Saturday, May 30, 2020
RANDOM COVID THOUGHTS
Yesterday was a rainy Georgia day. It was a day to sit and gather some relevant and not so relevant thoughts on this what seems like one millionth day of the pandemic.
This is relevant to the fact that I need to somehow get up off this chair and get myself back out on that sidewalk.
This is relevant to the fact that I need to somehow get up off this chair and get myself back out on that sidewalk.
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| source unknown
I don't know how relevant this is to the rest of you, but it is definitely relevant to me. I haven't sunk to drinking wine for breakfast, but not only am I missing people I don't like, I'm missing people I haven't seen in 50 years and didn't like back then.
This is definitely relevant because we can all use some humor these days.
I can't stress the relevance of this enough. Please continue to wear a mask and social distance. 
source unknown
Well, this has absolutely no relevance other than to remind myself that I was once very cool and that the person I see in the mirror is definitely not me.
source unknown
Stay safe, my friends.
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Monday, May 25, 2020
CHICKENS AND CHEATING
No, this post isn't actually about cheating chickens. If chickens are actually able to cheat I'm afraid I wouldn't know. As much as I have tried to communicate with them, it seems that we don't speak the same language. All I can get out of them is clucks and cheeps.
There have been some funny chicken stories coming out of my daughter Cary's home. They mostly have to do with Blackberry and how she nearly drove the entire family insane.
It seems we wrongly maligned Trixie for booting Blackberry out of the coop. After bringing Blackberry into the house it seems she began to think she was one of the family and would not stop cheeping unless she was held.
This is Tessa at the height of the insanity. Even her patience had worn thin.
It was at that point that Cary decided to get some new baby chicks to put in with Blackberry. One of the new babies, Pumpkin, tried to make friends, but Blackberry jumped on her head to try and get out. OUCH!!!
Cary decided she had to do something so she moved them out of the kitchen and into the schoolroom. That seemed to do the trick. Blackberry finally seemed to realize that she was a chicken, not a house pet, and is now coexisting with the three new babies.
WHEW!!
Now about that cheating. Tessa and I played Go Fish on FaceTime the other day. Once again I came out way behind. I'm thinking I'm going to have to set up a spy cam to catch that girl. She is pretty tricky though and gives me lots of laughs so I am willing to let it slide.
Have a happy Memorial Day.
There have been some funny chicken stories coming out of my daughter Cary's home. They mostly have to do with Blackberry and how she nearly drove the entire family insane.
It seems we wrongly maligned Trixie for booting Blackberry out of the coop. After bringing Blackberry into the house it seems she began to think she was one of the family and would not stop cheeping unless she was held.
This is Tessa at the height of the insanity. Even her patience had worn thin.
At that point Cary decided to try and give Blackberry back to Trixie. Trixie did try, but after an overnight visit where Blackberry failed to integrate Trixie once again gave her the boot. A mother can only take so much.
It was at that point that Cary decided to get some new baby chicks to put in with Blackberry. One of the new babies, Pumpkin, tried to make friends, but Blackberry jumped on her head to try and get out. OUCH!!!
This is Pumpkin
Cary decided she had to do something so she moved them out of the kitchen and into the schoolroom. That seemed to do the trick. Blackberry finally seemed to realize that she was a chicken, not a house pet, and is now coexisting with the three new babies.
WHEW!!
Now about that cheating. Tessa and I played Go Fish on FaceTime the other day. Once again I came out way behind. I'm thinking I'm going to have to set up a spy cam to catch that girl. She is pretty tricky though and gives me lots of laughs so I am willing to let it slide.
Have a happy Memorial Day.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
PUZZLES AND PORCH SITTING
I realized in the last few days that I really don't have tons of things to write about on my blog these days. I admire those who are able to churn out posts on a daily basis, but I am finding myself to be sorely lacking in new material, and some days as I sit in my apartment I think about giving it up.
I love the friends I have made through blogging and that is what has kept me going, but I feel like I need to cut myself some slack and just post when I feel like it.
I also know that I need to find some new stay at home activities to keep my mind challenged and to avoid as much as possible the inevitable boredom and loneliness.
I have started back in on the puzzles this last couple of weeks. For some reason my interest was rekindled and I have completed two puzzles. I ordered a new one from Amazon and it arrives today.
I haven't been able to read much lately. It's been hard for me to slow my mind down enough to concentrate. I hope that will change, but unlike those who think the danger from Covid-19 is over, I don't believe that and will continue to take precautions.
Last Thursday I drove over and visited with both of my daughters and my grandchildren again. As someone who lives alone I know that I need that in person connection with them.
