4-5-2020 Monday-11:30am

Good morning!

The grackles returned before the snowstorm we had come in Wednesday.

 It is hard to tell but I also saw my first robin.

Both the grackles and the robin liked the suet.

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Mom turned the ringer off on her phone so she had to bring it down to the front desk and go right back home to her apartment.  Then Kathy (SIL) drove over, was handed the phone in the entryway, fixed the phone, handed it back, and the person on duty brought the phone back up to to Mom.  I hope they wiped it down, too.  Likely did as they are being very careful there.

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Mom and I had a nice long chat the next day.  Now that she's gotten used to the brief check-in every morning and food being delivered...she was back to being unhappy she can't see anybody.  I think the shelter-at-home is hardest on the social butterflies.  They do not do well alone and miss company of some kind.  It's a shame she never learned about computers.  But she's fine and her senior building is locked down tight.

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The snowstorm arrived later on Wednesday and lasted through till Friday morning.  It was suddenly winter again here so Rita's Critter Cafe became suddenly very popular once again--LOL!

They were here all day Thursday during the storm, too.  Partridges.. 

...grackles... 

...and a jackrabbit. 

I think I put out food three times, at least.  Maybe this will be our last brush with winter? 

The partridges are very serious diggers.  They seem to be smart enough to know that the snow quickly buries the seed and are determined to find it--LOL! 

Annie likes to watch them digging and kicking up snow, too. 

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In the morning I tossed some seed out and juncos arrived post haste. 

Of course a gang of noisy grackles arrived later on.

Yup--was winter white again for a while.

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Been melting down to a soupy mess right now.  

 

They never cleared the path back here so not many people out walking.  

I went out this morning and swept away a ton of rabbit poop off my patio before I put a little seed out.

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Leah came up with a wonderful idea--that we have Craft Nites again with video calls!!  We haven't actually been doing crafts this year so far, anyways.  Mostly been having gab fests and Leah was bringing me food I could nuke.  So--we had our first Craft Nite again on Thursday night!!  (Lots of talk about how to get groceries eventually and face masks.)

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Then on Saturday I had a virtual Gramma Day with Ian while Liam took a nap...just Ian and I.  We decided to start this longer book I had here.

I read him the first one (The Moomins and The Great Flood) quite a long time ago and sent it home with him.  This is the second book in the series.  So we will have lots of reading we can do on Saturday afternoons on Gramma Days for a while.  :)

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Note: as soon as Liam woke up from his nap Ian wanted to say goodbye...immediately.  I don't think he wanted to share his alone time with Gramma.  ;)

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That night I planned to read bedtime stories to both the boys from Frog and Toad but Liam is not ready for sitting and listening like that yet.  He got very noisy and wasn't paying any attention so I asked Daddy to take him away.  I read to Ian and he enjoyed it.  So bedtime stories might not work--with Liam, anyways.  But it was very nice!

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The idea is to try to make things more "normal" again.  Ian does have "school" every afternoon as Liam naps.  He enjoys it and has Mama all to himself for a couple hours.  Now Leah and I will have Craft Nites and I will have Gramma Days with Ian.  We can do video chats other times, too, of course (like Ian sent me something he made and wants a video call when I get it), but we will have more of our old schedule.  :)

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Myself--I have had noticeably less spoons and I wondered why.  Well, I no longer have Caroline coming to clean every two weeks, for one--so I am doing more dusting and vacuuming and such.  (My bathroom and floors will just have to wait.)  

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Then--I no longer have Leah spoiling me by bringing over pre-made foods for me every week that I only had to pop in the microwave.  Since I got so bad in June I haven't been doing all my cooking until now.  

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So, those are two reasons I have less "extra" spoons.  That is why I had been falling behind on my letter writing, not getting to my calligraphy lessons, and--once again--didn't get to the Friday question blog.  Aha!

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Things have changed big time in the world.  That brings up the third (likely biggest) factor that I wasn't thinking about--stress.  Stress runs amok throughout my fibro/arthritic body.  Just a fact...that I seem to have forgotten--LOL!  It effects my sleep, my pain level, my IBS--you name it.  Apparently this whole virus threat and upheaval has been bothering more than I thought it was.  

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So, for now I am giving myself a break on the calligraphy lessons and the Friday blog.  If I can get to them, I will.  But if not--no big deal if they are random.  

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  The new project I want to be working on with any spare spoons is sewing a few face masks for us.  I've been researching patterns online and information.  Before tomorrow night's Craft Nite I plan to dig through my sewing supplies to see what I have that I can use so I can show Leah and get her opinion...which is what we would have been doing had we been able to actually get together.  :)

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I still make this Monday "newsletter" blog my top priority so that I can let people know I am okay.  But my main other spoon use will be going towards Craft Nites, Gramma Days, video calls, cooking, cleaning, and this sewing project.  If I have anything left over it will go to calligraphy practice or a random Friday life questions blog post.  

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I plan to watch less news.  I have been cutting back, but I want to be informed, too--a delicate balance.  Basically when I am exhausted and feel cruddy (a lot of days, sadly)--turn on a good series or movie and not open the laptop--LOL!  That's the plan!  :)

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Anyways, I am so grateful this all didn't happen last year!!  I would have had a difficult time on my own, to be honest.  At least I am doing okay now and can manage to do everything for myself.  Another silver lining!  I can't imagine what this would have been like if it was back when I could hardly walk!  Neither Dagan or Leah could have come to stay with me.  Dagan has to work from home and goes to the offices occasionally.  Leah has two little boys to take care of.  I probably would have ended up in rehab--and could well get infected there...can't imagine it.

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If I do get the virus now I will be on my own, but I am able to function these days so would likely be okay in the long run.  If I did have trouble breathing then I'd call 911.  

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Dagan is high risk with his heart.  Leah has had asthma since she was a child--even if it is better recently.  They are both high risk as far as I'm concerned.  I worry about them.  Leah says she worries about me.

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The saddest thing to me about this very contagious disease is that people are alone.  You can't be with loved ones when they are sick...or even when they are dying.  People can't even go to funerals.  It is such an isolating disease in so many more ways than just having to spend time at home.  

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I wish no one had to get this.  I wish the people who aren't taking this seriously would do so.  We're all in this together--separately.  There are so many heroes--besides the nurses, doctors, nursing assistants, pharmacists, pharmacy clerks...there are all the grocery store workers, people filling online orders, postal workers, delivery people, sanitary workers, police, firemen, the people who keep the electricity, water, heat, traffic lights, food banks, and so many endless jobs that keep society going.  The people who keep the internet working.  Those who entertain us with Netflix, Prime, etc, and keep us informed on TV and all the many news programs.  I think about the maintenance men for our building who will still come into your home and repair the faucet or washer if you need it--from 6 ft away.  All the people who clean off everything--over and over again.  There are so many heroes!!   I feel humbled to be able to just be at home--safe and warm.  Bless them all!!

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Strange times.  

For good and for bad. 

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May you all stay safe and well!!

Chat again next Monday.  :)

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Courage doesn't always roar.  Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day saying "I'll try again tomorrow."

Mary Anne Radmacher