All Things EARTH... part 2

[MJC]

Carrabas ❤️  We always make a point to go there when we are in Sarasota. We don't have them here.

 

After I make breakfast and tidy the kitchen, I get dressed in real clothes for our walk. It's still cold enough that we wear sweaters and jeans for that. I do my hair and wear earrings, though I forego makeup now that I wear a mask outdoors.  After our walk, the outdoor clothes hang on the hooks behind our bedroom door and I put on my relaxing around the house clothes, or cleaning clothes if that's what I'm up to. I only wear jammies to sleep in since I don't want cat hair on them in the bed.

 

I had my Zumba class today and spent some time cleaning the kitchen. I haven't been sleeping well so I've been taking a short cat nap in the afternoons, which is really pleasant. I never take naps in normal life! Tomorrow we have some special Easter cookies and we're going to watch the new Dr. Doolittle movie in the afternoon. In the evening we are doing a virtual cocktail hour with another couple. It will be a quiet day, but we are settling into a less packed schedule by now and it's actually nice to let the days unfold in a less hurried manner. I've been thinking about how we can carry that into our post-Corona life.

 

If you're celebrating Easter tomorrow, I hope you have a very special day filled with love and health, peace and hope. 

 

[awhfy]

14 hours ago, Sailor_Sally said:

Our weather has been great . Warm but not hot and nice breezes .I picked up the Carrabas order today and it was so much food. We had dinner and have plenty for one or two more meals . Plus I dropped off salad and bread with olive oil dipping sauce  at my friend's . Our refrigerator and freezer are packed . We are set for awhile .

Melody , I am also looking at patio  furniture and a patio umbrella .Mine has really faded .

Laurie , It must be so hard not to be able to see your grandson. 

Sally, Check Kohl’s & Lowe’s both had excellent selections. I almost got the swivel wicker rocker set, but opted to match what we have. I couldn’t pass up a 40% coupon.

 

i love Carrabas. Ours just closed 😢 just before the pandemic hit. Melody

Edited April 12, 2020 by awhfy

[geocruiser]

We stayed home to day like all the other days.  We caught up with a lot of people.  We had to  change a light bulb out side and neighbors started to walk over.  I had to tell them to keep their distance.  They were great about it.  

Caught up with family on the phone.  We now have two family members with the virus.  One is my cousin's granddaughter, who is a nurse that was working in the hospital, she is in the hospital now.  .  The other is a cousin's niece.  My other cousin is a PA and was give ward of 40 patients to care for with the help of a Dr, The Dr who was helping him is a podiatrist.   Things are not that great in the Big Apple.

 

I keep praying that it all will end soon.

[awhfy]

Geocruiser, hope your medical family gets well quickly. 40 patients is insane!

 

decided to make a blueberry pie last night, tasty  no desire to go outside today  it’s snowing heavily & high winds make it feel like 6F  Melody

[geocruiser]

4 hours ago, awhfy said:

Geocruiser, hope your medical family gets well quickly. 40 patients is insane!

 

decided to make a blueberry pie last night, tasty  no desire to go outside today  it’s snowing heavily & high winds make it feel like 6F  Melody

The pie looks yummy!  My DH favorite type of pie.  For him I have to make it low sugar.  To do that I omit the lemon juice and cut the sugar in half or less.  For him it is fine.  Enjoy your pie.

 

Thank you for the well wishes for my family.    It is very hard for them in NYC now as else where.

[awhfy]

This picture from earlier this morning. We’ve had another 5” since then & it’s due to snow throughout the rest of the day & night. Actually glad I don’t have anywhere to be today!  Melody

[geocruiser]

1 hour ago, awhfy said:

This picture from earlier this morning. We’ve had another 5” since then & it’s due to snow throughout the rest of the day & night. Actually glad I don’t have anywhere to be today!  Melody

Pretty, but cold.  I all ways think snow as a 4 letter word!!❄️

[Sailor_Sally]

Melody , Your pie looks so good . That is my favorite . In the spirit of desperation I mixed some hair color with my shampoo to hopefully give me some color . I also bought a wig . My sister wears wigs so I asked her what kind to buy and how much to pay . So my wig is on the way .

