On his feet

Butch is back on his feet and looking steady. We are in week 4, getting therapy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He has at least another 4 weeks and perhaps six before we will even consider him driving the motorhome. I have always had Zach Hiller as a backup in my mind and he has told me he would but with the current conditions I would not ask him and I think it would be irresponsible of me to even consider it. The times they are a-changing.

There are those who are concerned with the fact that we visit and play cards and games with others in the park so I thought I would mention the care we ARE taking. No visitors are allowed into the park so the people we do see are the same ones we have seen all winter. We do practice social distancing, definitely with ones we do not recognize and to a certain degree with all others. Liz is a hairdresser and she will cut your hair but only if you have not been out of the park for 5 days or more. When I go to the grocery store (once since March 17th) I wear a mask and gloves and do my best to maintain distance. I have not encountered anyone who appeared ill although I am aware there are carriers who do not show any symptoms. I am just saying it would be disconcerting if a person did see people who were obviously ill. The park is nearly empty. Most have left for their summer homes and 90% of those remaining are year-rounders. When we do play cards we are outdoors with most often a southerly breeze. No hugs, no fistbumps, elbow bumps or any other kind of bumps. We are doing the best we can while maintaining our sanity as well as our distance.

A Tip worth trying!

Quick Tip

Easy windshield de-bugger

Bugs making suicide runs on your windshield? Get an 8-ounce (or so) container of Rain-X washer fluid additive and just add it to your windshield wiper fluid – works great without all that work! There’s also Rain-X Bug Remover (not concentrated) that does the job. Driving down the road and collecting bugs? Don’t wait for the next fuel stop – just use the windshield wipers! Thanks for this de-bugging tip go to A. Fisher.

One of Colleen's Columns

If you have kept up with this blog for a while you know that Colleen is a friend of mine. She is a woman of many talents one of them being a writer. We used to have a routine when she still lived in Jefferson whereby we would meet at the Raccoon River Valley Bike Trail every morning at 7:00 AM and walk to the one-mile marker and back. It made a wonderful start to our day. It was always a good day when we walked...and talked.

In the time of coronavirus

April 1, 2020Greene County News Online

~a column by Colleen O’Brien

Someday this will be over, and I will have succumbed or survived. If it’s the latter, I hope I have something to show for the hours I was forced to spend alone.

This command to “quarantine” should be a walk in the park for me. It is no different from how I live all the time. Freelancers often work alone. As a self-employed freelance writer and editor, I write and edit in solitary confinement. About 70 percent of the time I’m staring out of the window or red-penciling an author’s manuscript or actually writing.

The difference lies in the idle hours of the 30 percent. Pre-shutdown of the world, I spent time with friends over dinner or at the movies or a play; I liked hanging out at the library or taking a class. In those carefree, halcyon hours of memory, I was able to enjoy myself because I was outside myself. Now, my constant companion being me, myself and I, I’ve discovered what a bore I am.

I’m staring out the window. Which isn’t bad – I have a pleasant view. And as of this date, the end of March 2020, we’re still allowed to go outdoors where I live, so I walk a lot. To the store and back every morning, not to get something but just to fool the brain that I have a purpose. Often, I drive somewhere and walk around – the cemetery is quiet, no traffic, no fear of someone coughing on me. The river walk is a good outing. The beaches would be refreshing, but they’re all closed.

Reminds me of a story: the road sign read, “Lake Robbins Closed.” Lake Robbins is a small lake with a dancehall at one end that’s been open for boogying since the 1930s. My parents danced there when they were courting before the war. The Second World War. My husband and I danced there in the 1990s.

The story is this: I was taking my eight-year-old grandson for a car ride when we passed the sign. It took him about five miles of pondering before he came out with it: “Gramma, how do they close a lake?”

I think that of the beaches. Closing miles and miles of beaches seems a daunting task. But the public beaches have parking lots and specific access. Easy enough to close. Private beaches? I suppose those people walk whenever they feel like it. Wild beaches? Surely there are some out there, unchained, but how do I get to them?

