Well Tillie,

It is helping me.

The wonderful reuse store is taking this time to sort out and reorganize and they are having two "free days" this week - one "everything that we set out in the parking lot is free to anybody" day and one "if you can show that you are a teacher and tell us how you are going to use it in your classroom you can have it" day.

I want very badly to go. But not badly enough to risk getting sick. Even if I wasn't waiting for grandbaby, none of that is worth risking anyone's life. I still feel guilty about the time I spent in the pottery studio. I think it was safe, but it wasn't actually necessary.

I am learning what Justin really needs (very little) and how easy it is to create abundance.

I got my beans set up in the dehydrator, and I made more cheese.

I ran the dishwasher again with just the cheese dishes, but the dishes are all backed up again because Dh made a yummy hot potato and green bean salad for dinner. His portion had bacon. It used a lot of pans.

Time for me to head to bed.

Don't mind me.
I've just been thinking bout stuff...

So many hoarders featured on "HOARDERS" say that they save everything and especially food no matter how old & questionable it is because...

They or their mother/grandmother lived through the depression and/or wartime rationing.

Granted, those were hard and traumatic times.

With this new "normal" we are experiencing will this lead people who did not hoard things before to begin a lifetime of hoarding things for Justin Case?

Yes, many people hoarded up everything in the stores when this first started.
I figure they did that as a temporary defense mechanism against having to go without.
They were being ruled by fear.

But will some just regular people living through this start hoarding now?

Will their reasons for hoarding be because they lived through the pandemic?
Will future generations hoard because their mothers and grandmothers lived through this pandemic?

What I think is that yes, this worldwide pandemic will create hoarders.
It is scary and traumatic and nobody knows what the future will hold.
A feeling of helplessness, depression and unrelenting anxiety.
There are many people experiencing extreme grief.
These are all contributing factors that cause some people to fall into hoarding behavior.

If ever the world needed education and understanding about the hoarding condition,
it is now.

Love, Tillie (((HUG)))

Good Afternoon

Hi Subclinical
WAY TO GO!!!
You sure did a LOT!
So very happy you are going to sit and relax and that you slept in too! :D

Your omelet sounds delicious and those green beans will be so nice & crunchy to munch on.

OK Charlie...
I guess you can do what I have done before.
Keep talking to and feeding him snax until he relaxes and comes over to have you pet him.
Eventually that should win him over enough that you can pick him up and shove his butt into a cage and drag him screaming off to the Vet.
?


Got Lilacs watered and then put the hose on a slow drizzle and am watering trees now.
Sitting in here with the cooler on, watching a "HOARDERS" marathon with Dorothy The organizer and stringing all the rose quartz beads onto monofilament so I can see how long the strand will be.
Then I can figure out what to do with them. :D

Good afternoon!

I almost got on last night and told you I thought Charlie cat was gone, but this morning he was on the porch. I think somebody has trapped him before. I don't know what to do.

Tatoulia, I agree with Tillieabout the crying and about the awful man. I think you should get a cane and poke people with it if they get too close!

This morning I slept late.

Did my chores, picked beans, cukes and zucchini, made up the ice cream mix, did some laundry and got the dishwasher going.

I made myself a nice omelette with onions and beet greens for lunch and in a few minutes I'm going to try to find a video to watch while I sort out the green beans - some for Dh to cook for dinner, and the rest to blanch, salt, and dehydrate for crispy snacks.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Tatoulia
Crying is alright.
It is a way our bodies release built up tensions and frustration and other emotional things.
Sometimes a good cry is necessary.
(((HUGS)))

I am outraged about that horrid man invading your and your Mom's space.
But happy you got to hold little sister :)

Glad you are keeping up with dishes, laundry and making your bed every day.
These kinds of tasks help keep us grounded.

Be careful with the heat but still keep wearing out your shoes with walking :D


9am. I need to get outside and water my Lilacs before it gets too hot.
BBL ;)

Tillie! Yay for the big bag of polished stones!

Hello everyone!

Joan! You are here! And I am excited about the medical progress. I think about you a lot and I do worry so. Praying for some peace for you.

I had worn through my outer soles, if you can believe it! I walk on concrete day in and day out and I finally wore out a pair. I love my Allbirds and I have plenty of other pairs to wear!

Everyone I am not caught up on the posts.

I feel like I'm having a nervous breakdown. I don't know How else to put it. I cried a lot on Thursday and again on Friday and even small things are getting tome. I'm having trouble with my insurer on one of my scripts and my blood starts to boil then I'm afraid I'm going to start swearing including using some rarely heard cuss words. Then on Thursday I was visiting mom on the patio and some moron (a bit of a self important Boston brahmin type) who wasn't wearing a mask kept coming within four inches of my mother's face and I was yelling at him to stay back so he came face to face to me and I kept backing up and I was in the plantings and the mulch and I said I worked really hard to stay safe and he was all grand in his gestures and his speech, explaining how we are outside and no masks needed. And that my mask is sufficient. And I said get away from us and he said, if you want six feet then go sit in a tree. So I went inside and someone reprimanded him. I was crying and said, I get to see my mother for ten minutes each week. It was pretty upsetting. They made him leave the patio because it was family visit time.

Silver lining: I was told I could stay as long as I like and the concierge let me slip upstairs to see the cat for a minute. Mom was downstairs and I just slipped into her apartment, grabbed the kitty from her condo (the closet) and held her for a minute or two. It was great. But then there was a knock on her door and I panicked. Luckily it was the aide for who, I'd bought the four nightgowns. She said that she was told I was upstairs and she just wanted to see me.

So Friday night I had to take a Xanax. I wasn't holding up. I slept all night and a good portion of Saturday. I did take several long walks despite the miserable heat and humidity. BF took me on errands tonight.

I don't know how anyone else is doing. I'm keeping up with laundry and my table is better than half cleared.

I'm keeping up with dishes and of course I'm making my bed each day.

I hope I don't cry slot tomorrow. I haven't cried all day and it is 10 PM. Not bad.

Love you all.

102F in the shady back porch and 106F in the carport.

