Every May, I look for the jacaranda trees to bloom. In Southern California, they appear as the weather turns warmer. In years when the weather is unseasonably cool, I have to wait for the purples, which spread across the Southland like wildfires.

Homeowners gripe about the fallen blossoms that stain sidewalks and driveways. But I welcome the bursts of periwinkle that cause me to look upward and focus ahead. Many of the trees were planted near freeways, and in Ventura, they stretch across some major streets.

I tell my sister in Oregon when I spot my first jacaranda in bloom each year. Any other spring, I might have noticed jacarandas sooner, but this year we are isolated at home and venture out just once a week.

This year is no different. Spring keeps budding, summer will come. Better days are ahead, so my spirits lift. In the middle of the night, I hear a mockingbird play its entire repertoire. Blue jays perch in the small avocado tree in our backyard. Lizards sun themselves on a wall.

Our world continues.