These major segues of thinking, such as the Lake Robbins story, are now common in my home aloneness. I swerve from one subject to another as if I’m an ice skater on the bumpy frozen rivers of my mind. Mindlessness gets me through countless hours. But I know that I will look back on this time of the coronavirus and judge myself. In order to be able to pat myself on the back, I need to be proactive, that odd verb of this age, and promo some activity for myself that I might be proud of. Or at least have something to show for the thousands of hours with time in the palms of my hands.

I could start with the small household repairs that I’ve left undone, the easy ones that I can probably handle.

Actually, I can’t think of one right this minute.

I could finish one of the five novels I’ve begun and never completed over my long lifetime. I keep them under the bed.

Hmmm. They used to be under the bed. Must have been a different house.

I could write what I call pome-a-day. I did this after my husband died. For months. It was a satisfying ritual each morning as I sat with my coffee staring out the window. Because I still sit with my coffee staring out the window first thing in the morning, I might as well put the time to good use. Being an American means you have to keep busy.

Bah. I haven’t got one single poem in me, and if I did, it would be bad.

I could paint all those wine glasses that have been accumulating on a shelf in the shed for that purpose.

I don’t feel like it.

I could write snail-mail to friends and family.

Tomorrow.

I could watch an entire night’s worth of movies.

I did that two nights ago – four flicks whose names and characters and plots I can’t recall.

I could help my neighbors. I did ask them. One said, “The only good thing in my week is going to the store. So, no thank you. Do not take away my only pleasure.”

Okay.

I could garden. Digging in the dirt is one of those atavistic endeavors that never fails to feed my soul.

But I have red ants throughout my yard. I can’t be so foolish as to disturb their underground condos. The grouchy little buggers attack.

I tried volunteering at several entities, but so far, none of them want someone as old as I am. I do pro bono editing, which is my usual volunteer work. It is satisfying, but I’ve just realized that, like me, no one else is writing much either. With all the time in the world to write the great American novel, the professed desire of many, many are not doing it.

As I look this essay over, I see that I’m playing the role of spoiled brat in the time of coronavirus. There seems to be no help for it, I think to myself. We’ve been taught whining for the last four years, and it has sunk in. Are we all now snivelers because life isn’t going our way?