In about 40 minutes I will start watering the grass.
Kitchen is all clean.
Making some ice cubes in the freezer. Think I should have more around the next few days.
Watching movies on Roku.
I never go anywhere when it's this hot unless it's absolutely necessary like an emergency or having to pick him up at the hospital.
Before this quarantining is over I think everybody will get to the end of all the movies offered online.
But I am grateful we have this distraction.

Hey CriticalMass
I really like that moon picture :D

Bunny, Kitty, Puppy smiles would be so cute :)

I like the island quest!
Could also be a magical coconut or conch shell.

Yes, the emergency chocolate stash always seems to run out too quickly.
Especially now with everything going on.

I'll quit worrying about you getting to see the Baby once you have seen the Baby (((HUG)))

WTG! for sorting out papers and getting outside getting your hands dirty :D

Yes tillie,

I am very eager for the baby! The stream won't flood over our bridge. It only comes up to a foot below the bridge and then it overtops the downstream neighbor and stops getting deeper. As long as they don't raise their bridge, I think we are fine.

I have some soft light flannel that could go inside the mask, and I have thought about doing appliqué on the outsides. simple stuff like a smile or rabbit mouth.

I sorted out and recycled some school papers that were left in the table on my dining porch.(Still behind Tatoulia) and then the rain stopped and I was tempted out to weed a little in my long neglected flower bed outside the windows. There were two, year old volunteer sycamore trees in the bed that I had let grow up for transplant, and Dh came by, so we moved them out near the pond. Then we had some blackberries, and I butchered the cantaloupe and had some with a salad laced with fresh cheese for lunch.

Now the clouds are rolling in again.

My map will be an island with jungle and volcanic tunnels. They start out shipwrecked on the beach. The final challenge will be the magic (crystal? Portal? Something, haven't decided yet) They find in the hideout carved into the top of the volcano that teleports them off the island. We only have 4 days.

Justin does a pretty good job with my pantry. He hasn't always, but now he tends to limit himself to things like bags of rice and oatmeal, an extra bag of flour, salt and sugar, things I canned, and emergency chocolate (except I can always think of an emergency that requires chocolate, so that doesn't last long.)

Good Morning Everyone
"Clink!" tea toast.

Hi Subclinical
So sorry about that nasty nightmare.
But it makes sense that you would have a nightmare about the worst case scenario that could possibly happen.
Sometimes nightmares help us sort out our fears and work through them. (((HUG)))

Only thing I worry about for you right now is that you get to see that Baby.
But now that your bridge is all done I worry less incase that stream should flood.

Justin Case is not all bad.
Good to have on hand things we use and need with some extras on the shelf for Justin.
We just need to be realistic about how much and what kinds of things we allow Justin to have.
Six broken down lawnmowers rusting away in the yard are not reasonable and will not help during a zombie apocalypse.
LOL ;)

Ooooo, map making!
Forests and bridges and caves and castles all full of challenges. :D

Do you have any soft enough cotton fabric with prints that would make fun face masks?
I don't and there are so many pretty and sweet masks online to get ideas from.


Will be over 100F today.
I got out early and watered the garden.
Jack was there so I fed him on the back porch.
After he ate Cowgirl came over so I fed her out there too.
Came back inside and fed Twinkles and Scooter.
Scooter barfed.
Plan to do some kitchen stuff today and then clean the kitchen when I'm done.
Will water the grass this evening.
Meanwhile, I can just sit and stare. ;)

Good morning!

Tillie, I didn't see your mask Post last night. I'm glad you are getting them.

I have thought about buying some fun masks for school. Or maybe trying to make them.

I think your stores are less crowded than ours. Also there is the population. I won't even let Dh go to the farmer's market. The farmer's market should be safe, but I just imagine a bunch of customers and vendors leaning over a two foot wide table with no masks. Trump apparently wore a mask in public yesterday, so maybe that will help.

I had a nightmare about school last night. I had to change rooms for my classes and the other teachers had all the desks clumped together and no one was wearing masks. The kids were all clumping together and sharing stuffed animals and one little girl was coughing everywhere. I would try to spread the desks out and they would just slide back together.

I am very Rolling Stones on the supplies. Also, Justin is not all bad and he often takes care of me. My high school was a hurricane shelter. When Dd was a baby we lost power in a winter storm for over a week, another house had a tornado shelter in the basement, And here we have been without power for as much as 11 days and snowed in for 5 or 6 at a time more than once. When I was ten my dad taught me what to do if he had a heart attack and I was alone on the boat in international waters.... Few things are actually emergencies. I am overweight, so I would be fine with no food at all for a short while, and I can see food growing wild outside my window....

Also, drinking water is currently falling from the sky - as it often does. It's supposed to rain all day here. I plan to putter around the house, maybe make some more cheese and ice cream, and possibly explore the depths of the chest freezer. I also need to get my map ready for my students on Thursday.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi Subclinical
WAY TO GO!
You did a lot today!

I am so happy you tossed out those old seeds.
Nobody needs a constant reminder hanging around of plans that went astray.
(((HUG)))

Six cheeses! :D
YEA!
I love homemade pickles and green beans go so good in a salad.
My favorite thing to pickle are small beets :)

Sorry your store didn't have somethings you need like the vinegar.

My store had empty spaces too, was out of a lot things.
Some produce was great but some stuff was beyond saving.
But when I go inside I can see what's there and make substitutions from what is on my shopping list.
Only employee I get anywhere near is the cashier and she's never closer than 4 feet away and has a plexiglass shield, wears gloves and we are both wearing masks.
I use the credit card machine so she doesn't touch any money.

I think right now the distribution centers where grocery stores get their inventory are having difficulties.
There is such a heavy demand for products and as soon as they get something in it's right out the doors as all stores try to restock their shelves.

Sometimes the store has things and the next time I go they are out of it.
They had bleach once so I bought a bottle because I was running low.
Next trip they were out of bleach again because people bought a bottle because they too were out at home.

Fortunately the stores have put up limits to keep things from being hoarded so now everybody eventually has a chance to get things they need.

The Rolling Stones...
"You can't always get what you want
but if you try, sometimes
you get what you need".

:)

Good evening.

Yes Tillie, I am very very blessed! The kids call this place my "queendom"

Had a pretty productive day.

