Both Don and I were in dark moods yesterday. Funny how that happens – sort of retreating from each other and the world, yet obsessed by the news. That’s where we were. We talked about it later in the day and gave ourselves permission to feel down, to feel rage, to feel worried. (We should always be kind to ourselves, especially during such tumultuous times.)
We’re better for talking it through because we helped each other put into words what we were wrestling with during the course of the day and there’s comfort in knowing you’re not alone. We’re much better today.
Though it is gray and oppressive out there and if the weather forecast (and this time, the radar) are to believed we may get some severe storms this morning and afternoon. Even though it’s only supposed to reach the low eighties, there’s a heat advisory because there’s so much humidity out there. So I’d better stay in. I’d planned on doing a little garden cleanup but that can wait a couple of days.
In the middle of the day yesterday, I went upstairs to the office and finished my furniture kit. It’s a little too big for the Folk Art Dollhouse, though I could probably make it work. But it’s perfect for the bedroom of Dove Cottage.
There’s hardware included, but I don’t particularly like it so I will probably order something else.
These kits are fun to put together – sometimes frustrating as well! But I’m happy with this one. I think I’ll finish it in some sort of pine stain. I don’t want layers of paint because the drawers will be hard to close. A thin layer of stain will do the trick. Of course, I don’t have that on hand and money is tight, so this will go on my ‘wish list.’ I’m going to re-glue and clamp the upper left edge. I think the inserts are causing it to lift. I did that with the opposite edge and it worked.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
it’s good to have some time and space, someone to talk with when ready and to let stuff out, let stuff go. glad today is feeling better for both you and don.
hope you get that rain!
that desk is darling. my mind reels at such incredible details made so very small!
feeling kind of crabby here for all the obvious reasons. plus, it’s so hot and humid (my least favorite kind of weather) and we need rain. i love rain anyway (it’s my most favorite kind of weather) and we sure need a lot of it.
to close this on a more positive note … i found a big display of cans of lysol, enough that i could get one for each household yesterday and then found out the cdc has approved it for getting rid of coronavirus … yay! and brad pitt was in my dream last night and it wasn’t a nightmare. haha!
hope you all have an easy day and stay safe and cool!
kathy in iowa
Yes, that’s the kind of spray we have! Hurrah!
We finally got a lot of rain today. Very grateful.
Stay safe, Kathy!
That desk looks like it was a fun project. I wasn’t aware that you could buy kits to make furniture like that. It looks like something I would enjoy doing. Something different from jigsaw puzzles, which has helped me keep my sanity during this SIP! From whom do you order those kits?
I mentioned the other day that the kits are no longer being made. BUT, they are readily available on eBay, Cathy (or etsy) and you should have no trouble finding them. They’re called House of Miniatures. Good luck!
Stay safe!
The desk looks great. You are fortunate to have the patience and skill level to do that kind of detail work.
I really hope the storm system that hit us yesterday, pays you a visit. We had lots of lightning and thunder, but the rain here measured 1.63 inches in our backyard. We needed that.
You are fortunate that you have Don to talk things out with during this time. This morning, I heard the phrase …Quarantine buddy on the news. The story was about bringing strangers together to discuss things online. But, what’s better than having your own “quarantine buddy” always by your side. That’s a win win in my book.
Stay safe…fingers crossed for rain for you! ;)
It did! We had a lot of thunder and rain today. I don’t know how much rain we got but it went on for some time. We’re very grateful!
Yes, I’m grateful for my Quarantine Buddy. We’ve done pretty well over all, but every once in a while, we have a tough day. To be expected. Stay safe!
It’s a good thing to be able to have someone to discus things with, it somehow helps to put things into perspective I think.
Loving the desk, are you interested in natural dyes from plants? There may be something you can use from your wonderful garden to dye the desk, I don’t know, just a suggestion.
In other news, it’s 101 degrees today, we don’t have ac so it’s a challenge to get through the day and night but on the plus side, I’m going back home to the UK tomorrow, 49 days after I was originally supposed to. I have so much protective clothing(including a mask) that people are probably going to think I’ve gone over the top but I don’t mind. I will also be cleaning everything around me on the plane just to be extra vigilant. But I’m going home, and I’m going to see my grown up babies from a safe distance!
to fiona …
i am very happy for you that you finally get to go home and see your kids!
how you described your plan for the flight? that’s me anyway (pre-pandemic) … wiping down armrests and trying not to touch stuff on the plane. and i don’t go barefoot in hotel rooms or showers. i enjoy traveling … even moreso when i know things are clean-er around me. now, if i had to fly during the pandemic (and i would if i had to in order to get to my family), that would be on over-drive to the point people may roll their eyes or say something rude, but i wouldn’t care … it’s all for a good cause!
hope the trip is safe in every way, you bring some treats and a good book and that you and your kids, the rest of your family and everyone around you are all safe and well.
kathy in iowa
Bless you Kathy. The trip went well thank you. It was eerily quiet at both airports and the plane was only 1/3 full so it was an easy, quiet journey. The stewardess said I didn’t need to clean anything as it had already been done but I did anyway as perhaps they might not have been as thorough as I would have been. I also had to have a word with an elderly English lady who thought wearing a mask meant having it covering her chin. I asked her respectfully to do the right thing and help protect us all by wearing it correctly. It’s not rocket science is it.
