Nothing like a walk in the woods to restore the soul — even if there were a lot of other dogs and not all of them on leashes. Almost everyone we saw wore masks.

The vernal pools are drying up, as evidenced by mud.

It was warm enough to work up a sweat and amazingly, even after 40 minutes, my hips didn’t hurt. We walked for at least an hour.

The NYTimes puzzle disappointed today. One of those cross-referencing structures that makes me go cross-eyed and not enough easy fill to help matters.

But what doesn’t disappoint is the pandemic routine of coming downstairs every day to already brewed coffee. It’s so, so great. Every damned day!

I was all set up to enjoy an outside quilting session yesterday when my next door neighbor’s yard crew arrived and knowingly violated the gas leaf blower ban. I was driven inside and also driven temporarily insane. Apparently my neighbor, though I sweetly texted, was powerless?

There’s something about living in a country on the verge of having no rule of law that makes this minor, willful transgression extra maddening. And, BTW, this time of year? They are blowing a few blades of grass off the driveway.

I planted cucumbers. Will they have time to produce? I have no idea. Meanwhile, the chipmunks LOVE to dig wherever I’ve recently planted. I spend half my time outside using my foot to slide dirt back into holes.

While rooting around the basement, I found this quilt top and decided to layer it up since I already had the batting out.

It’s about the slave trade.

Hints: sail shapes, indigo, brown stripes like ship planks, blue for the Atlantic, maps, fish for the sea, and African-inspired black and taupe print.