Monday, March 30, 2020

And So It Goes


Oh my god, those teenaged chickens are beasts! Beasts I tell you! I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of garden greens to feed them. Well, hopefully by then they'll be old enough to get out and find their own veg.
The baby birds are growing too and today when I gave them a bowl of chopped greens and grapes they went crazy over that.
Little dinosaurs, all of them, with wicked beaks and claws.
They're so adorable.

I had another completely inert day. I did manage to take my walk and Ms. Ewe was there at the regular meeting spot, as suspicious of me as ever.


I should take her a carrot. Lord knows I have plenty. Maybe she could learn to trust me. Be my friend, you know? Doesn't everyone want a sheep friend? 
Yeah. Maybe not. 

Speaking of animal friends, I have a new grand dog. Lily and the kids brought me a few things from Publix today and introduced me to Pepper. 


She's a lab/terrier mix. As Lily says though- what SORT of terrier? Rat or Staffordshire? This could make a big difference. Her forehead is very wrinkly. A friend of theirs adopted a female who turned out to be pregnant with a litter of seven so here we are. Normally I'd be all Lily! What are you thinking? You don't need another dog! Etc. Etc. 
Now I'm just glad that the kids have something else to entertain them. 
They love her. Of course. And she loves them. 


Those kids are handling this no-school situation far too well in my opinion. They'd just been by the school to pick up their individual learning packets as well as the free lunch and breakfast that the school is handing out.

Why not? They're giving them rather odd things. Like- for lunch a packet of crackers, a packet of Craisins and a packet of sunflower seeds. Granola bars and jerky are often involved. Now, in the case of Lily's kids, those are nice and appreciated snacks but if they were having to depend on that as a meal, it would be a different matter. And I have no doubt that a lot of kids are. So many kids at this school fit the requirements of getting free lunches and breakfasts that they just give them to everyone. 
Well. One more example of how truly fucked this country is when it comes to income diversity. 
As they were getting ready to leave today (and I was tearing up again) little Pepper was whimpering and the kids were begging their mom to let her have more of the jerky. 
"No. She's had enough jerky," Lily said. 
"You shouldn't give her too much jerky," I said. "It's not good for pups." And then I thought about it.
"Hell, I don't know what's good for pups. Why did I even say that?"
For some reason I am feeling freer than ever to admit that I don't know shit. 
I did suggest that Lily do a Vet Surgical study course with the kids so that they could spay little Pepper. Lily did not seem to take that suggestion seriously. I have no idea why. I am sure there are Youtubes that demonstrate the entire procedure in exact and terrifying detail. 

As to the rest of the day I did the barest amount of laundry, tended chickens, kicked bamboo and...
took a nap. 

Yep. That was about it. 

Mr. Moon took his boat out on a lake and brought home some bream for our supper. I'm cooking some greens to go with the fish. 

Here's what the wild azalea looks like today. 


That color is somewhat magical, I think. 

May reported that she went to Publix today and that people were definitely NOT keeping proper distance. That the same people who were hanging out and talking in the aisles together were the ones with carts full of toilet paper. Why is that still a thing? Why are people being so ridiculous about not keeping distance? She said it took her over an hour because she was being so careful to wait until the spaces she wanted to go were free of people. She also wore a mask that she made. I think I'm going to make a few. They've got to help a little bit, right? 
And I think a nice Frida print would be just the thing. 


There's me in my dress looking like a huge old dork. 
Which I am. 
The pockets are great, though. They are big enough to hold my phone and also three or four eggs. 

I know this has all sounds rather lighthearted. I never know how my daily reports are going to come out when I sit down to write them but please know that behind each and every one of them I am vastly aware of the danger and the horror of this situation. I can't even express how grateful I feel for the healthcare workers, the grocery store workers, the pharmacists, the delivery people, the folks at the post office, the sanitation workers, the people making food for take-out including those who are handing out those granola bars and Craisins, and, and, and...
You know. And let us not forget the magically powered people who are maintaining the internets because without that, without THIS, without all of you, I don't know what I'd do. 
And I mean that with all my heart. 

