life — Page 209

Day Fifty-Five

May 7, 2020 at 9:42 am by Claudia

I’m in a somewhat surly mood – just being honest with you, my friends. Yesterday was cold and cloudy all day long and both Don and I were rather down. We were also restless. The new puzzle is impossibly hard and I got very frustrated with it. The temps are going down to freezing Friday and Saturday nights. And now, we might get some slushy snow on Friday night into Saturday.

What’s next? Locusts?

This means we have to haul in all the potted and hanging plants, including the very heavy vintage pots, and keep them inside for at least two days. I’ll have to cover the geraniums in the barrels as they can’t be transported. And I’ll move the pansies to the porch and cover them -they’re cold weather plants, but I don’t want wet snow to fall on them. All of the trees are leafing out. I feel like I’m going to be out there at midnight shaking snow off the trees and plants.

It’s not that it never happens but according to my local weather, the last time it happened here was once in the eighties. The average temperature here for this time of year is 71.

Anyway, I’m over it. I’m over Trump (of course, that happened long ago). I’m over protestors who haven’t the sense that God gave them. I’m over this virus and the tragic loss of life. I’m over governors who are too ignorant to understand (or simply don’t care) how dangerous it is to open too early. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Don and I are fine, though we sometimes get mildly irritated with each other. It’s only to be expected, after all, we’re together 24 hours a day. The good thing is that we laugh at our irritation and then it disappears.

The freezing temperatures and the potential snow just sent me over the edge, that’s all.

In the meantime, it’s going to be in the sixties today and sunny. Go figure. So, we’ll finish mowing.

I’ll be better tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Day Forty-Three

April 25, 2020 at 9:48 am by Claudia

I feel like we’ve done a marathon the past couple of days. I’m ready to get back to my routine!

Yesterday: After I finished my blog post, we pulled on clothes, donned our masks and gloves, I wore a wool hat – let’s face it, I looked like a bag lady. I hadn’t showered or washed my hair. It was raining and cold. But we needed fresh vegetables and I wanted to see what was out there at the nursery, because I need to start buying some plants and seeds.

We drove separately, met in the parking lot, and went in. This was the first time since we began self-isolating that I had been out in the shopping world. Don went inside to get produce. I grabbed a cart and walked around the nursery. There was one other person there, but I stayed away from him. I couldn’t take photos because it was so dark and rainy. They didn’t have as much stock as I had hoped, but it’s been very cold around here. The delay in stocking certain plants may be due to the weather and/or deciding to order less because of the virus. I’m not sure. So I got about half the things I wanted; 2 big bags of potting soil, three hanging plants (the same that I buy every year,) a flat of pansies, and some seed packets. I still need plants for the secret garden, the funky patio, and a flat of impatiens. But I was so determined to get in and out of there quickly, that’s all I bought. I’ll make a second trip in a week or so.

We met back at the cars. I headed home. Don had to stop to get gas. And then began the endless washing of produce, with potatoes and sweet potatoes and bananas and asparagus and broccoli and apples drying on paper towels on the counter. Then we showered and dumped our clothes in the washer, using the last smidgen of detergent we had left.

I had an anxiety attack later, so I guess it was more unsettling than I thought.

This morning: We needed laundry detergent, dish soap and several other items – we didn’t order online this week – and Don decided to go to the store at 7 am. We had a list of things we needed. Three items were essentials: laundry detergent, disinfectant wipes (hoping that there might be some in stock because we only had one left) and dish soap. When Don pulled up in the driveway, he brought two bags to the porch. He got wipes! He said it was the first thing he asked about when he got there and he was told that there were about 12 left in stock and he should get them right now. Huzzah! And he got everything else on the list. Once again, we were out there wiping everything down, leaving it to dry on the picnic table, showering, etc., hauling it all inside, and now, finally, I’m drinking my second cup of coffee.

This is friggin’ exhausting. Not just physically, but emotionally.

We’re in now and we’re not venturing out for several days. I’m still feeling some anxiety – in fact, I just had to take some deep breaths while writing this post.

I didn’t get to it until late in the day, and I was really tired, but I nearly finished the puzzle yesterday. This morning while Don was at the store, absolutely sure that I didn’t have all the pieces, I started to finish it. One piece was missing. I was so disppointed. But when I looked down at the floor under the chair – there it was!

Ain’t she purty? It’s so satisfying to finish one of these. This one has 1000 pieces and let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. I started it last Saturday and finished it today. Now, we’ll keep her on display for a few days – until a new puzzle arrives and I start the whole thing over again. (I’m a bit of a control freak so I’m grateful that Don has not interest in participating because I want to do it all by myself, words my parents must have heard more times than they could begin to count.)

By the way, I received a comment on the blog from Janice of Galaxy Puzzles:

I just wanted to drop by as the owner and say thank you for mentioning Galaxy Puzzles and also for your purchase. It is a very small woman owned business dedicated to, you guessed it, mostly jigsaw puzzles. You are one of many either discovering or rediscovering the love of puzzles during the pandemic. They are great distraction and anxiety reducer. Galaxy Puzzles is still shipping quickly although there are increasing courier delays. More inventory has just arrived and even more is expected next week. Please feel free to drop by, add to a wish list, explore or join the email list. Now I’m off to spend a few minutes exploring your site!

Thank you, Janice. She also mentioned that they have fresh stock. Let’s support a woman-owned business! Plus, part of your payment goes to charity. Galaxy sent me a notice saying my puzzle had shipped and I had just placed the order the day before, so I’m quite impressed by their customer service.

Today? I’m going to plant some pansies in some of my pots. I can’t wait!.

Stay home. Stay safe. Wear masks if you are out, even if your state does not require you to do so. Ours does, and I’m ever grateful to Governor Cuomo for his strong and steady hand during this crisis.

By the way, I went through the entire day yesterday thinking it was Thursday and when Don informed me it was Friday – right before we went to bed – I was sure he was wrong. Oh boy, I’m losing it.

Happy Saturday.

Day Fourteen

March 27, 2020 at 9:40 am by Claudia

I don’t know about you but I have no idea what day of the week it is. I actually thought today was Monday.

The craziness that is the kitchen china cabinet. Or hutch. Or whatever. I’m never sure what to call things. What makes one piece a hutch, another a cupboard? I’m sure there’s an actual definition, but I’d love to find something that works for all my free-standing cabinets. There’s one in the kitchen, one in the den, and one in the office.

Suggestions welcome.

We watched Cheers again last night. I finished Eight Perfect Murders. I felt manipulated – and not in a good way – just as I felt when I read Gone Girl. I didn’t have as strong a reaction as I did with GG, as I will dub it, but I felt curiously empty of any feeling. Surely that’s not what an author wants from a reader? So if you want my official recommendation? Meh. Don’t buy it. If you’re curious, reserve it from your library or wait until it’s out in paperback. My only consolation is that I purposely bought it online from Oblong Books to help them out during this time so I don’t regret it.

I have limited funds, but I just placed an order with John Sandoe Books, in support of my favorite bookshop in London – they’ve had to close. I ordered three books that are not yet published here in the U.S. I feel it’s my little mission to place at least one order from all of my favorite independent bookshops during this time. I can only do it once, and now I have. I would order from Shakespeare and Company in Paris, but they aren’t doing mail orders. At least, I’m pretty sure they aren’t. I’ll check that again later today.

We tried to reserve a home delivery spot with a local grocery store, but they are booked for at least the next six days. I have a feeling I’ll have to stay up until midnight in order to grab the next open slot. We really don’t want to visit a grocery store and we still have food, but we’re running out of a few essentials. I’ll keep you posted.

It’s a beautiful, sunny day – the high will be 61. Then a few days of rain will follow. Very grateful for some sunshine today. I’m seeing robins and woodpeckers and cardinals and bluejays and all sorts of little birds. I can tell the birdbath is being used (hurrah!) and Don saw a bunny rabbit run by our kitchen door. The peepers are serenading us every night. All is well.

Note: At the end of yesterday’s book review, I made sure to say that only comments made directly on the blog post would be counted; not via email. But two of you sent your request via email anyway. I cannot count those. If you’re serious about being entered in the giveaway, come here to the blog and leave your comment on the post. Thank you.

Happy Friday.

Day Forty-Three

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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