Cold. Rainy. Over it.
I had to bring the hanging plants in last night as the temps went down into the mid-thirties. I’ll have to do it again tonight and tomorrow night. And then – fingers crossed – it looks like we’ll be out of this unseasonably cold phase.
Please?
Hello to the Hardy Boys! I’ve just started and I can’t wait to get back to it later today. Don and I were chatting while I was working on it yesterday afternoon and I asked him about any memories of reading the Hardy Boys. He remembers loving the books and eating a lemon popsicle while reading them. Such a specific and wonderful memory! It was about the time, he thinks, that his parents were splitting up, so I’m sure they provided a wonderful escape during a tough time. Then we launched into our memories of the Hardy Boys on the Mickey Mouse Club, which was presented in 15 minute episodes and starred my childhood crushes, Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk. I loved watching it and Spin and Marty and I loved anything Annette Funicello. I thought she had the coolest job in the world!
In keeping with our daily confusion as to the day of the week, Don thought it was Friday today. And I suddenly realized that bills need to be paid. I have no sense of date or day. It’s just one long day melding into another day melding into another day.
We FaceTimed with my sister and Little Z yesterday, which was lovely. But I was alarmed that Florida is so lax about self-isolating. Mere – who continues to work – tells me that she routinely sees people without masks on and ignoring social distance guidelines. The beaches are open and the governor, who should be leading responsibly, is a fool. Yes we live in NY and it’s been hit hard, but mark my words, the same thing will happen to those states run by governors who seem to think they are exempt from this virus or that the rules are too stringent.
Some day soon I’ll write a post about our challenges as people who work in the theater and the bleak outlook facing us. I often say we are semi-retired, but the fact is we still work, we still need to work, and we still want to work. But that may not happen for a very long time.
Bare bones, but that’s all I can do for now. Time to prune the old hydrangea blooms. Time for a lot of chores, none of which I’ve been able to do. Soon.
Some of you have shared that you’ve ordered jigsaw puzzles from Galaxy Puzzles. Wonderful news! It’s good to support small businesses during this time and I’m all for supporting women-owned businesses. And you get to do a jigsaw puzzle! Enjoy.
Okay. I have to go and write some checks. Stay safe.
Happy Monday.
your porch and new puzzle look great!
hope your weather ends up more conducive for gardening than what’s in the forecast. supposed to be close to 80 and sunny here today … too hot and too soon for me, but maybe our weather will head your way.
glad you could see your sister and little z while talking with them. helps to see them, even from a distance, doesn’t it?
i worry that the push to re-open businesses right now will make the predicted second wave of this virus even worse. at her press conference last friday, our governor set plans to open some things, including farmers markets, on may 01 … even as our state has moved ahead of about ten states in number of confirmed cases and our “peak” is not expected for another three weeks. i don’t get that decision at all.
going to do some chores around here.
hope you have a good day! stay safe!
kathy in iowa
She’s Republican, right? She’s aligning herself with Trump and Big Business. She certainly isn’t aligning herself with the well-being of her constituents. Sigh.
You’re home today! That’s a good thing, Kathy. Stay safe.
yes, she is. ugh.
and yes, i am home today … but my boss let me know a few minutes ago that a co-worker (maintenance guy) was just sent home for 14 days because his wife (a nurse at a long-term care center) tested positive for coronavirus today. :( i asked my boss if she had called the department of public health yet. no … she wants to “wait and see if he gets sick”. what?!? then she said someone else is self-isolating upstairs because a family member works at another facility in town with three identified cases there and she had been with him at a recent funeral. nope … my boss is still not choosing to call the dph. there are many, many people in the building to consider (including my family and me, because i’ve had conversations with both of them last week). that is just plain wrong. i will talk with my boss about it again. i think she needs a little time to think about it and some reassurance that it won’t stigmatize the place, but instead is a way to get help and guidance. if she still won’t make that call, i will … might mean my job, but they should know.
i am feeling angry and disgusted right now.
hope your day is starting better and you all have a good day.
kathy in iowa
Oh no. I’m so sorry. She is not observing correct protocol and she is endangering everyone who works there. You shouldn’t be under such pressure, Kathy, but your instinct to make that call is the right one. Hopefully, she will do the right thing and it won’t be necessary. You have every right to feel angry and disgusted. Thinking of you. Stay safe. xoxo
i’m going to reply below in a new post. i don’t know how it looks to you all, but the screen on my phone gives me a space about the size of a stamp to write in.
kathy in iowa
xo
Oh…that’s so disturbing to read….and for you to have to go through. Yes…your boss should report that…and quickly. I am so sorry you have to go through this…but, I feel you are right to feel the way you do. Hopefully, you don’t have to risk your job…and your boss will do the right thing. Stay safe! ;)
oh, kathy, I understand the worry of risking your job, but I know you are concerned with the morality of people getting gravely ill and/ or dying. What in the world are people thinking? Perhaps all of the Lysol and the Clorox wipes have numbed brains? She is breaking the law. Take care, kiddo.
