A little corner in the cottage – this is in the den. On the shelves: books, of course, a vintage lint brush, Scout’s paw print, and a little gem from Vintage by Crystal. Some egg cups are on their own set of shelves – most of these won’t fit in the cubbies, they’re either too tall or too wide. And a little duck family I found in a shop long ago.
It’s supposed to reach 47 degrees today. The melt will begin. I have no idea how long it will take to melt the 30 inches of snow we have on the ground, of course, but I’m ready for it to go.
We watched Supernova last night. It’s a new movie starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, about a couple dealing with Alzheimer’s. We rented it on Amazon Prime. Simply beautiful. Firth and Tucci are, as always, excellent. I don’t want to give away the plot, but Don and I spent a good deal of time talking about it afterward. It is very, very powerful.
We’ve seen Nomadland, The Dig, and Supernova in the past week – all of them excellent.
A book delivery yesterday – I’ve been wanting to read Underland for over a year. I just heard about London Fog (nonfiction) and it’s time to start reading some vintage British mysteries in the form of Edmund Crispin. Come to think of it, I think I read one of his books long, long ago, but I don’t remember it. My TBR pile is getting taller.
Other than that, we’re tired of isolating, tired of not being able to eat at a diner, tired of not being able to go to a bookstore in person, or to wander through an antique shop. Zoom and FaceTime are invaluable, but it’s not the same as seeing someone in person, is it? I’d like to be able to smile at people I see in a store or on a street without the smile being hidden by a mask. We’re in a temporary funk and we’ll come out of it. But this winter has been long and the pandemic has been even longer.
Ah well. I’m resting my back today, so I’ll be reading. But it’s sure hard for me to stay out of trouble. I like to do things and a surprising number of those things involve my back. So I have promised Don I will be a good girl today.
I just heard that my dear colleague, the stage manager of Anastasia, lost her husband to COVID yesterday. I can’t imagine her pain. I’ve worked with her on two Broadway shows and she is the most wonderful person. My heart breaks for her. And for her daughter.
Update: We have appointments on April 9th! It’s about an hour and a half away from us, but they’re back to back appointments and it’s worth it. We’ll call it Vaccine Day!
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
You’re quite right to stay isolated — so do I, and so does my partner. But it’s growing seriously old by now. Roll on, vaccinations!
And then you read about someone losing a husband to COVID, or in my case a co-worker (we never got the chance to meet, we did everything by mail) who was exactly my age. And you get cautious all over again. But it still feels like you’re putting your life on hold.
It does. But I know we must be vigilant.
Stay safe, Petra!
I think we all have pandemic fatigue. I especially miss my knitting club although we do meet on Zoom. It’s just not the same. Virtual yoga isn’t either. We have 1 more week til our vaccine should be fully effective and then we may brave a restaurant. But I have been shopping. I go weekly for groceries. I have been to Lowe’s to buy paint. I have been to Joann’s to buy yarn, and Target for a few things. My advice is to put on your mask, take your hand sanitizer, and go to a book store or an antique store. Just be careful. It’s worth it. Your mental health is worth it.
Or take a drive on a beautiful 47° day, pick up take out…or something to break up your routine.
I guarantee it will lift your spirits.
Stay safe
We shop as well. But there’s no sense going to a bookstore where – at least around here – you have to know what you want because they don’t want you handling books you’re not going to buy.
We’ll take a drive after our oil change tomorrow.
Stay safe, Marilyn.
Oh, I hadn’t thought about not being able to touch the books. That would be no fun. I saw you got vaccine appointments, yay!
xo
condolences to your colleague and her daughter on the death of their husband and father. prayers will be said ….
i love to see photos of bookshelves/ stacks of books to see what people are reading. thanks for the close-ups and for mentioning titles, etc. (not just today). also love when other things get mixed in with books, like you have done. and that shelf with the tulip cut-outs and some egg cups is so sweet!
glad you have books to read and will take it easy, but moreso i hope your back feels better soon.