Got my chores done. Met dd2's new boyfriend (from a distance) as they stopped on the way through town so she could get her hiking boots out of my garage. Cleaned a stall out, Straightened up the main room, caught up with the dishes, made six cheeses (now I'm behind on dishes again.) Picked pickling cukes and green beans, cleaned up most of the mess from sewing wipes and sorted out some old seed packets.

Dh made dinner from my garden and the freezer and decided to get groceries tonight. It was a disappointing order. I am grateful that the store will pack our groceries and put them in the trunk (and I wish everyone would take advantage of that so that the employees only had to be around each other) But sometimes it is potluck. They were out of a lot of things - which can't be helped - Including the vinegar I need to pickle my cukes (although I think I have enough for one batch) and my cantaloupe needs to be butchered right away. I also got only one pound of strawberries - overripe and squashed. And no blueberries. The cherries look good though, and the bananas are green so they won't go by before I can eat them.

I got sugar too, which we can't sometimes. But no nuts at all, and I am completely out. I'll have to eat more eggs and beans.

I think ordering groceries now makes me more aware of and grateful for the usual ease and abundance of my life. Even with my "disappointment" - I have an amazing variety and quality of food at a very affordable price!

Sorting through the seed packets was hard today. Many of them were just too old to keep, and it was hard to face the years of garden failure they represented. Years things didn't get planted or couldn't be found and so were reordered. But having them stashed in my basement wasn't helping anything, and I was just going to keep seeing them and being reminded. So now they are tossed out in the field for the birds, and if anything grows the critters will have a garden. I recycled the packets.

OK...
Didn't want to try sewing a suitable facemask for myself.
Have been using a cotton bandana and have a disposable mask too.
Wanted a washable cotton face ask and can not find any here for sale.
That means nothing since there are few stores and I don't get out to see what else may be available out here.
WallyWorld and hospital thrift shop a few times is where I've been for months.

Went on amazon and found a pack of 3 washable double layer cotton face masks with a very high star rating, good reviews.
Should arrive in 7 to 10 days and cost less than 22 dollars.

Anyways, since we are in this for the long haul I figured I really should get some masks. ;p

Good Morning Everyone
"Clink!"

July 11th already, this month is moving fast.

Since I got a lot of chores done yesterday I can take the day off.
But of course there is still always cat things to tend to.
Scooter seemed especially happy & frisky yesterday after I vacuumed the carpet.
He got a lot of toys out and was playing hard for hours.

Now this is stupid...
Last night the governor ordered all bars & distilleries in Nevada be closed.
But since my county does not meet the same criteria, bars here can stay open.
The closing criteria is based on the number of active cases and hospitalizations per population in the counties.
So now people from the next county over will just come here and mingle with our local drunks and everybody will get sick.
Bars are NOT necessary. Alcoholics can still buy likker at the store and go back home with it.

OK, rant over. >:/

Anyways, today I will eat cherries & grapes and play with beads and watch stuff on the Roku and have a wonderful time. :D

Good Evening Everybody

Hi Joan!
We remember everybody who has visited here and miss them terribly (((HUG)))

Good luck and the best of wishes that you have the most wonderful success with this new information!

Hi Subclinical
My sympathies to Dd. It's hard enough at this stage and being hot makes it even harder.

Cookies for Santa! LOL :D

Your silly Mom. She is not too old to sport her natural hair.
Bet she looks very cute all curly.

YEA! for blackberries!
Happy you have the means to make icecream & cheese and have eggs and a garden and land with natural berries. :D

Hi CriticalMass
Steven had some lit up spots too and everything turned out to be just fine.
Praying Roommate's spots resolve the same way (((HUG)))

Thank you for the hug (((HUG))) back :)

Yes, sew a couple of masks.
Keep doing everything you have been doing and stay home and stay safe.
That's all any of us can do, it's going to be a long time before this is all sorted out.

Keep chipping away at your projects and make sure to take a lot of Bunny hugging breaks.


Been so busy today.
Finally got to vacuum and also washed floors.
Did some more laundry, watered the grass, cleaned kitchen and catered to all the cats every whim.

Joan!

What great news that you have found something that may help!

We miss you. Don't be a stranger. :)

CM,

I hope it was a pile that collapsed and not you. Good job making progress on papers!

I'm glad you have bunnies.

Tillie, I wish I could see your bead work.

Dd was tired and hungry when I got there and it is hot outside, so I just put the goodies on the steps. She had set out some yummy homemade brownies for me. I laughed that it was like when she left cookies for Santa.

I went to the studio the check for my pots. The guy who does the firing was on the other side of the parking lot (by the staff lunch table) when I got there, and he pulled his mask down and grinned at me. My second platter came out great - no cracking or warping and Dh likes the color, and my big bowl is gorgeous! Just what I hoped for! I have one small piece still in the kiln, but the firing guy told me he would put it on the top shelf out of the way and leave it there until I get it even if it is months from now. I was only in the building for ten minutes and didn't get within 6 feet of any of the people - who were all masked up anyway. All I touched was my pottery.

Meanwhile, my state set another record for cases today. Dh decided not to pick up groceries. We can still wait a while. He found the first few ripe blackberries this morning.

My mother is still sad about her hair. She says she can't do anything with it. I told her to just fluff it up with her fingers and let it dry - she has curls and it is adorable, like Meg Ryan. She says she's too old for that.

I am astonished that people here still remember me!

Thanks for the shoutouts. I have recently found that the bane of my existence, compulsive cheek-biting, is getting some proper attention. I went back to check online after 7 or 8 years, and one brave trichotillomania sufferer has managed to get a new classification for the disorder (besides "OCD"). These disorders, including trichotillomania, nail biting, cheek biting, etc., are now referred to as "Body Focused Repetitive Movements", or BFRMs, and are explained on BFRM.org. There is one woman who founded the organization and its associated website, which is devoted to providing information for those afflicted and explanations of the experience to those not afflicted. I highly recommend reading her "founder's story", published on the website.

Combining the new info on the site with a whole array of things I have been doing daily, I think I may be able to get the biting under control. It will take more persistence and self-experimentation, but hey - what else have I got to do? I don't have any kind of real life with the biting. I won't have any way to do more than just survive day-to-day unless I can stop the biting. In the "founder's story", if you substitute "cheek biting" for "hair pulling", the experience is basically the same.

