Masking

I can remember, barely, last year when I was in China and felt sorry that the Chinese have to wear masks as they went about their daily lives in cities like Shanghai and Beijing and other cities we visited. Even our host on our tour boat gave a talk comparing the culture of the west and the east and admitted to longing for the day when his children would not have to shelter inside due to days of heavy air pollution.  The majority of China's energy comes from cheaper coal.

In late January many Americans thought the Chinese were being wussy wearing their masks everywhere.  Many Americans did not comprehend the virus at all.

When the pandemic first started to spread here on our continent you would see the occasional mask being worn by an elder or someone you assumed was immune-compromised or something else.  In early March even I went to the store in our rural area without a mask and saw 15% wearing some face covering.  Many of us felt it was probably overkill.  Consistently, the government said we didn't need masks but just needed to distance.  I felt in the back of my mind that this was really so that people did not rush out to buy and hoard the N95 masks.

There was a back and forth for weeks on how "aerosolized" the virus could be.  There were articles on how far heavy spittle and sneeze drops actually traveled.  Then the scientists' admission (still somewhat controversial) about tiny virus particles traveling distances or hanging in the air for hours.  Whether these tiny vapors are strong enough to be a contagion is still being explored.  Public bathrooms are the absolute worst place to expose yourself as heavy concentrations of the virus were found in patients' bathrooms and areas of heavy use in the reception areas of hospitals.

Then States started to turn the corner and ask people to cover their faces with anything if they went out shopping.  This eventually morphed in laws requiring masks in some areas...such as mine.  Suddenly masking was taken seriously by those snowflakes who follow the science.  Others were blatant deniers but felt they needed to public carry automatic weapons for protection instead.  I will not digress on this flat-earth mentality.

I had two boxes of N95 masks from Home Depot.  One from a time when we were painting and doing sanding work.  Another from an order I made in early January as a precaution.  I gave away the unopened box of 10 masks to our local Fire Department as the Pandemic grew.  Part of the other box I sent to the family for their protection and the rest I put in zip-locks to be used in the car as I have lung issues and both hubby and I are in our mid-seventies.  Once worn they get aired in the car for 4 days and then re-used, which one medical site recommended for those using it much more heavily than we do.

Now the last day of April you will see all kinds of masks with varying degrees of protection being sold in ads or home-made by volunteer groups.  Asia is selling tons of them on Facebook (and probably other social venues) with little facts on how effective they are.  Cotton, batik cotton and quilting fabrics are the best for homemade but should use a wire to fit across the nose which prevents air escape as well as glasses fogging.  They caution against non-natural fabrics and I have found nothing on silk scarves.  I have some quilting and some batik materials but I do not like the ties so am waiting for elastic which I ordered a few days ago.  When I make these I can distribute to those who want or need them and we can use them in the future.

As with any product that is needed masks have become customized.  Sports teams, hobbies, pet breeds, and even hand lettering with the initials of the wearer are being made.  Never let it be said that entrepreneurs will miss a sales opportunity!

In my vanity, I have noticed that you do not need lipstick anymore if you head outside to get mail or food.  If you are female you do not need to brush your hair too much.  By the time the straps are in place, your hair will look reasonably pathetic anyway.

Well stay safe out there and make sure you bring home the correct spouse after your shopping trip...we are all starting to look alike out there.

Please explain this label to me..!

Catch Up and Keep Up

I just realized that I am trying to find time to squeeze in a blogging post. I am not the type of person that can just toss something off the top of my head...well, I can, but it will sound like one of our President's monologues and people will quit reading here and leave scratching their heads.  It seems that washing vegetables, washing the mail, nurturing my spring seedlings, nurturing the perennials I had ordered with our unusually cold spring, keeping up with the laundry that may or may not be covered in virus, keeping in closer touch with family and friends who are near and far, and trying to plan meals with half the ingredients is taking up all my time and keeping me exhausted.

I should be less busy. But I had two Zoom meetings and about two dozen emails with tasks in the last week. I continue to order food online and that is harder than it sounds.  These online activities are exhausting for someone of my ancient age. It took me two hours just to organize one of my email boxes so that I did not lose important emails to the great black hole where all emails eventually go. I am exhausted from trying to log in to a Zoom meeting, realizing only my laptop has a camera (who in the hell needs to see my witchy hairstyle these days?), finding I have to go to the bedroom where it is quieter, finding the bedroom internet is not strong enough and trying to take notes when every 5th,6th, and 7th word is lost in static!  

Then I came across this article from National Geographic explaining why Zoom meetings are so tiring for many but not all.  

My daughter (who is not one of those meme crazy ladies and certainly not one of those chain challenge idiots) got me involved in a 10 days, 10 photos, 10 friends challenge on Facebook.  I spend hours trying to find meaningful photos and thinking about which 10 friends I would select...usually determined by which photos I find.  My daughter's birthday was Friday and she and her family had planned all kinds of things to do.  Online games with friends, a parking lot happy hour where they will remain 10 feet apart and eat and drink sitting in the trunks of their cars, and a movie night--online.  They just purchased a huge trampoline that takes up their entire backyard and the kids are in such good health using that.  My granddaughter has been heartbroken that she is no longer participating in cheer competitions with all the tumbling and balancing, and this is great for her.

