Easter was rather blue for me. Holidays are always tough following the loss of loved ones, aren’t they? I kept thinking of Scout wearing her bunny ears and that memory brought sadness. In an effort to cheer myself up, I made French Toast.

Later in the day, Don brought me tulips.

They’re beautiful. They definitely added some cheer to my day. Thank you, husband.

I finished up all my crocheted scarf commitments. I finished one book and started another: Beach Music  by Pat Conroy. By the way, RIP to author Jim Harrison, who died yesterday at the age of 78. I read several of his books many years ago, drawn by the fact that he was Michigan born and bred. In his early books, he wrote of the Upper Peninsula of my home state. He was often compared to Hemingway, but I’ve always thought Harrison to be the better writer. I haven’t read his books in a long, long time, but I happen to have an eGalley of one of his latest books on my Kindle. It’s yet to be read, but it will be.

Thank you for all your helpful tips on coloring! I made of list of sharpeners, liners, colored pencils, artists, etc., and I’m very grateful for your input. I made another trip to a local art supply store – we live next to a college town, so we are blessed with two such shops.

I found this funky little sharpener which seems to be much kinder to my pencils than anything I had on hand. Nevertheless, I’ve ordered two sharpeners that were recommended by my knowledgeable readers: one by Staedtler, the other by Prismacolor.

I found these pencils made in England by Derwent. I really like them.

I already had these on hand, but they’re not the fineliners.

As I walked in the door of one of the shops, my eye immediately lighted on this:

Of course I snapped it up.

Coloring books for grown-ups are very, very popular right now. I tend to avoid the latest craze, but in this case, I’m very glad I didn’t. There’s a reason that this activity has latched on to a  population that is exposed to a constant barrage of phones, televisions, computers, frightening headlines in the news, an election that has devolved into childish tantrums and bullying, and all sorts of daily stress.

Everyone needs some sort of respite, some sort of activity that takes them away from the stress of any given day. For me, crochet, reading, writing, working on my dollhouse, walking, even the rhythm of vacuuming can do that. For others, it’s woodworking or hiking or knitting or painting or rearranging furniture or exercise. We need an escape. We also need something that is meditative.

I heard from a couple of people who absolutely could not either understand the worth of this activity or didn’t like the restrictiveness of it. I understand it’s not for everyone and I respect your point-of-view. But when I tell you that it helps me, someone who has suffered through several years of stress and worry and loss, surely you can understand why I find it worthy of my time. It has nothing to do with coloring within the lines or restricting my creativity – I’ve never lacked for creative expression – it has everything to do with finding a modicum of peace.

Nothing fancy, no shading yet, just playing with color and spending an hour or two coloring in this wonderful book. Don is coloring in a neat book about New York City.

It brings a bit of calm and peace to our days, so why not?

Happy Monday.