hej, chris k in wisconsin!
see my reply in a new post, below. thanks.
kathy in iowa
hej, donnamae.
see my reply in a new post, below. thanks.
kathy in iowa
Hi Kathy in Iowa. I’m actually surprised that in California, where we sheltered earlier than others (rap in the Bay Area), some farmers markets are still open. I’ve only shopped at my local independent and one of the big grocery stores, where customers are admonishing others for not obeying the one-way aisles.
hi, wendy t.
it has to be very tough for elected officials to make such decisions (they probably feel like either way they lose), but from what i’ve read and heard, it sounds premature to re-open most places in our country. i’d like to be wrong about that.
good for people reminding other customers to follow rules. i do wish more stores would limit how many people they allow in at a time.
i hope you and your family are well and safe, have what you need!
kathy in iowa
Hi Kathy, we’re safely distancing when we go out for walks or grocery shopping, wash our hands often )since when is opening a new bar of soap such an exciting activity?), and generally staying home. Lots of projects to do and sheltering is not much different than my usual
life, except I don’t see friends now.
Our Governor never officially set an end date when he ordered sheltering.
You stay sane, safe and happy.
thanks, wendy.
you, too, be safe and well!
and yes, i am glad to have plenty of soap and indoor plumbing!
kathy in iowa
Wendy T, I’m in SoCalif (outskirts of L.A. County) and all our local farmers’ markets are closed and have been, for awhile. I have a friend who usually visits those markets twice a week, so she’s left with Whole Foods but can’t get near Trader Joe because the line is always too long out the door; I guess they very much limit how many people can be in their store at one time. (Claudia, you’re so lucky that you have that open farm stand near you!!)
Hi Vicki, I live within one of the Bay Area counties that were the first to shelter. I was surprised to see some Farmers Markets still open. I’ve been avoiding them though. I go to my local Mom & Pop (even though it’s run only by the son), which is full service including a butcher shop so I can buy fresh fish. Yes, TJ’s is crazy and I’ve avoided Costco. I go into Safeway/Andronico’s and only had to line up twice for less than 10 minutes each time to get in.
Oh, that’s great that you haven’t had the long waits. Another friend of mine went to Costco this past weekend and she scored a big (everything’s in big quantity there on a ‘normal’ basis, right?!) package of toilet paper, so she was pretty happy! As I’d said in another comment somewhere here on MHC, my Instacart shopper told us a couple of days ago that this was the first time in WEEKS that she’s seen toilet paper in our small-town grocery (bigger-box) store. Amazing that this deep into the self-isolating, we’re still recovering from the panic buying of toilet paper or I guess any paper goods although me-happy that our shopper WAS able to finally get us some paper towels. Yay.
(I guess the next shortages will be meat. Good thing you’re a vegetarian, Claudia!)
You want idiot governor? I live in Albany, Georgia! We are TERRIFIED of what this governor announced last week; nail salons, barbershops, massage therapy, TATOO parlours, gyms, bowling alleys could open this past friday. Today, dine in restaurants and movie theaters may open. Friday, after the shelter in place ends (except for anyone over 65 or medically frail, who should shelter in place until May 13th), all retail stores may reopen. We are the #3 hotspot (positives / deaths vs population) in the country. #1 hotspot in the state. We have not had 14 days of declining numbers; we go up / down / up / down and just had more deaths reported Friday and Saturday, with 36 on ventilators at our Albany hospital. I am terrified, my mayor and county commission furious, as governor has stated my local gov. cannot extend the shelter in place – though my local gov. did put out lots of press releases to please, please, shelter in place. Then again, we have soooooo many people just being so lacksadasical about the virus – no masks, or masks worn with nose uncovered , not following social distancing ( a real BIG problem here – they just ‘don’t get it’ or just don’t care). I work in a mall office – I am terrified of our re-opening.
Kemp is dangerous. He is willing to risk the lives of his constituents for money. I’m so sorry you have to deal with such a rotten public servant, Dawn. I have read that there are many mayors who are standing up to him, who don’t agree with him. But I suppose their power is limited. Stay safe, Dawn. Do what you need to do for YOU and for others. He can make any decree he wants, but business do not have to open if they don’t feel safe. If everyone did that (in my fantasy) his little decree would be worth nothing. We’re all thinking of you.xo
And I still wonder if During all of the restrictions placed during WWII if Governors would have said that they were tired of all this nonsense. No one in THEIR state need ration gas any longer, go out for a drive! If you want dinner guests, you should be able to go shop for all the food you want and new outfits for the family, Don’t want to adhere to black-out rules, well, go ahead…. burn your lights brightly. Need new tires, buy all you want!! Throw those rationing books away. No one can tell you what to do!! YOU HAVE RIGHTS……. no responsibilities, but oh, so many rights!!
