There were signs of spring everywhere this week and, as more birds flew in, the air was filled with squawks, honks and songs from all the new arrivals, but

unfortunately the only sign of flowers remain indoors.

As the news concerning the coronavirus worsened throughout the week, there was the question regarding other than places you had to be, what gathering habits would be changed to avoid the crowds.

Some countries have limited large gatherings to 5,000 people and have closed tourist attractions and schools while companies have limited travel and encouraged, if possible, working at home.  It’s impossible to remain hidden from society, unlike the chickadees who refused to come out of their home with me standing nearby, but

after a disastrous playdate and sensing my tension, Harper voted to avoid all dogs and take the least traveled path at the park.

There are no cases in our state yet, but with the NCAA men’s basketball tournaments and March Madness almost upon us, it will be easy to choose to stay home enjoying the games.  Also, we have a stack of spring fashion magazines filled with our favorite fashion designers (and maybe a little virtual shopping) to enjoy along with our new favorite coffee mug gift from my niece.

Talk has turned to what are we going to do about the St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl and celebrations and since seeing all the reports about the effectiveness of alcohol in hand sanitizer, that has sold out around the country, and articles about making homemade sanitizer with 180 proof vodka, we are trying to convince ourselves that being surrounded by plenty of alcohol could be similar to the positive affect of alcohol in hand sanitizer.