Tat, are you sure you have worn out your Allbirds? It is hard to believe. Did you know you can order new insoles for them off the website for $15 a pair? Hah!

Love to all, Tillie, Tat, CM, SubC - and anyone I forgot. Later.

Hi

Started to really tackle the clutter in my bedroom on Wednesday, but had a collapse and got upset, had to go hug some bunnies to calm down. Yesterday went better.

Also yesterday, though, my roommate got results from her doctor of a full body scan on Monday. There are a couple of places that lit up that are going to have to be further investigated. That kind of sucked the oxygen out for her and for me yesterday. But neither thing sounds super scary though perhaps there will be surgeries (I pray no Covid risk if so). One of the areas will be scanned on Wednesday.

She also got an antihistamine for the hives but it's the super-sleepy kind so she's napping. We've had thunderstorms a couple times this week and it was cloudy-dark this morning, so we both had slept in late.

Yesterday I did better on the decluttering front. Got things restacked, a few misc. pieces of paper gone, and some more diocesan newspapers that I can go through quickly pulled out. I knew there had to be more of those that what I recycled a couple months ago or so.

To avoid a pileup in future I need to take each one when it comes and if there's anything pertinent write it on the calendar or whatever right away. They keep the digital edition online but when I re-registered in the parish I started getting the paper ones again, and they do at least serve as a reminder to check what's going on.

I am so bad about not checking email or other things that are only digital. Maybe as I get more caught up I'll re-establish routines for checking those things. ;)

Tillie, those beads sound delightful and I know you'll make pretty stuff with them. It will help pass the time and bring positive vibes. And having the good food stash will allow you to stay home and be as safe as you can be.

I'm sorry Steven is making his and your life so much more difficult. But if I know you, you are sensible and won't be codependent to his poor choices. Still - you need a cyber hug for strength, so {{{CYBER HUG}}}


SubC, WTG getting 7 items off the To-do list, making the iced tea, and getting those receipts turned in. Relax and get into the groove with the babywatch.

Masking in my area has picked up but there are holdouts, and yeah the enforcement is practically nonexistent. I'm learning which places (like the convenience store) people are lax, so I can avoid those.

I'm just thankful for people who are being conscientious enough to wear them voluntarily. I really want to get my cloth ones sewn; they will be more protective and practical than the little throwaways I'm using right now. We're going to be in this indefinitely so the time spent sewing will be a worthy investment.

Hi Tatoulia, hope you, bf, and mom are doing well.

Hi Lori, Joan, and anyone else. :)

Good Afternoon Everyone
Just now a little after 12 here.

Hi Subclinical
SO sorry the mask issue is left dangling in your area. :(
Without enforcement of some kind too many idiot will continue to selfishly infect others.

A mask will keep people's saliva from traveling outside the mask.
I want to smack Steven and your Dh upside the head.

Glad they aren't rushing too fast to reopen the school.
Still too much risk.
Yes, an "audio video" set up with support would be better than aide.
The technical aspects are what you need assistance with.

Hope you get some groceries today. Want you to have all the foods you want, not just what you need.

Have a fun distance visit when you drop off the veggies, eggs and wipes. :D
Let us know if she "looks" ready to drop. ;)


Got up and got running this morning.
Went out and watered the garden early while it was cool and had shade.
Jack kept rubbing on my ankles and flopping down on my feet and generally being a too affectionate pain.
So I put down the hose and fed him breakfast on the back porch to get him out of my way.
Came back inside and did two loads of laundry.
Did a bunch of little tidying tasks and picking up things and putting them away where they belong.
Finally brushed my teeth & washed my face then brushed my hair.
Went back out and brought in the laundry, folded & put it away.
Was starving so I ate an everything bagel with cream cheese.
Now I'm posting this...
Really want/need to vacuum.
He did not get out of bed yesterday until 5pm.
He is still in bed today.
If I vacuum he will pitch a fit. >:/
So until/unless he gets up I will rest now and play with my beads.

Good morning!

Tillie I am glad you are well supplied.

I would love to see people actually wearing face masks. Our governor soft pedaled his order yesterday. He basically said in a news conference that there was no enforcement mechanism.

Dh actually said to me last night that he thinks masks are a personal choice in places that don't mandate them. I said "you mean it should be your choice about wether or not you are an (expletive) who doesn't give a (expletive) about other people?" At which point I learned that he doesn't believe the "masks protect other people" "line".

Sometimes he makes me insane.

Yesterday afternoon I made ice cream mix, and talked to all of my DD's and my mom on the phone. Dishes are not too bad.

My administration is finally communicating. They are scheduling small group online meetings with teachers to discuss the coming year, they sent out another survey to teachers, and they are now planning to delay the start of school until sept 29. I am feeling good about the delayed start.

We will apparently offer online options for in person classes, Which may be interesting. They are discussing the option of aides to handle the online interface and assist with additional clean up and sanitizing. I'd rather have a good webcam than an aide for most if my classes.

Today I am taking some garden vegetables and eggs and the baby wipes to Dd. I think Dh is going to do a grocery pick up.

So glad that I have enough food and water and cat food & snax to keep me home for the next month.

Current active positives in the county are now at 17.

Also relieved that stores are now enforcing the governor's mandate that everybody wear masks when in businesses.
But they stand to lose their licenses and/or be fined for not doing so.

Poor Steven. Can't go anywhere now since he refuses to wear a mask and loves to argue with store clerks and clinic personnel. ;p

WAY TO GO! Subclinical!
for having so many DONE post-its!!!

You did great budgeting expenses for your classes.
Hope they acknowledge the CC receipts.
They are as good as a store receipt.

My Son was predicted to arrive on the 12th and I was so angry when he decided to come on the 10th because I needed more sleep before the circus.
Hoping your Dd is getting plenty of rest and sleep preparing for the big event.

Your Friend will need to learn how to can apple sauce and press cider. ;D

Thank you for being happy for me finding beads. :D


Well, I left home later than I had originally planned.
Turned left onto the deadly highway to get there faster.

People were at the entrance counting people so they could keep the store from being crowded if too many people showed up.
Not many people at that time of day.