Love...Ms. Moon

P.S. Please don't bother responding to the idiot bot who posts the thing about how wicked and evil we baby boomers are because I delete them all as soon as I find them. Thanks. 





34 comments:

  1. I love that dress. A matching mask, or even a bandana would be cool. Doctors say that the main value of a cloth mask is to keep your fingers away from your face. Which is a valuable thing.

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  2. Hi Mary! Gregg and I did some hard manual labor in the yard today, and accomplished a fairly big task, and I've felt more cheerful this afternoon than I've felt in ages, certainly since before all this pandemic mess started. The sun was shining and it felt good to sweat and work outdoors and now a good supper is cooking for us. I'm trying hard to hold onto this lightness, because I know for a fact it won't last but so long with everything going on. I hope you have a good night, with sweet dreams, and we'll talk again tomorrow. Love to you. xx

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    1. It's good to work hard and rest well after, isn't it? No matter the circumstances but especially these.
      Love to you, too.

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  3. Despite all of the horror and danger out there, I think if we abandoned the light-heartedness and positivity, it would be absolutely unbearable. I'm still gardening, loving on the kids and taking walks too. It's a tie to some semblance of normal that is helping to keep me anchored.

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    1. Yep. Gotta keep doing what brings us joy as much as possible. It's imperative, especially for the kids.

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  4. I have settled into procuring my groceries only through pickup. I order ahead, drive up, give the nice helper a tip, and drive home. I just read that the governor of VA issued a stay home order until June 10th. I suppose more states will follow.

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    1. June 10. Hank's birthday. Wow. Well, I can see that happening easily. I don't mean that it will BE easy, just that it's easy to see how that could be what we need to do. I wish our damn governor would act like this is serious.

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  5. The dress is lovely. Thanks for posting a photo. You look lovely too.

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  6. I tried dork backwards to see what we get. Kord. Not bad. A music chord. A cord of wood. Accord, when we all are happily in agreement. And, I love the dress. I have not worn a dress since 1988, except once, when my daughter was married. And it wasn't a dress, it was more like a kord. I made a couple of trades for it. Very good. Like you and the dress.
    PS-sheep like carrots. You probably know that.

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    1. I think that dresses are so much more comfortable than anything. Even overalls! They allow for so much freedom of movement and around here, when it gets hot, they are definitely the coolest.
      I'll try to focus on kords and chords and accords and less on dorks.
      Thank you.

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  7. I would so take a mask that you made, Mary. I work in a grocery store in Vermont. A co-op. I’m in the office, for military hours, so I’m not around too, too many people, but still. I think we should all be wearing masks. :).

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    1. The experts can't seem to come to an agreement about whether masks help or not. I just don't know. It probably wouldn't hurt to wear one.

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  8. My daffodils are two inches high now, the golden flowers that much closer..! I went shopping today, ten days since my last shop. I shopped for two households, mine and my mom's. It wasn't crowded at all. Most people were very aware of keeping space, and a very few were wearing masks and/or gloves. TP was still gone, the checker said he thinks the warehouses got emptied so that restock has to happen before stores can restock. I don't know, it makes sense? Someone I trust said today that any mask is good because even if you're exposed it would help to limit by how much you're exposed and that that will have an effect on how sick you become. He's a doctor. I haven't worn a mask myself yet, but my hands were washed many many times today. Hugs, Carroll

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    1. What IS it with the TP? God, are Americans that obsessed with clean asses? I guess. So the mask would lower the viral load? Or something like that? I don't understand how it all works. I'm not sure anyone does at this point but we do know that hand washing is very important.
      I know your daffodils will make you happy.

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  9. If Mr Moon had been fishing for bream on a lake in Great Britain, the cops might well have been waiting for him when he returned to shore, asking: "Was it essential for you to go out fishing on the lake?" After all, nobody's meant to enjoy freedom in the middle of a pandemic. I see that The Golden Haired Emperor is changing his tune on the pandemic and finding it increasingly difficult to squeeze any pompous self-congratulation from the situation. His dilly-dallying and poor leadership have already cost lives and more will die because of him.