No one would have done that. They were from a different generation. Selfless, good, caring about others, doing their best to sacrifice for the greater good, knowing others are sacrificing even more. My parents and grandparents wouldn’t have dreamed of acting that way. Nor would yours. xo
Oh, Dawn, I just sprang tears for you. I’m so sorry that on top of all the worries about Covid in general, that you now have this happening around you to add to the very-legitimate feeling/reality of being unsafe. All eyes have definitely been on Georgia with much concern. The lack of control as a citizen would just be knotting me up inside. If you have to go back to work, you’ll just have to be really careful with your mask, disinfecting/hand sanitizer (but will you be able to distance from others?). Your employer has an obligation to bring you back to the safest work environment possible; WHAT employer would want to risk an employee getting sick on their watch and in their place of business (lots of questions about an employer’s liability). A friend of mine who still works part-time, currently doing work from home for her company, says she’ll refuse to go back if she can’t be guaranteed a safe place to work, but I guess she has that luxury since she has other income. I so feel for you and kathy in iowa; you have every right to feel terrified with decisions being made out of your control. Again, I’m so sorry you’re having this stress.
Claudia, hoping theater survives during this time. Berkeley Rep has to cancel three shows but we’re able to allow us to watch two of them on broadwayhad.com. I donated back to the Rep my ticket for the third show, as did the other six people in my group. I hope many of the patrons, who are, as a group, very loyal to the Rep and keen for it to survive, albeit perhaps inevitably in a different format.
Yes, but in the meantime, actors are out of work and no one is going to want to sit next to someone in an audience. I sure wouldn’t want to. It’s very scary for everyone involved; audience, theater, employees, actors, directors, designers. Sigh.
Thanks, Wendy. Stay safe.
I hope you do write a post about how all this affects theater people. There are a lot of things I don’t think I’ve ever thought about in relation to present day circumstances….like a pandemic. I’ve never thought about our food supply for example. That if a certain number of employees got sick in a plant, how that would spread, and even close down production. How if day laborers got sick, or wouldn’t be unable to enter the country, crops couldn’t be harvested, and would just be left to rot. There are so many every day things I’ve just taken for granted…as if they would always be there. I think this has become a reality check for me…perhaps for others, too.
I’m glad to hear your sister and her family are doing well. It is more important than ever, for people in states that have relaxed their safer at home orders, to stay vigilant, practice social distancing, and wear masks. And just because a business is open now, does not mean one has to rush to go there!
It is rainy here today…another day without outdoor work. Stay safe….enjoy your puzzle! ;)
I will definitely write a post about it. EVERYONE I know is out of work. Actors, etc., cannot ‘work from home.’ But more on that later. Stay safe!
Hi Claudia. I took a break from the internet, as I sometimes do, and just read your last couple posts before this one. So jealous of your pansies. It’s way too early here to put them out but when it begins to warm usually everyone stampedes to the nurseries and I never find any. Wonder if that will happen this year.
No matter when any states “reopen,” the future is going to be a difficult road for any and all of the arts. So sad when music, theater, the visual arts are what we really will need the most in the stressful, troubled times coming to nourish our souls.
Speaking of governors, as some did in the comments above, the one in Florida actually “went there” calling his state “God’s waiting room.” Really? That used to be said not in a complimentary way and now, during a pandemic, he thinks it’s a good thing to bring up? And then there’s our Republican legislature here actually suing our governor to end the “stay at home” order. Right now there are at least 40 covid cases traced to the in-person voting these morons insisted on. I hope they get used to being in court because every one of those infected voters should sue Voss, Fitzgerald and Co.
Tempted by your puzzles, which are really cool. Right now I’m rediscovering counted cross stitch which I stopped doing years ago when I could no longer wear contacts. I never got rid of my supplies and right so dug them out the other day. It’s strangely calming which I consider a miracle since I haven’t been able to settle and focus on much lately.
Take care.
Kay
That man is useless. Completely useless. That he would say that is mind-boggling. Stay safe, Kay.
We here in RI are taking it slow, some have begun to protest. I wonder if they will assume financial liabilities if their customers become infected with Covid? The majority of deaths have been in Nursing homes, so very sad. My children are all working Nurse, police ( son in law) his wife ( my daughter) is self employed but managed to get unemployment . Speaking of stuff to fill the time we ( husband, I fill the time cross stitching) get our puzzles from White Mountain Puzzles, we love the collage one. Stay safe.
It’s heartbreaking that so many deaths have occurred in nursing homes. Just heartbreaking. I suppose there are protestors here in NY State, but I haven’t heard of them yet. But then again, I ration my daily news! Stay safe, Mary.
Claudia,
Did you see the film Puzzle? Excellent, excellent performances, and I recommend it for that reason. We weren’t happy about some other aspects.