EVERYBODY inside was wearing a face mask!!!!
Except for one little old ancient scooter couple who were decrepit and frail & weakly.
I forgive them and wish them well.
Social distancing was easy and nobody felt the need to crowd others.

Cucumber, ginger, bell pepper, peaches, nectarines, plums, grapes, cherries, cantaloupe, raspberries.
The watermelons looked like they had not gotten a new shipment since the 4th holiday weekend so I passed because they looked less than desirable, picked over.

I spent 162.15
Did buy another case of cat cans for Justin Case.
Bought no cleaning products, I have enough.
Bought some canned fruit and beans.
Everything bagels, dill rye bread and yellow corn tortillas.
Got LOTS of food now with what I still had.
Bought TWO cartons of icecream. ;D

Most stuff has been put away already but still have pantry stuff to deal with.

Got the hose on watering trees.
I am hot and tired and need to eat.
But I feel good.
Bought

Good afternoon!

Tillie, i am so pleased that you have some craft goodies!

Now if you can just snatch up your fruit and hibernate, all will be well.

I don't think my friend will get chickens, but there is an apple orchard on the property, so if he stays he will have apples in the fall.

CM, I love the image of butchering the cantaloupe.

You inspired me to make some iced tea.

DD's doctor says we probably have another week to wait.

I forced myself to sit down at the computer and turn in all my receipts from spring classes this morning. I really must learn to hand them in as I go. Some of them I couldn't find, so I sent in a copy of my cc statement. Hopefully that will do. I really spent very little. It comes out to about $6 student. I am the queen of free and cheap.

So, when I finished, I went to take that awful post it off my board. And I realized that there were actually SEVEN post it's could take off my board because I have worked through them in the last few weeks.

Well since I was right near the hospital auxiliary thrift shop this morning and they were just opening up I assessed the situation.
There were two customers and both were wearing masks.
Everybody working in there is masked and they have bottles of hand sanitizer placed all around for us to use.
They wash donations before putting them out whenever possible.

So I went in.
Talked to people to get information about other stores and just enjoying talking to pleasant people.

But, and here's the really good news...
There were lots of semiprecious gemstone beads!!!
I got a bunch, two+ pounds worth and it only cost two dollars.
Somebody had been doing bead jewelry and donated their surplus stash.

I am ever so extremely grateful to the person who donated them. :D

Something I saw in town...
The casino parking lots were empty of all vehicles.
That means the restaurants in them aren't even doing take out.
So unusual for the casinos to be completely shut down.

They just update the county website...

Additional positive COVID tests were reported to local officials this morning, bringing the total number of current active positives in the County to 13.

New cases include a female under 10, a female in her 20s, a female in her 30s and a male in his 30s. No active positive cases have been hospitalized and all have been directed to quarantine at home.

The other recent ones were a 5 year old and a 30yo woman and a 70+yo woman.

Sounds to me like families.
Mom, Dad, brothers & sisters, Granma and the kids.
?
But of course HIPPA can't say any more than sex & age.

Hello

Hi Subclinical
YUM! pickles! :D

When I lived on the island there were blackberries everywhere.
My Dog and I would go for walks daily and eat our fill.
So sweet and juicy.
You could always tell when the blackberries were ripe because all the birds pooped purple.

WAY TO GO! getting laundry & dishes done.
Happy you have eggs and cornbread to eat now. ;)

Will your Friend get Chickens for his farm?
Little too late in the season for putting in a kitchen garden but there's always next year for that.
Hope he has a blast living full time there waiting out the zombie apocalypse.

OH, Scooter "The Destroyer Of Worlds" would love to swing from and completely snag up that mesh curtain.


Hi CriticalMass
Yes, I saw your Strawberries on the cookie sheet.
Grapes and cherries freeze well too like that.
I do have plenty of freezer space even though it's just the fridge freezer it's pretty roomy.

YEA! for Roommate's get well fruit basket!

Very sorry you are surrounded by ignorant uncaring idiots too.
Just keep doing what you have been doing to keep yourselves safe (((hug)))


WallyWorld used to be open 24 hours but now closes overnight due to the virus.
Every Thursday when they open at 7:00am they only allow senior citizens and disabled people inside until 8:00am when they let anybody inside.

So I go early and there is never too many people in the store and social distancing is easy.

I am making up a list and plan to grab anything they have that I normally eat and could use more of to replenish what I have used up here.
I will have enough food on hand for me & the cats to last over a month.
Hopefully by then all the idiots will be at home sick in bed and not out infecting me.


Steven left and came back and subjected me to a rant.
He went to have his blood drawn (blood thinners).
The phlebotomist refused to draw him unless he wore a mask.
He refused.
He knows I am a certified phlebotomist and asked me why she would do that.
I told him because she has to get close enough to you to stick a needle in.
He yelled that she was wearing a mask so why would he have to also.
Finally told him she does not want the spit from his mouth getting anywhere on her.
Then he shreaked that if that's the case she should be wearing goggles too.

So now without the bloodwork the Dr. won't renew blood thinners so maybe he will have more of those TIAs (mini strokes) or blood clots in his arteries.

Sounds like a plan, Tillie. I don't remember if you've said what your freezing capacity is, but perhaps you could do what I did with the strawberries and similar fresh fruits. I put a picture on IG. I freeze bite size pieces on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Then they can be stored and won't freeze together in a huge clump.

I'm getting concerned about here. Had run out of iced tea and stopped at the convenience store. I'd say 80-90% of customers not wearing masks. And when they're all blowing in and out the doors, no enforcement possible (city ordinance a few days ago reinstated mask wearing or risk a fine).

Thinking the food I have will mostly do. I'm SO blessed to be close to grocery stores anyway and there people are way more compliant. But fewer trips = better odds of staying safe. My roommate's boss the other day had sent a huge get-well basket of fruits and veggies. We're still plowing through that. Which reminds me, I should go butcher a cantaloupe.

I'm glad SubC's husband has decided to forego golf for awhile. Wonder when the little guy will arrive...

Oh, and Tatoulia thanks for your kind words also, and I share your joy at being able to gift the quilt so easily!

Oh Tillie,
We cross posted.

That makes me so angry!

Go as early in the day as you can, and get some canned stuff too. You may just have to let Tatoulia ship you some goodies before this is over.

CM,
How are your little bundles of stuff going?