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    1. Trump has blood on his hands and that's all there is to it. He's down to bragging about his ratings. He is so much worse than useless.
      I think that Mr. Moon would argue that yes, it IS essential for him to go out on a lake. But he's like you, Mr. P. A stubborn guy.

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  10. TP is still an issue up here--as is lack of meat, greens, beans, etc.. DH went shopping yesterday and said people started calling out to folks in the parking lot that the store had TP and it turned into a shark frenzy. He didn't get any (wasn't on my list anyway) but said the aisle was stripped in seconds. As one of my sons likes to say (and it used to be said jokingly)--People are the worst. Sigh. But then, there are folks like those on your blog and others that make up for it sharing humor and words of support. We'll all need support in the days to come. Our state is on lock down now. Stay safe.

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    1. People ARE the worst. But not all people. That's important for us to remember too.
      Sigh.
      Or as my friend Lon says, "I like people. MY people."
      You stay safe too.

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  11. What a cute pup! So this is in addition to the other dog, right? Lily is certainly keeping herself busy! But as you said it will keep the kids entertained.

    I have experienced similar things at the grocery store here -- people standing in the middle of aisles, texting, so I can't get past with adequate distance; people crowding around certain shelves; people walking straight AT me with no regard for personal space. And WHAT IS UP with the TP hoarding?! STILL?!?!

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    1. Yep. Two dogs now. One young, one old. And keeping the kids entertained is pretty dang important right now.
      So it's not just Americans that are afraid their asses won't be pristine? Good to know.

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  12. I like your dress a lot. And pockets are important, so that is a bonus. A couple of summers ago, there was a young gal who I would see walking around the neighborhood with a sheep. One day they were sitting (and lying) under a tree up at the grade school in the shade. It was a cute little friendship. That pup is adorable and I'm sure will provide a lot of happiness and distraction from the pandemic.

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    1. Mary had a little lamb...
      That's so damn cute. I love it.
      And yes, little Pepper is a good thing to have around right now.

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  13. Love seeing your beautiful face, and those shining faces of your grandbabies.

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  14. I LOVE your dress! LOVE the person modeling it, Very nice. I envy your ability to just whip out a frock and wear it so well. I also am jealous of your chooks, Grapes and greens sound like a heavenly lunch about now. The puppy is cute, as they are, the combo of lab and terrier sounds exhausting! It may require a lot of patience. Wish i was young enough to get another dog- this is the first time in my life without a pooch and it is odd. Stay well, scrub a dub, I love your dress so much!

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    1. Well, I didn't just whip that frock up. It took me about forty years to make it. In quarantine time at least. It has all of six seams in it. Jeez.
      Yes. Pepper is pretty peppy. It'll take all of them to keep her in check.
      I'm glad to have chickens. I really, really am.

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  15. Oh my, the perfect warm weather dress! I have a lovely one I bought on the Big Island years ago, and it always pleases me when I wear it. Pockets not as capacious as yours, but at least there are some! My sleep and dreams are disturbed like you describe and I blame Trump. Like always. Plus our dog has suddenly begun peeing inside the house, something he hasn’t done in years. There’s a disturbance in The Force, for sure. You take care!

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    1. We might as well blame Trump. He's fucked everything up that he possibly can. And more.
      Make sure your doggie doesn't have a kidney infection. Not sure about dogs but our cat started peeing in the house when he had a bad one.
      Take care, Joy. And wear the dress that makes you happy.

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  16. catching up. your governor refuses to cll for a stay at home, six feet apart until Trump tells him too. and we all know what Trump thinks which is 200,000 dead seems reasonable.

    anyway, we need normal posts now and then.

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  17. We are building a garage on the weekends. Tomorrow is taking a vacation day tomorrow to pick up the last load of roughcut hemlock to finish the roof. We are also going to pick up a real treasure: I bought a gorgeous antique butcher's block.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.