I also was selected to participate in a View From My Window group on Facebook.  Fascinating photos of ALL types from people's windows around the globe as they shelter in place.  I am sure the administrators of this group will have a good book someday.  Through this group, I see bitterly cold winters, soft gentle spring views, and finally, some hot summer desert views.  I see lake views (pools, oceans, rivers) contrasting with high rise cities and barren alley views from all the continents and islands of the world.  Some of the best "window" views include animals---giraffes, monkeys, kangaroos, parrots, lambs, horses, etc.  (I guess I am spending too much time with this group.)

Today I am nervous as I will have to try to log-in to a live FB presentation and I still do not know how to do it.  I failed with the test yesterday.  I am supposed to support the person doing the presentation as a back-up to answer questions.  Since I am not the only support person, I guess they will survive if I do not figure this mess out.

I will leave you with a photo of the 'view from my window' but this is not the one I uploaded to the group.  I was in too much of a hurry and just selected something from my image catalog.  Yes, I dusted the table.

A Follow-up and Some Interesting News

1. I can’t wait for National Parks to reopen after the quarantine.

2. I am in no hurry for my volunteer meetings to reopen after the quarantine.

3. These days, resigned hope is my default mood.

4. Have I ever told you there are times when I wish I had kept my big mouth shut?

The credit for this meme above can be found in Messimimi's comments at the bottom of the previous post if you want to know who and how this came about.

The young girl above is paddling down our river on April 8.  The water temps in the 40's and air temps in the 50's.  We just lost two members of the Kennedy family canoeing on the Chesapeake and not wearing dry suits or their Personal Floatation Devices. A mother and an 8-year-old son.  Their death was attributed to rough waves but also very cold water in the 40s.  Note where she is keeping her life jacket!

The more significant changes caused by this virus is that when you force mankind to remain indoors for significant periods of time, the world begins to slowly recover from its scars and pollution that we have wrought.

• Mobs of monkeys are roaming the streets of Japan.
• Venice's canals have become clear once again because silt is not being stirred up by traffic.  (One rumor is that dolphins have returned.  This was not true and photos in social media were dolphins swimming off the canals in Sardinia which is not an unusual phenomenon.)
• Lions did sleep on the roadways at South Africa's Kruger national park because of the lack of traffic.
• The air pollution in Europe, China and around the world has become less.  The countries with lots of asthma cases (China) can now see blue skies.
• Elk have invaded Banff town as their tourist industry falls into great decline.  You can see it here as well.
• The earth is actually vibrating less due to the lockdown.  Earth tremors can be more accurately measured closer to developed areas.
• One thing that is not happening is that birds ARE NOT louder.  Just seems that was with the diminishing of noise pollution and people being forced to stay at home!

(You may not be able to get to all of these links if they are geographically or subscription-restricted.)

Have a peaceful, stressfree weekend!

From MessiMimi...a fill-in.

One of my readers (perhaps others) is not happy about how 'dismissive" my posts seem to be during this time of death and danger.  I try to write light-hearted because there is way too much depressing information out there.  My life is not all sunshine and roses, but I do not want to share the hard stuff with readers, as I am still a bit private even though anonymous.  I also do not want to brag about the things I am doing because I have the privilege of being upper-middle-class and can afford to assist.   So I like to make reading the blogs a break from reading the news.  I also avoid politics (I do give in now and again to try to convince others) when I can.

Below is an exercise from Messimimi's blog.  Simple and a nice distraction.


1. I can’t wait for _______ to reopen after the quarantine.

2. I am in no hurry for __________ to reopen after the quarantine.

3. These days, ______ is my default mood.

4. Have I ever told you ________?


You can play in the comments and then perhaps I will repost with my answers.

Here is a course from Yale on happiness you can audit for FREE.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Apologies as I have not been around to read my Bloggers (you folks) as much as I would like to. I have been busy cornering the market on milk, ricotta cheese, eggs, spreadable butter, real butter, and coffee creamer. On the odd chance you might be interested in how to do this I will explain.

Last week on Tuesday I ordered the above through an online service called InstaCart where local people who have a car and need income go to the grocery to shop for you. Once the shopping has started they ping your phone when they want to substitute a product for something not on the shelves. These shoppers can be teenagers who have never shopped in a grocery store or others who have experience and will map out the aisles to be the most efficient.  I got two pounds of strawberries on the last order, which I do not remember selecting!  Anyway, you are looking over their shoulder sometimes when they send a photo of the partially empty shelf with alternative products. You can tip up to 25% for the driver. I do that and also leave money in an envelope on the porch where they deliver as cash is probably more important to them. You are instantly messaged to your phone once the order is on its way. The first order came fine even though it was missing a few items and had the strawberries.