One thing I find somewhat problematic about the lock-down is if people do not get exposed to this virus, how will we attain herd immunity? Believing it’s impossible to avoid exposure, I wonder if it mightn’t be better to get it now, in the first wave and have it over with so as not to worry when the next wave inevitably hits. Neither of us is on any medication, we have no underlying health issues, and I trust supplements and our homeopath and our integrative nutrition MD to get us through it if we get sick. It’s impossible to stop it from spreading now that it’s been unleashed from Wuhan.
Flattening the curve to allow hospitals to accommodate the severely ill made sense, and isolating those at risk makes sense, but can we keep the virus away forever?
My concern is not that big business is suffering, but there are so many people that live on the edge, paycheck to paycheck (our society is terrible at saving, and paying a living wage) that I fear what will happen to them. Only one example: there’s a woman who cleans our house when we have a party and she can’t make her rent because no one is hiring her. She may have a green card and not be eligible for the government money. We sent her some money, but if her landlord is intransigent, I don’t know what will happen to her. There are millions of people in that predicament and I feel for them.
It’s a very thorny issue and maybe we’ll have to see what happens in Sweden to have an answer.
I am not going to deliberately expose myself to the virus. Neither is my husband, nor would I let him.
I feel for those people too. There isn’t an easy answer. And we have no proof that once the virus is contracted immunity to future outbreaks would follow. I lost two aunts that I never got to know during the flu epidemic in 1918. They were young (15 and 22) and healthy. And they were gone within days of each other. Deliberately exposing oneself sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Stay safe, Cara.
I don’t know a lot about it yet but, in Calif, Gov Newsom has this plan to feed (daily, at no monetary cost to the citizen getting the food) the seniors with underlying issues who are homebound due to the virus (I don’t know yet if you have to satisfy certain financial requirements, or if the underlying issues alone qualify me for the program/benefit; I guess FEMA is involved to help defer said costs, otherwise how can our state afford all this outlay of SO much money in SO many areas?), and my husband and I figure it’s because he wants the vulnerable population to stay home as the state begins, at some point, to open up…because he knows with others back ‘out there’, the risk will ramp up, making it even MORE dangerous for the vulnerable, and we wouldn’t want to overwhelm the hospitals and health-care workers with more surge. And, yes, to those of us with the underlying issues, even age, herd immunity can’t apply; we have to wait for the vaccine. The governor wants to ensure our safety by making sure we continue to stay home. I guess, if you want to look at it one way, it reduces his liability, too (that’s the cynical part of me; I actually SO admire our Calif governor and also L.A. mayor Garcetti).
I’ve known from the beginning, since I have almost every co-morbidity for complications from this virus, that if I get it, I’m a gonner. I’ve done extensive reading/research about it; I can’t see any way I’d survive the virus if I was to get it; just not medically possible. NO WAY can my husband and I risk being part of herd immunity. This isn’t like when I was a kid, and parents would purposely expose you to another kid who had measles or chicken pox. This isn’t the 1950s. This is a whole ‘nuther kind of disease. People who are infected and who survive may have long-term effects; the virus wreaks havoc with so many ‘systems’ of the body. It’s impossible to know how it’ll affect one person to another in terms of varying degrees of compromise. Infected people with the mild symptoms are surely the lucky ones but that’s not the case with others who are seemingly healthy with no underlying medical problems yet who get really, really sick with this virus. There are yet too many unknowns about it; I’m no doctor, it’s just info I’ve picked up over the past couple of months; the info is out there, just read up on it!
I realized early on that to some amount of majority, I’m expendable; I’m in the minority. Some are willing to sacrifice my life for their economy. And I get it. I completely get it. Does it make me feel good? No. The only thing I can do for myself is not be part of the herd.
What my husband and friends and I are going thru right now is trying to figure out how to safely get to, say, regular medical appointments, when specialty doctors or even the family doctor start opening up for patients again. Tele-medicine only goes so far; a patient needs hands-on examination in many instances. I figure my husband and I are shut off at home for the long haul, maybe 18 months or even two years, who knows. But I have too many medical issues; I can’t keep putting off seeing my doctors. (It’s not entirely about ME having cancelled appointments; they’ve called and done the cancelling; I just had it happen this week.) So you have to walk thru it in your mind and verbally map out how you’ll do it, and ask a lot of questions of where you’re going, and what measures they have in place to protect a patient. And how to protect oneself.
(This is why I’m not sleeping. I run thru the scenarios over & over again in my mind. For me, there’s a killer out there and I want to evade him. I’m in hiding.)