Tillie, how was town?

My friend's farm belonged to his grandparents. They had two children. The son was single and childless and left it to my friend - the one of his sister's kids who loved it. He knows he is lucky.

If I don't get other fruit, the blackberries will be in soon.

I caught up on the laundry. I almost caught up with the dishes, but then I made hard boiled eggs and cornbread.

I picked the first of the pickling cukes today, but they'll have to rest in the fridge until there are a few more before I can make a batch of pickles. Dh might eat them.

He ordered some mesh curtains and is putting them up to "screen" our back porch. Very fancy. Mr. kitty better leave them alone!

If I don't get some store fruit, there should still be blackberries soon.

OK

I went into town, came back home and did a bunch of chores.

The Nevada governor said that all people must wear masks when in any public building.

Yeah, right

It's a free-for-all out there.

The hospital auxiliary thrift shop posted the formal government order on the door and STRONGLY urge EVERYBODY comply.

I looked around and asked some people about masks in other stores/businesses and they all said NOPE.
Some people wear masks because they WANT to and all the rest don't care about anybody else in the whole world.

OK, so here is my plan...
The numbers here are going up and will continue to rise over the next several weeks.
I plan to go now to get at least 2 or 3 weeks of supplies, stock up as much as possible on fruit & veggie but not so much it goes bad before I can eat them.
Will see about getting some frozen fruit too.
Then I will stay home for as long as it takes.

If I wait any longer to shop there would be even more virus so I will shop while the virus is not as bad as it will be.

Good Morning Everybody
"Clink!"

GO! CriticalMass!
You CAN do this!!!
:D

Hi Subclinical
Very relieved the poison ivy is starting to heal (((HUG)))

Yes, I too have other food to eat but being out of the fresh produce is hard.
Especially the Summer fruits.
Hope you get some soon too.

WTG! finishing up the Baby wipes!
YEA! for clean dishes and sheets!
I know how hard it is to do even simple tasks when you are suffering with a horrid rash.

Your Friend is so fortunate to have a farm and is able to work from there.

Masks are ordered for the entire state of Nevada but there's so much resistance and little enforcing.


Hi Tatoulia
YEA!!!! The quilt has gone to the home of your choice!!! :D


It's almost 8am here.
I am waiting to go into town when there will be more places open and people milling about at around 10am.
Better way to see if they are following the rules.

Curbside pickup is alright for most items here but not at all for fresh produce.
If you order something and what they have in stock is old, wrinkled & wilted, bruised, unappealing, inedible, starting to mold, that's what you get.

Yeah, I was probably getting ahead of myself re what to do with fabric.

My firm goal will be to clear the bed. There are a few little bundles of stuff I placed on it a couple days ago to sort, since there are literally no other surfaces on which to sort things in that room.

But that led to some purging and I'm almost done. I'll wrap that up and turn my attention to the bed, the whole bed, and nothing but the bed till it's done! ;) Stay tuned.

Coffee clinks!

CM, I hope your lady's family recover quickly.

I'm glad your computer is working.

I also agree with Tatoulia about the fabric. I was able to work on mine because I had something I needed to make, but just trying to make decisions outside of a new challenge or information is too hard.

Maybe you can focus on your bed? Or if the bed things are too hard, you could choose an easier spot and try to make space on it for the bed things?

Tatoulia,

That was great luck on the bedspread!

Good luck with your table!

Tillie,

I hope you get your fruit. I am almost out of fruit too. I am out of a lot of things. We need to do a grocery pick up soon. (Well, not need, we have eggs and milk and vegetables, but it would be nice.)

Keep being careful! Things keep getting worse here. Our governor finally made masks mandatory in 7 counties - the ones my daughters live in and the one Dh office is in are included, plus another nearby one.

Dh is still out of the office though. He has agreed to stop playing golf for a while. Dd says if we stay with just essential curb side pick up, we can come see the baby when he is born (and home, hospital will only allow dsil)

I froze the ice cream yesterday, but did not make more or cheese. I was too tired and didn't get my nap. The poison ivy is finally starting to dry out today. It will probably take about a week to heal, but the swelling is down and I am not feverish - I am very allergic.

I did catch up a little on the dishes, and my bed has clean sheets. I also finished all the baby wipes.

One of the chicks did not make it, so I have 16. Plenty if they are hens.

I got a note from my best friend. He has moved his family to a farm he inherited in a rural county that has to only had one case. He and his wife can both work from home, and he doesn't know when or if they will return to their college town house. The farm is his retirement plan.

I like your plan, Tillie. Cm forgive me for not expressing my sorrow at the news of the family falling ill. I forget what I read but I feel the emotions at the time.

Quickly, a bit of good timing. I was turning the little indoor antenna , trying to get the news when I saw my original cleaning lady out front, picking up the woman who does my upstairs neighbor's place. And she was dropping off dinner for that apartment and for me. So I quickly grabbed the satin bedspread and said, it's been professionally cleaned and she was thrilled! So it's out of my house!! And to think I almost took it to my car today.

Must run now.

Good Evening

Hi CriticalMass
Thank you for the cyber fruits :)

I was thinking the same thing as Tatoulia concerning the fabric.
I think trying to decide on fabric right now you will just fall down a Rabbit hole of too many hard decisions to make.

About the time crunch when doing tasks.
Set a timer/alarm and come up for air after an hour of organizing.
Breathe, stand up straight, stretch, have some water.
Then you can set the timer/alarm again if you still want to or not.

Happy you went quilting!
YEA! "fingers crossed" the computer continues to function!!!

So sorry that family has the virus and will keep them in my thoughts (((HUG)))

Good luck and best wishes for you getting the stuff off your bed and put up.


Hi Tatoulia
Your bathroom is going to be so very lovely!
I love picking paint colors. The right color can make a space wonderful to be in.

I have seen documentaries about that kind of tour.
I want to do the tour where you visit Edgar Allen Poe's places.
Have a BLAST hanging those witches. ;)

How wonderful that the table has a lot of actual trash on it.
That makes it so easy to decide keep or toss.