My second order, I needed dairy type products. I made my order online and waited for a few days and never got any response. They do not guarantee a short or quick delivery. Usually, you have a four-day delivery window and they can deliver as late as 9:00 P.M.  This tool to avoid the virus requires patience.

Since some times had passed, I was concerned the order was not completed, so I went in and ordered once again. This time I got thrown off the internet as we lost electricty due to that nasty front that came across the East Coast. By afternoon the power came back on and I went through the whole process again ordering my dairy stuff.

I know my brilliant readers are waaaay ahead of me on this. I got the order two days later. Then the very next morning after that I got the same order again! And the morning after that I found the same order on my front porch! For elders this ordering online is a little crazy.  I will pay for it all, as it was my fault, I guess.  If I do not go to the store, I will be much more careful.

Now I have reached out to provide this free food to my friends.  I managed to get rid of one dozen extra eggs to a friend who is in her 80's and confined to her retirement campus. She is a former nutritionist and probably one of the best bakers I have ever met. She left me a little surprise of her culinary talents after I dropped the eggs off.

I finally had to freeze some because everyone I contacted was stocked!  My freezer is now also overstocked.

Next hubby Instant Messaged our gardener fellow who lives with his mother and I told hubby to tell him he had to take all of the order! He is coming today to get it, I hope!

I was going to make an Italian cheesecake with the Ricotta.  Can you freeze ricotta?  By the way, do you need anything?

Deal With It

It is a roller coaster ride, is it not? Some days I can be very Zen and so thankful that spring is abundantly showing off everywhere in my area. I am truly happy that I am ahead of the curve on weeding, frozen foods, paper products, chocolate, and phone calls. This is the valley in the ride.

Then I get to the start of a hill. I had my first Zoom meeting today with a volunteer group. I actually had to change out of PJs (at least the tops), wash my face, put on some make-up, and brush and blow dry my hair as it is getting heavy and missing its haircut! Then I had to figure out how to link to the meeting. I started 5 minutes early and FINALLY after multiple missed attempts did some corrections in the mass list of ID and Password and other entries that would not validate and logged in only 5 minutes late! The damn meeting was an hour and a half long. It was very productive and I managed to get volunteered for only one or two things to do.

This is what I use to cut hubby's hair and he looks great!

Now, this introvert is exhausted from just that, BUT this afternoon I have to get in the car and mail some face masks to my son, pick up the mail, and drive my car around in the country to charge the battery.  It does not like sitting idle for days.  Hubby is thrilled to go for a car ride.  Does he remind you of your pet?

Since hubby has been outside working more, he is creating more laundry.  He did a wash yesterday and is folding it today.  I am holding my breath and letting him fold clothes...egad.  That is the downhill, cannot-keep-up side of this ride.  Relearning PowerPoint to convert to a .jpg to put on the gardening FB page is also much more challenging than it seemed to be years ago.  And what I have to post is time-sensitive.

I am totally bored with my cooking.  Totally.  And we have a larger variety of foodstuffs than most.  I just want some salty fatty food from a restaurant.  My next job is to call the restaurant and place a take-out order.  This is exhausting for me and a little nerve-racking.

Above is an odd meal I cooked the other night.  Kentucky BBQ chicken, Boiled Japanese Daikon radish with ginger and oyster sauce, and some curry-flavored stir fry vegetables.  I order bi-weekly veggies and must find ways to use these.

My dreams stay with me longer.  They are odd and usually involve me trying to keep up on some trips or meet-up with others in some tight time frame.

Then we reach the valley once again when I read an article that says this virus was probably in China in mid-November as they had an unusual uptick in flu cases.  (You may remember that we left China the last week of October!)  So I can be thankful for that dodging of the bullet. 

Now that I have erupted in verbal chaos, just exactly how is your day going?

A Harump Followed by Something Worthwhile

Learning to live in the time of Coronavirus is not easy for those who are inflexible or sorta-flexible or just plain privileged. 

While commercial fishing is allowed, our governor has banned recreational boating. This has resulted in a 15,000 signature petition for him to lift it if boats agree to stay 50 feet apart, only family members on board and no parties on beaches. It is hard for good old boys to give up such a hobby and I can understand why. I am sure the state had images of beer parties and boats rafted together, or remote beach parties, etc. Also, they did not want their DNR officers spending time on drunken get-togethers on the water when they need to focus on other stuff.

Hubby can canoe and kayak as that is considered exercise, so he is not totally dismayed. Our governor survived cancer and has a good knowledge of medical science, but elected by the GOP, the Trumpers are getting mad at him for taking away their 'rights'.  (The right to infect the nation if they want.)  I have learned that many (at least those on FB, Twitter or the media) conservatives are ALWAYS suspicious of science and think scientists are members of some dark-state cult. Pray for those scientists that stand behind the President at each daily briefing and manage to not strangle him while subtly contradicting what he says to keep us alive.