But there’s no doubt with wider reopening, a major amount of people will get the virus now, and maybe most will be okay. For the rest of us, it’s a significant challenge, and how do we move forward with the business of our lives; just try to wrap your mind around knowing that you’ll have an extremely limited life til possibly 2022, and this is 2020. That’s what I personally have had to come to terms with, and the adjustments come slowly. It’s hard. I’m at the older age of being closer to 70 than I’d prefer (and trying to rise out of poor health [for one, I’ve already survived a major, deadly cancer]) and where I can’t afford to lose one precious month, much less two precious years to a life different from what we’d planned for ourselves. This is a stall on life I did NOT need. I cannot afford to waste any time. But there’s no choice but to make the best of it. Somehow. Just re-direct the planning. (It’s a good thing I love being home…as a rule.)
There’s this movie I always liked called Hope Floats. It has, as one character, the marvelous actress Gena Rowlands, who exclaims to her adult daughter (something along the lines of): “It’s the worst kind of extravagance, how you spend down your chances.” It was about blowing off opportunity and how we only get so many chances for things in life. I feel this coronavirus is robbing me of things I wanted to do this year, next year, etc. I resent it. I’m not where I’m going to be getting too many more chances and opportunities. But, again, what can I do, but turn the stay-home life into whatever opportunity I can make it. Finally write The Great American Novel? Learn a new language with an online classroom? Just gotta change the mindset about what IS and what is NOT an opportunity.
hej, vicki.
i am sorry you have such health worries and that i don’t have any suggestions to help you worry less and sleep better except to call your doctor (again and again if need be). i pray for everyone here and will continue. God already knows your heart and your needs and wishes, but thanks for sharing some of that with us.
keep taking good care of yourself. i hope you have a jigsaw puzzle to enjoy, learn a new language and write that book!
here’s to better days soon and not having to delay peace and happiness until 2022.
kathy in iowa
meant to add that i love that movie, “hope floats”!
gena rowlands is great in everything, including this movie, but that little girl (especially in one really hard scene) … well, in case anyone hasn’t seen it, but wants to … i’ll just say she sure gave gena rowlands some competition!
kathy in iowa
… yes, the child actress, I don’t know her name, was adorable and so talented; I of course was also swooning over the younger Harry Connick, Jr (not just a talented musician/singer but I love his acting, too)!
… thanks for all your usual kind thoughts, kathy; we’ve all got our struggles and what will surely be triumphs as well in this Time of Many Challenges AKA the Covid-19 crisis!
i suggest not (i repeat … not) watching him in the movie “copycat”!
my sister and i were fortunate to see harry in concert not long after hurricane katrina. bought tickets at a local grocery store for a venue new to and north of us. the cashier showed me on a diagram where the seats were (near the front of the balcony) and i thought they’d be fine … but she was wrong … they were in the fourth row on the floor and we were right in front of harry. :) so close we could see the nike swoosh on his socks as he played the piano! fun show.
i agree … we all have troubles (in addition to and especially because of that virus), but also strengths. also, help is available and we’ll get through this mess!
hope you sleep better tonight and tomorrow is easier for you.
kathy in iowa
We do just have to make the best of it. Or find, through having to stay home, new passions and hobbies. It isn’t what we envisioned either. As far as the ‘herd’ thing goes, this is definitely not the measles or the mumps. This is far more deadly and we can’t mess around with it. xo
claudia, donnamae and chris k in wisconsin …
hi and thank you very much for your support! it means a lot. :)
i pray that my boss will do the right thing and make that call. will let you know what happens.
our governor’s press conference just ended and, chris, i agree with you and think something got to her brain (see claudia’s reply, above). she said starting this friday, 77 of iowa’s 99 counties can (at 50% capacity) open not only farmers markets, but also restaurants, malls and gyms. also that churches can re-open with no limit on the number of people allowed in, given social distancing is done. even though we haven’t reached the peak (predicted to be three weeks from now) or had two straight weeks of declining numbers of cases and deaths. and no travel restrictions between any of the counties. doesn’t apply to the two counties that family members and i live in (where the bad numbers keep going up), but even when it does, we will continue to stay home and wear masks, etc. until there’s more known about a second wave or spike in cases. unbelievable to me.
anyway, thanks again for your kindness and support.
hope you and your families have what you need, are healthy, happy and safe and stay that way.
kathy in iowa
Much love to you, Kathy.
quick update …
talked with my boss via text message (which i’ve decided is better than a phone call because now i have screenshots of our conversation, just in case). she wasn’t willing to make the call, but didn’t object if i did … so i was the grownup and called the department of public health.
thanks for your friendship and support!
kathy in iowa
Good for you, Kathy! Well done. xo
i would have called the dph even if my boss objected … just the right thing to do.
thanks much, claudia!
hope you and don have a good night.
kathy in iowa
oh, kathy, what a time you are going through!
it’s not good for anyone, is it? except maybe people trying to sell cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer at an obscene profit. but we are going to figure stuff out and get through this awful mess!
take care of yourself and stay safe, vicki!
kathy in iowa
Thanks for the update. I think calling is the right thing to do. Stay safe, and keep the faith. Hope you and your family continue to stay well! ;)
donnamae …
thank you! i feel better for making that call.
and i send the same wishes and prayers for you and your family. stay safe!
kathy in iowa
The porch is looking cheery.
