This beautiful flower is a double daffodil.

These flowers have a central cluster of petals and are almost rose-like in form.

morning color

I snuck into a closed garden early in the morning in search of some color.

I found tulips starting to open.

looking

I shared a smile with a rabbit this morning.

I was far enough away that the rabbit was happy to stay in place. I crouched low to the ground, looking at the rabbit. The rabbit turned to look directly at me.

scattered

Daffodils are scattered through the woods and on the grass at Maudslay State Park. Walking there this afternoon brought a sense of calm.

isolating

Are you longing for permission to wander wherever you'd like?

While I'm fully in support of the stay-at-home advisory and I understand the reasoning behind it, some days I find it wearing to know I can't visit some of my favorite places. I'm walking outside almost every day for exercise, and I'm trying to sandwich in visits to favorite nearby state parks as part of my walking routine. Even so, I miss grabbing my camera and searching out interesting things in places far and near (without thinking about whether I should be there).

Reading continues to be a favorite pastime, one that encompasses both pleasure and news. My pleasure reading is a combination of mysteries (for escaping reality) and subjects that range from biographies to books about the environment, conservation, and yes, politics too. My news reading spans newspapers online (Boston Globe and Washington Press plus a few New York Times articles), plus my recent addiction to The Atlantic.

I am avoiding the daily COVID-19 press conferences at the White House. If I could listen to the medical experts without seeing and hearing the idiocy of the current resident of the White House I would listen but I can't stand the hypocrisy, non-answers, and rude behavior of the president.

I thought that Nancy Pelosi's comment on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” as shown in the Washington Post this morning was perfect:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that President Trump has been “an agent of distraction” during the response to the coronavirus pandemic and questioned his commitment to testing for the disease in a blistering assessment of his performance. “The fact is the president refuses to accept evidence, data, truth and the rest. We must insist on the truth,” Pelosi said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “He doesn’t want to test, because he doesn’t want to know the numbers, probably. Or he just doesn’t accept the science of it.” Credit: Washington Post

Back to reading...

The article "We Are Living in a Failed State" in The Atlantic caught my eye this morning. I find it frightening and true. We need big change; please vote for the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, Joe Biden.

Click HERE to read the article.

emerging green

New leaves are emerging, decorating the landscape with shades of green.

early tulips

While most of the tulips in the area continue to wear buds, some are close to opening.

from a rail trail

Yesterday I walked on the Border to Boston section of the East Coast Greenway.

Some sections were more interesting than others; this view is from the Swamp Walk section of the trail.

A sign at the beginning of the loop showed the distances to the ends of the trail:
2,458 miles to Key West, FL, and 442 miles to Calais, ME.

snow flower

I opened my eyes this morning and looked to the window to see snow falling out of season. This soon-to-open daffodil is wearing a bit of white.

wet, windy, wild

While it was a wet, windy, and wild weather day today I managed to sneak outside during a period of lighter rain to ask a daffodil to pose for me.

promises unfulfilled

I continue to read the news, to listen, to try to hold onto hope.

I have been impressed by the policies put in place by governors and by their quick response to changes in needs. I continue to be appalled by the lack of response by the current resident of the White House.

NPR's Morning Edition today presented an interesting timeline, "A Month After Emergency Declaration, Trump's Promises Largely Unfulfilled".

Click HERE to read the article.

Or click the start arrow to listen:

view from a walk

My exercise walk today took me down a different road, one that usually carries a fair amount of traffic. It was relatively quiet today.

a daffodil smile

A daffodil standing alone brings a smile, a sense of spring beauty.

mystery flower

As I was walking in Maudslay State Park a bit of bright color on top of a bush jumped out at me. I walked closer to see what type of flower was blooming. I found that my mystery flower was not a flower at all but a purple and pink hair scrunchy.

a quiet walk

I headed to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge yesterday morning hoping for a good exercise walk. The beach is closed for the piping plover nesting season, the paved section of road was open to motor vehicles, and the dirt road was open for walkers and cyclists. I walked the dirt road from Hellcat to the Stage Island trail and back again, finishing just over 6 miles.

Exercise surrounded by peaceful landscape was perfect! While I couldn't see the ocean there were places where I could hear it. And since the refuge is on an island there were many water views.

she has a plan

An article on Vox caught my eye today. It is a transcript of a discussion on The Ezra Klein Show that focuses on Elizabeth Warren's plans, starting with her thoughts on what the federal government should be doing as we face the coronavirus.

I found the discussion to be very interesting. Click HERE to read the Vox article "Elizabeth Warren has a plan for this, too".

Update on 4/7/2020: This morning a related article popped into my feed, immediately drawing my attention. Click HERE to read the article "Obama touts Elizabeth Warren's coronavirus recovery proposals".

a touch of green

Leaves are starting to emerge, decorating the landscape with a touch of green.

crocus in purple

A splash of light enhances the purple petals of a crocus.

opening soon

Splashes of floral color remain close to the ground in early spring. Today I saw what I believe are miniature tulips, opening soon.