We also learned that we can no longer work in the children's garden to raise food for the free pantry. It seems that the University will not allow volunteers (Master Gardeners) to work on their own. The property is owned by the museum and they do not mind, although they have pretty much shut down their offices. The director of the museum told us yesterday that she is now employed at one hour a week!! Other Master Gardener projects can continue. One is run by a church and its volunteers are not part of the MSG program and the garden is on church property. A larger food garden is run by an environmental organization and pays its staff...so that is considered agriculture which is exempted from the Shelter in Place edict, even though MSGs are part of it. Hubby is bereft that he has planted seedlings in trays and cannot transplant to the children's garden! I have begged him not to chance it because there is a 5,000 dollar fine! I am pretty sure they would waive it, but still.  How would he weed and water weekly anyway?

My online grocery orders arrive with about 70% of what I order. The only things missing are the things I really need like milk and butter! I may have to mask up and go to the grocery,  now that the CDC is recommending masks...after all this time...!  I dropped off the larger portion (10) of my N95 masks to the local Fire Chief in a dash grab process, but retained a small supply in the event we do get sick.

My freezer is full as is my fridge and I cannot complain if I run out of necessities like coffee, chocolate or wine.  I will grow in character...some people have run out of shelter, food and the ability to see their loved ones.

But, having written all of this, I have an excellent uplifting video on the virus. Please watch this doctor and I am sure your tensions will ease:

Short Version
https://youtu.be/Qwx3JMRTz8U

Longer Version
https://vimeo.com/399733860

Notice a Difference?

Yes, the parking lots are emptier if not totally empty in front of our favorite restaurants.  I can order for pick-up, but I am still a little worried about germs for all that.  The photo below was the last time we ate out...March 17...perhaps we were pushing it?

All our meetings have been canceled (which is driving my extrovert husband bananas in trying to find stuff to do.)

We are elderly but fairly active and do not see ourselves as elderly...this has been a strong reminder of how few years we have left on this earth.

Every news report we fall into the "vulnerable" category.

I am close to my children, but we do not talk sometimes for months and that has changed to texting and phone calls several times weekly as they check up on us!

My husband's fishing buddy (in his late 50's) who calls maybe twice a year is stuck at his condo in Colorado and called to make sure we are doing well and to remind us his son, who lives near us, can be called upon for any assistance we might need. Then he tells us his wife's father passed away last week due to the virus...

My next-door neighbor (newly moved in) also offers us assistance if we need it. He is in his late 50s.

Our intermittent helper (gardening and such--the man released from prison last year) calls before he comes to help with mulch and asks if he can bring anything from the store for us.

My own brother ( a real introvert) who never calls me unless we are on travel together and trying to coordinate something or pick a place for a meetup, called to see how we were doing!

I am ordering expensive frozen dinners online as a break to cooking. When I say expensive...it is like eating out without all the ambiance and wine but the same bill. I also think the serving sizes are much like TV dinners and not going to satisfy hubby.

I spend much of my time washing things...not clothes or dishes...but mail, food packages, prescription bottles, and of course, my hands.

We worked in the children's garden today and I discovered that you have no impulse to touch your face when your hands are covered in dirt. Try it.

Life is a Bit of a Hornets Nest

The morning is dark and gloomy at 4:00 A.M. The bedroom is quiet. My mind is racing as I lay in bed and stare at the shadowed ceiling...why did I wake up? Hmmm...  Oh, yes! I forgot to put the food recycle-bags that I had washed into the dryer and we are going food shopping this morning.

Dragging myself out of the warm covers, I put the bags in the dryer and go to make some coffee.  At 5:20 the alarm goes off and I go in to wake my husband.  He seems unenergetic and slow and then tells me he thinks he may have an eye infection!!  I make him get up, wash his face, and then wash the eye with saltwater.  It does not look too bad so we do not cancel our morning plans.  (The eye was better by the afternoon.)

The grocery told us, elders, to get there at 6:00 A.M. when they open so that we can shop without lines and maybe have a chance of finding things.

It is bleak and dark outside. A slight drizzle with cold weather and seems like we are leaving for a trip to the airport instead of just a weekly errand to the village. I get the mail from the counter to take to the P.O. We do not have rural delivery and thus have to hit the Post Office twice to thrice weekly. Hubby has been having trouble starting "my" car and I have been seeing him double start even after the dash says Power On!  I am concerned with his concentration these days and greater confusion with technology.  After arguing with him I make him give me the driver's seat. The computer in the car is clearly not working well. After finally getting the car to turn off completely which takes several shifts, pushing off the start button, and even opening and closing car doors, I wait a bit and then start it as I normally do and it works!! Good thing we are getting an early start.

We head to the Post Office since the grocery will not be open for another fifteen minutes.  I pull into the empty parking lot and the Post Office is well lit.  I push the off button, but the car does not seem to go off.  I do not worry but hurry inside to deposit and get mail.   When I put the virus covered mail and a medium box of snack peanuts and chocolate I ordered from Amazon in the back seat. I try to start the car.  It takes five minutes this time.  I am frustrated as it is hard to see the car settings, etc. in the dark morning.  I rarely drive at night because of this.  Something is clearly wrong and I am just getting ready to call a tow when I turn the car off and we sit for 5 minutes.  I try again one final time and it works!  It is a computer problem.