So here is the question when will everybody feel comfortable travelling again ? 

[geocruiser]

4 hours ago, Sailor_Sally said:

Melody , Your pie looks so good . That is my favorite . In the spirit of desperation I mixed some hair color with my shampoo to hopefully give me some color . I also bought a wig . My sister wears wigs so I asked her what kind to buy and how much to pay . So my wig is on the way .

So here is the question when will everybody feel comfortable travelling again ? 

I will not feel comfortable traveling. for a while.  I would not travel until they get a vaccine for it.

My one cousin's niece is doing fine.  My other cousin's grand daughter is in ICU now with the virus (she is a nurse who was working with it in the hospital).  For me i would have to feel pretty darn safe for me to travel by plane or ship again.

 

PS

We had a sprinkle of snow tonight.  I just had to go out side and stand in it.

Edited April 15, 2020 by geocruiser

[purduemom1]

16 hours ago, Sailor_Sally said:

Melody , Your pie looks so good . That is my favorite . In the spirit of desperation I mixed some hair color with my shampoo to hopefully give me some color . I also bought a wig . My sister wears wigs so I asked her what kind to buy and how much to pay . So my wig is on the way .

So here is the question when will everybody feel comfortable travelling again ? 

 

 Sally, a wig-great idea! The longer this goes on the more appealing a wig could be.  Would you like to share your tips for anyone who might want to consider buying one? Sounds like you have found a good online source?

 

As for travel,, I won’t feel safe cruising until this is behind us and there is a vaccine and meds to combat this virus. Even then, I will be leery  knowing how an outbreak on a cruise ship would be handled and that I would have no way to avoid it. As for flying, I will be more likely to fly domestically once it is safe to do so. Not sure yet about internationally, that could take longer for me.

Sharon

[Sailor_Sally]

I had been thinking about getting a wig for bad hair days . My Sister has several wigs so I asked her about which wig and how much .Her favorite is Eva Gabor's zest so since we are about the same size that is what I got . It was $88 on line 

Travel has always been a big part of my life for many years but I was already starting to slow down the travel . I will still travel domestically since I have a daughter in New York state  but maybe not this year .If I do go later this year I will go first class with a mask . As for future travel I have no idea what I will do . I would like to travel outside my house to a nice sit down restaurant first. I am waiting for immunity testing since the weird pneumonia I had may have been the virsus .

[Anita Latte]

My family will not be having too many choices in being comfortable to travel...it's just going to happen, like it or not. DH's work has been crazy busy...he's been working on a proposal effort 12-16 hours a day. It's NUTS...he had a conference call start at 9:45 PM the other night...working weekends. Anyway...they are talking about travel for business on May 15 if possible.

 

And DS will be going back to London at some point. He's still on break until April 20 but I think that they are planning virtual classes somehow. Not sure how. I know that even after he came here, he had Skype lessons with his composition prof. Meanwhile...all his stuff is still in his room in London...waiting to be dealt with...

 

The difference in weather is still so shocking to me to see...I know Mom and Sally must be more used to it...but wow, so crazy to see and hear about all the snow!

 

Melody...I'm so sorry to hear about the surgeries needed. I second Laurie...you must be so sick of it all. You seem to always be in a positive mind set though...I really admire that about you. I'm so glad to hear about Les's improvement too.

 

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I think to myself...is this REALLY happening? My brain has a hard time I think because DH worked from home for so long recently...2-3 years. He'd be working at his desk in the living room...DS would be doing his thing...and here we are, right back where we were in NC. It all seems so very deja vu...I can't believe the outside world is so different.

