Blue-Footed Musings

• Last night my kids talked me into playing their favorite card game, Butts in Space. It turns out to be a fitting game to play during the pandemic. The whole point of the game is to hoard TP. The player who gets the most piles of TP wins the game.
• I had an appointment to visit an ENT this week. The appointment has been canceled, though, for obvious reasons. That means it will be months before I can even hope to find out what’s causing my ears to ring so badly.
• This morning I slept late, and it was wonderful, except that the power was out when I finally got up, so I couldn’t make coffee right away. After sitting around for 10 sad and sorry minutes, trying to figure out what to do with my headachy, caffeine-deprived self, the power came back on, and thank goodness! It’s hard to find things to do when the power is out and you haven’t cleared the sleepy cobwebs out of your brain yet.
• The reason I was able to sleep late is that I finally finished my medication, which required me to stay on a stricter-than-usual schedule. I am so glad to be done taking it. I also really hope it worked, because I do not want to have to take a third round of medication!
• Livia surprised me with a gift today. She took a picture of a bee on the Japanese andromeda, printed it, and framed it. Such a sweet gift!
• I bought two pieces of art from Marshall today. The first one cost me $5 because Livia kept bidding the price higher. We both wanted it, because the scene contains a falling I-Ball Creature that says, “I believe I can fly!”

If I hadn’t written a post for every day since our self-isolation began and included a number in each post title, I would not believe it was Day 38. How could it have been that long? How did the time slip by so fast while we were doing so little?

Snow and freezing temperatures yesterday. Nearly 70 degrees today. April in New England is weird.

• Today the outside world is awash in splashy sounds as the snow melts away.
• The daffodils have returned. Yesterday’s snow had dragged them down to the ground and covered them up. Once the weight of the snow was lifted today, they bounced back up, only a little worse for wear.
• I went for a walk yesterday, as planned. It tired me out and left me feeling achy. I wasn’t in the best shape before the pandemic, and I’m in worse shape now. But I have been literally taking steps to get in better shape. I placed my step platform near the daybed in my office. Seeing it there reminds me to use it occasionally, like when I’m watching TV or folding the laundry.

• I had a good workweek. I resisted the temptation to take time off. I was tired and didn’t feel like working, but I needed to work, because work keeps me busy and distracts me from the troubles of the outside world. Free from deadline pressure, I frittered away the whole week on things that seem frivolous now but that will come in handy later.
• It’s snowing today, and cold. I hope I can find the energy to take a walk. It would be foolish to waste a low-tick-risk day.

At work we have a monthly contest. It usually involves punning with a combination of work-related words and pop culture references. I rarely take part. I felt unusually punny the other day, though, so I submitted several entries. And won! It was good to be clever for a moment. I’ve been feeling so slow-witted lately. Secretly I hope it’s just an aspect of the Dunning-Kruger effect and that the very fact that I feel stupid proves that I’m not.

We are now on our 32nd day of self-isolation. That’s more than a month of staying home. Over 25,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. It’s horrific. And our president is a lunatic who thinks he has total authority but takes no responsibility for any failures (and there have been SO MANY FAILURES). I can’t stand to watch his nightly propaganda show. I can hardly bear watching clips of him on Twitter. Just the image of his face and the sound of his voice are enough to make me want to vomit.

After work, all I want to do is escape from the news of the day. But when I sit down for some mindless TV, all the advertisers are trying to convince me how much they care about me during these “uncertain times” (what a crappy euphemism, BTW). I don’t want to think about the times or the uncertainties. I want to be distracted and forget that life isn’t normal anymore.

But, in the very local news, there were some good numbers. The violets seem to have enjoyed the rain. There were several dozen of them blooming today.

The violets are starting to bloom. I can’t tell you when the first bud opened, because the weather was rainy and windy for several days, and I didn’t go out. But I can tell you that at least seven of them had bloomed by Easter, when the sun peeped out for a little while. The first one I took a picture of will have to take the role of First Violet of 2020.

• As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I miss fresh fruit. Today I opened a can of peaches, hoping it would satisfy my craving. Livia refused to eat any (“Gross!”), but I thought the peaches were pretty good. Anyway, better canned than nothing. I put the leftovers in the fridge. If they’re still there in the morning, I will throw them into my oatmeal. Or, if feeling adventurous, I might try making a single-serving microwave crisp. Apparently such things can be done, and there’s only one way to find out.
• I also found a can of tart cherries (score!). I left it on the counter next to a recipe, and when I returned downstairs, there was cherry cobbler cooling on the stove. Absolute magic! Livia didn’t turn her nose up at that.
• Not only did my husband make the cobbler, but he also made pepperoni pizza for dinner. He has cooked for us every day, and I am so very grateful (and full). He’s the best!

It is Day 28 (four weeks!) since we last went shopping for groceries, and we miss fresh fruits and vegetables. All we have left are a few of sad looking apples, a questionable orange or two, and some carrots. We are considering our options for getting fresh food. We could go to the store to get it, pay a premium have it delivered, or attempt to grow it. Or we could try to find out how long we can live without it. We are fortunate to have so many options. Not everyone does.