We optimistically head to the store and I try not to think about the possibility of ice cream melting in the trunk if we load it with groceries and have to wait for a tow.  I have turned the lights to auto, and other stuff to my original settings and tell my husband to please not touch all the settings.  He is feeling bad and I am feeling bad and oh hell...

We get two carts and wipe down the handles, sides, etc. and our hands with wipes I carry in my purse.  An Asian elder rounds the corner followed by his Caucasian wife.  They both smile and I smile back and ask her if she brought coffee.  She says her hubby has already had his coffee and I am wondering if she did not realize I was attempting a joke.  Something I do when I am nervous and frustrated.  (It isn't until much later I wonder if the Asian man is feeling the prejudice or does he always smile?)

The store is quiet and everyone is polite and keeping their distance.  For the first time since this nightmare started, I see some customers wearing gloves and a few elders wearing masks.  I find most of what I want except bleach.  I am down to half a gallon and use it to wash my veggies.  I hurry past the produce section as I got my first order of produce online yesterday.  (I had opened the box outside, brought in veggies and fruit and dumped them all in a sink of bleach water for about three minutes, rinsed them thoroughly, let them air dry and put them away.  I get little choice in what they deliver, but it will help me stretch my cooking imagination to prepare veggies I do not like.)

Remembering what produce I got, I select bananas and strawberries in the store and celery.  I have a feeling that this ordering online will not deliver the more fragile berries, tomatoes, etc. I zoom my cart past toward the meat.  Hubby cannot eat red meat due to his allergy so it is all turkey, duck, and chicken.  I have plenty of seafood in the freezer but the fresh seafood counter is totally closed.  I see the paper products aisle is 90% empty but I do not need any of that anyway and hurry on to the other aisles.

Hubby has taken a second shopping list and the second cart and is on his way to the opposite side of the store for the dairy.    We buy more ice cream these days to handle our boredom.  I cannot live without coffee creamer and have 3 jars now!

We get everything we want except the bleach.  I get to the counter with only one cart ahead of us.  The elder customer in front of us says that it is nice the store sets aside time for us old folks.  When she has paid, I put up my recyclable grocery bags on the counter and assure the clerk that I have just washed them.  Her response indicates she does not really care, or perhaps did not hear.  We talk lightly about the pandemic and she admits that she is immune-compromised.  She is a young thing in her 20s.  As we wheel our two half-filled carts away I hear the customer behind me ask the clerk if she is holding up under this virus panic.  Everyone seems to care about the vulnerable.

Both of us load the trunk quickly as the rain is now starting up again getting everything wet.

I get into the car which starts exactly as it is supposed to and we head home.  Lots of Lysol wipes on most things such as door handles, car steering wheel, etc. and then we wash our hands after everything has been put away.  I think we are good for 7-10 days.  

This whole experience made me realize how tense we are.  I felt as if I had just caught the last plane out of Cuba and all it was was a weekly errand!  And this will probably go on for a month or two more...

The Pause

Most of us have put our lives on pause. If you are retired, this is not a huge difference in the pace you used to set each day. It is a bit frustrating if you are very social and love your  meet-ups. It is a bit frustrating if you participate in social sports or even gym activities, but making a sacrifice to save lives is not all that difficult! My daughter lets her little girl out to ride bikes with a good friend a few times each week. They are told to stay 6 feet apart when talking. My granddaughter must have some social connections at the age of 12,but who knows if she understands the seriousness of all this. That is her life overseen  by her parents. She spends the rest of her freetime on the snapchat APP of her phone or doing her homework online. She is not a stellar student, but also someone who will make it through school as above average. 

My oldest grandson is a teenager and smart enough to be able to handle the homework in an efficient manner and  spends too  much time playing online games.  He is very close to his uncle, my son, so they connect electronically at the end of the workday.

The youngest is nine and tries to keep up with his teenage brother but is somewhat lost because team sports have been the  central  part of his life outside of school.

I do not  think any of my family realizes how  long this hunkering down is going to last.  

I  have restricted my going  out to maybe twice a week...maybe once more as we do  not get rural  delivery of mail.  I wipe the mail down with a bleach  and  water cloth  and let it sit for a short time before I open it

I am now getting my vegetables and fruit via delivery.  Getting the first box in  two  days.  We  will see how that goes.  I may try to get all my groceries via delivery.  My neighbor and I are planning  on leaving the box  outside the house and bringing stuff in to clean in the house.  

Yard workers and delivery do not come into  the house.  I am certainly hoping we do not need repairs.  My friend 's refrigerator just died and she got new one.  On that same day, Best Buy, which sells appliances, emailed all  its customers that they will sell and deliver appliances, but no longer install them!  They will get them to  the front door and the rest is up to you.

We planted spring potatoes in the volunteer children's garden, but not  sure if  or when community children can help us harvest.  It was just hubby and I.  We  canceled the get-together with volunteers  to pre-plant all the vegetables in small trays to  place under grow lights and hubby spent  4 hours doing  it  himself in the basement.