I live in Florida. Where I live the beaches are closed, most people are wearing masks in stores and everyone I know is staying home as much as possible. Most people stay 6 ft. apart and sure we sometimes we get to close unintentionally. It is a new way of behaving.
Of course there are always a few but overall I think people are being very serious about protecting each other.
Two weeks ago the deaths from Covid 19 in Florida were projected to be close to 4000. Now that projection is 1300. I hope the latest projection comes true. Maybe it is because we have done a good job with social distancing.
As much as I disagree with our governor on many issues, in my opinion he has done a good job managing this crisis.
Have to say I disagree. He had to be shamed into taking steps – he held off far too long. And now? He’s loosening the restrictions. It’s too early. I’m glad your county is okay and that people seem to be acting responsibly there, but that is not the case in Pinellas County where Meredith lives and where two major cities are. And people are going to the beach there as well. Unless a governor is taking stringent steps like Cuomo or Newsom or governors in Illinois, Michigan and our neighboring states in the Northeast, they are not doing enough. And any major loosening of restrictions is too soon.
Stay safe.
I’d say that’s a pretty good post for bare bones! Ah, Mickey Mouse Club. Tim and Tommy were my crushes too. It was must-see viewing! The puzzle looks terrific — you’ll have fun with this one.
It’s sunny and almost 60 here today — maybe it will be by mid-afternoon. A long walk, sighting the heron, all good. And shortly, out to the yard for more clean-up after our last windy days. I can see why your worried about your sister. I don’t think they are enforcing masks or distancing much here, either, although I’ve not been out enough to really know. That’s just what I see on my walks and that’s probably not a good barometer. Rick is venturing to the hardware store today so maybe he’ll have a better measurement.
I hope your weather warms up. I’ll look forward to your post on the acting issues with covid. I know a number of people dealing with this as well. It’s really tough. Hang in…
I went to the post office – our post office is very, very small – and people were a bit too close. But everyone was wearing a mask. Governor Cuomo, who is my hero nowadays, has issued an executive order requiring everyone to wear a mask in public. Don doesn’t wear one on his walk because we’re in the country and he doesn’t run into anyone and if he did, he’d have plenty of time to change direction. But other than that, masks. Thanks, Jeanie. Stay safe.
Talk about crushes. Not just the Disney boys of which we’ve spoken today! I have one on Andrew Cuomo for sure. He is Presidential. The man just calms me SO much. NY is lucky to have him; my Calif is lucky to have Newsom.
I have a crush on him, too. And Newsom!
I had a huge crush on Tim Considine! In fact, I think that Tim was my first ever crush after falling in love with my best friend’s older brother who was 4 years older than me at the time. Young love, those first ones are so memorable. Love your puzzles, and I must order some. Isolation has not been a hardship for me. David still goes to his office every day, so he is home in the evenings. I find lots of little things to do around the house because I am basically quite skilled at amusing myself, in between naps of course. Immunology treatments keep me at the ready for impromptu napping.
I’m pretty good with it as well, as I’m used to being home and nesting. The hard part is when I have to go out, as I had to today to go to the post office. It’s scary and unsettling. Both Don and I come home a little shaken and disinfect everything about 3 times – including ourselves. Stay safe, Susan.
Since you work freelance are you collecting half unemployment and the $600.00 a week from the Cares Act? I don’t know how actors are classified and wonder if they get the same. The employment part varies state to state but the Cares Act is the same in every states.
Can’t. I’m a contractor. I don’t get taxes taken out of my paycheck. Actors, on the other hand, are in the union and can draw unemployment. Since neither of us were working when this happened, it isn’t as if the show we were in the middle of was paused. Don could probably draw unemployment but it’s a hassle and he doesn’t want to deal with it. Thanks Olivia. Stay safe.
Such a pleasure to see the enjoyment you’re getting from these puzzles! They’re awesome. Big! It’s a lot of work and I’m glad it’s good distraction. And just think: After you’re done, maybe a used-book store would buy them off you, or you can donate them to Goodwill or a Boys & Girls Club, maybe even a senior/assisted living facility if they have a rec room; a shelter of some kind; maybe the library (don’t Friends of The Library sell books, puzzles, CDs, DVDs now?) and, like any good book, the puzzle will live on, getting a new life with somebody else who’ll enjoy it, too. Win-win. Best sort of recycling!
