I decided I won’t talk about the weather in my little Four Things preamble today.  (Although we have been having wonderful Spring weather, and I’ve been delighting in my morning walks and time in the garden.)  I’m going to share some thoughts on embracing change…  I used to love Instagram.  It was such a fun community and an easy way to share and connect.  Once the algorithm was imposed and Meta acquired it several years ago, it slowly became less enjoyable.  You’re constantly pushed to pay to promote posts to people who already follow you, and the number of people who organically see your post continues to dwindle.  You’re flooded with ads and hardly see posts from your online friends.  And there are regular prompts telling you how to post and share, how to increase your numbers, and how to play the social media game. I felt burned out on

We’re in the middle of a mid-April heatwave.  This time of year, I will wear a hoodie in protest when summer weather rears its head early, which is sort of ridiculous.  I’ve still been making a point to get outside by walking in the morning before it gets hot and then spending about 15-20 minutes filling a bucket with weeds and maple saplings from the garden beds.  Maple saplings are my lot in life at the moment, but they are at least very easy to pluck, and I’m making some good progress.  It cools off a bit more tomorrow, then it’s back in the 40s on Sunday.  There is your Washington County, Maryland weather report and my commentary on it.  You’re welcome. I’m not sure why I’ve started so many Four Things posts with weather updates lately, but I suppose it’s just a sign that I’m getting older.  I remember

It’s been my favorite early spring weather.  Cool enough for a hoodie, but warm enough to spend lots of time outside.  I donned my overalls for the first time this year, and Jeff and I worked together in the backyard on Tuesday.  We pulled weeds, mowed the small patch of grass, pruned the hydrangeas, trimmed back the liriope, and cleaned up the leaves.  I remembered looking out the window last week and feeling overwhelmed at all of the tasks that needed to be done to get the garden beds and patio ready for spring, but it only took a couple of hours, and it looks noticeably better.  There are a few more things to do, but it’s looking great already. I know that small amounts of work, one or two hours, devoted regularly to something can make a big difference, but I’m glad when I’m still delighted and surprised at

Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s April.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way.  Wasn’t it just January?  With the warmer weather and longer days, I am feeling my usual pull to home and garden projects, but I haven’t had much time with my current workload.  Home projects are usually a large part of my work, but with oil painting and writing becoming more prominent this year, they are getting pushed to the weekend and evenings, just like everyone else with full-time jobs!  Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll start by trimming hedges, mulching, applying fertilizer, seeding patchy spots in the lawn, and cleaning up the patio to get ready to open the pool. Here are my four things for this week – Paper & Van Gogh (still), Masterclass, “it would be that way”, and playing with a new medium.   what I’m reading I’m