Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 473 — Life in our little cottage in the country

Day Seventy-Seven

May 29, 2020 at 9:57 am by Claudia

This post is a bit of a mishmash of my thoughts lately.

I just started work on the puzzle yesterday afternoon. I had to move to another chair as the a/c was blowing directly on me.

This is the puzzle I am currently working on:

It’s stunning.

In addition to our crazy day the other day, I’ve been immersed in and enraged by the horrific murder of George Floyd by a police officer. And the woman in Central Park who called 911 on a black man who is a birder because he politely asked her to leash her dog. And Ahmaud Arbery who was stalked and murdered by two white men while he was jogging. And the murder of Brionna Taylor, innocent victim of a no-knock warrant, shot by the police, who, it turns out were searching for someone who was already in custody.

Now there are protests throughout the country. I don’t condone violence, but I see the truth in this quote of Martin Luther King, Jr: “A riot is the language of the unheard.” He went on to ask, “What is it America has failed to hear?”

I think we know the answer to that.

Armed white men are allowed to storm the capital of Michigan with no police response. Those protesting against the murder of George Floyd are hit with tear gas. What’s wrong with this picture?

If anything, America has regressed. Either that, or it’s always been this way and we were fooled into thinking otherwise.

And, finally, I want to share this message from my longtime online friend Jill (we met through our love of miniatures) about her work in a facility in California during COVID-19. She works in rehab with elderly patients. She was responding to my post in Stories about wearing a mask.

I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but I thought Jill’s perspective, what she has seen, was worth noting. Most of the staff at this excellently rated facility tested positive because of one employee who attended a party right at the beginning of all of this before we knew as much as we do now and before masks had been mandated. By the time her symptoms appeared, she had already infected others. Jill did not test positive. But she’s been off work since April 6th, when the Rehab department closed, and will be returning next week.

Keep wearing your masks. Don and I have discussed this as recently as this morning. We are not relaxing our vigilance in this matter. Stay strong. Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Day Seventy-Six

May 28, 2020 at 9:48 am by Claudia

Let’s do a quick recap of yesterday: we worked outside in the heat and humidity for about three hours, then prepared to drive to Lowe’s for curbside pickup of the air conditioner that we had to buy (unplanned $$$). Before we left, Don tried starting his car again (it hasn’t been starting consistently) and it started, so I suggested dropping it off at the service station on the way to Lowe’s. He did. (More $$ for repairs on the horizon) And he spoke with a mechanic who wasn’t wearing a mask; fortunately Don was. Then we got in the car, drove to Lowe’s and waited for an employee put the A/C in the trunk of my car. It didn’t fit. Normally, we use the CR-V for this kind of thing. So we tried to figure out how to secure the lid to the trunk so we could transport the unit. We had no other options. After several ideas (none of which worked) Don thought that we could probably make it home with the trunk open because the A/C unit was wedged in and wasn’t going anywhere. I drove slowly in the parking lot and the lid seemed pretty secure. As I headed for the exit, I picked up a bit of speed (we were watching the trunk lid in the rear view mirror) and all seemed well. After I got on the main road, Don told me to stop because he couldn’t find his glasses. Long story short, we retraced our steps, looking everywhere for his glasses, along the road, in the parking space, in the trunk, under the seat of the car. We never found them. He thinks he put them on top of the car, forgot about them, and they fell off. It was strange that there wasn’t a trace of them anywhere. We even went inside Lowe’s to see if anyone had turned them in. Don wears progressive lenses and so we had to order a new pair over the phone. ($$$$$)

At the end of the day, I was in a very bad mood. Don needs to be more attentive and present because he is forgetful – a lot. He’s always been that way. He’s working on that, per my tersely worded suggestion.

Anyway. I didn’t get around to answering comments and if you don’t mind, I’ll not answer yesterday’s comments. I’ve read them. But I have to write out some checks today (oh, joy) and deal with the annual ant invasion and, most importantly, remind myself of my blessings, which is always necessary, but especially so after a day like yesterday. (Don being at the top of my blessings list.)

Forgot to show you the fern! She’s back where she belongs and is doing well.

Happy Thursday.

Day Seventy-Six

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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