More thoughts in the time of COVID-19
Things have gotten wet again. The rain began friday afternoon with large, widely spaced drops (the kind you can walk between) and continued intermittently until last sunday. Some clouds since then but sun as well.
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The red fence roses are blooming. They aren’t the large blossoms some roses have, but they sure are nice. I’ll be drying petals for use later.
I’ll also be drying yarrow. I got an email from a neighbor, whose meadow is a prime place for yarrow, telling me the time to gather has arrived. I need yarrow for itch tincture, for healing salve, for air purification smudges, and for blood clotting poultices. So as soon as things dry out a bit …
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Tyler has a new pet … a rainbow boa named Calypso. She will be a challenge since she is bigger than the snakes he has had in the past and needs a warmer atmosphere than is ours, but he is determined. She is a “rescue” from down in the Sacramento area. Her previous owner had to move due to work and couldn’t find a rental which would allow her to keep her pet.
Information is that Calypso will bite if scared but her teeth, although sharp, are small and she has no venom. So a bite will probably be similar to a rose thorn prick.
I may have trouble remembering her name. Every time I think of it I have to sort out Calypso and Calliope.
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My volunteer time packing summer lunches for children began yesterday. For the next month or two, tuesday and thursday mornings will mean being out of the house by 0630. Maybe now, with definite plans for a couple of days a week, the disorientation of days all seeming the same will begin to fade. A couple of times I’ve said things indicating I really didn’t know what day it was. At first that upset me a bit, but then I read an article saying it is a symptom of being housebound. That got me thinking about those folks who are in extended care facilities, working at monotonous jobs like on cruise ships, and in prisons. Is time disorientation a symptom for them? I can see how it could be a major factor in hating mornings … sort of a feeling of here we go again.
This morning I spent a few minutes just watching and hearing the birds wake to a new day. That was nice.
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The OLD 1,000 gallon propane tank that George and I lived with for all those years sprang a leak. The repairs were done (it took some time since the parts needed weren’t off-the-shelf any longer due to the tank’s age). The next step was 600 gallons of propane in the tank and we now have ready cooking and hot water. From now on (at least for the foreseeable future) we will be making monthly payments and refilling the tank once a year.
Saturday I was able to dry the egg shells to add calcium to the chicken feed (one hen has been laying soft-shelled eggs – if only I could get her to lay soft-boiled eggs).
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The amateur radio club has been asked to do communications for an unusual bicycle event. It is called a Grinduro, is a two-day event held in various countries, and is similar to the Tour de France. It could be interesting since it draws participants from all over the world, but what they are asking is more in tune with what professional communication companies do than with what we, as amateur radio operators, are allowed to do. As a result, speaking as the event coordinator for the radio club, I have written to say thanks for thinking of us but no thanks.
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Our library is once again making books available (I told you about the drive-up window) so I’m back to a couple of the series I had been reading. Just finished “Cruel as the Grave”, a mystery set in the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the conflict over who was to be King of England … Richard LionHeart or John. Penman is a whiz at mixing history and storytelling.
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And speaking of authors …
Philip K. Dick once said in an interview …
“… my early conclusions as to what is “human”? It’s not what you look like, or what planet you were born on. It’s how kind you are. The quality of kindness, to me, distinguishes us … and will forever, whatever shape we take, wherever we go, whatever we become. For me, HUMAN is my credo. May it be yours.” (1976)
So … when you can be anything, be kind.
‘Til next week …