My daughter  had planned a long weekend  in the nearby mountains  with us, but the cabin owners canceled and refunded the money.  My son and his wife planned a weekend with us at the C&O canal in a cabin.  That is in May and might very well  be cancelled.  We have a late June trip where my husband was going to take the oldest grandson on a SCUBA diving trip to the Bahamas.  My son was going also.   I was going just to make the the three males behaved themselves.  That is farther away in time, but I will not be surprised if flying out of the country is unadvisable in June!

So life is a bit of a bore.  Even our brief  consideration of taking a chance drive up to see the cherry blossoms has been  canceled as D.C. said too many people were enjoying them!  Even  though they are all outdoors, it was too crowded.

We still  have the  local parks with their hiking  trails, but hubby and I do not know if they are crowded as this weather warms.  We will have to see in the days ahead.

Mage from Postcards From the Edge is back blogging after her lengthy illness.  But she returns to the pandemic that has us all staying home.  It is good to read her "postscards" once  again, though.  Blog connections with you all are more important than ever,  helping us realize that life goes on and we can keep each others spirits up virtually with  absolutely no exchange of bacteria or  virus!

Different Strokes

My husband and I are very different in personality. He is much like an over-eager lab. He loves people, he is on the phone, he likes to run errands and he is the one who makes friends. I like people well enough. I do not mind having someone over for tea. Except the young man that came last week stayed for three hours and I was worn out by then. This was just a few days before we all have decided to stay home. 

Last week we had our last meet-up with someone who had requested a yard visit regarding issues with drainage and protection of nearby water flow areas.  Hubby was enthusiastic in his response with all his advice until the lady politely stepped back and said, "I'm sorry, but I am trying to make some distance between us here."  Hubby smiled and stepped back.  This virus is hard for him in so many silly ways.

Therefore, this mandate by our Governor to not hold meetings or go out to gyms or restaurants, etc. has left a big hole in my husband's days. He watches cable news, he gardens, he even ran 4 miles on the elliptical today, but all of it is him pacing, pacing, pacing. I, on the other hand, am relieved that all those meetings got canceled. I hate going to them anyway. I love people, I really do. But they are like hot sauce for me. A little goes a long way.

I visited the grocery store today for weekly shopping and was somewhat surprised at how bare everything was.  Freezers were 80% empty and paper products the same.  There was even a small dent in the fresh meat counter and the seafood counter was empty.  I got enough to survive another week.  The store was about 30% full of customers and everyone was hesitant and cautious but polite.  I am out of analgesics and was going to get some Ibuprophan but a lady next to me said she also needed that and since there was only one box, I told her to take it.  It is not something that will mean life or death for me...and it may be important to her.  I did get the last sack of flour, because ...well cookies...that is sort of life and death.

Today I am editing a report hubby wrote before we send it on to someone else for approval.  But before this, I played with some spring photos.  Hoping what I post below brings you some peace of mind in this murmuring chaos. 

        

Stuff You May Not Know

While our illustrious leader is trying to keep the numbers down for infection in this country, he has explained that he really understands "this stuff" probably due to his fantastic genius gene pool. I understand, folks, that he does sound racist, but it is just "straight talk."

Anyway, I am sure you all have moved your laptops to the sink so you can wash your hands every 15 minutes while blogging, but be sure you do not knock the electronics into the sink. I am not the genius that our illustrious leader is, but I do grasp the concept of water and electricity as something not good!

If you are flying and wearing a mask, please let all us bloggers know how you are handling the eating and drinking part.  I have a plane trip in June and I am guessing this may not be on the wane by then.

I actually like the elbow bump greeting and the bowing greeting as one is joyously young and reflective: a coolness and the other is proper and dignified.  I think I can pull off either at my garden meeting next week.  

On February 26 the President said the following:  "[W]hen you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that's a pretty good job we've done."  As of March 8 and 15 minutes of the writing, we now have 500 cases of Covid 19 in the U.S.  He is a genius, but not a whiz at math.  One of the cases is just 60 miles north of where I live.

Am I panicking?  Not for me or even for my family.  I do panic for that younger minimum wage worker that has to meet the public every day and who has no healthcare.  He/she just needs to hold on until the GOP brings that Replace part of the Repeal for their healthcare.  It is unfortunate they could not get it passed when they had control of both Houses of Congress for two years.  Now the politicians have brought it down to theater like wearing gas masks during sessions of Congress.  (Course that guy has a few drunk driving issues, so I understand why a virus would be a joke for him.)

I may very well get it--the virus.  I mean just count how many times you touch something that someone else has touched on a normal day out...your credit card, the gas pump, the door handles of every building you enter, the buttons on elevators, the faucets and toilet handles, the glasses the waitress/waiter places on your table, the plates that are touched on the edges by God knows how many people, the seat rails on trains and metros, the handrails of escalators and stairs.  Even every can of beans, carton of milk, a container of eggs and container of gum may have been handled just a few hours before by someone who is asymptomatic or just slightly tired and fighting the virus.  Of course, they recommend that you wear gloves, but I also know that I am very touchy-feely with my face!  Spend an hour and count how many times you want to scratch your nose or wipe your eyes.