A whole new American way of being.
~~~ ~~~
Looking at my situation from that viewpoint, I’m getting to work right now. I cannot sink so low that I snivel beyond this solitary point.

It’s been a long time since I alphabetized my spice cupboard.

Starting right now.

Out of the house

Thursday is PT day for Butch so I decided to take advantage and go to Costco while he was working out. For those of you concerned about safety, everything is wiped down between patients, 15 feet between people is the general rule and only 3 patients in the whole facility at one time. Everything that can be done is being done.

When I went to Costco I wore a mask and gloves, they have a maze set-up for you to walk through to gain entry, all the carts are wiped down before you can get one, and there are signs everywhere to remind people to remain 6 feet apart. It is a very scaled-down version of Costco. There are no seats in the cafeteria area and the cafeteria is not in full operation. I am guessing it is for employees only. There is a masked and gloved assistant at every cash register that maintains a distance between you and the cashier while getting your purchases through checkout. There is tape at the registers every 6 feet to wait. They have made that area much larger.  No one ever touched my card or receipt.  I am guessing more than half of the shoppers were masked and gloved.  There are always risks but care is being taken.

The traffic is even less than it has been so people are getting the idea. Having not driven since last October the low traffic volume has been a blessing for me. I am getting plenty of driving these days. And I have better talent on the manual transmission just from practice.

So life goes on but at a much slower pace. We can handle it.

Hanging in there

Copied and pasted...

Hi guys
Just be careful because people are going crazy from being in lockdown! Actually, I've just been talking about this with the microwave, toaster while drinking coffee and all of us agreed that things are getting worse. I didn't mention anything to the washing machine as she puts a different spin on everything. Certainly not to the fridge as he is acting cold and distant. In the end, the iron calmed me down as she said everything will be fine, no situation is too pressing. The hoover was very unsympathetic... told me to just suck it up, but the fan was more optimistic and hoped it would all soon blow over! The toilet looked a bit flushed when I asked its opinion and didn’t say anything but the doorknob told me to get a grip.😬 The front door said I was unhinged and so the curtains told me to ........yes, you guessed it 😝.....pull myself together.

HEB Excursion and Physical Therapy

Yesterday was Butch's Physical Therapy appointment. They are with him for an hour and I cannot go in so I planned a trip to the closest HEB to load up on groceries. First time in a store since March 17th. I wore gloves and a mask and tried my best to keep 6 feet away from all others. I had to be vigilant because there are people who rolled their eyes at me like I was being silly and appeared to have not a clue that they were to avoid me. I did see a fair amount of other people with gloves and masks. So I would say it was a 50/50 mix. I bought $103 worth of groceries. I cannot remember the last time I spent that much at one time in a grocery store.

Butch had a hard session with the therapist. He walked 80 feet with only a cane and then 80 feet back. He said he had to stop for a rest, still standing on the return trip. So they are taking steps to have less reliance on the walker. His next appointment is Thursday. We both know it will be at least a month before we can consider heading for Iowa. The therapy days are hard on him and he is ready for a nice nap when he gets home.

My groceries were getting down to some pretty repetitious stuff so I am very happy to be looking at some variety. I bought a small watermelon and it is calling my name!

Made a mask

I made a mask for both of us. They are easy to make, comfortable, washable and practical. Can be sanitized and add filtering by adding additional layers of fabric. I will trust it much more than the simple painters mask I had been using and all it cost was the sacrifice of a T-Shirt. The easy to follow directions can be found here: https://youtu.be/pJaVBt8q6g8

In a Pinch

Here are directions for making your own mask. Easy to do and no sewing required.
https://youtu.be/pJaVBt8q6g8

My Breakfast Feast

A friend with eggs

Alex, our Trophy neighbor across the street, captured my heart and made my eyes light up when he brought me a dozen eggs. Nobody thought that would ever happen! He said that Walmart had eggs, one dozen per customer so he went in twice to get me some eggs. I am very grateful.

Two eggs are my first meal each day and now I will bore you with my preparation routine. I place two half-pats of butter in a skillet, placing thinly sliced onion in each butter pat. After letting it cook a bit, I crack an egg over each one and break the yolk. After the eggs have set up quite a bit I carefully turn them over to cook the other side. Place them on a plate and add a dollop of cottage cheese on each one. I love this breakfast!! Eggs have been so hard to come by lately.

Whistling Ducks

Butch happened to spot these two and alerted me to them. The lighting was less than ideal and a barking dog was keeping their attention focused in the opposite direction.

Caught my eye 2

I went for a walk up around the golf course. Getting outside amongst some nature does wonders for the mental attitude. You can feel the stress just falling off of you.

Alex is cleaning up his Moho is prep for heading out to Michigan soon.

Mark, Rich, and Wayne cussin' or discussin'.

 Lonnie is making his rounds since the pool hall is closed

 Horseshoes anyone?

 I would like a whirligig like this one

Fence peekers

 Corn is knee-high by Easter

Butch cannot play but he can advise

 Butch and his pool partner Paul.

Cabbage

 Romaine? That's a guess

 
The golf course was a busy place

Life in the slow lane

We are doing fine in our solitude. I am getting caught up and entertained on the computer and Butch is starting to get reacquainted with the book he was reading before the FALL. The Girl From Charnelle.
The Girl from Charnelle. It's 1960 in the Panhandle town of Charnelle, Texas -- a year and a half since sixteen-year-old Laura Tate's mother boarded a bus and mysteriously disappeared. Assuming responsibility for the Tate household, Laura cares for her father and three brothers and outwardly maintains a sense of calm.

Having been on Keto since last June and changing my entire way of eating has been another blessing in that I have fully adjusted to cooking at home. So it has been a seamless transition and most likely why my cupboard and freezer have been well-stocked. I have not been to a grocery store or any other kind of store since March 17th. I purchased a garden mix of greens and 2 bags of radishes at that time. last night we had pork loin, sweet potato, onions, potato salad, and coleslaw. Butch called it a feast. Today will be leftovers. I am thinking I may need a grocery excursion sometime in the next week. Fresh produce will be tops on my list.

We have been having weather with temps in the high 90's. Today is cooler and cloudy and we have the windows open. Yeah!!