i very much relate to having back pain and wanting to do things that may or may not be enjoyable, but having to postpone those things. i have not yet heard results of monday’s covid test (taken for having slight symptoms) and my boss has been angry. i kind of want to yell at her that this quarantining hasn’t been a vacation. between the pandemic, my back healing so slowly (“very little change” is what i was last told, along with the need for more images) and end-of-month paperwork due soon (plus her being angry), this has not been easy or even productive. seeing a pile of laundry (i don’t have my own washer or dryer), dust and dropped things still on the floor because i can’t pick them up is not my idea of fun. ugh. oh, well. it is what it is and i know there are people dealing with so much worse. prayers for all …
enjoy that milder weather! i am very much looking forward to getting outdoors! in the meantime, maybe i will finally finish knitting that hat.
hope you have a nice day and stay safe.
kathy in iowa
I often wonder what makes your boss tick. Most reactions like hers come out of guilt or fear – or both. She seems unreasonable. But you have to work with her, I know, not me. I just wish she didn’t feel the need to put unnecessary pressure on you.
I won’t even compare my back problems to yours, which are much more painful. Except to commiserate!
Stay safe, Kathy.
saw the update … so glad you and don have appointments for your vaccines and they’re much sooner than july! a little road trip on an early spring day sounds good, too! :)
my family and i are not going out around here (except for grocery shopping). iowa is behind in expected supplies/completed vaccinations and about a month ago, our governor completely lifted the mask mandate and every business (shops, restaurants, bars and gyms, etc) can open at 100% capacity. crazy, reckless, wrong.
claudia, i hope you didn’t think i was one-upping about back troubles. i sure wouldn’t intend to … pain is pain … i was commiseration, too. :)
agree about my boss. she has good points, but i am tired of dealing with the not-good ones. if i have it figured out right and all goes according to my plan, i can retire in 45 months. :)
hope right now you are enjoying a good book and some sunshine.
kathy in iowa
Of course I didn’t think that! I didn’t want you to think I was forgetting what you’re going through with your back.
xoxo
no worries!
xo
kathy in iowa
Talked to Tim yesterday and he recommended Nomadland to us, too. He really liked it and said we would, too. So we’ll watch it this weekend when Brian’s home from work.
Most everything is open here now in Illinois, including dining in restaurants. The positivity rate is down to 3%. Of course, there are still restrictions. Masks have to be worn everywhere and social distancing must be maintained. We have eaten in a few restaurants and just yesterday visited one of our favorite antique shops (only 3 people allowed in the store at one time and we were the only ones besides the two employees; temp check at the door and had to use hand sanitizer before entering too) and bookstores. It feels good to see a little bit a light at the end of a long tunnel.
We just got appointments for our first shot – through a state site which is an hour and a half away from us. It’s worth it. Just want to get the ball rolling! I’m so thrilled.
Stay safe, Melanie!
I always enjoy other people’s bookcases, and how they are styled. And those egg cups…always a pleasure.
I have pandemic fatigue as well. And, I got a disturbing message from my London son yesterday…he tested positive for Covid. His wife tested negative. He was having slight symptoms, and thought he had a cold. How do you get Covid in a lockdown…when all of London is in lockdown? Good news is he feels better….fingers crossed. But…even thought I am tired of all this, yesterday was a reminder to continue to be vigilant. I am sorry to hear of your friend’s husband. Too many souls have passed.
Growing TBR stacks…a common result of the pandemic. Enjoy reading this afternoon…stay safe! ;)
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that about your son. Thank goodness he only has mild symptoms, Donna.
Yes, we must stay vigilant. Best wishes for a quick recovery for your son and a negative test.
Stay safe, Donna!
hej, donnamae …
sorry to hear your son is sick. i’ll be praying for him to have a full and fast recovery and that his wife, you and the rest of your family stay well.
kathy in iowa
Keeping you in my thoughts, Donnamae. It is interesting as to how that does occur in the midst of a lockdown. Hope he can isolate from his wife while being home. So many things to challenge all of us….things we never even dreamed of a year ago. I worry about people letting down their guard and spiking occurring again (like on campus at the UW right now). Keep us posted!! ♡
Thank you. It’s a real mystery to him too, how he could’ve caught it. Hope you and your family are well. ;)
Thank you. We FaceTimed today…he is feeling better. It was just a relief to see him. ;)
Congratulations on getting your appointments. April seems forever but it is a hard date now and something to move toward, which I think will help.
