Randomness

These are such pretty Easter eggs.  I'm not sure the girls are old enough to do this yet but maybe in a few years.  The idea came from a blog called Urban Comfort.  It's not active right now, but I'm going to add it to my favorites since I saw a lot of nice holiday things as I scrolled through.

You would think since I had so much time that I would be more organized.  As far as the apartment goes, I am on top of that.  Laundry washed and put up every day.  Kitchen scrubbed and cleaned multiple times a day - by Elise and me both.  Windows have been washed on the inside, vacuuming done, bathrooms cleaned, doorknobs sanitized!

It's just my mind that is so disorganized.  There are too many things I'm interested in, and I can't light on just a few.  I know the ease of finding things on the computer adds to that.  One search leads to another, and before long I forget what I was thinking about in the first place.  In the mornings when I have all this energy, I pull out things to do and work on and never get around to them, so when I go to bed, I just have to make new piles.

There are books I want to read.  Movies I want to watch.  Podcasts I want to listen to.  Blogs I try to keep up with.  I have lists all over the place.  I need to spend more time doing them instead of making lists.  But I'm glad that's my only worry right now.

I saw this at the bottom of my stairs when I went down to walk today, and it made me so happy.  Because the apartment complex has landscapers, you hardly ever see any personal flowers. I'm pretty sure our downstairs neighbor put it there, and I'm also sorry I don't know them.  Such a sweet couple.  I've talked to him a few times since we've run into each other walking a lot.  They keep their son's beautiful golden retriever sometimes, and we keep running into each other.  She and I wave from the car, and I love her little front porch and keep meaning to tell her how much I enjoy it and formally introduce myself.  Now that I can't do that very well, I regret it. 

I once again managed to fit my walk between bouts of heavy rain and even hail this afternoon.  There was just enough sunshine to stay warm, but the wind got to my ears and made them ache.  It may come down to earmuffs in April.  I got a mini-workout before I even started my walk.  There was a State Farm letter mis-delivered to my mailbox.  We're K204, and it belonged at L204, which is the building next door.  I knew it was upstairs and knew there were two flights of stairs.  I guessed wrong the first time so got to do a little stair-climbing.  

There was a Seattle Times there on the landing, and I should have looked at it to see if it might be my missing one from last weekend.  I think I'll sneak up there tomorrow and check to see if it's two weeks old.  If it is, I'll grab it.  You can never have enough NYT crosswords and book lists!

I talked to 3 friends today by email or phone, and that's the plus of being in the spot we're in.  I think we all want to reconnect and find out how we're coping.  I also need to use my voice.  In my former life, it seemed like I never stopped talking when the girls were around, but now at noon I sometimes realize I haven't spoken a word.  

I took advantage of mail order to order coffee and coffee filters (I'm drinking too much), cat food (they're always hungry), printer ink and paper, and some polka-dot balloons for science experiments for the girls and for Katherine's birthday celebration in May if we have any left.  It's not quite as much fun to shop from home at Target, but with my debit card, I get free shipping plus 5% back, so it makes sense.  

Elise and I now have our own masks in case we need them.  Her friend is a nurse, and they have a group of people making them.  I sent a bag of fabric, and they rewarded us with these cute designs.  I guess we're Washington State fans now.  I think they're cute but hope we never have to wear them.

Emily brought us these two weeks ago, and I'm also hoping I don't need them.  I haven't been out in any stores or anywhere except on the sidewalks, but I've not seen anyone wearing any kind of mask.

The one disadvantage to being isolated is that the neighbors are too.  I rarely hear Jamie, our nice new neighbor, who has some walls in common with us, but this young guy next door!  Wow! When he used to go out to work, I didn't mind hearing his garage door open beneath me every morning or even the loud music  from his truck when he came home in the evenings.  But whatever he's doing now is crazy. He's gone several hours a day but is now home a lot and noisy.  I'm sure it's a video game or Fantasy Football - or something - that's got him so animated!  He's very vocal about it and talks and yells at someone.  I don't hear another voice, so I'm thinking it's an online thing.   I'll probably not mention it to him or knock on the wall with a broomstick unless it starts keeping me awake.  I kind of like to know there's
someone nearby.