Anyway I got to see my big grown up boy and although we couldn’t hug each other, it was such a treat to see him after so long.
Stay safe and take care x
hej, fiona …
oh, i am glad to hear that … that your trip went well, wasn’t crowded (hopefully the lady put her mask on correctly) and you were able to see your son! very happy for you both!
have lots of fun together (06-feet-apart-together) and stay safe and well!
kathy in iowa
So glad you made it home safely, Fiona! xo
I’m really interested in fast and easy, so stain fits the bill. Especially since when I stain the floors, I do it board by board.
So happy to hear you’re finally able to get back home, Fiona! Wonderful news! Go ahead and be vigilant! Yay!
Stay safe!
I love the little desk you are making. Did it come with drawer knobs? Thanks for showing us your dolls houses. It inspires me to work on mine. Yours truly Elaine
It came with some pulls, but I don’t like the style, so I’ll be looking for something else. Stay safe, Elaine!
I do believe this absolute madness is getting to everyone. Now he says if schools don’t reopen on schedule he will withhold their funding. I don’t understand how he thinks this will happen. What if a HS student (for example) tests positive. Do they close the HS for 2 days, 5 days, 2 weeks? What if that HS student has younger siblings… do the MS and elementary schools close, too. Then does everyone go on-line for that quarantine time? Is there tracing in place for all of this to be done? What if a teacher calls in sick? Who will want to sub in that classroom when most subs are now retired teachers? What is the protocol for kids or teachers staying home when ill? School busses? Will they have to space kids and have double the busses? I know here it is almost impossible to find bus drivers now. Who will keep the kids in their seats in the bus while the driver drives? Who is going to pay for all of it? What does lunch look like? Kids eat in their rooms spaced out 6 ft apart? What about all of the special needs kids who need 1:1 assistance and might not understand masks, etc.? Who is thinking about these pieces? From what I see, it is his rich friends pushing to get schools open so all the “workers” can get back at it with no worries about their child care issues. Apparently they are willing to kill and sicken any amount of us so their stock market thrives. I am so upset by all of this, and so much more. How does this bulldozing just continue? The similarities to Hitler’s cult following is amazing. They will march off the cliff for him and apparently, until Nov 3 (unless the Russians do their job), we are powerless.
I am so impressed that you think about the special needs kids in school. There is no such thing as social distancing with them. I have such a daughter and though I made her a mask to fit, I doubt very much if she would keep it on for a visit to the doctor or to have blood drawn. Lately she has been worried because she has not seen the neighbor’s kids riding their bikes. They had to go to a rental house. Last weekend they were here for a couple of hours and she was so relieved they were alright. If she can worry about kids being okay (IQ of less than 10)I believe you could tell school children that this lockdown is to protect their friends’ lives and it might be okay for them, too.
hej, jan …
praying for your daughter, you and the rest of your family.
glad your daughter was relieved of that worry about her friends. you’ve raised a sweet, thoughtful girl!
stay safe and well.
kathy in iowa
My nephew, Little Z, is disabled. He has cerebral palsy. He uses crutches and/or a walker. He needs an assistant in the classroom. I can’t imagine him back in a classroom right now!
hej, chris k in wisconsin …
i agree with everything you wrote about the push for schools to reopen (and the reason behind that push) and share your disgust.
here in iowa (where confirmed cases of covid-19 are rising again), the governor and department of education went insane … they required k-12 schools to reopen everything (summer and fall classes, sports, etc.) eight days ago … with no requirement to have health checks at the door, to wear a mask or to maintain a safer social distance for/by students, teachers, other staff or visitors. that, to me, is pure craziness and should be criminal at a time like this.
at least the red in your state appears to be turning blue or at least purple, huh?
hope this finds you and your family safe and well.
kathy in iowa
I know. It’s insane. My nephew is disabled. He has an assistant who helps him. He uses either crutches or a walker and one of his hands is less capable than the other. What is he to do? It just has to stop. If communities dig in and say NO, there’s not a lot Trump can do about it.
Stay safe, Chris.
I understand your “dark moods”, as I do have my own. Our reality right now is just unbelievable. I never imagined that there could be so many stupid, clueless, crazy, evil people in this country, let alone in charge of things!
On a cheerier note, I have a couple of discarded flower/weed pots from last year that are now showing off petunias from plants that were in them last year! No help from us. We just hadn’t gotten around to planting anything in them or tossing them. I wonder if they managed to come up from roots or have reseeded themselves. I’ve had some do that in FL, but in NY—after a NY winter? (Now, how can I get echinacea to do that?) Morning glories are also showing promise.