THE most fun post today; I just loved hearing of Don’s memories about The Hardy Boys (Mystery of The Applegate Treasure!); me, too, oh boy, was I hooked on the Mickey Mouse Club in general, but also that particular series, and I was also totally gone over Tim Considine in it (My Three Sons); my little-girl crush. I was also crazy about Spin and Marty (Tim Considine again…and Annette!! [I think my very fave ‘Annette’ was The Horsemasters {Magical World of Disney} about the kids at the riding school in England; it totally fostered my desire as I grew up to want to see the English countryside, which I finally got to do in my 20s]). I loved Tommy Kirk in so many things but as he aged a little as did I, I really enjoyed seeing him and Jane Wyman (also a popular young actress in those years, Deborah Walley [Swiss Family Robinson {nope, I’m wrong, that was Janet Munro; Deborah Walley was in Summer Magic with Hayley Mills}]); Moochie (Kevin Corcoran) and Fred MacMurray in the European romp called Bon Voyage (between that film and old repeats on TV with Cary Grant and Princess Grace Kelly in “To Catch A Thief”, another real lure for young me to get to France; I was a boomer who was heavily influenced in ‘real life’ with movies and books). How could you not be a kid in the 1950s & 60s and not love all that Disney stuff!
Also, to your comment about Broadway having gone dark; same for film & TV productions in Hollywood; everything is stopped out here on the West Coast. I can’t see how we could see people in movie theaters or Broadway theaters; how they’d have to be physically distanced from one another when you need a full house to make money. I’m so sorry; what a worry for you both. As you know, my husband works in related facets to your ‘biz’ and he barely got his website going (in retirement), only to also not be hired out for any work…because there IS no work. We could really use some supplemental income, too, but we know it’s not happening ANY time soon. Just have to wait to see what restrictions will still apply as the months go on, and how we’ll all try to live (in public) til there’s a vaccine for this vicious, contagious virus.
Wow, unseasonably cold for you; unseasonably warm for us in SoCalif, days upon days of too much heat (for me) although, thankfully, we’re only 85 degrees right now at 3pm-ish. (That one day of 100 degrees just about did me in.) We had a curious thing happen and are still trying to figure out the details (a glitch!), but we’ve used Imperfect foods/Imperfect Produce pre-Covid and I guess my husband gets queries from them if we want to repeat a box and he’s always been saying ‘no’ for now (a bit pricey), but something happened and we got sent a box today we hadn’t asked for.
Normally, we’d customize it to veggies/fruits and other items that we personally would use rather than whatever was seasonally offered that week. Huge problem is that, as said, we’re in a heatwave and apparently this unwanted box also got delayed in shipping, which is understandable, but it was scheduled for last Fri and here we got it Monday, no refrigeration of course (thankfully it had no meat and cheese in it, or eggs). So, what a slimy mess of rotten produce, like escarole, arugula, organic herbs. THAT stuff all had to go in the garbage-trash; SUCH a shame. I can salvage the radishes but none of their leaves nor the broccoli leaves (although I think I can still saute the leaf stems from the broccoli). The green beans have to be eaten like-now. I could work my way around potatoes, apples, tomatoes, a mango, peppers, zucchini, brussels sprouts. They’ll ‘go’ pretty fast because of said lack of refrigeration and high heat. So, I need to get to work on meal prep/cooking this afternoon which is NOT my forte.
They were quick to reimburse us for the rotten produce; we did accept the box (after a flurry of online exchanges about it, my husband and them). In some aspects, a lovely surprise, because we’re always low on fresh produce in this house during The Time of Covid and staying out of stores, remaining at home. Just never know sometimes what can show up at the front door! I will make lemonade out of lemons today and try to not waste a bit of what I could save from this unexpected delivery.
I loved Summer Magic! I still watch it when it’s on television. Peter Brown was dreamy! Stay safe, Vicki!
Oh yes, anything Hayley Mills; name it (Moon-spinners, In Search of the Castaways, Pollyanna, The Parent Trap) and I usually loved her in it (my brother’s girl-crush). I still just love the sound of that name for any girl, Hayley (those “H” birthnames like Heather, Holly, Hannah, Hilary).
It’s very interesting to go back, even on Wiki, and read about some of these childhood actors and what happened with their lives (some, sadly, have passed on). I’d once read an article that featured director/actor Ron Howard and he was speaking of how NOT every child actor was scarred or damaged from that sort of unusual childhood; of how he enjoyed things he was in, like Opie in Mayberry (Andy Griffith TV show) or in another fave film of mine, The Music Man, with the great Robert Preston and Shirley Jones.
I’d forgotten about Peter Brown; OMG, yes, he WAS dreamy; was in lots of TV, too, over the many years. I also liked Kurt Russell (another Disney darling; Follow Me, Boys! and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band [although those came onscreen a little later like mid-to-late 60s]) when he was a child actor. He went to high school in a town less than 30 miles from the one I lived in (here in SoCalif) and, as kids, all in that same age group, we knew that; so, when he was on film, we felt like we somehow were contemporaries, with him being a ‘local’. As a preteen, I thought he was SO cute. He was quite the baseball player in school; I’d learned later that his father was a baseball pro. (Kurt Russell of course, in adulthood, hooked up with the actress Goldie Hawn and the rest is history.)
