I have deleted, pre-publication, the post I just wrote about the rain. At the outset, I had acknowledged it could be worse, but then I devolved into a whiny, complaining post anyway.

And we all know how much the universe loves a whiner? “Oh, you think you’ve got it bad? Let’s show you that you had it pretty good five minutes ago.”

So I will not complain about the rain and the effects it will have later on. I will be glad that I have a roof over my head and a dry bed in which to sleep. I have shoes that are not holey. I have towels and newspaper that I can put down on the floor before I go to bed. I have cash that can be turned into quarters for the dryer. I can hear the thunder and take a deep breath to calm myself. I do not have children I have to entertain or comfort. I have paying, meaningful work to distract me from borrowing trouble. I will take stock and decide that in the grand scheme of things this is merely another inconvenience and one that we can get through. The sun will return and we will be okay.

Wishing you and your family the best possible Easter. It may not look the same as normal, but if we’re all still here to celebrate it in this new way, it’s still a win.

(And if there are gaps in your family where there didn’t used to be, then I’m sending very big hugs to you, because that really, really sucks.)

My plan for this weekend looks a lot like the rest of my week, except that it starts later in the day.

We’ve got video chats planned both days — one with college friends (and with whom we’ve not been in the same spot all together in nearly two decades) and one with my family.

I’m going to go to the garden. There are more violets to pick and lettuces to thin. There are communal chores to be completed alone (or, at least, alone with Rudi if he’s around).

The farmers market continues to be open on Sunday, although they’ve got new plans in place to cut down on exposure, and they’ve closed the composting. We can still take ours to the garden, but it’s definitely more work that way.

I expect to do some baking. The sourdough starter needs to be fed, which means it’s a good day to make bread. I have a shortbread recipe I want to bake, once Rudi tells me where he’s organized my semolina to. Plus, I might make scones for Sunday’s breakfast or pie our supper.

I need to do some tidying, because while I’ve got spots where one person can do a video chat respectably, that spot is not my couch, where both of us can sit together.

I’d like to send some mail. The stationery box is out, although it’s not especially well organized, and I keep having to sort through everything in my quest to find the type of card I’m looking for.

I hope to do some knitting. I wound a new ball of yarn during a call earlier this week. Plus, I have several projects I’m already working on.

I’d love it if Rudi wants to listen to some more of Good Omens. Or maybe Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I understand the free copy that’s floating around all the libraries may be the Stephen Fry version (heretofore not available in the U.S.), and I’d love to see how he measures up to Jim Dale’s recitation. On my own, I’m listening to the the third Inspector Gamache novel and have Meg Cabot’s Size 12 Is Not Fat for if that gets too tense to listen to late at night.

There is always laundry to be done, although we are down to our last roll of quarters. Acquiring more requires hitting an atm for cash and then finding a bank that will exchange bills for coins. The one by our apartment has closed for the time being, but Rudi thinks there may be one nearby that’s still open, at least some days.

I have to get some extra walking in. I did better this week at getting outside after work had wrapped up, but my activity level is still way below where I’d be under normal circumstances.

And, finally, I’ll need to queue up some Jesus Christ Superstar and Gene Autry, since I won’t be at my folks’ place to hear our traditional Easter tunes.

The upcoming week holds several friends’ birthdays, the start of Passover, and the Easter holidays. Which means I should get some things done this weekend to prepare:

• Send out some mail. I dug out my stationery box today, which makes that easier.
• Buy batteries. We’re out of AAs and AAAs and now have to rob Peter to pay Paul, gadget-wise.
• Make some calls. I’ve been okay about checking in with the folks I know in the hardest hit areas or who are in healthcare careers, but haven’t made phone calls.
• Pay some bills. I am lucky in that because I am still working full-time, I am still getting my usual paycheck. I know that’s not true of everyone, so I’m super grateful.
• Have a living room dance party. I am the only one excited by this, which means it often gets dropped off the list, despite it being low-hanging fruit.
• Bake something with my sourdough discard and/or the pie crusts I pulled out of the freezer last week. Rudi would probably be very excited if I finally turned that sugar pumpkin that’s been sitting around the Burrow since the fall into the pumpkin pie that he loves.
• Find my UFOs and my mending pile. Sort them, and figure out how to tackle one a couple mending projects a week.
• Read something. I’ve mentioned that I’m having trouble concentrating on paper books right now, but audiobooks seem to be okay. Rudi and I started listening to Good Omens earlier this evening
• Paint my nails.
• Sleep in.

What are you thinking about doing this weekend?

We did not get around to baking bread, but I did make waffles for brunch and pass on some starter to a stranger.

We didn’t find strawberry plants for the garden, but we did find flour, milk, and greens for the kitchen.

We didn’t clean the living room, but we did defrost the freezer.

We didn’t have a living room dance party, but we did get out on our bikes.

I didn’t finish my book, but I did read a chapter. (I’m getting close to having to turn to Harry Potter…)

We didn’t talk to our friends, but I did talk to my brother, text with a couple friends who live close to the epicenter in New York, and make plans to say a socially distant farewell to friends who are moving back to Germany this week.

We didn’t get the sheets changed, but we did sleep in.

And that’ll have to be good enough for right now. After all, tomorrow is a new day and a clean slate and there are plenty of chances to do more then.