A few things that made me smile today:

Soggy Days

Luckily, I love rainy days when I can be inside and warm, but I feel sorry for the ones trapped inside for weeks and weeks.

I went out this morning at just the right time.  If I hadn't taken that opportunity, I probably would have skipped my walk today.  The reason for it was a dropped paper towel.

Since the workers had to stop pressure-washing and painting JUST before they got to my balcony, it looks like I'm going to have to live with it one more summer.  Since I had everything inside, I poured a mixture of detergent and bleach on the concrete and attacked it with the broom.  Luckily, the car below me was still parked elsewhere, or I would have had to watch it.  Once the floor looked nice and clean, I put back the rug and the chairs and tables and plants and started on the railings.  They're white and awful, especially where the hummingbird feeder drips.  It was really too chilly to stay out there long, but I think I made it presentable.

I guess I put the forced narcissus bulbs in the neglected herb pot after they bloomed, and they rewarded me with another blooming!  I almost missed them.

I did drop that paper towel, so I took down the recycling and picked up the towel and just kept on walking.

I went about two blocks before I had to shed my jacket.  Surprising.  I did have to put it back on before I got home because of the wind and clouds, but it was a nice walk.

And before I could hang up that jacket, the rains started and have continued all afternoon.  

Emily is getting all the web sites and resources together from the school so they can get organized for blocks of learning during the day.  They were out of ink, so I printed the schedules for them and took them over yesterday.  

I'm going to use the password and find out what they're learning in coding.  I feel like I've been left behind there!  And the Social Emotional Learning could possibly come in handy too.

I saw an ad for Lottie Dolls in my email, lottie.com, and went to check out the new things.  They're really wonderful little dolls that I discovered a couple of years ago and gave the girls some.  It's all about being strong and independent but still looking good while you do it!  They're designed with input from children and present a better role model than some of the other dolls.

They have a nice Kids' Activity Page, and I printed some coloring pages and science experiments to take the girls.  Most of them are simple but with good lessons and use materials found around the house.

This is the one I'm interested in.  I don't see how....

I made some healthy oatmeal cookies to deliver along with the paperwork and some of their favorite little Horizon milk cartons.  I told Emily they might taste maybe a little too "healthy" for the girls to love them, but she said they were delicious.

The first batch is on the left, the ones where I didn't believe the instructions about taking them out after 10 minutes - even if they didn't look done.  They were right.

I used this recipe, and they were easy to make.  I would have put walnuts in them if they had been for me, but I'm wasn't sure this was a week where the girls like nuts or not.  I definitely didn't put the M&M's (sugar overkill) in them or the chips, although that would have probably made them taste better.  I just didn't have any.  

I had gotten a picture earlier of all the stuffy animals lined up at the window to greet passers-by.

And when I got there, I heard a little rap at the window.

It was so sweet to see them.  They were trying to explain who made the cut to be in the window scenes - two windows - and I couldn't understand who Chief Somebody was.  Katherine said, "If you'll notice, Mimi, he's on the right.  Don't you see all that yellowness?"

They were freezing, but we had so much to say.  Notice Emily took the cookies and is headed to the kitchen.

When I left, I saw the across-the-street neighbors heading out for a walk, so I talked to them awhile.  This is sweet London (sp) who is two.  I told her about the animals up in the window, and her mom - Katie? - said they had been looking for some teddy bears and animals.

Emily and I have been displeased with the girls' closet since they moved into this house.  Their hanging clothes are at each end of the closet in a little dark alcove, leaving the rest of it bare for stray toys and dropped clothes.  Months ago, Emily said she didn't have time to figure out what was needed and for me to send some pictures.  I forgot about it - except when I was up there and picking up a fallen rod or fighting the clutter on the floor - but yesterday I decided to do it.  I sent 5 or 6 similar pictures and figured she didn't have time to look for them.  When I got over there, Ryan had gone to Home Depot to pick up a closet unit.  He could have designed and built beautiful shelves and cubicles, but this is not the time for it, so he gave in and bought a shelving unit.

And today it's finished.  I don't know if I have a before picture, but this is going to be wonderful!

Emily was too tired to get everything back in, but this is perfect.  Three hanging levels and tons of storage.  On the right and left where the clothes used to be hung are almost two little rooms for more storage.

