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Hard to believe - Nora has what the kids call her temps - the temporary license for driving with an adult. In Ohio the minimum age for getting temps is 15 1/2.
Last night she drove my car, which feels just weird. When I first bought that car Nora and Aaron were in booster seats in the back. Of course, I've had that car for awhile, but still . . .
An older friend, in her 80's, went to the doctor for her check-up. All was well, and the doctor told her to wear a mask, wash, wash, wash, and have fun. She is looking forward to going to the grocery store. There may be a lesson for me here.
In an effort to get back into quilting, the kind where you follow directions, I joined a block of the week class at my local quilt shop. The first two blocks arrived together, the fabrics were pretty, and I didn't follow the cutting directions correctly. I've sent the shop an email asking if I can buy more fabric. If they don't have more, there is always another way.
In the meantime, since I was slow starting, I can go on to blocks 3 and 4, being really careful with the cutting. I'd hate to have to admit that I messed up twice.
Meet Lucy, the oldest of the three little brown rescue grand dogs. The only one who has a passion for mulberries. When it's time for her walk she heads for the mulberry tree. Sweet Lucy - I hope she gets her fill before the mulberries are gone.
The governor's press conference is no longer on tv but on facebook. I get distracted by the comments scrolling from the bottom, even though I know that if I turn my phone the other way I won't see them.
Where is my unemployment? White people need health care too. You have no right to request that the Jefferson Davis statue be moved from the Capital, the people should vote. Open the pools. Open nursing homes to visitors. Etc.
Of course, there are also the comments that say he is doing a good job and thanking him. The nursing home issue is such a tough one. (Well, they all are.) My neighbor hasn't seen his dad in three months. And yet, there were three nursing home deaths in a neighboring county reported yesterday.
Last night I woke up at 1 a.m. dreaming of the comments scrolling. If I"m waking up at night I need to take a break from watching those comments. Open the package with my absentee ballot. Quilt something, anything. Drop off a package for my friend. Be grateful for my friend/family circles and marvel that they never intersect.
Clematis - on the railing beside the four steps that go to the street sidewalk. I need to paint that railing, but then the clematis bloom and everything looks good.
I picked up a curbside pick-up of library books this morning. Real books. Well, except for one that I accidentally requested as an audio book. Monica the librarian said they are opening next week but will still have curbside pick-up. When the books are returned, they "rest" somewhere for four days before they go back on the shelves. The pick-up at the library was busier than the pick-up at the grocery store. Monica was wearing a mask and so was I
Thanks to Winnie and Sarah for the etsy mask they sent. It is a knit fabric, very easy to slip on and off at the drive-through. I still have not braved an actual store. Cases in my state are up, although they are down in my area.
I've finished the beaded banner and have put away the little containers of beads. Enough. I'll find another hand-work project. The little take-out containers from individual sides at KFC are perfect for beads, by the way.
A mother-of-the-bride dress that needed a temporary hem for a small outdoor wedding.
For whatever reason, hand work soothes me these days. I wonder, what would it be like to have a comfortable chair in my studio for reading and hand sewing. And yet, there is something nice about sitting on the living room sofa in front of the window with daylight coming in.
Two medical follow-ups for eyes and wrist this week, both went well. The wrist doctor said that I have good movement, that restarting physical therapy for me now is not worth the risk of virus exposure, just keep doing what I've been doing. And so I will.
In April when the eye surgeon's office called to reschedule dates, there were eight appointments. It was a little overwhelming, after all those weeks of being at home. Now my calendar for the next couple of weeks is empty, and I like to look at the emptiness that I can fill up as I wish.
Today Amazon will be delivering a big container of Tide pods. I bought a similar container with my grocery pick-up a couple of weeks ago but they have disappeared. How could I have misplaced a big bright orange container? When I find them, I can do laundry from now until Christmas.
My favorite local restaurant is still doing carry-out these days, although they have started some dine-in as well. I hope that carry-out will continue for a good long while. This is a spring salad and pasta with a pesto sauce made with pumpkin seeds and basil.
Usually, back in the old days, they were very crowded, with people waiting. Tables close together. It was a scene. The food is so good, lots of veggies and herbs, pretty cocktails. They have some cocktail mix for carry-out, but they have added bottles of wine too.
Sarah came again last week for my second cataract surgery. She did lots of chores around the house and I felt very lazy but grateful. We had an outdoor lunch at Steph's house, six feet apart, and that felt so good.
It is weird, just so strange, to be able to see nicely without glasses. I can't remember when I got my first pair, but I'm sure it was early in grade school. I'll be getting a bifocal eventually with a little distance correction, but no more putting them on first thing in the morning, keeping a spare old pair in my car for just in case.
We had a curfew last night in my little city across the river from Cincinnati. Same for tonight. At around 11:00 last night I smelled smoke and had a panic moment, but I think it was just wet wood in a neighbor's fire pit.
Hearts on my pajama pants. I got them at the Gap Outlet years ago for $2. They are long and lovely cotton. I also got them in black because . . . why not?
After a hot night, I turned on the ac this morning. I wasn't hopeful, in fact had put it off. When I got my new furnace last winter there was an installation glitch and the heat and air were both running for about a week. I thought there was a good probability that they just disconnected the air for a temporary fix. But, no, there is cool air coming out of the vents.
And maybe, just maybe, the compressor will hold up for another summer, giving me more time to save for a new one. It is old, I know that. I'd like a more energy efficient one. But I'd also like one more year.
Tomorrow is my second cataract surgery. I am a little anxious, but I am picturing getting back in the car afterwards. Going down the road. Having a nice lunch. Sarah and little dog P-Nut are driving back from North Carolina tonight.
I will be picking up my grocery order in a bit and just got the message about possible substitutions. Nothing big. Except that no, I don't want to substitute beef corn dogs for veggie corn dogs. Not that I need corn dogs anyway, but sometimes they are just a quick fix.
I'm still pretty upset about a protest-gone-wrong this weekend that ended up with a group marching to the governors's mansion porch and then hanging the governor in effigy on the capitol lawn. Please, aren't we better than that after all these years?
But one of the marchers to the governor's mansion raised an interesting question for me. She said, "It's our house too." In some ways, that's true, it's a state building. But it's also a private residence. Something to think about.
After the slow-moving March and April, May is moving by quickly. Memorial Day weekend sneaked up on me.
One reason was the cool weather, it did't feel like the end of May. And then there is the way the calendar falls, with Memorial Day on the 25th, early. And for another thing - there has been no plant shopping. Usually, in May, I make lots of visits to the big box store, looking for bargains that are marked down before the truck arrives with new plants. This year the closest I've come is driving past the local nursery, where the parking lot is always full, like every other year.
My plan is to divide some perenniels, fill in a little that way. And I will probably find some annuals here and there. The little grocery on Monmouth Street always has a few plants on the sidewalk, never has a crowd.
Last night I ordered some summer shorts from my favorite retailer. Other summers, I would duck into Sears while Nora had her music lessons - that favorite brand had its own little store within the store. It was fun to see whether something I liked was marked down that week. Now, there is no more Sears, the music store and the mall have been temporarily closed, and Nora's music lessons are on some virtual platform. It seems like a long time since we've had some Aunt Annie's pretzel nuggets after her lesson.
Most days, I move forward, feel happy, feel like I'm adjusting. And then, like now, I remember those music lessons and Aunt Annie's pretzels and I feel so sad, reminded of the day-to-day simple pleasures that are missing now. I just sit with the sadness for a bit, don't stay there, but somewhere in the depths of my soul, it must still be there.
(Oh, and I finally got a green light bulb, a way in my state that we remember the folks who have died from the virus.)
