Side Effects Of Covid

I was going to post that picture last night when I was talking about the peas I was cooking for supper but the picture-posting part of Blogger quit working for me after I posted the first picture of the boys. 

With just a little more effort, I could probably have gotten more "p's" in that sentence. 

I am still in love with that pot. I love the fact that it's white. Things look so pretty when they're cooking in it and it's a good size for us. The peas turned out beautifully as did the okra and tomatoes I cooked in one of my cast-iron pots. People say you're not supposed to cook tomatoes in cast iron because they're too acid and can destroy the seasoned finish of it but people say a lot of stupid things about the use and care of cast iron ware. As much as I love my Le Creuset, if I had to choose between it and my cast iron pots and skillets I would be like, "Au revoir, mes amours."

Thankfully, no one is asking me to make that choice. 

So it seems as if the Covid is taking a toll on Mr. Moon and me. I mean, I don't go crazy if I can't get out and do things. It sort of drives me crazy to look at my yard, especially the front yard, and see how badly it's trashed, how much work needs to be done to clean it up but I'm not losing any sleep over it. It's too damn hot to work outside anyway. But my husband is sort of going crazy. He tries to do things outside and then he suffers for it for hours and he frets and frets about not being able to get things done and he is truly not in a good place. We had a little talk about it a while ago and I told him how many of you had written in comments about it taking a very long time to get your own energy back after Covid. I think that made us both feel better. He said that he seriously feels like he might be dying because of this lack of energy and that has become a source of anxiety which is not good at all. And to add to all of that, he is having a very hard time sleeping so it's all a vicious cycle. He can't sleep, so he's even tireder, and then he frets some more which leads to more sleepless nights and...well. It's not good. The usual dynamics around here are that I am the one who gets anxious about irrational things and seeing him suffer the way he is hurts my heart so much. He hates it when I hover around him, trying to help, so I've had to learn (as has he when I'm the one suffering) that there's truly nothing a loving partner can do except to be there and love them. 

He did go over to Tom's today. Tom has a whole new plan about his living arrangements and I'm not even going to bother telling you about it because I have a strong feeling that it's not going to happen. For those of you who suggested that he move into one of his apartments in the duplex he owns in St. Augustine, I think that would be a good idea but they have steps that are too high for him to deal with. So. Not possible. 

I felt a bit more energetic today so I got dressed in town clothes and put in earrings and drove to Tallahassee where I picked up the dress I'd left to be altered which had been on my mind. And I went to Costco and I went to Publix and I came home. I wore a mask. Neither Glen nor I are doing much coughing or sneezing and I sincerely doubt we're still contagious but it's just rude to risk that, I think. 

I've done a load of laundry and put the clean sheets back on the bed because...Friday! And I even went outside for AT LEAST twenty minutes and picked up some sticks and tiny branches and hauled them to the burn pile and unloaded the cart onto it. I was not tempted in the least to pick up one more stick. But I do have a little more energy and for that, I am grateful. I am hoping that tomorrow I can make my peach preserves because I do not want those peaches to go to waste and it's really not that much work. 

I have not posted pictures of the cats lately and since I'm not exactly going outside on camera safaris, I guess the wildlife in my kitchen and hallway will have to do.

Here is Jack, sweetly reminding me that it is time, nay, PAST time for the afternoon snack of Temptations. 

And here is Maurice in the hallway. 

I swear to GOD this picture reminds me so much of the horrible, awful family portraits that we all had to pose for at either Sears or JC Pennys when I was young. Do you remember those? 

I got these off the Awkward Family Photos website.

Those dazed expressions captured by a "photographer" who was behind the camera saying, "Smile!" Maurice captured them perfectly and the lighting and her color only added to the similarity. 
Please don't tell her I said these mean things. She is my beautiful girl. We all know that. 

Was I really in Roseland a week ago? I find that almost impossible to imagine and yet, I know I was. I surely wish I had that sweet gorgeous jewel of a pool right now. That would feel like heaven. I am seriously going to do a little research about getting a pool put in here. It does not have to be big. It does not have to be deep. It does not have to be fancy. It just has to be filled with water that I can slip into any time I want. 

Dreams. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon