Tonight, these guys will be joined by 8 large pots and a window box! Bless Don, I had a tarp stretched over (but not touching) the vintage pots that usually live in the secret garden that I clipped to the back of the glider and stretched to the back of the Adirondack chairs. But it was quite windy last night and it wasn’t staying in place so he came up with a solution involving bungee cords. It worked. He is so good about helping me with these pots and plants. Everything I bring in tonight will stay here for two days. The last I read, and this could very well change, was a low of 31 tonight. Gulp. Please let the plants in the garden beds survive! But there is a lot of back and forth about snow, no snow, temps, etc, as there are different meteorological models for this storm and they don’t agree with each other. So, all we can do is haul everything that’s movable inside and wait it out.
Thanks for your supportive comments on yesterday’s post. This is an overwhelming time for everyone. We’re living with fear and uncertainty. I’ve lost a good friend to COVID-19. We just found our that our next door neighbors were stricken with it. Thankfully, they are all well, including the 80 year old head of the family. We are both out of work and our lifework being the theater (and film and TV), I am sure we will not be working again for a year, at the very least. Would you sit in a theater with 600 strangers? I don’t think so. Actors cannot wear masks when rehearsing or performing. Neither can voice and text coaches like me, who have to show the actor how to shape words and vowels and consonants. We can’t work from home. I’ve already lost what was an upcoming job. We don’t even know if the small agency that represents Don will survive. No one working = no income for the agency. We’re not feeling sorry for ourselves, these are simply facts. And we can express those fears while being grateful for our blessings.
Which brings me to my next point:
One can express frustration and fear and anger and sorrow while at the same time expressing gratitude. Life is far more complex than seeing things as either/or. We’ve lost over 200,000 people to this virus. It is a tragedy beyond comprehension. I don’t have a lot of patience for those who think feeling one way at any given moment automatically implies that we are incapable of recognizing anything else. We’re far more than that.
Thankfully, the majority of my readers understand that and we are here to support each other, knowing that on any given day one or more of us will be having difficulty with this. And that’s okay. No one needs to be lectured about counting their blessings. We all do that and I see it every day in the comments on this blog. A more aware and loving group I can’t imagine.
End of my thoughts on this subject. Thank you again.
I gave up on the puzzle. The intricate border pieces just did not fit together correctly. Whether something was missing or I was not seeing a particular piece, I don’t know. But it wasn’t worth it. I’ll save it for another time. Thankfully, my order of two puzzles arrived in the mail yesterday.
This is one of them and it’s the one I’m going to start this afternoon. Isn’t it pretty? I love Van Gogh.
What else? We mowed a lot yesterday and then I started to prune the boxwoods at the front of the house, which suffered damage over the winter. They needed to be pruned anyway, but I had to take off quite a bit. I still have more to go, but I only have hand pruners and my hand was getting sore! I need a hoe and some hedge clippers but have no way to get them at the moment.
We both fell asleep on the sofa by 9 pm. We were pretty tuckered out.
Take care, my friends, and stay safe. See you on the other side of the potential snow and freezing temps. For those of you also battling with this weather, I hope everything in your gardens and pots survives.
Happy Friday.
Hi Claudia,
You are one of the best human beings on the planet. I cannot explain it but your post brought me to tears this morning. It also helped bring me down from feeling angry at a person for what I considered a personal slight and wanting to strike out at them. But, the truth of the matter is it was just a mistake and not personal. I sound like a crazy person. Anyway, you are a joyful person and I appreciate your wit and your intelligence.
Take Care,
Kaye
You’ve made me tear up, Kaye. Thank you for these kind words. They’re just what I needed this morning. Right back at you! Bless you, Kaye, and stay safe.
Such an intelligently-written post today; but, of course, you always write with intelligence and pathos and honesty.
Claudia, condolences for the loss of your friend to Covid; that just cuts too close to home and makes it too real; I’m so sorry.
Ah, gosh, the weather; what a lot of work to haul all that indoors. I keep reading about you getting hit with this polar vortex…in May…and it’s so weird and so odd from what the various articles indicate; just stay indoors and keep warm; glad you’re not having to go anywhere out in it! It’s really just so unbelievable, but so much is unbelievable these days, why does anything still surprise me. Our high yesterday was 101 degrees; hot, hot, hot. And you’re cold, cold, cold. I’m West Coast; you’re East Coast. And I guess that’s that.
Can’t wait to see your new puzzle; look at all the terrific color in that Van Gogh! Good choice!
Thank you, Vicki! I hope your weather breaks soon. It must feel so oppressive! The friend I lost to COVID-19 was the playwright Terrence McNally, who I worked with for over three years, off and on, on Anastasia. He was a gem of a human being, taken from us too soon.
Stay safe, my friend.
Oh Claudia, did you see the text of Her Majesty, Elizabeth of England’s (The Queen’s Speech), televised statement & appearance commemorating VE Day today? (She looks just like my mother, and of course this weekend is Mother’s Day…and I also seem to weep at the drop of a hat lately…so I was of course so moved with her appearance in the headlines and also what she said.) A sort of fireside chat, ala FDR, just TV instead of radio; completely encouraging in such well-chosen words: “At the start, the outlook seemed bleak, the end distant, the outcome uncertain. But we kept faith.” And, “Never give up, never despair – that was the message of VE Day.” I adore her.
I kept thinking to myself, okay, I know she’s not a political leader, but she is the supreme leader, nonetheless; seems a majority of Brits hang on her words and in so many instances, just like me, they’ve never known anything else or anyone else at Buckingham Palace but her as she’s had SUCH a long reign. She’s a constant, steady presence. Why-oh-why can’t we have a leader in The White House to calmly, honestly and reassuringly talk to us like her, when we need it so, so badly?
And this came as I watched the woman (Dr. Barbara Ferrer, who’s nearly previously-unknown [to the public] pre-Covid) who’s the director of Public Health of Los Angeles County (the LA Times now calls her L.A.’s Dr. Fauci) at one of her regular press briefings, talk about so many re-openings in L.A. today…still, a very-guarded approach to it of course…making a point to also say to us, hey, all you over-65 year olds and those of you with the underlying medical issues, this isn’t you; you don’t need to be like some of the others re-emerging in the re-opening; you need to still stay home. You’re vulnerable. (I take her very seriously, just like I do Mayor Garcetti, our Gov. Newsom; Andrew Cuomo. [And what an intelligent woman interviewed on CNN’s Town Hall last night; Laurie Garrett, the author of the book “The Coming Plague”; wow, she was so clear and easy to understand and VERY knowledgeable; she explained SO many things about where we are on this virus when so much other info about it and the U.S.’s response is murky enough to make us all still be in panic mode to some degree {as we go up & down the rollercoaster}. They also featured Al Gore in this segment and, wow, he’s 72 now and has aged, but he still has plenty of interesting stuff to share and say about our government’s response to this epidemic.])
I continue to be, I don’t know the word, not really gobsmacked, but mystified(?) that one of the scariest things with this virus is that you can be an asymptomatic carrier, never coming down hard or at all with the virus yourself, but spreading it wherever you go and with anyone to whom you make any contact (as in, you can unknowingly be killing people). As this public health official was saying today, reiterating it again for how many times now, we all have to act ‘as if’; as if you have it, and as if I have it. Because THEY.JUST.DON’T.KNOW.
Somebody who DID get it, besides your friend, was the Roy of that famous Las Vegas duo of Siegfried & Roy; the partner who got attached by his ‘trained’ tiger all those years ago. To have survived THAT trauma and gotten a second chance, although he wasn’t particularly well in the ensuing years it seems, but then succumb to Covid; almost an insult. It’s hard to have to think about all the others we’ll hear about over time who will have lost their battle with this contagious enemy in the absence of a vaccine.
Change subject: I saw some weather stats and it looked like you guys might get a break on Sunday and then no more snow. (I’m a weather geek; I look at all the charts online, various places where I’ve been or where I have acquaintances or relatives [these polar vortex things are intriguing, just as our weird El Ninos are out here in the Pacific West]; my dad always tracked the weather, too, so I know I get it from him; it was in his ancestry, the farmer’s genes, always an eye on the weather for the crops.) Thankfully, out here in hot SoCalif, we didn’t seem to quite get to 90 degrees today(?), so we’ll take that (other than what we’ve BEEN getting which is like well over 20 degrees than the norm).
Guess what I’m gonna try taking up again, if my eyes and fingers can take it: Embroidery. I got the yen again. Found a couple of kits for under $10. Made the splurge.
Even if we have no more snow, we have a freeze warning tonight and the nighttime temps will be in the low thirties until Thursday, when it looks like the weather will make a turn for the better. It’s unlike anything I ever remember experiencing!
Don and I were talking about the whole isolation/lockdown thing this morning. There is no way we will be jumping right back into things. Partly because of our age and also because we’re highly aware that there is still danger. For example, there is no way Don is going to get on a bus to go into the city to arrive at Port Authority, where there is no ventilation and which is always packed with people. Frankly, I wouldn’t let him. Nor would I get on the bus. That will limit us for a while in terms of employment. Don can self-tape if he needs to (tape the audition and send it to the producers.) I think a lot of actors will be doing that – if and when there are auditions. And that will be many months from now.
Glad you’re going to do some embroidery, Vicki! Stay safe.
The Van Gogh is rather perfect for right now—beauty and hope from much pain and tragedy. Love Van Gogh ❤️. We’ll just keep on keeping on, huh? Best to everyone.
Best to you, Shanna. The Van Gogh will keep me going. Working on a puzzle and having it be so beautiful at the same time is just what the doctor ordered. Stay safe!
We do have to take it “one day at a time” (altho, I cannot say that without hearing that theme song from the old show). One of my son says, “That’s just the way it is – until it isn’t, and then it’s something else”! and my younger brother says, “Things have a way of working out.”
I am full of quotes today, huh?
I have gotten so much comfort from your blog, Claudia, and from the wonderful people that comment on your blog. Thanks so much for taking the time to be with us each day. It means a lot!
Stay safe!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Ellen! Stay safe. I’m glad you’re here.
Imagine being in a museum looking at that Van Gogh painting, Or perhaps a puzzle of Giverny, Serious Puzzles has one. That’s all we can do right now in Michigan. It’s snowing, I had to put blankets on all my tender perennials. Last Sunday, it was 70 degrees here and I planted, weeded and made it almost perfect. It was my form of creative avoidance here. We have so much anxiety, anger, frustration and rudeness in Michigan. I avoid going out and like you play with my flowers. May God bless you and help you find peace, beauty and joy once the frost departs and the sun shines again.
Thank you, Nancy. Let’s hope our flowers and plants come out of this healthy and thriving. And thanks for reminding me about that Giverny puzzle! Stay safe!
Claudia,
I am so sorry for your loss. These times are so terrifying and yet we must keep on going. I am in London Ontario and we have it snowing. It is not staying but it doesn’t help the state of mind. I had to go to the grocery store and wearing my winter coat and hat doesn’t help either. Mother Nature does not know it is May. This too shall pass. I love your blog and you have such wisdom. I will be thinking of you and your husband in the months to come when you can’t even enjoy your careers! You both must love your jobs. They sound so interesting and fun.
Marion
You’re right. This too shall pass and, hopefully, will soon be a distant memory. Our jobs are interesting, yes, but we also need the income! Stay safe up there in Ontario, Marion!
Good morning, Claudia. If it makes you feel any better, we’re in the same boat this weekend with the weather. It is now 11 AM here and with the wind chill factor, it’s 35 degrees. And going down to 28 tonight. My plants are all in the garage and I will cover my herbs with an old sheet tonight. Brian was going to grill on Sunday but looks like it’ll only be in the 40’s and raining. Ugh.
I totally agree with you on this being an overwhelming time for all of us. And it’s perfectly normal to feel everything all at once…sorrow, anger, fear, gratefulness and lots of love. My feelings are mixed every day. And some days are better (or worse) than others. I would never lecture or demean anyone on how they’re feeling if they’re having a bad day. I’ve had plenty of them myself and I’m sure everyone else has, too. If someone says they haven’t, well they’re either lying or living in some kind of alternate universe.
Anyway! Love that Van Gogh puzzle. That is one of my favorite prints.
xoxo
Well, I don’t wish this weather on anyone! And there’s no way I can cover my perennials, so they’re going to have to hang in there without me. (I’ll be with them in spirit.) Stay safe, my friend. xo
I can’t cover all my perennials either ,- there’s too many. I was just talking about covering my herbs in the herb garden. My potted annuals and herbs will go in the garage.
It’s raining here now, and it will turn to snow later tonight. Then we get high winds tomorrow. Goodie. xo
I’m so sorry about the loss of your friend. So sad, so many people who’ve been lost to this virus. I don’t understand why people aren’t taking it more seriously.
I am tired of all the complaints I hear about our Governor in Mich. I understand that people need to work. I understand that businesses are trying to survive. But the amount of anger is just beyond my understanding.
We are getting that cold weather too. In fact, I just looked out the window and it’s starting to snow just a bit! Ugh!
I did finish Station Eleven last night. I’m glad I did. The 2nd half of the book tied things together better.
Try that puzzle another time. I love the new one…that might be a nice one to frame.
Stay safe (and warm)
It’s unbelievably selfish behavior – ‘me, me, me’ and no sense of the greater good. That’s what some Americans (thankfully not many, but they do like to make a lot of noise.)
So glad you liked Station Eleven, Marilyn! That makes me happy. Stay safe!
Hi Claudia! I have worn myself out carting my two big tomato plants in and out. I know they need the sunshine, but…. I have had to stop and be grateful for what I have during this time. I am truly blessed. We have had to be so protective because of little Kaycee and her lung disease. So. I’m sure we are being a little more cautious than most but the risk is too great for her. Stay safe and well.
I’ll be praying for all of you, especially Kaycee. Stay safe, Judy!
I guess the USA is having weird weather right now. In the Seattle area it is sunny and warm!!! OMG whatever happened to the four seasons, Rain, Rain, Rain and Construction???
Our seasons so far seem to be a warm winter, and a cold spring. Everything’s off.
Stay safe, Jan.
hej, claudia. :)
your words (well stated as always) bring to my mind some words by walt whitman : ” … i contain multitudes …”. we are all going through so much, it’s no wonder that we are all feeling so much! and i agree with you that feelings are not mutually exclusive.
i’ve said it before that i try not to have any hate, but i do hate this virus … all the heartache, fear, losses of people and of jobs and all that means …. i’ve said this before, too: God is with and for us all and things will get better.
those plants look beautiful, but it’s too bad you and don have to keep hauling them inside and out. i hope you don’t get any snow, just warmer temperatures and plenty of sunshine.
that puzzle is beautiful, too. and it looks to be less frustrating than the one you set aside. have fun!
i am glad it’s friday. i worked many extra hours trying to get stuff done (including yesterday’s delivery of 40-plus food boxes for recipients who can’t or shouldn’t lift a 25-pound box).
going to get groceries for three households in my family tomorrow morning. stores are scary right now, but i am glad and grateful to be able to do that for them. plus, i will be able to see them tomorrow and i am glad and grateful for that, for them and the rest of my family (though not about having to stay away from them … that part i hate, too). multitudes!
hope everyone is safe, well and has an easier weekend.
kathy in iowa
Yes, we are supposed to get down to 29* tonight. And rain mixed w/ snow on Sun with a high of 45*. Just so crazy. The Orioles have been so busy today. They must sense that the cold weather is coming and are stocking up on their grape jelly fixes. We are refilling their stash for the 3rd time today. Neighbors have seen Hummers, but I haven’t yet. I thought I would wait until Mon or Tues to make their syrup so it doesn’t freeze in the feeders and crack. I don’t remember ever worrying about that before this year. What a year!!!!
I hope you know how much each of us enjoys being here and meeting together (safely distancing, of course) and chatting. I believe it might be a bit easier talking about fears and even frustrations with all of you. I think sometimes, especially right now, our spouses and kids and close friends worry if we say everything isn’t always OK because of the circumstances, so they try to analyze and make things better. Yesterday I had to explain to my hubs that I was simply crabby and cranky and couldn’t think of any ONE reason, it was just in general. And, no, there wasn’t anything he did or could do to “fix” it. Then we went outside and moved around some of the wren houses and looked at the gardens, and it helped tremendously. With friends here, I know you all understand because we all feel the same way. Not sure if I explained that, but I just want you to know how much we appreciate you and your daily posts!!!! ♡
i echo your thoughts and feelings in your second paragraph, chris (minus the husband part). thanks for saying it better than i could. and thanks for keeping up your blog, claudia. :) :)
have an easy weekend and stay safe!
kathy in iowa
Yes that’s a good point. There’s a pressure to be cheery and positive. But there are times we can’t be that. Always good to have a place to go where it’s okay to voice something other than ‘Everything’s great!’
Thank you, Chris. Stay safe!
Hi Claudia! I need to tell you I was intimidated by that puzzle and only saw the picture you took of it! The Van Gogh doesn’t look easy either, it would probably be harder for me to do than it was for him to paint it!
Plants here are either brought in or covered and another day in May with the woodstove keeping me warm! 85° and sunshine will feel good one day!
Happy Spring and Stay Safe!
Well, I’m sure learning a lot about his brushstrokes, Kelly!
Stay safe!
Love the Van Gogh-one of my favorites… Flowers are so nice too. Enjoy…this is a stressful time .
It sure is, Brenda. Stay safe!
We haven’t had a flake of snow here, but I haven’t seen the weather–maybe upper elevations more towards you guys. It’s very windy tho and it’s been crystal clear the past few nights so that the incredible beauty of a moonbeam woke me up twice. Such a joy! It is comforting right now to see the world moving on, in whatever odd fashion, despite our insistence on poisoning it. But those many of us here and around the world probably don’t have time to dwell on the poetics of nature as they struggle to find work and stay fed and healthy. I’m so glad you spoke about conflicting emotions, fear and gratitude both need to be expressed. Hoping that you get to get your indoor garden outdoors very soon. Take care!
No snow on the ground this morning, Nora. But the wind chills are in the twenties and there’s a freeze warning tonight. Stay safe!
Thank you for your blog Claudia…it is truly a bright spot in my day! You articulate so well what so many of us are feeling. I am from MA but have been in TX visiting my daughter for what has turned into a very extended visit. The Gov. down here is opening so many places each week to include public swimming pools and in another week gyms. The germs in both of these make me cringe. He recommends face masks, but doesn’t require them. Meanwhile the Mayor of Austin just extended the shelter in place until the end of the month and masks are mandatory, yet the stores are re-opened. Conflicting advice for sure. I keep up with the coordinated efforts of all the states in the NE that have teamed together to follow there re-opening guidelines. I feel like I am in a twilight zone of being in one place with a younger adult daughter who doesn’t get it and all my family back home who are following all the guidelines. I fluctuate daily between being angry, sad, dismayed, hopeful, grateful and then the cycle loops again. All these unsettling feelings have me craving the comforting words from this blog and your readers. Thank you for doing your part to get us through all of this! xoxoxo
It must be so nervous making waiting it out in Texas when you’d much rather be home in Massachusetts. I’m so sorry you are in that position. I hope you can travel home soon, especially to a state that is guiding its citizens in a cautious and sane manner. Stay safe, Donna.
Hi Claudia,
Late to the party, as usual. Because sometimes we have those days. I can so relate, although I suspect some of the issues you two are dealing with — those in terms of income — are more critical right now. I don’t know how long my retirement income will last with this but not working because you are retired is lots different than not working because you can’t. I feel for you both. It does seem heavy, a never-ending story. I try to be optimistic, at least about us because the rest of it is too big for my brain. But there are days. I’ve been keeping my covid art journal and it feels safe to be able to write the parts that hurt there. I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. I’m wondering if the neighbors who had it were the ones whom you earlier mentioned had lots of people coming in early on. I think they were young?
I love the puzzle. It reminds me of a photo I took on a night in Paris. When we left the cafe, the world was “blue,” there were tables on the street and the light was so similar. I can see why that other one would be an epic fail right now. It’s one thing when you aren’t stressed to have an impossible puzzle and quite another when the rest of the world is topsy turvy.
It’s cold here, too. The seedlings and starter plants are having a garage weekend. Hopefully by Monday it will be warming up.
No, they were our other neighbors. They live to the right of us. I don’t know how they contracted it, but Don was talking to the patriarch and he’s the one who told him about it. They were tested, as well, and tested positive for it. Thank goodness they are all okay.
Fingers crossed about warmer weather. The days will definitely be warmer here, but the nights will remain cold through Wednesday. What a strange spring. Thanks Jeanie. Stay safe.