Katherine's clothes on the lowest rods and what looks like out-of-season thing on the top one.

The middle height holds Graysen's things with rooms for shoes underneath.

I just snapped my fingers and got this.  Now I'll see what I need him to do next!  I hope he didn't take it as pressure.  He's now the home-school teacher as well as the housekeeper and cook and car fixer and advice giver for just about everything.  He probably wishes I would get another hobby and leave him out of my remodeling dreams!

They've already decided to move the laundry room upstairs, and that will be a big job.  That's the way it was in the other house - a nice roomy laundry room right up there near the bedrooms where the clothes are - instead of a cramped space just inside the garage door.  Carrying baskets of clean clothes up those stairs gets old.

Well, tomorrow is Monday morning, and I don't have any alarms set or anything scheduled, so I'll find a nice movie to watch and read as long as I want to!

Just Thursday

Brief outing this morning.  I answered a guy on the community page who was looking for two snaps to put on a dog coat.  For real.  Velcro was not working to keep the coat on the great Dane, and he had struck out on finding any snaps anywhere.  

Between my stash of snaps and Mama's, I had every size you could ever want, so we texted a meeting place this morning in front of the school, and it was nice to meet Lucy the pup - tall pup - and converse with another human - the proper distance apart, of course.  

I kept walking over to Steller and texted Ryan I was in the neighborhood and available for a wave and possible chat from the girls.  They were sitting in the swing when I got there, but they were all excited about some project they were doing inside besides being cold, so we didn't talk long.  I think I'm missing them more than they're missing me, but I'm glad they're self-sufficient and happy.  

Emily went back to work for a couple of days.  I was talking to her when she got to work and was able to hear a little bit of her greetings with her co-workers, and they sounded so thrilled to see each other again.  She really does love her work, and I'm glad they can stay open a while.

I went on past the gardens and saw how nice they looked, all plowed and ready for planting with new soil and some new frames.

Looks like the mountains got more than a little sleet yesterday and last night.

 I even went up on Queen Kitty Hill - named by Aunt CeCe and the girls - and it was so quiet.  Very few cars and almost no one out walking today.  I didn't find it too cold, but it was damp and gray.

I finished In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware last night, and it was a good British mystery.  I started Dark Vanessa this morning by Elizabeth Russell but haven't read enough to know whether I'm going to like it or not.

I've been trying to find something to watch on Amazon Prime or Netflix and have been tempted by Suits before.  I finally watched the first episode of Season 1 and liked it well enough to watch the second one. 

I'm still not minding my isolation at all except for not seeing the family.  Emily and Ryan and I are trying to figure out ways that I can interact with the girls but still keep my distance - maybe playing across the street in the big green field or taking a nature walk.  Katherine takes after me in not liking cold weather or a lot of exertion, but we'll find something when it gets warmer.  Her favorite outside activity is picking up trash!  Or thinking about picking up trash, because we don't get to do it, but it's fun to frown at litterbugs and wish we had a garbage bag

I spent a good bit of time this morning after I woke up thinking about changing this blog to one with another name and updating it.  It's so hard for me to make changes, but I really do need to.  I would like to make it more interesting, but since I don't do anything interesting, that would be hard work.   It's like an old friend to me.  I wish I had written when I had more of a life - when we lived in Mississippi and North Carolina and back in Georgia - but there are a lot of memories just in the last 10 years that it makes me happy to revisit.  If I had more of a life, I wouldn't have time to record it, so I guess I'm in a good place - just not Alabama!

This might be a good time to start scanning some of my old black-and-white pictures and writing down my memories before the girls regret not asking me certain things. 

A Better Day

Some days things just look bleaker than on others, and I have a feeling we have a lot of bleakness before all this is over.  Today is a much better day, and I stayed busy all day - except when I read or played Maj-Jong online or talked on the phone.

I'm so encouraged by the way people are coming together to help each other in the community - with ideas for keeping kids occupied, posting drives for hospital donations or food shelter donations, and even just funny things on Facebook to make you smile.  There are helpful posts listing things Costco and Safeway are out of that might save someone an unnecessary trip and which restaurants have takeaway food.  The painting studio I passed is closing but is offering kits with a pottery piece and the paints necessary for finishing it, and they'll bring it to your car.  There were already quite a few people waiting there.