Lovely to see those petunias I bet! My morning glories are growing rather slowly. But we got some rain today, so that should help. Stay safe, Shanna.
I love this new little piece; good job! I have a desk just like that; my aunt gave it to me when I was a little kid so I used it throughout my childhood, my parents gave it to another relative when I was a teen and needed or wanted a bigger desk for my homework; and when she died (1100 miles from where I was living), my husband retrieved it (drove cross-country in a borrowed van to get it for me) after I’d ‘lost’ it for 20 years; he then refinished it and I have it in my living room right now. It was old when my aunt had given it to me in the late 1950s, so who knows how old it is in 2020; I have no idea, but it’s made SO well. In the past 30 years since it came back into my possession, I’ve often used it just like you have it, with the top down, such that it’s its own little display piece, where I put small collectibles in the cubbies, etc. The three big drawers underneath are great for storage.
My grandmother had one, but it also had an upper cabinet – I guess it was a secretary?. I loved that piece. My estranged sister has it now. But I can have a mini version, at least! I was so drawn to the cubbies – of course!
Stay safe, Vicki/
As someone with a lifelong tendency to “dark moods,” I know whereof you speak, Claudia. And the forced togetherness of this months-long quarantine isn’t helping my husband’s normal patience with or ability to cajole me out of them when they overwhelm. He went off to the office today and that space to breathe separately was just what was needed.
It is oppressively hot and humid here as well. I miss being able to have windows open and hear the children playing. And I have instituted a news blackout at our house. I’ve gotten so I can”t see Trump’s face on the screen without being reduced to practically foaming at the mouth. This “open the schools” crap is the last straw. The last time I spoke with our neighbor who has three little boys she told me about her worries. All her boys have asthma which has resulted in many late night trips to hospital. While she doesn’t want their development hampered by lack of schooling, she’s terrified of sending them back and having them become sick due to lack of appropriate safeguards.
What a world we live in now.
Take care and stay cool.
Kay
She should keep them home and home school them if at all possible. It’s too dangerous for them!
I am livid over this push from the idiot-in-chief. He apparently doesn’t care if he kills off children, as well as adults.
Stay safe, Kay!
I read several online newspapers on my desktop computer daily. I know what you mean about having The Orange One’s huge face coming at you all the time. Ugh! I use something called Make America Kittens Again, which automatically substitutes pictures of kittens instead of HIS picture on the screen every time. A little silly, but you have to do what you can to keep your sanity these days. Yes, Trump is fine with risking everyone else’s lives so he can claim everything is back to normal now. How stupid does he think we are?
Yes, and the Press Secretary said ‘children will always be our first priority.’ Really? How about those children you ripped from their parents and put in cages?
Stay safe, Emily.
There are no words for him wanting the schools to open
I pray he loses in November,and yet what will he do until January?
He is a nightmare
He’ll try to burn the house down. That’s what he’ll try to do.
Stay safe, Linda!
What a cute desk. Can’t wait to see the hardware you come up with and its final placement.
Rick and I were talking tonight on how we feel a little trapped. It’s OK, we’re good together, it’s not that. It’s the not being able to just up and go or invite friends to come stay. I’m probably better with it because I have zero choice. He is so committed to keeping me safe that it is limiting to him although he was quick to assure me that it’s not my fault and he doesn’t mind that or wouldn’t change that. But he does go out some — shopping basically –which puts us both a bit at risk. Still… what a dilemma. And as we agreed, we are in this to win it — but it will take a very long while.
It will indeed. That is becoming increasingly clear. I try to count my blessings but some days it’s harder than others.
Stay safe, Jeanie.
I would like to mention that one of our biggest school districts here,has put its plan in place.
So Help Me this is true.instead of going to School 4 days and 1 half day. which has been done for generations.They will go to school 4 days and self teach at home on Friday.
That friends is it. how does this help?every kid & teacher will still be there together.
I feel to bang my head against the wall. May God bless and keep our Country.!
Judy A-
Oh my lord. That’s insane. I fear that they’ll have to close all too quickly if an outbreak occurs.
I’m so sorry.
Stay safe, Judy!
Dark days indeed. It is hard work even for those of us better off than many to keep our emotions above water. Feeling helpless is exhausting. I’m glad you’re getting some time with Dove Cottage–that desk is charming. I wish I had the dexterity and skills to build dollhouse furniture, the sense of satisfaction must be lovely. I’ve had my eye on a couple of cute Art Deco pieces on etsy/ebay, some of them are incredibly expensive and some are quite cheap and some need to be assembled. I think I would like one very special piece for each room and then get away with as cheap as possible. You’re right–it’s a good challenge. Stay hydrated in this weather, even if you’re inside. Hugs to you and Don!
That’s what I try to do. Have one really good piece in each room and then do the rest inexpensively. Good luck, Nora, and stay safe!