CORONA BLUES LIVE FROM MY LIVING ROOM

Getting a little cabin fever. Gamma Ray from Magellan TV Documentary, selfies, and nice beaver.
All things that have gone in and out of my rattled mind lately. I do love being at home. That is what retirement is all about. But no museums to stroll around is driving me crazy. Virtual museums can never replace the pure energy and joy when I get to a museum. Discovery is just around a corner. Turn the corner and pow there is it. Joy again.. Delight again. Colors pop again. Zippity Do Da Day!

Corona Blues

I have been walking and shooting pictures of my neighborhood during this "crisis".
We are truly blessed to live in the country with such beauty. Soon we will be able to spend the days outside and listen to the new green leaves enjoy riding in the breeze.  But for now. I feel sad and trapped. I mostly feel empty, hollow, stunned, and in denial.
I want to think positive thoughts about this will end and we will get through this....but, for me right now that is just too hard.  I want my family and friends to be safe. I want to be sitting in a circle with all my friends. But, I am isolated. I am cold. I am lonely. 

March 20, 2020 Spring, Brown and Blue Am I

Music: John Coltrane: Gold

Mood:ok, sort of...

Woke up, drank coffee, watched the news. The routine is the same each day. Each day is a few enrichments. Maybe reading, embroidery, walking, watching documentaries or even napping.

The days meld together. Bad news, more bad news, and really bad news.

It was brisk outside today. I walked around our yard. Checked plants for any signs of life. Note areas that will need work. No today, everything is too wet. Things must dry out.

Each day, new restrictions, new closings and new fears.

Our resident spring peepers are active in Teddy's vernal pool. Loud, singing Frog. I watch from the house as cars stop, open their windows and take in the frogg symphony.

Trees, bushes, grass all look brown. They have not lost that bland mud covered look of winter.

But with my headphones on, I listen to magic sounds.  Jazz works during a pandemic. The sorrows of the human race and poor abused mother earth sighs. What can be done? What can be done?

March Winds bring in the Cleanout Resolutions.

Why do I think I can sleep at night during a full moon? Even wearing a eye mask, the light finds its way into my conscious or my sleeping  awareness. The light of the moon soaks into the roof of my home and rays find me curled up in my cozy bed. Awake again.

Cleaning out going well. Emptied the extra large  moving box  in my closet. Saving a few relics of my childhood, a few useful maps, and pictures. I gave away my embroidery kit  for a bridge tablecloth and napkin to the local charity thrift store. I only had finished the napkins. I have no card table nor what to play cards. So, +I packed up the tablecloth, napkins, skeins of the matching embroidery thread and the paper work with directions. I also added the original 1968 price tag. I figured whoever buys it, needs some history along with the kit.I hope that it finds a good home.

I emptied files of taxes, past trip itineraries, travel booklets, and brochures. Gone. All Gone.

How a Week Changed My World

Calling out to Superman or some other strong cartoon hero.

Today, is the first day that I will be writing and photographing my experiences  living with the treat of Covo 12 Coronavirus. The Virus has been along for some time but, now things are getting my serious.
The Governor of the great commonwealth of Massachusetts has closed all sit down restaurants and bars to be closed. Only take out restaurants with window service were allowed to stay open.

But, today, March 16th, 2020 I begin my journey. This morning, we shopped at Walmart, and then Trader Joe's'. He who must be obeyed*, did Walmart. A quick return in "Customer Service" of "sure fit" Windshield Wipers for his Honda/make and type. The customer service person was asked if she got a lot of this item returned and she shook her head and said "Yes, we get tons of these returned.
So, since she was talking he asked her if they had any hand sanitizers left. She said this morning when she got to work there was a long line of people waiting outside the front door. When she opened the doors at 7am, these handy item sold out ...every last one in 20 minutes. She said you want it ...get in line by 7am. So, we got back into our honda, and left Seabrook, NH behind. We were headed to Portsmouth.
Monday is our day to drive up to Portsmouth, have lunch, do errands, and go to Trader Joe's'.
Today, we decided to skip lunch and human interaction and go to Trader Joe's.
We left our house before breakfast and arrive in NH an half hour after the store opened.
I got a cart and stopped by the "sanitation towels' cleaned the cart and then entered the store.
Portsmouth store is smallest by Trader Joe's standards. It is nicely laid out, has clean bathrooms, and nice people.
I would say that the store had about 20 people shopping. I ran into a women trying to open a fruit and vegetable recyclable bag. Her hands were shaking. I asked if I could help her, she said no, she was committed to to opening it herself. OK then. "No Casual Talk with in six feet, stand in your own personal space" I was told by HWMBO*.  "You already have two candy bars" "We have butter at home". "We don't need any more of that." "There is limited space in the freezer."  and so it went.
People inside were polite. They were British Polite. Staff were British Polite and so were the checker clerks.
The shore had fruits, vegetables, and ice cream. I was a happy lady to be able to find a half gallon of French Vanilla Ice Cream. Some shelves were empty. But, I found everything that I needed or wanted. Our checkout clerk was very kind and efficient.
But, even still the experience was very much like a David Lynch movie. Strange, people different, quirky looks, and a very efficient but very controlled. The usual reggae music was gone.  The music today was more somber and grey.

We got home and we both ended walking around our neighborhood and commute with nature. I carried and used my Canon EOS RebelSL1. A wonderful camera that was my 65th birthday present from my DC family. The camera is light and a steady friend. I also go out with my small grab bag or extra battery and extra memory cards. You never know.

Music: Tony Bennett & Diana Krall....Love is her to Stay with The Bill Charlap Trio. Sweet.

February 2020 To Do List

One early morning,I am awake and the  house was quiet. The yard was quiet and it almost felt like the Great Commonwealth of Massachusetts was quiet. I sat down at my desk, and wrote down a list of things, actions, etc. that I wanted to do during the month of February

-go through old photos, negatives, and slides...go through and toss, eliminate, or keep item.

-go through Mom's letter's, emails, and pictures and ditto, ditto and ditto.

-go find very old files, and go through and ditto, ditto, and ditto

-turn on old Apple computer laptop. Turn on, take to computer workshop at the Senior Center and see if it is trash, history, or an antique.

-investigate developing photos on Rice Paper, cost,with or without frame

-go into the basement and open the box of my grandmother's china and see if it should be donated, or if I should keep.

-2019 taxes, put together file, itemize medical,volunteer gigs and mile.

-writing paper for my 96 1/2 mother in law

-donate clothes, misc. items to charity

-shop and use up my xmas gift certificate from my love in clothes from Clay's

-Mission Shop drop off note from Doctor for yearly registration.Use up $100 rebate

-pay credit card bill

-think about getting a/c in car flushed.

 Since this weekend is March 1st. I reviewed my list. 



So this is how I found every tax return from 1968 to 2010; included extras were yearly tax booklets, misfilled articles on other subject, and receipts...old, yellowed, mouldy, receipts.  Conclusion...shredded the stuff with ss#, tossed the tax instructions, and saved all my W2 which document where I lived, worked, and when all this went down.

Then I took a nap.

Still working on list. It is election day. Voted, went to the library, Bob's (hate that place, I walked back and forth from the Market Basket to Bobs for exercise. Costco was as claustrophobic as ever. Glenn picked out and ordered sunglasses.  I played and took photos of the xtra large Televisions of Doom. Looked at a very small garden center. Bought a plant for spring, a replacement of one that died.  From there, Jean my mother in law showed us the new pool, exercice room and pub at Nichols Village. They all open this week.

Such excitement.