Spring has sprung, whether I'm ready or not

No Self Portrait Tuesday this week. I hope to be back in the swing next week. I miss it. I returned to work yesterday, tired but ready. My head was clearer than it has been in a long time. Many people wanted to stop by my desk to pay their condolences. It was the first time I've used the past tense in refering to Grams. I was ready though. There were many others there that sent me kind words in the mail that I am trying to talk to individually throughout this week. Most of my formal thank yous were written out on Sunday. Sweets' parents sent a houseplant arrangement. My Aunt Ladaire took that home with here to sit amongst her other pampered plants. A beautiful floral arrangement came from ME and his girlfriend. That was tremendously thoughful of him. It was not the first time over the past 15+ years that he was there for me in a time of need. He is not only my longest held friend but one of the truest. JPO and her twin sis took the day off from work so they could attend the services, repast and then come back to the house with us to attend to me personally. JPO broke in our new stove with her world famous hot chocolate with a smidge of amaretto to raise my spirits. It's like a liquid hug. So very good but no comparision to having your friends rally around you when you are down. Cyndemouse was away in Austin for SXSW, so she called me to talk just about everyday and sent us a giant goodie basket from Delicious Orchards. Grams and I spent countless hours pushing wobbly carts amongst the produce aisles there. Stealing grapes to snack on, pondering the perfectly enormous strawberries, jostling in line for cheese samples. It's one of our favorite local haunts and Cyn raised some fun memories for me with her choice. Besides, she thinks I should eat more fruit. One of my co-workers, who I'll refer to as The Lion, made a generous donation to his local community center in Grams' name. That touched me immensely. We have one of those classic love-hate relationships in the newsroom. As much as I complain about his old fashioned ways and he about me being a whippersnapper, or shiksa-snapper as I've coined it; I think we are both pretty sweet on each other. Really there was so much more over the week. Talullah checking in on my from Brooklyn several times even though she was on major deadline. Benjamin wrote from Thailand and Tiffany from Seattle. My friend, Jen, from work drove over an hour to come to the service. Plus all the notes and calls from so many more. I am honored to be surrounded by such good hearted people and to call them my friends. It only seems fitting, that my return to work fell on the first day of spring. As I begin to find a new routine, I feel like the flowers out front in my garden. Lazily, they are yawning, begging for a few more days to snooze before they raise their heads and shoulders from the bed to face the sun, squinting. On the 1 & 2: "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself"- The White Stripes, What's for lunch: Leftover shrimp and grits (yum), Time left before work and my hair is still wet- 0 minutes.