A lot of people are sewing masks for protection, but I haven't done that since so many others are, and I'm not entirely convinced they're needed.  If they are, they look like fun to make, and I have plenty of fabric, so I'll chip in and do some.  I can't help thinking the medical supplies will catch up soon.  In the meantime, I'll donate some cloth to some of Elise's nurse friends who are making some.

I've had two texts, a phone call, and an email just checking in and asking how I'm doing.

I sent Emily a craft idea, and she sent me some sweetness back.

I think I see ABC Mouse!

Since the guys are pressure washing the garages and walls in preparation for painting, all our cars have been moved to the street, so it's a good place to ride bikes later on today. 

Looks like somebody forgot to move their car!

I'm so glad they're washing those upstairs windows too.  Anything will be an improvement.

I asked one of them if they were going to pressure wash the floor of the balconies, and he said they were, so fingers crossed about that. It will be so nice to have it all fresh and ready for the sunshine just in case I'm still imprisoned next month. We do enjoy our balcony! I brought in all the "stuff" except for the chairs and little table and rug, so I'm ready for them.

It was tempting not to get out and walk this morning, but I'm glad I did.  It was in the high 30s but not raining and very pleasant when I left.

As I turned to walk up by the school, it started to rain.

I started to turn around, but I just decided to put up my hood and plod on.  As soon as I made that decision, I heard the raindrops turn to little pieces of ice.  I guess it was sleet more than actual hail, but I veered to the right and kept close to the Y for shelter in case those ice pellets grew and became painful.

Fortunately, it just persisted like that the rest of the way.

Too tiny to even notice.

Playground looks lonely with no kids allowed in.

It's always a surprise to go outside.  And now I hear the bears are coming out - if they ever hibernated.  I still hope to see one but from a distance.

They're just looking for birdseed (probably the peanut butter balls), fruit, and whatever they can find in unsecured garbage cans.



Seems funny to not be excited about the weekend.  Every day is the weekend, and I love it.  If someone will bring me some groceries, I might make the girls some muffins and the workers some banana bread tomorrow.

Anxiety

Today is the first time I've not been upbeat about our strange life and what the future holds.  I'm not pacing anxious or even sad.  I just haven't been able to raise my usual enthusiasm for life today.

I told a friend this morning that I'm not sure which one to worry about the most, our health or the economy.  Not that worrying will cause me to do one thing differently or help the situation, but it still creeps in.

I ended up reading a lot today and finished this book.  I loved it and will try to find more of her books.  Since I'm not in a hurry to use up my library books, I read it slowly and enjoyed the writing as much as the actual story.

Elise and I watched Little Women last night, and this is how it looked.

I hardly ever watch TV, but it was nice to be all wrapped up in a furry blanket with a fire listening to the rain blow against the window panes.  I thought it was a pretty good version, even though Little Women hasn't ever been one of my favorites - the book or the movies.  Elise got bored halfway through and wandered off, but I stuck with it and really liked it.

I did watch a good Netflix movie on my computer, The Farewell,  I liked it a lot and wish I could find more movies like it.  I'd like a have a series to binge on, but I can't find one I like well enough to watch more than one or two episodes.  I like to get ready for bed and prop my computer up on my knees and let myself get immersed in another life for a while.  I think my noise machine is really helping me to sleep better, but we've had some good rain to go along with it.  If only there was just a little bit of far-off thunder.

The family came over in the rain to say hello just now.  This was Emily's first whole day off work, and I didn't know how she was going to handle it - if she could put her work worries aside and enjoy being home or if the togetherness would be too much.  But they were all excited - well maybe excited wasn't the word to describe Ryan - to tell me what all they had done during the day.  We all stood in the rain - well apart - and it was kind of a blur - something ninja, yoga, Lexia (the school's math website), reading, writing, bird-watching, cooking (chef badges).  Graysen was jumping up and down to get it all told, but Katherine just kind of hung back and stared at me.  She's having the hardest time without that touching and snuggling, and so am I.  It makes her shy with me, and I caught her looking at me like she was trying to remember me.  I think it perked me up, just to hear about them all bonding and getting closer as a family and heading home to eat lasagna and salad.