OK, this is my plan...
Tomorrow I will go into town to fill water bottles.
The filling kiosk is outdoors in the open air.
I'll scope out the situation in town.
Are people wearing masks? Are people keeping apart?
Do I feel like I could safely get in and out of the store?
If so then during old people's hour on Thursday I will get fresh food.
We shall see :p

Cm thanks for the nice newsy update! Good to have a visit with you. May I make a suggestion? Don't worry about the price of cloth or whether you should donate some. That is a harder decision to make. Make the easier decisions first. I know you know this but this is a gentle reminder that the easier decisions will help you to feel accomplished and successful.

Tillie the bird prints ate my fabric for my new shower curtain. So pretty! The paint chips came today (my designer had suggested a couple of colors) and I've ordered three samples of the paint. The one I thought would be my number one choice probably won't easily support the fabric, but it may be nice in my hallway.

Okay I'm about to start a tour of Salem, MA and the witch trials. Haven't taken this tour since a teenager. I have taken a few "walking" tours since lockdown and so I know it's an experience I enjoy. And it will help keep me mentally stimulated. I miss my concerts and lectures!

Take care everyone. I've worked more on the table. A surprising (ok not a surprise) amount of it is trash.

It's going to be over 100 some days here way too soon. Already pretty hot. We got rain Sunday and yesterday, making it nice and muggy. :P

Hi Tillie - I too wish I could send you fresh fruit.

Tatoulia, your picture is what I deal with entire roomfuls of... I want it different but it's difficult. I'm starting to dive in though.

SubC, I hope the poison ivy lets up. My roommate is having another bout of torturous hives. Hers last several weeks. She's been through all that stress of the treatment, different prescriptions, not being able to take her helpful supplements until it was over, etc.

I'm sure the unhatched eggs were roosters.

Mmmm, homemade ice cream. Childhood memories!

The days really time-crunch here lately. I have the motivation to dig in and deal with my disastrous bedroom, yet with other daily tasks it just has to be fit in or all of a sudden I'm like "How did it get to be 5 o'clock?!" So I've only gotten little bits done.

It's time to go back into my bedroom from the living room at nights, even though I like the couch. I'll find some way during the transition to get the junk off the bed so I can really be comfortable.

Sleep has been okay if my back and sides and hips behave. The pillow between my knees is a good thing. Some days I get a post-lunch slump that makes me really sleepy. I'm trying to resist full naps because I'll inevitably want to stay up too late.

Went to quilting at church today. I think it is safe, like SubC's studio. Nobody but us quilting hens comes into the quilting room except for the breaker boxes or electronics for internet and/or security I presume. We wore masks and sat apart enough. It seemed to work.

At some point I'll resume assembling quilts I have the plans and fabric for, go to the church to sew them when I need lots of room.

One lady told us that she made 500 masks early on! I'm so envious of her efficiency and the space she must've had in her HOME to spread out and get things cut and sewn together. Want that.

Fabric is getting hard to come by at inexpensive prices these days. I could donate some of Justin's stuff for either mask making or quilts. Need to think about it.

Heard from the younger daughter of my elderly lady I sit for. The older daughter has Covid and is in the hospital. She's in a vulnerable population with several serious chronic health issues. Her husband awaits his test results and I hope their daughter and grandchildren are okay.

The younger daughter's work isn't reopening till September so she's been with her mother, or one of a handful of family have (fortunately not the one with Covid). I suggested when the current crisis lets up (favorably I pray), we have a Zoom get-together. She said her mom has done Zoom with other family already.

Good news, I think - keep your fingers crossed - I've been typing this on my "new" laptop with the Linux, and since I got that extra RAM installed it has been behaving pretty well. I can actually get my work done!

If this continues, I shall be doing more creative writing, etc. The only drawback is that I have no real desk and have to work awhile then shut down and stash the laptop, then pull it out again next time and boot it up - but maybe when I get some things moved... we'll see. And at least it boots up fast and works.

Well, that's all I can think of at the moment - stay cool, stay well.

Good Afternoon Everybody

Thank you Tatoulia (((hug)))
I truly appreciate the sentiment.

WTG! for working toward financial success!
One good thing about a pandemic is it helps you save money. :D

Good luck with straightening out your table.
Hope there are places to put the stuff where they should go.
I hate having something that doesn't have a set place to be put.

The bird prints you posted are very pretty. :)


I am bored.
Want to play outside but it's too hot so I have to wait till evening to go outside.

That is indeed my before picture! Postcards and mail and work and mailers etc. I got some cleared last night and I will not allow it to look like that when my cleaners come tmr. They've been very good at ignoring it. No wonder I'm a jumbled mess.

I understand feeling less alone, SubC. My whole house used to be like that. Everywhere. Kitchen counters. Everywhere.

Tillie stay safe. If I had a way to ship you fruit, I would.

Meanwhile I am extremely proud of my savings account balance and my decreasing loan balance.

Okay either I have to go back to work or I need to finish my table.

Good Morning
"Clink!"

Hi Tatoulia
Now that's the before pic of the table right?" ;)
JK

Right now so many people's homes have tables/counters like that because they are working from home and home was never meant to be the office or classroom too.

As for getting back into offices and classrooms it's just too hard to figure things out because we still don't have a handle on the virus spread.
So much is still unknown and what we do know is that staying home seems to help a little.

I saw cities are allowing restaurants to use sidewalk but never thought that yes, there would be dog walkers out too.
How lovely. ;p


Hi Subclinical
WAY TO GO! making ice-cream mix!!!
and not letting dishes pile up too high!
Hope you do make more icecream and cheese too.

Great job hatching out 17 chicks and hoping they are all good laying Hens for you.

WTG! Dh for working on the forest paths and hope he pulled any poison ivy on the trail so you can safely walk there daily. :D

You need to walk since you can't go swimming in the pool.


In Nevada cases have been going up quickly since places have reopened but mainly in the cities.
People from out here travel to the cities to shop and go to doctor appointments, etc.
Tourists are coming to Nevada from all over.
I knew it was only a matter of time until it was here.
Now I need to get groceries this week but I'm too scared to go.
What I really want is some more Summertime fruits like watermelon, peaches, plums, etc.
I think the two hot spots here would be the grocery stores because everybody goes there.
Two of the new positive cases were asymptomatic.
Over 100 of the tests have not been processed yet and the county website is slow getting new numbers posted as they come in.