[awhfy]

5 hours ago, Sailor_Sally said:

I had been thinking about getting a wig for bad hair days . My Sister has several wigs so I asked her about which wig and how much .Her favorite is Eva Gabor's zest so since we are about the same size that is what I got . It was $88 on line 

Travel has always been a big part of my life for many years but I was already starting to slow down the travel . I will still travel domestically since I have a daughter in New York state  but maybe not this year .If I do go later this year I will go first class with a mask . As for future travel I have no idea what I will do . I would like to travel outside my house to a nice sit down restaurant first. I am waiting for immunity testing since the weird pneumonia I had may have been the virsus .

Sally, I wondered if you’d been tested. Your pneumonia sure had all the indicators of the virus 

[MJC]

Sally, I'm trying to remember how long ago it was when you had pneumonia. The earliest known case so far was November 17th, but it is entirely likely they'll find an even earlier "patient zero." We have friends who remember being sick in early January, so there was community spread here way before it was noticed or being reported. Their son's friend from China had stayed with them a few days before going back to college, and he wasn't from anywhere near Wuhan either.

 

For someone stuck at home I am remarkably busy. Yesterday was the first online board meeting for our POA, and as the Secretary I always have a lot of prep before the regular meetings, and this one took some extra time as I also prepared some visuals for our non-tech savvy members. We have some pretty big projects wrapping up, and things have been complicated by our only office employee being out sick for almost a month. That necessitated closing the Clubhouse and having the entire building professionally cleaned. Nobody can access the paperwork or computer until the end of the month, and this is the month when all the membership materials are due for the summer and dock assignments go out. In addition we had a very bad storm with high winds on Monday that knocked down quite a few trees, including one that landed on someone's boat and completely smashed it.

 

Tomorrow I volunteered to coach a friend who is doing her first virtual interview with the press. (She has been on tv before but they always send a crew for the interviews.) We are going to plan her setup, background, and lighting, and she needs a short tutorial on some of the software features she may need. We have a few days to do several practice sessions together so she and her work look her best next week. I'm so happy to be able to help her in this way. The shutdown has been very challenging for her small business, and we want to make it look it's best.

 

I have to hand it to my fellow New Yorkers for being very good at social distancing. Our neighborhood in particular is being very mindful and polite about it, from taking turns in the elevators to being careful while walking, and we haven't had any issues in our building or around the grounds that give us any cause for concern. If anything, it seems like after 9/11, when everyone was very cognizant of the unknown stresses or losses that others might be going through and acted with care. It gives me hope seeing that people can be so kind.

 

I have three virtual chats scheduled this week. I am one of those people who does her hair and makeup and puts on a nice shirt for computer chatting. I find that some of my tops are too busy to look good on camera, so I am sifting through my wardrobe for what might work best. I like to put on jewelry too, just as if I was going out. I makes me feel good, and I think that anything that gives us pleasure or comfort at this time is so important for stress relief. I hope you are all finding ways to take care of yourselves with some small self-kindesses to make this crazy time easier.

 

 

[Sailor_Sally]

Margaret , Glad to hear you are keeping busy .  I also dressed nice for my telehealth conference . We go for rides twice a week and usually stop at a park and walk . That has really helped with the boredom. Usually the isolation doesn't bother me but yesterday it got to me . We went for a drive and passed a sports bar . All I wanted was to be able to go in that bar and have a cheese steak and a beer and I am not a big beer fan. This is like living in the movie "Ground hog day " forever .The good news is I am exercising and cleaning out some closets . 

[awhfy]

Today is Les’s 71st bday. He actually said, I feel really good today. Of course it’s snowing (again) so loading him & the 02 tank in the car for a drive is out, doc still has him on the 02, he’s weaning off & only using at night but I’m not taking chances if we go out. It’ll be strange not celebrating at a restaurant with our kids & grandkids, I’m making him an angel food cake (he’s actually standing in the kitchen watching it bake 😂😂). Melody

[purduemom1]

4 minutes ago, awhfy said:

Today is Les’s 71st bday. He actually said, I feel really good today. Of course it’s snowing (again) so loading him & the 02 tank in the car for a drive is out, doc still has him on the 02, he’s weaning off & only using at night but I’m not taking chances if we go out. It’ll be strange not celebrating at a restaurant with our kids & grandkids, I’m making him an angel food cake (he’s actually standing in the kitchen watching it bake 😂😂). Melody

 

Happy 71st to Les!🎉 Wishing him a good day.