I wanted to BE Hayley Mills. xo
i don’t know his position on various issues, but i have been very impressed by governor cuomo for the past six weeks (or whatever it’s been). he is very articulate and direct, sticks to facts, seems very strong and caring about people, doesn’t have to look down at a piece of paper all the time or give information in a rushed monotone voice … and thankfully he’s not given an insane idea like injecting a disinfectant into sick people. cuomo2020?
kathy in iowa
Wow, I wonder what I did to repeat this comment. But that’s okay if TWICE I say I love Andrew Cuomo!!!
I deleted the duplicate comment.
Hope your hanging plants are fine. It is going to be a little warmer tomorrow. Do not get me started on teh Mickey Mouse Club. My twin and me watched it faithfully. We would play Mickey Mouse Club with our two friends. Marion[my twin]was Karen and i would be Doreen. Our friends one would be Annette and her younger sister would be Sharon. The only little boy we would play with was always Cubby. As far as the hardy boys go we loved that series. We have several of the hardy Boys books. Annette became a super star. Unfortunately she died too young. Karen also had tragedy and wound up in a wheel chair from a car accident. Tim Considine was so handsome as was Tommy Kirk. I was sad when Tim left My Three Sons.
Marilyn
My plants are fine. I’m going to put them out today as it’s sunny and warm.
We have a lot of the Hardy Boys books, too. I started collecting them for Don several years ago.
Stay safe, Marilyn.
This was on one of the blogs I follow from the Chicago Symphony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu3v6PdR_00
It made me realize how much I miss “live” anything. Our family is full of artists; oldest daughter is a dresser and wardrobe supervisor, currently unemployed. Middle daughter will be returning from her senior year of college, emphasis in cultural resource and heritage management, aka museum work; will be unemployed. Youngest daughter was sent home from college, don’t know if she will resume for junior year in the fall–it’s hard to do a brass quintet on Zoom. I hope theater and music and film will survive all this.
Plus, we downsized when they all went to college and now there will be 5 of us, 2 big dogs, and 2 cats, all living in a little bitty house in Old Town Orange for the unforeseen future. I’m thankful that my job will give us food and shelter, but my heart goes out to all the people who are out of work.
It is heartbreaking for so many. My friends – who are predominately in the Arts – are scared, rightfully so. I don’t know what lies ahead but it looks dire for those of us who make our living in the arts.
Stay safe, Linda.
We are about to have laws relaxed a tiny bit in our state in Oz. It is being done so carefully and I am so pleased that we have premieres who are being guided by the Health Department. Soon we will be able to send children back to school – not all at once – the oldest back first as they have major exams at the end of the year and then the rest slowly. We will also be allowed to associate with 2 who are not family, and beaches will be tried again as people mobbed them last week and they were banned again until people behaved themselves and followed the rules. I just don’t get it – the rules are to protect your health and life and some people have been cautioned many times before they get a whopping big fine for being caught again. I do as I am told – my life is worth while.
Exactly. Our lives are worthwhile. Couldn’t have said it better, Robyn. Stay safe!
Claudia, I love your porch!! Its so colorful and just a perfect space to sit and chat or watch the road or the woods. The cushions on the chairs and glider are so sweet!
In Ohio, our governor has been amazing. He has Dr. Amy Acton on with him each time and she is such a knowledgeable young woman. Like Governor Cuomo, Governor DeWine has been straight forward and clear. There are protestors outside the state building at each press conference, so sadly not everyone in our state agrees with decisions being made.
My husband is self-employed with 6 employees. All employees had to be laid off because his work didn’t meet the criteria of ‘essential’. However, most of his employees live very bare-bones, living paycheck to paycheck. Unemployment hasn’t come through for all of them yet. My husband has paid some people’s rents, bought one person a phone when theirs broke (they had no other computer). He is under so much worry about his employees, and I’m under lots of worry worrying about him (he’s working 7 days per week)! He is diligently trying to figure out how to provide the distancing requirements within his close-quarters of manufacturing so when he is allowed to bring back employees, he will be ready.
I retired several years ago so stay home raising our 6th grader. This online schooling is Tough and intense. This is not an easy situation for teachers, students, nor families!
Many medical personnel from Ohio have gone to New York to help there. Although there are some places in Ohio with COVID cases, many hospitals are not having patients so have laid off their staff members.
Kathy in Iowa – glad you made that call.
hej, janl …
thanks for your support. and sorry if reading your comment to claudia is like eavesdropping!
my twin sister and i were born in a small town near akron, lived there several years with our parents and brother and later i went to grad school in ohio. i have only happy memories from those times and about ohio. really glad for you all that your governor is showing great leadership during this crisis. best wishes to and prayers for you, your husband, his employees and his business! stay safe and well!
kathy in iowa
Bravo to your governor, Jan! My heart goes out to your husband who is doing his best to be a good employer in these uncertain times. Bless him. Stay safe!