We’re having the melt here today too — not quite that warm, but close. I’m so eager for it! I know what you mean about being so ready to go to a bookstore again. I hope you enjoy the Crispin. I read it some time ago — it’s fun and quite clever. I’m a very big fan of the books in the British Crime Library series — George Bellairs, J. Jefferson Farjeon, Freeman Croft Wills (sp)?, Allen Melville and others. (Melville wrote a fun theatre one.) I had to smile when I saw your shelf — Cara Black, Deborah Crombie, Magpie, Vintage by Crystal — old, dear friends we share.
I’m so sorry for your friend’s loss. I can’t imagine how hard that would be. Especially with a daughter. Who would have thought a year ago what would happen to us and those we know?
It’s a bit far off but if you knew how hard it is to get ANY appointment here in NY, you’d understand (and I know you do) the cheer that went up in our cottage!
I am so heartsick for my friend.
Stay safe, Jeanie.
so glad you both finally got an appointment for your first shot!
be safe.
Thank you, Tammy!
Good you have a vaccine date! You can keep trying in case something pops up sooner but at least you have a fixed date now to look forward to…
Exactly. We’re going to keep looking for someplace closer and an earlier date, but we know we have this appointment, at the very least!
Stay safe, Ellen!
What good news!! And good that you will look for something closer and sooner. It sounds like the supply here is going to increase over the next couple of weeks, which is good news. Hope it is the same all over!!
We had 47* yesterday with sun, and it was quite glorious. It was cloudy earlier today, but the sun is out now and it is up to 42*. I had a Bluebird at the feeder this morning!! That was very fun.
I think we are all in a bit of a funk. I don’t mind wearing the mask, and even staying home, but it would be SO much easier if it was in the 50’s-60’s so we could sit out in the driveway to visit and enjoy the birdsong and the smell of dirt as it is exposed from under the snow. That sounds crazy, but I love the smell of dirt in the spring!! I hope you had a quiet day and respected the back as best you could. I know that is difficult. Take care.
No, it doesn’t sound crazy! I feel the same way. Just let me be outside.
Stay safe, Chris.
Hooray for vaccination day!! We hope the release of j&j will permit more outlets. Happy for you. Perhaps as we sense a bit of change towards spring, it brings a restlessness. A year has never felt so long. I miss seeing full faces, having a reason to wash my hair, meeting my bookgroup at Barnes and Noble and the friendly workers there. Im very sad to hear that another friend has lost her partner to the vicious virus. Sending you both good thoughts.
Happy to have an appointment but it’s quite a distance. Hopefully we’ll find something closer in the meantime.
Stay safe, Nora.
Hooray for V-day! Maybe there is a light at the end of this long dark pandemic tunnel, after all.
Still waiting to sign up here in Nevada. I wish there was a good system in place across the country so we weren’t on hold, checking the computer at 2 a.m., seeing endless “no appt available” notices at pharmacies. Ah well, at least our teachers and health care workers and elderly have been well served and it’s just a matter of waiting our turn. I hope.
My heart breaks for those getting covid19, knowing that the vaccine is out there just out of reach. It didn’t have to be this way.
Stay healthy till April!
Exactly. Same here. It’s insane. I keep thinking of those who died before they could get the vaccine. It’s heartbreaking.
Stay safe, Roxie.
Hooray, I’m happy for you that you got a vaccination appointment. Ours are still many months away, if ever in this benighted country.
I also have one of those ladies you call a lint brush. I received it as a gift and was told that it’s an antique table brush. For brushing crumbs from the table after a meal. Why not just shake the tablecloth out the window? Who knows!
Have you seen The Leisure Seeker? Might fit in with the movies you’re currently watching, but I’m no expert.
Wishing you sunshine, balmy temperatures, and melting snow.