I love this time of year as we transition into warmer weather, flowers bloom and the occasional rainfall pours down. It’s also a time of year I feel grateful for the Earth and all its wonders, as Earth Day falls during the month. As a kid I used to attend the now-defunct Earth Day Fair at Sunset Park each year with my mom, and we’d spend the day learning and celebrating Mother Earth and all her glory. So, to that end, here are my ideas to celebrate the season from anywhere.

Can you knit? Knitting can be very meditative and cathartic during times of stress. It’s something I taught myself to do when my mom died, in part because I’d always wanted to learn, and because I needed something to do with my hands. Knitting is a great way to pass the time and you can make tons of cool projects. If you don’t know how to knit, I suggest just diving into YouTube. I bet you can learn what you need to get you started from the plethora of videos housed there.

Need a pattern? Ravelry has a full library of free knitting patterns on its site. It’s kind of like Facebook for knitters, and is a place where you can upload pictures of your projects, bookmark patterns to create, and interact with other knitters. I highly recommend joining and getting a project going! If you do, I’d love to see what you create.

Next idea? Celebrate Spring or Easter with Hot Cross Buns. Life may not be how you imagined right now, but there are ways to celebrate and make things nice. Bake or cook something special this week, or attend a religious service online. I saw this recipe for Jamie Oliver’s Hot Cross Buns and it looks magnificent. I don’t have all the ingredients this week, but I’d like to try it out this season. If you make them, please send me pics.

Do you puzzle? I love putting together puzzles, and apparently that’s caught on during the pandemic. But, much like knitting, I find them meditative. And they’re a good way to engage other members of your family with you in a group activity.

Have a House Party on the app. I just downloaded the House Party app and it’s great. My friends and I played a trivia game this past week and had such a fun time. I highly recommend it as a way to interact with your peeps you can’t see for a while. And if you’re on it and want to party with me and Chris, let me know!

Celebrate Earth Day. Earth Day falls on April 22 every year and is a great time to get outside and wonder at the world. If you have outdoor space where you live, you could tend your garden and plant herbs, trim shrubs and clean up your space. I found an article this week on ways to grow vegetables from food scraps and another on vegetables that grow quickly. So if you’re interested in growing your own food, now may be the time to try it. This website https://morningchores.com/ has plenty of ideas for greening and cleaning your outdoor space, including the aforementioned article on vegetables that yield a harvest quickly.

I hope April is beautiful for you and that you find joy in the simple, easy things this month. I know I’m going to, and as we settle into our new home, we’ll find simple pleasures here with new ideas for taking it easy this spring.