Hello and Happy Easter to those who celebrate. Welcome to another Social Distancing Edition of Five Things Friday! I hope you and your families are all staying safe.

Here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to.

1. Things that made me happy this week.

—-> I held a Book Chat Zoom meeting Wednesday evening. I only invited people who are in the Facebook group for my annual reading challenge. I was thrilled that four gals showed up AND one of them wasn’t already a friend of mine. It made me happy to see my work is reaching beyond my close circle and I made a new book friend! I plan to do more of the Book Chats going forward so let me know if you’d like to be included!

—-> My husband and I figured out how to use Google’s 3D animals feature. It made me happy to laugh so much with him and know that we’re able to enjoy this time being quarantined together.

2. Things I read this week.

—->I read All the Wrong Places by Joy Fielding, which is my book club‘s April selection. Holy moly, it was creepy. It’s a solid thriller following four women, who are all connected in some way, as they navigate their romantic lives around online dating.

—-> I listened to Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin, which has high production value and made for a compelling, engaging listen. The writing is excellent. It’s the story of a teenage girl who goes missing during her family’s tropical vacation, though it isn’t a typical thriller or missing girl story. it’s more about the people in her life, mostly her younger sister Claire, and the men who were implicated in Allison’s disappearance. It’s about family and grief, also about how things aren’t always as they appear on the surface, and most people are truly doing the best they can.

3. Somethings I did offline this week.

—–> Temperatures have been in the 60s here this week, though we’re supposed to get cold temps and snow this weekend.  Since I know the warmth is short-lived, I’ve been walking and running in my neighborhood each afternoon. I’ve taken a lot of joy in seeing the ways neighbors have decorated their yards and sidewalks to be creative and spruce things up.

—-> I finished one book themed puzzle and started another one!

4. Things I’m grateful for this week:

Watching birds at the feeders in my yard.

Seeing all the baby goldfish that have hatched in our backyard pond.

Running outside.

Connecting with friends via technology.

Having windows open on nice days.

Eating fruits and veggies from last year’s garden that my husband canned.

5. Question of the week: What are you grateful for right now? 

And as always, I want to hear about a thing or two that made you happy this week!