I will wait and see how I feel Thursday morning when WallyWorld only allows old people in at 7am.

Steven still has not ever washed his hands and he still goes out too many times a week.
He refuses to wear a mask or social distance.
So I probably should grocery shop, I would probably be safer than being at home. >:(

Good morning.

My poison ivy woke me up before 4:00, so I think I will need a nap today.

Tillie, I am very sorry that COVID has invaded your county. Keep being as safe as possible!

I can't imagine going into a restaurant again. Even our take out pizza makes me nervous because Dh has to walk inside and pick it up off the bar.
Cases in my state gave dropped a little, but cases in my area are still going up.

I had 17 chicks when I went to bed, and I suspect that is all I will have. Not a great hatch, but I am telling myself the ones that didn't make it were roosters. Time will tell....

Yesterday I made ice cream mix, so I need to freeze that today, and I think I will finish the baby wipes. I'm also thinking about making some more cheese and another batch of ice cream. The babies are all weaning, so I have a lot of milk right now.

I'm also doing a little work getting ready for my class next week.

I did enough dishes to only get a little more behind.

Tatoulia, I find the picture of your mess strangely comforting. I have similar messes throughout my house, and while you will sometimes say something is a mess, all your pictures look so nice. I guess it is just good to feel less alone.

Dh spent a lot of the holiday weekend working on the paths in the woods and yesterday we took a half mile walk. I really need to get more physically active. He is encouraging me to spend more time walking the trails.

I worked a lot on Sunday. It was a good feeling but I don't feel that I got the proper relaxation.

I posted my dirty secret on Instagram. My dining table is a mess and has been since the end of March or beginning of April. I worked on it for about 1/2 hour and I'm pleased with the progress.

No wonder I feel like a wreck these days. I have no room to do my paperwork, when I start doing work paperwork, there's no room and I get distracted by postcards so I start writing postcards, then I can't find my pen to do my audits at work, then the cat joins me, etc etc.

That said, I'm going to do my dishes and go to bed.

SubC I used to love going to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry to watch the chicks hatch. When I went there on a business/pleasure trip (a friend from Florida flew to Chicago to join me on my trip), we re-lived my happy childhood by going there and watching the chicks!

I'm going to need some serious downtime this weekend. We've agreed not to eat out again anytime soon. It's just so risky. Our restaurant has a sunken patio so no one is walking by but a lot of the restaurants are allowed to put out tables on the sidewalks (temporarily) and so there are people walking. Y and dogs using the "facilities," etc.

Our CEO sent out a letter today; no real answers but provided more insight into what is going on. Discussing the logistics of different offices: some are self-contained buildings, some are I shared buildings, some have people who primarily drive to work, some (like ours in Boston) have people who primarily use public transportation. He discussed the activities of the Pandemic Response Team. He said that he stands by the idea that we will not be back in the office before August 1, that it may make more sense for September 1. But then with school starting maybe the 14. So that's where we stand. I'm not concerned yet.

Fireflies. Oh so lovely. I may have mentioned this before but in our hotel in Tokyo, there were lovely gardens and one of them had fireflies at night. Which eventually turned out to be just little delicate flickering lights. But I'll take it.
Tillie take good care of yourself. Cm I hope you are holding up okay! SubC I'm grateful you had a visit.

Joan if you are reading, I finally wore out a pair of Allbirds. But the others are doing fine! Definitely my preferred footwear.

Moving slow today.
Got kitchen clean & floors swept and bathroom done.
He didn't get up till after 2pm so I gave up on vacuuming cause by then it was too hot.

Garden is wilted from the heat at this time of day.
Should perk up a bit after sundown.

OK, here we go.....

Just checked the county website and there are now 9 active cases here.

Time for me to keep doing what I have been doing but now I know it's here.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
YEA!!! WTG!!! with the Chicks! :D

Sorry the dishes got away from you. Mine did too.

Happy Dh caught a fish. Even happier that you have fish out there. :D

Make sure the Goats get access to all that nasty poison ivy so you never get into it ever again. (((HUG)))


Going to be 100+ F today.
Everything is well watered out in the yard.
Need to clean the kitchen, vacuum carpet, sweep floors and clean the bathroom.

Up to 16 chickens this morning - they should be done by afternoon, but I'll give them an extra day for Justin.- you know how he worries.

I mostly took it easy yesterday. Made a couple of rounds of cheese. And I let the dishes pile up and I'm sorry now.

Dh caught a fish from the pond for dinner last night.

The poison ivy is just going to be awful for a week or so. It woke me up very early this morning and I couldn't get back to sleep.

Very humid today. Static temp is around 90, but I'm already dripping sweat just walking outside.

Good Afternoon Everyone

Hi Tatoulia
What a lovely dinner out!
So sorry about the nerve wracking fireworks.

Keep doing everything you can to stay safe and visit with your Mom.
Even if that means not going into the store until less people are in there.

Good luck with all your errands today.

I never wear makeup and most times not even oil of Olay moisturizer.
I used Neutrogena hypoallergenic sun screen one Summer and it totally trashed my nose, took a year to get back to being better/normal. :(


Hi Subclinical
(((HUG))) hope your rash is feeling better today.

So happy you had that nice visit with your friends!
Good deal with the bartering too. ;)

Yeah, last night's moon was wonderful.
Happy you have Fireflies! I remember them from back in Michigan and they are like Fairy lights.

GO CHICKLETS!!!

Really hoping you are listening to Dh today and taking it easy.


Was up late last night and this morning slept till 9:30am.
Had to jump up and get out to water the garden before it got too hot & sunny.
Did that, came back inside and started doing stuff.
I also used the last 6 eggs to make some deviled eggs.
Now I really need to do a pedicure, my nails are too long and there is too much garden dirt under them.
But walking barefoot in the garden and grass feels so good and makes me happy.

Cats fell asleep alright last night but every now & then a bang would make them jump.
But they would go right back to sleep.
I heard no sirens last night which signals no wildfires were started nearby.


Hello CriticalMass

HELLO CHARLIE!!!
Please come back, the cat trap is for someone else! ;}

Oh dear,

I forgot to ask how Lori is doing - how are you doing?

And yo tell you that I Haven't seen Charlie cat since I dug the trap out. :(