I've enjoyed a little bit getting back on Facebook and reconnecting with people, seeing the funny things people find and hearing of good things others are doing to cope.  I've purged any negative political stuff and the people who post that drivel, so it's all nice and enjoyable.  I limit myself to a little bit of time in the morning and a little bit in the afternoon, and that's it.  I'm looking forward to Skyping with my girls tomorrow.

It's a New Week

Except for expected rain all week, let's just see what new changes are in store for us.

I managed to take a walk between rain showers, and it was wonderful.  I'm so thankful for this chance.

I walk along and want to take deep breaths of the clean, fresh air, but then I wonder who's been walking along this same sidewalk with their germs and am I adding to someone else's problems.  So hard to know.

There have been real problems with people, especially teens and preteens, not following precautions, and I was glad to see all the parks I passed plus the skate park and community spaces were empty.  Glad AND sad.  A couple of people were playing tennis, and some guys were doing landscaping outside the apartments, but it was mainly just a few folks walking like me.

Downtown is so empty.

Our mayor, a young guy, has tested positive for coronavirus but is recovering, and the news is a little better for Washington this morning as far as percentages, but the governor will have a press conference today at 5:30, and we'll see if we hear anything about shelter-in-place precautions.

I talked to Emily, and she is at work and doing her best to hold things together.  She's trying to let go of her worry - about her family, her employees, the clinic, just everything.  I'm doing my part, as hard as it is not to see the children.  They all four came by yesterday afternoon and had another bike-riding demonstration for me to watch, and Emily and I got to talk a little bit.

It's scenes like this that may make us have a quicker quarantine.  I'm sure when these people went out for a hike, they were thinking only of getting some exercise and fresh air and not that everyone else would have the same idea!

Beaches are the same way, to the point where they've closed them along with state parks and campgrounds.  It's so tough for everyone.

But I got a new iron, so how bad can things be!  Look at all that shininess!

I'm not sure if that will be enough to send me back to the sewing room or not.  I know I was going to only iron pillowcases when I found out my old one had died, so it might take more than that.

I also got a battery tester too.  Just out of control with Amazon since I'm imprisoned.

I'm not sure why I've not had one before.  I guess I thought they were a big deal or something, but now for $7 or so, I can KNOW before I try a battery.  I only had 6 or so bad ones, so I'm charging them now to see if my old battery charger works.  So far, green lights are blinking.

Nothing has changed for the cats.  I'm not sure why Bowie is not enjoying the patch of sunshine.  Maybe Layla's badness is keeping him away.

I went to look for my newspaper yesterday morning, and it wasn't there.  Layla can't believe it's not there either.

I'm not sure if they're not delivering or if my subscription has run out.  I'll have to check on it.  Jamie across the landing has a beautiful cat that we can see from the window, but I don't think Layla knows about him yet.

They are more interested in watching the birds come to the bird feeder.  That may not last long if they don't stop making such a mess on the balcony.  We're getting all this painting and pressure-washing next week, so I'll have to reassess whether to hang it back.

I heard from Dina and Gaby today, and Guatemala only has 20 cases of the virus, but they're pretty much all having to stay home.  We're all wishing we could wait this out at St. George's!  I cannot imagine how fun that would be with all the kids being allowed to run and play so freely, and the rest of us just to relax in the warmth and laugh and talk.  Such a dream for us!

And I've just now been talking to my friend from Debra from Thomaston.  So many memories.  So many things to laugh about.  We talked about her (uncertain) future there and how much longer she would work and remembered our trip to Jekyll Island in 1978.  I have the beach on my mind today.  She opened the conversation by reminding me she was practicing social distancing.  I think 2500 miles away is far enough.  We even talked about taking a road trip since we can't see our grandchildren, but we're not sure we can find enough back roads to get us from one side of the country to another.  I can't think of many things that would be more fun though.

I'll read a little bit and maybe test my new iron and wait for Governor Inslee's revelations in an hour or so.  We do have a lot to be thankful for right now - like electricity and water and plenty of food, good health, family and friends, not to mention telephones and the internet to keep in touch with them.