I visited with Katy first. I took her some supplies I found at the grocery for her and some more medical gloves that I purchased several months ago. She is unable to leave home at all, and like me, is alone. She will have to go for medical treatments staring in June and I know that she is afraid and will have to find the least riskiest way to do it.
After visiting with Katy I went to Cary's house to visit with her and my grandchildren. Sitting on her front porch for an hour is so relaxing for me. I love seeing them in person and looking at the garden she is creating in her front yard. It is difficult not to give hugs though.
I do have funny new chicken stories and will share them soon. My daughter's life as a city farmer is pretty amusing at times.
I love the friends I have made through blogging and that is what has kept me going, but I feel like I need to cut myself some slack and just post when I feel like it.
I also know that I need to find some new stay at home activities to keep my mind challenged and to avoid as much as possible the inevitable boredom and loneliness.
I have started back in on the puzzles this last couple of weeks. For some reason my interest was rekindled and I have completed two puzzles. I ordered a new one from Amazon and it arrives today.
I haven't been able to read much lately. It's been hard for me to slow my mind down enough to concentrate. I hope that will change, but unlike those who think the danger from Covid-19 is over, I don't believe that and will continue to take precautions.
Last Thursday I drove over and visited with both of my daughters and my grandchildren again. As someone who lives alone I know that I need that in person connection with them.
I visited with Katy first. I took her some supplies I found at the grocery for her and some more medical gloves that I purchased several months ago. She is unable to leave home at all, and like me, is alone. She will have to go for medical treatments staring in June and I know that she is afraid and will have to find the least riskiest way to do it.
After visiting with Katy I went to Cary's house to visit with her and my grandchildren. Sitting on her front porch for an hour is so relaxing for me. I love seeing them in person and looking at the garden she is creating in her front yard. It is difficult not to give hugs though.
I do have funny new chicken stories and will share them soon. My daughter's life as a city farmer is pretty amusing at times.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
GROCERY SHOPPING
A wee bit of normal returned Tuesday morning with my trip to the grocery.
Senior hour is from 7 to 8 in the morning Monday through Thursday at Kroger so I arrived right at 7.
I felt like the new kid on the block as I had to learn the new rules for in-store shopping.
The first thing I noticed was that the main entrance was locked and the other entrance was flanked by an employee who was making sure that only seniors wearing masks were allowed in the store.
After grabbing a sanitized cart I made my way into the store, where I felt like a kid in a candy store. I noticed that there weren't any directional arrows on the floor so I made my way to the toilet paper aisle first.
Who knew I could get so excited over toilet paper, but when I saw a pack of eighteen mega rolls of my favorite brand I nearly squealed. (Well I may have squealed a little)
Once the excitement was over I made my way over to the produce section and proceeded to make my way around the store with the list I had made the night before. As I went through the store I noticed how few people were shopping. I don't think there were over ten customers in total.
Luckily I was able to find everything on my list except paper towels and liquid hand soap. I don't use many paper towels and as I just opened a large roll I won't really need any for a while. I have a histamine reaction to perfume so I need unscented soap. I found some on Amazon and ordered it yesterday.
The experience I had was definitely positive so I will continue to go to the senior hour for now. I still cleaned off the groceries when I got them home so that hasn't changed, but being able to pick out my own groceries and saving money always makes me very happy.
Senior hour is from 7 to 8 in the morning Monday through Thursday at Kroger so I arrived right at 7.
I felt like the new kid on the block as I had to learn the new rules for in-store shopping.
The first thing I noticed was that the main entrance was locked and the other entrance was flanked by an employee who was making sure that only seniors wearing masks were allowed in the store.
After grabbing a sanitized cart I made my way into the store, where I felt like a kid in a candy store. I noticed that there weren't any directional arrows on the floor so I made my way to the toilet paper aisle first.
Who knew I could get so excited over toilet paper, but when I saw a pack of eighteen mega rolls of my favorite brand I nearly squealed. (Well I may have squealed a little)
Once the excitement was over I made my way over to the produce section and proceeded to make my way around the store with the list I had made the night before. As I went through the store I noticed how few people were shopping. I don't think there were over ten customers in total.
Luckily I was able to find everything on my list except paper towels and liquid hand soap. I don't use many paper towels and as I just opened a large roll I won't really need any for a while. I have a histamine reaction to perfume so I need unscented soap. I found some on Amazon and ordered it yesterday.
The experience I had was definitely positive so I will continue to go to the senior hour for now. I still cleaned off the groceries when I got them home so that hasn't changed, but being able to pick out my own groceries and saving money always makes me very happy.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
BEING A MOTHER AND TRIXIE THE CHICKEN
Saturday was a lovely day. The sun was shining, the temperature felt perfect, and my daughters and I had my Mother's Day together.