Sharon

[Sailor_Sally]

1 hour ago, awhfy said:

Today is Les’s 71st bday. He actually said, I feel really good today. Of course it’s snowing (again) so loading him & the 02 tank in the car for a drive is out, doc still has him on the 02, he’s weaning off & only using at night but I’m not taking chances if we go out. It’ll be strange not celebrating at a restaurant with our kids & grandkids, I’m making him an angel food cake (he’s actually standing in the kitchen watching it bake 😂😂). Melody

Happy Birthday Les,

Melody ,The first time I had to use oxygen I was in a hurry to wean off it .This time after my pneumonia I really took my time and I think it helped my lungs rest and heal .

[laurspag]

Happy birthday to Les!

 

I can relate to the snow, but not at your level.  There was a small amount of snow on the ground this morning, which went away very quickly.  It was snowing pretty good a short time ago, but it is gone again.  I am hoping it doesn't stick...while they will clear our roads, where I work they won't be.  The plaza has a company they use but when there is a light snow, they have the maintenance guy use the plow on his pickup to clear the snow.  Unfortunately, we got about 3 or 4 inches a few weeks ago, and they had sent him home as non-essential so it was messy.  

 

I will say that driving to work this morning was kind of nice.  It was clear and the sun came out, and everything had this light dusting of snow and was bright and white.  I liked that.  I'm also detouring right now, as I pick up the bank mail daily.  At the time I get thee each day, there is no one there.  I still wear my mask, and use sanitizer before and after I enter because I have to touch the door, the PO box, etc.  My workplace had someone make masks so that we all had them, and we got to pick which one we wanted.  This girl is rocking a Toy Story mask, and  I'm proud.  🙂

 

The majority of people are taking this seriously, and they are also going out of their way to be helpful to those in need.  There are others...well, let's just say there are always those exceptions.

 

I was feeling kind of down a few days ago, and was pretty stressed out from work.  I made it a point to not be grouchy or anything when I got home.  After dinner, my husband asked if I had to get my laptop out to work, and I told him that I wasn't going to, as I needed a little break.  He said "good, get your coat on".  I've learned not to ask questions, since that spoils the fun.

 

When we got out to his truck, he had it all warmed up.  I got in, and he reaches into the front pocket of his hoodie, and got out two ice cream bars for us.  We took a fun drive around, just to get out of the house. I needed that!

 

I will get back to painting this weekend.  My husband's hours have been reduced, so he is talking about working on installing some new trim.  We've needed to do this for ages, so it is all good.  I have been getting quite a few things done, which is nice.  And I'm realizing that I still haven't posted pictures of the mud room.  I'm liking the butterscotch, as I refer to the color.  Bold, but nice and refreshing.

[laurspag]

Here is the mudroom.

[laurspag]

Here is a picture with curtains I purchased and hemmed.  I was getting an awful backlight effect, but you can see the color pretty well from the previous photos.  I used the leftover fabric to cover one of the lumbar pillows that didn't match any more.

[purduemom1]

Laurie, how nice it all looks! You did a great job. Love the door trim too.

Sharon

[laurspag]

My husband did the trim!  We were at something called Parade of Homes where builders can show off all their work.  We always take a lot of pictures, and my husband decided to put together a look for our house using the photos he took.  He did all of our downstairs  like that.  

[awhfy]

Nice job Laurie, the door trim looks great. 
 

Our daughter starts the demo on her kitchen today. Both Les & I are sad, we love demo day 😢. They have matching demo day tshirts...hope she takes pictures!

 

i got out yesterday & got Les ribs from Texas Roadhouse for his bday...most interest he’d shown in food!  He is feeling better. That second round of antibiotics knocked it our of him. Melody 

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie , Your room looks great . I am so glad you took a little time for your self . I think that is what keeps us sane during this .