Are you terrified yet?  One woman at a Trump rally quoted a Psalm explaining why she had no fear and that she would be safe.  I do not know my Bible...not even sure where that lovely white tome with the gold edges is...!  I am sure I could not find the Psalm and God just shakes his head at me when I ask questions, although Psalms was my favorite when I was a teenager.

Well, we got an email today from a woman who was supposed to go on our wood duck box maintenance trek and said she had to bow out.  She had met up with some friends who had been on travel several days ago and yesterday she had a sore throat and was feeling "pecky".  

Keep me posted and for certainty...move that laptop aside and go wash you hands.

Spring Cannot Come Too Soon

It seems this week is just one roller coaster ride after another. My daughter-in-law was in Nashville this week for work and slept through the tornado! It did not damage her hotel, thankfully. She was not aware of the tragedy until breakfast the next day. She dodged that bullet! Many young children died or were injured, it seems. My daughter is flying to Nashville for work this coming Monday for her company. I never know where my family is on their various work trips, and maybe that is a good thing. As the current Coronavirus spreads there will be more teleconferencing, I am hoping.

It is only a matter of time before the virus reaches our state. You can see Johns Hopkins' COVID map that shows it appears at entry points to the US. My state has finally put up a map on testing. There is so little testing going on, that the numbers will be sure to climb when they test. Fortunately young and middle-aged healthy people will probably not be deathly ill but will have to be prepared to miss several weeks of work.

While buying some make-up remover packets in the drugstore a few days ago, I stood behind a stocky black man neatly dressed in a state sports jersey and a knit cap. He was buying a package of cigarettes. He reached deep in his pocket for the needed remaining 30 cents in change, spilling coins onto the floor. He handed the clerk a coin the size of a quarter and she said it was not valid currency, perhaps some chip from a game(?), as she handed it back. He reached in his other pockets and still could not come up with the needed 30 cents. He finally said he would go check his car and come back. I stood wooden Indian still refusing to help him as I hate the cigarette habit. I looked him in the eye with my best stern grandma look as he turned and said I was sorry I could not help him, but I did not like that dangerous habit. He smiled politely and then hubby, who is ever the good Samaritan even if it means buying poison, reached in his pocket and brought out the change. The black man thanked him and looked sheepishly my way before he turned and walked to the door. Such an addictive danger.

Super Tuesday of 1/3 of the primary states' voting determines whom I vote for before I even get a chance to vote. My first two choices already dropped out! My third choice was not super strong. I will vote blue no matter who, but I wish the system was not so crazy.

I have gardeners coming next week to plant trays of seeds for my husband's project and I have to clean the basement before they sprinkle planting soil all over it...I also should make cookies...spring is coming closer each day.

Being Prepared

I think we all try to be prepared as much as possible. When you reach a certain age you have exercised your preparedness muscle so that it seems to kick in instinctually. But even being prepared for the gut punch that you know is coming, does not mean you will be able to duck in time and it does not mean you will not feel it very painfully.

That little nine-year-old girl died two days ago. She was in days of drugged pain while parents sat by her bedside and held her hand. They saw it coming. It had followed a chemical respite that allowed trips to Disney World and trips to Children's House and the repainting of her bedroom to look like a Panda jungle. Now they face the weekend planning a funeral and returning on Monday to that other life that had been put on hold for months. But they were prepared, right? (no.)  They knew what was coming.

I know that death is in the future of my husband and I as we move toward our eighth decade on this planet.  One of us will probably go first and the other needs to be prepared.  I see some really strong and smart widows (at least 3) that move through their lives as if tomorrow is far in the future and the past is but a distant memory.  All three of them were leaders in their careers or society before they lost their spouse.  I am so unlike them.  I never saw myself as a homebody, but in reality, I am.  I watch each of them closely to gain some learning.  It is hard.

We all need to be prepared for this Coronavirus that is certainly a Pandemic, although the profiteers won't let the scientists call it that yet.  But this is very hard to prepare for because our diagnostic capabilities are poor, we have no idea how many people across the globe, and even in our country, who have caught the virus, survived and assumed they just had a cold and went on to spread the virus to others.  We have no idea if and when a vaccine will be created and if it will work for all of us and if we can afford it.

I am not terrified, but I have ordered the N95 virus masks so I have a small collection in the event that I need to go out and about if we are under a "shelter in place" advisory.  I have lung issues and it takes weeks for me to shake colds that move into my lungs.  I get allergies even in winter that gives me sneezing fits and coughing.  Nowadays that action can send people fleeing from your side!  I have antiseptic wipes that I carry in my purse, but I have always used these mostly in the winter to wipe down shopping cart handles and bathroom doors, etc.  I will not use public restrooms if I can help it, as the hand dryers are notorious for spewing germs (bacteria) into the air.  I have antiseptic wipes in my kitchen since we have had food infection outbreaks for years in this country and I wipe down counters and wash vegetables carefully.