Sitting outside and doing our social distancing thing we spent three hours, just the three of us, talking and laughing.
It doesn't seem like we have enough of those times, especially these days, and it made life seem pretty close to normal for a change.
I don't really know what all we talked and laughed about, but that wasn't really the point. It was all about that feeling of belonging and love. It was about being a family. It was about being a mom.
My daughters gave me the perfect gifts. Katy framed one of her original watercolors in an antique frame. She had painted carnations, which are my favorite flowers. Cary gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her garden.
After Cary and I left Katy's, we went by her house so that I could see the grandkids. I actually went in the house for a few minutes for the first time in over two months. We kept our distance and I wore my mask, but it was so nice to be in their home again.
Inside there was a surprise. Trixie had actually hatched another chick. Tessa found it on the floor of the coop where it had either fallen or Trixie had pushed it out. When Tessa tried to put it back up with Trixie she started pecking it and Tessa had to remove it.
Apparently that is fairly common when a chick is born several days after the others. She is solid black and Tessa named her Blackberry. She is very tiny and frail and although she is in the house under the lamp there is a concern she might not make it.
Tessa seems very stoical about these things. She is an outdoor child, a farm girl in the middle of the city.
Life goes on. I am planning to venture out to the grocery this morning for the first time in eight and a half weeks. I will go during senior hour in order to lessen exposure. There are things I need that I can't seem to get through curbside pickup or Instacart. Toilet paper for one. Wish me luck.
I hope everyone had as lovely of a Mother's Day as I did.
Sitting outside and doing our social distancing thing we spent three hours, just the three of us, talking and laughing.
It doesn't seem like we have enough of those times, especially these days, and it made life seem pretty close to normal for a change.
I don't really know what all we talked and laughed about, but that wasn't really the point. It was all about that feeling of belonging and love. It was about being a family. It was about being a mom.
My daughters gave me the perfect gifts. Katy framed one of her original watercolors in an antique frame. She had painted carnations, which are my favorite flowers. Cary gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her garden.
After Cary and I left Katy's, we went by her house so that I could see the grandkids. I actually went in the house for a few minutes for the first time in over two months. We kept our distance and I wore my mask, but it was so nice to be in their home again.
Queen Anne's Lace
Inside there was a surprise. Trixie had actually hatched another chick. Tessa found it on the floor of the coop where it had either fallen or Trixie had pushed it out. When Tessa tried to put it back up with Trixie she started pecking it and Tessa had to remove it.
Apparently that is fairly common when a chick is born several days after the others. She is solid black and Tessa named her Blackberry. She is very tiny and frail and although she is in the house under the lamp there is a concern she might not make it.
Tessa seems very stoical about these things. She is an outdoor child, a farm girl in the middle of the city.
Scabiosa
Life goes on. I am planning to venture out to the grocery this morning for the first time in eight and a half weeks. I will go during senior hour in order to lessen exposure. There are things I need that I can't seem to get through curbside pickup or Instacart. Toilet paper for one. Wish me luck.
I hope everyone had as lovely of a Mother's Day as I did.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
A NEW NORMAL GROCERY SHOPPING
I am realizing more and more that the world we live in has changed and some days are just harder than others.
I used to love to pop into the grocery a couple of times a week to browse and purchase the things I needed for a few days. Walking around the store with other shoppers I would check out the produce, making sure I was happy with my choice, the deli enticed me with their daily offerings, the smells of fresh baked goods filled the air, and new and interesting items were generally on display.
These days grocery shopping has become an all day chore it seems. First I have to plan out what I think I will need for two weeks. I sift through my cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer making my list. Once that is done I go online and place an order for pickup, which is generally the next day.
Yesterday morning I arrived at 9 am which was my allotted time and the grocery worker was out loading them into my car within a few minutes. That was much better than last week when I had to wait 45 minutes.
Once I got them home I did my now usual routine of placing the bags in the front hall, taking out the food and washing off all of the containers before putting them away, and then checking to see what was missing. I would say that half my order was missing, plus the shopper had gotten me 10 plantains instead of 10 bananas.
Great!! I started doing curbside pickup to save myself the added expenses that I was incurring from Instacart, but just like last time I had to get on Instacart and order the things I didn't get.
Both the curbside pickup and Instacart are from Kroger. After placing my order with Instacart, I got a notice that the shopper had started shopping for my order, but then a couple of minutes later, after shopping two of the items, she quit and notified me they were looking for another shopper.
Okay, no problem, I had forgotten to put ketchup on my list and went into the app to do it. That's when I got the message that Instacart was down for maintenance. Seriously, in the middle of the day? When it finally came back up it said my delivery was delayed, but it still showed the two items as being shopped for and I couldn't add to my order.
