Friends, Flowers, and Birds

Okay, so, I’m starting a walking program…for the second time. Don’t laugh! I need to do something about my Covid-19+ pounds; but those who know me, know that exercise is alien to me. It isn’t that there are not things to enjoy about it, but the hard part is getting out the door. It is also boring to walk the same route all the time, although you do notice much more while walking than driving. In any case, it is a four-week program increasing the walking time to 40 minutes. I scheduled it on my calendar and wound up walking ONE time (20 minutes) before being distracted by something else. So far on this second attempt, I have walked once. If I get out tomorrow, I will have broken my previous record!!

So today (4/10), I have a list of things to do, but I sit down at the computer to do a monotonous chore (updating the clergy list for Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate) and I’m still there around 12:30 when Tippy calls. She was on her way to the mountains but by the time she got to I-95, it was backed up with about 3 accidents ahead. So, she calls me and says, “Put that fork down and join me for lunch”. Only friends and food could nudge me from my spot on the sofa. We met at First Watch and had a leisurely lunch on a nice but very windy day. I had already thought about going to Best Buy the next day to buy a new laptop but since First Watch is so close, I decided to do it then and there. My current computer is low on storage space and though I have deleted a lot, it performs slowly and says there is not enough space to finish procedures. It was also important to me to be a good citizen and put my Covid relief check back into the economy!  Tippy joined me for the adventure and it was relatively painless. The only disappointment was that the one I wanted had to be ordered so I won’t get it until Tuesday. From that time on for about a week, I will be useless to everyone until I get it set up.

Tuesday arrived, as did my laptop right on schedule. I went from a Dell, which I was not particularly impressed with, to an HP, which I’ve had before and liked. Current technology has also advanced since my previous laptop. When I opened this one, a voice told me how to set it up! I learned that USB ports are on their way out and are being replaced by USB – Type C ports, and everything is so fast! I am even able to receive phone calls and write texts on my laptop! What will they think of next? Needless to say, I’m loving it.

I could not bring myself to watch the Chauvin trial, but I fear once again he may be set free because there are those who think the police are justified regardless of what they do. If that is the case, we can expect (justifiably) disruption in the streets. Between blatant racism (thank you, trump 😠) and guns, we are in a bad way and don’t seem to have the moral capacity to save ourselves. As I write this, the jury is in deliberation and I pray they do the right thing.

Lynn and Tom of our Pan Pals had planned their first trip in a year to visit her sister in Buffalo, NY, who is not doing well. I ran into Lynn and Bogey the day before and they were packed and ready to go. The next morning I was surprised to receive an email from her saying Tom was in the hospital with A-fib and would be undergoing a procedure later that day. Needless to say, they were sorry to miss the trip but it could have been devastating if it happened en route or even after arriving. He came home the day of the procedure (4/16) called a “conversion” which we all joked about later! Anyway, knowing that they were going to be away, Chris and I had planned to do a pick-up from a new Mexican place, Underground Burrito. We shared a cauliflower burrito and a sweet potato burrito. Both were absolutely delicious. We were not sure how Tom would be feeling but we decided to surprise them with a dessert from the Farmer’s Market since we know he has a sweet tooth. We didn’t stay long but were pleased to find Tom looking and feeling well, and I think they liked our little surprise appearance.

Today (4/17), my project has been to put up a birdhouse in my back yard. The birdbox has been in my garage for years. Tippy gave me a sturdy hanger but it didn’t work. Even so, it did motivate me to look online for something that might. Well, I found the perfect thing that I could do myself - with the help of my handy, dandy drill! It was an easy solution which, if I had known about years earlier, the birdbox would have been up long ago. Now I’m just waiting for tenants....who began to arrive the following day!

Look at this beautiful flower! I think it's an amaryllis but I could be wrong. Gardners feel free to correct me. Reyna's yard literally has dozens of them and they are spectacular. She gave me two last year and this one is perfect (the other is too close to a sprinkler and needs to be moved). As you can see, a second one is coming up with it, so I can separate it and plant someplace else in the yard. This year she has given me three more and I expect more to come. I'm hoping they do as well as this one.

Speaking of good neighbors, the day before yesterday Ellie (one of Rosie's favorite people) asked if I ate vegetables and I told her I was vegetarian so vegetables were my thing. Then, yesterday she brought me some lettuce and a bouquet of herbs (basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, mint) that smelled good enough to eat on the spot. She will have eggplant, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, etc, and I'm so lucky she wants to share with me. 

In the meantime, it's a time for good TV viewing and reading (audiobooks). If you haven't seen them yet, my recommendations are....

PBS – Hemingway and Atlantic Crossing. Both were excellent, though Hemingway was sad and depressing.

Acorn – 19-2  This is a very realistic police drama out of Montreal.

Audiobooks – Road Back to You about enneagrams. I read this just out of curiosity.

The Other Wes Moore - a true story about two guys named Wes Moore who lived within blocks of each other and were a years difference in age. One became a Rhodes scholar, the other a victim of the system.

Before We Were Yours - based on a true story of the 1920s and 30s of an adoption society that trafficked in stolen children or took advantage of families in need.

What have you seen or read recently that you would recommend?