I am as prepared as I can be.  I have a plan to attend a large assembly of cheer girls at a nearby convention center.  This will be at the end of March.  I also am prepared to not go and to argue with my granddaughter and daughter if I think they should stay home if the news changes dramatically in our area.  My son is taking his two nephews to a big gathering of gamers in another section of town on the same day.  I am not prepared for them getting ill, but I have the knowledge that the odds are in their favor to not get deathly ill.

I am not prepared for car crashes, airplane accidents, burglars, or a tragic slip and fall.  Life happens and I am prepared to enjoy each and every day I am given.  I have no choice.  I also find that spending one's life ducking from gut punches leaves one hunched over and staring at the ground all the time.

Where Would FB Be Without Pet Photos?

While I am allergic to cats, it does not mean that I do not like them. I just avoid them. I often find it amazing that if you enter a home where they have failed to put the cat away and you(me) avoid eye contact with the fuzzy creature, it will then rub back and forth on your ankles demanding attention and ignoring the petting of everyone else. Below is a photo of nobody's pet. It is feral in our woods but fed by well-meaning but clueless neighbors.

Above it is cruising the bird feeders! Below it is on my deck trying to catch a finch that landed on the table.

It has lovely markings and does not run from people, so I would think it would make a nice selection in the habitat house. NOw we just have to figure out how to catch it without touching it!

I have two grand-dogs in my family. One at each of my children's houses. This lovely rescue granddog came to visit this past weekend. She was adopted at about 8 months old. They do not have a history of her, but know she came through several states by van to get here and therefore, seems to have a terror of traveling in cars. She also is adjusting to being left alone. We left her behind when I took the kids shopping at our local discount store. When I returned I was greeted by this!

The other shoe was far worse! These are my go-to shoes for running outside to grab a photo and thus slip on quickly. I have owned them for years!! Oh well, now I need to shop for shoes.

She was somewhat remiss...somewhat.

Above she is ready for her walk and waiting for someone to open the gate and bring her leash. She is a lover when at rest.

While I am not crazy about pets on my furniture, I can give a little for granddogs.

Ooops wrong post!

I accidentally put my post on my other nature blog and rather than cut and paste and create a nightmare of html errors...I am sending you there with this link.

My Weekend Review

This past weekend my husband purchased tickets to the Folger Shakespeare Theater in Washington, DC. We could not get good reservations at any of the better restaurants because it was Valentine's Eve and that meant you had to make your reservations months in advance. We instead ate at a cozy pub called the Hawk and Dove. It bills its theme as an intelligent place to argue politics since they are fairly close to the Capital/Congress. There were icons of selected Presidents on one wall, but not any of the recent ones. I ordered rib eye (since we no longer cook red meat at home) and it was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I also ordered a nice Bourbon cocktail as that is the only thing I drink in a "cozy pub." Hubby had a shrimp pasta scampi meal which he devoured.  I did not take photos, but it was all brown wood and coziness.  Our meal was at 6:10 which is early and thus the place was not crowded but not empty with just the right amount of subdued friendly noise.  For us country mice it was the perfect city experience.

I get anxious at these trips to the city because it is months between times using my Uber app and I had to update my credit card with them as well.  The app is much more friendly and intuitive than it used to be.  We drove to my daughter's house and decided to take a taxi to the restaurant from my daughter's house which cost $27 and the taxi was late picking us up!  We Ubered to the theater about 4 blocks up after the meal.  We Ubered to my daughter's home after the performance and that cost $17 and we only waited 5 minutes in the bitter cold at 10:30 P.M. for the ride to show!  The app asked if we were willing to share the ride and we would be picked up sooner.  With temps in the mid 20's F and a breeze, I was cold and quickly clicked yes.  We shared with a very quiet middle-aged African American woman who only offered a friendly comment when I wished her a safe ride home as we exited first.  We are only going to Uber in the future as my daughter advised.  Cheaper and faster!

As you can see above, we got there about 10 minutes early.  It is a small theater and filled rapidly.  The play we saw was The Merry Wives of Windsor.  I do like Shakespeare while hubby not so much.  This was a perfect compromise because it was set in the 1970s and absolutely hilarious.  The beatnik costumes and hairstyles and music brought back those years warmly.  The acting was superb with enough broad body comedy to keep the pace moving.  They tried to stick to the olde English with occasional 1970's terms thrown in.  Certainly shows how universal Shakespeare was and is. Reminded me I needed to do this more often as I am getting old.

We were very fortunate as there would be only a few more weeks to see plays in this theater.  There was a two-year remodeling project in the future.  I hope they keep the character of the original architecture based on the traditional theater of Shakespeare productions.  It was funded by oil baron Henry Folger and his wife and also has a world-class library attached.  The building opened in 1932.  If you are interested in the history you can go to this page.

In the next post I will talk about some shocking news I got the following day.