Finally, three hours later someone new shopped my order. He even picked up the ketchup I wanted, and made up for all of the aggravation of the day (except the toilet paper was now sold out).
Grocery shopping is definitely not what it used to be, especially for those who must still shelter in place. Like most changes though we usually come to accept them and learn to live with a new normal.
I used to love to pop into the grocery a couple of times a week to browse and purchase the things I needed for a few days. Walking around the store with other shoppers I would check out the produce, making sure I was happy with my choice, the deli enticed me with their daily offerings, the smells of fresh baked goods filled the air, and new and interesting items were generally on display.
These days grocery shopping has become an all day chore it seems. First I have to plan out what I think I will need for two weeks. I sift through my cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer making my list. Once that is done I go online and place an order for pickup, which is generally the next day.
Yesterday morning I arrived at 9 am which was my allotted time and the grocery worker was out loading them into my car within a few minutes. That was much better than last week when I had to wait 45 minutes.
Once I got them home I did my now usual routine of placing the bags in the front hall, taking out the food and washing off all of the containers before putting them away, and then checking to see what was missing. I would say that half my order was missing, plus the shopper had gotten me 10 plantains instead of 10 bananas.
Great!! I started doing curbside pickup to save myself the added expenses that I was incurring from Instacart, but just like last time I had to get on Instacart and order the things I didn't get.
Both the curbside pickup and Instacart are from Kroger. After placing my order with Instacart, I got a notice that the shopper had started shopping for my order, but then a couple of minutes later, after shopping two of the items, she quit and notified me they were looking for another shopper.
Okay, no problem, I had forgotten to put ketchup on my list and went into the app to do it. That's when I got the message that Instacart was down for maintenance. Seriously, in the middle of the day? When it finally came back up it said my delivery was delayed, but it still showed the two items as being shopped for and I couldn't add to my order.
Finally, three hours later someone new shopped my order. He even picked up the ketchup I wanted, and made up for all of the aggravation of the day (except the toilet paper was now sold out).
Grocery shopping is definitely not what it used to be, especially for those who must still shelter in place. Like most changes though we usually come to accept them and learn to live with a new normal.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
SWEET GEORGIA SCENTS AND TRIXIE UPDATE
There are so many sweet scents when I go out to walk these days. I am very allergic to perfume and flower scents, but when I am outside I love to briefly enjoy the wonderful flowering trees.
I believe it is a cheyenne privet, but as it smells just like honeysuckle I will continue to call it a honeysuckle tree.
When I walk outside its sweet scent wafts along the warm breezes, enveloping me in memories of childhood summers spent in the south.
I love roses. My dad always had a rose garden wherever we lived. Growing roses seemed to be a specialty of his.
I didn't seem to inherit that knack, and remember killing off some established rose bushes when I lived in California.
A few days ago I walked across the street so that I could walk around a church's parking lot. It's boring, but I am generally by myself.
When I was halfway down the driveway I smelled them. It was the sweet scent of roses. There is nothing like old fashioned roses. They are so varied in their beauty, and someone had planted a rose garden at the church.
Now on to the important update. Trixie is a mom.
Friday she hatched two sweet baby chicks, although she is still sitting on four more eggs. Apparently it can take several days for all of them to hatch.
Trixie seems to be taking her mother duties seriously. She allows them to peck on her without scolding, and she is teaching them to hunt for food.
Tessa of course is thrilled and was allowed to hold one of the soft little babies yesterday.
The proud mom was only too happy to show them off and to share the love.
I believe it is a cheyenne privet, but as it smells just like honeysuckle I will continue to call it a honeysuckle tree.
When I walk outside its sweet scent wafts along the warm breezes, enveloping me in memories of childhood summers spent in the south.
I love roses. My dad always had a rose garden wherever we lived. Growing roses seemed to be a specialty of his.
I didn't seem to inherit that knack, and remember killing off some established rose bushes when I lived in California.
A few days ago I walked across the street so that I could walk around a church's parking lot. It's boring, but I am generally by myself.
When I was halfway down the driveway I smelled them. It was the sweet scent of roses. There is nothing like old fashioned roses. They are so varied in their beauty, and someone had planted a rose garden at the church.
Now on to the important update. Trixie is a mom.
Friday she hatched two sweet baby chicks, although she is still sitting on four more eggs. Apparently it can take several days for all of them to hatch.
Trixie seems to be taking her mother duties seriously. She allows them to peck on her without scolding, and she is teaching them to hunt for food.
Tessa of course is thrilled and was allowed to hold one of the soft little babies yesterday.
The proud mom was only too happy to show them off and to share the love.
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