Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 13

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Hello friends, how are you today? For the past several days the weather here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon has been the usual rain, but lately we've experienced an extra dose of dark ominous clouds hanging overhead. Not the kind of weather that makes these days of coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantine feel hopeful.

But today there were some 'sun-breaks' as they are referred to here - moments of sun breaking through the heavy clouds with intervals of no rain. I have a new camera that I've been wanting to practice my photography skills with and so today I ventured into my front yard to try it out.

The garden bed shown above is new. Jim and I started it last spring and it's exciting to see the plants and flowers responding. I'm especially excited about the pink tulips. We planted them in groups of three, which makes it particularly fun for taking photos.

So here is an overdose of pretty pink tulips - I hope this makes the darkness in your day a little bit brighter.

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Thanks for looking and I wish you and your family well in these difficult times.


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Monday, March 30, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 12

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It's Monday evening and my household is beginning to wind down for the day.

I spent today in communication with my health care provider to determine what my status with my employer would be. Just a few days ago the CDC raised the age requirements in the high risk group for coronavirus (COVID-19) from 60 to 65.

I was sent home from my work site almost two weeks ago because I am age 60 (hello fellow 'seniors'!) and I was puzzled by the change. As it turns out, if you live with someone that is 65 and over (which I do) then, still, that is reason to stay in quarantine.

So with that business taken care of, I can continue to think about what I can contribute to my country, the state of Oregon, Lane county and the town I live in to flatten the curve from home as I continue to socially isolate. As I told my sister Joyce recently, my voice in the blog world is tiny, but I still have one!

I have three links to share today. The first is a New York Times article about how Coronavirus Could Overwhelm U.S. Without Urgent Action. If you are a visual person like me you will appreciate the interactive map at the end of the article and there are graphs for every state in the United States.

Another article from the New York Times that just came out today entitled Restrictions Are Slowing Coronavirus Infections, New Data Suggest, provides a glimmer of hope that the extreme quarantine and social distancing measures now in place in most states may actually be working.

And lastly, Vox is answering all of our grocery shopping questions from proper etiquette to supply and demand in Your coronavirus grocery questions, answered by experts. (This title is not a typo - I guess they do not properly punctuate?)

Well, it's late and I am trying to stick with a reasonable bed time. I hope you are doing the same.

Till next time family and friends.

P.S. Camellias photo taken last spring on the local community college campus. 

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Sunday, March 29, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 11

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Hello friends - do you have a loved one that lives in a care facility? I do.

My elderly mother resides in a skilled nursing unit very close to where I live. On March 11th I was informed that due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visitors are no longer allowed until further notice.

That was a sad day. And since that moment there has been a very heavy weight on my heart. It's been difficult enough with job and family duties to make time to visit my mom, but now there are no visits of any kind allowed. Of course it is for the protection of all the residents in the home and I am grateful that the administrators made the right choice.

But I did need to deliver some new clothes to my mom that my sister bought for her and today was the first time I experienced the new method of bringing personal items to her. I called ahead of time and was instructed to ring the bell at the back entrance and someone will come and retrieve the items. So I placed the clothes in a plain paper bag, knowing that the bag will probably not be allowed into my mom's room, and stopped at the grocery store and bought a nice bouquet of flowers. I chose pink roses and pink oriental lilies. The lilies are so fragrant.

I did feel relieved to finally get the new clothing delivered to mom but I was so very sad not to be able to see her and give her a big hug and sit next to her and just be together.

And none of us know how long this will go on...

Be well family and friends. 


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Saturday, March 28, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 10

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Hello everyone. First off, I have a question for you. Now that most of us here in the United States are becoming fully ensconced in the coronavirus (COVID-19) Stay Home, Stay Safe 'lifestyle', have you brushed your teeth, washed your face, gotten dressed, and eaten breakfast today? I hope you are able to eat something. I only ask because I have to remind myself to do those things.

Getting lost in all the confusion of this COVID-19 problem can take your spirit away, rob you of your senses, and make you forget to brush your teeth. Everything feels like a ball of confusion. And yet, we have to sit with it, don't we?

So today on the blog I'm taking a break from all the news, data and anxiety and sharing what I would normally call in the title 'Vintage Finds'.

Since I started my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures I have become enamored with vintage English pottery and bone china. And through that activity I discovered the chinoiseries, or Chinese style midcentury home decor items. The quality of the items I find varies but the decorative theme is always a take on a classic idealized form.

For example this 9-1/2 inch Wedgwood plate, in the 'Eastern Flowers' pattern features three chrysanthemum floral bouquets around the perimeter of the plate and an open fenced area with another chrysanthemum in the center of the plate. The center flower has moss entwined around it, as does the smaller blue flower to the left of it.

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Another of my favorite items to collect are the asian or Chinese style figurines. Traditionally they came in pairs but most of the ones I've found have long since lost their mate, like this one shown.

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What I enjoy most about this figurine (and I find it to be true in all of the ones I've found thus far) is the dynamic pose and the interesting gestures.

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The shape of the base indicates that perhaps this figurine is meant to be a bookend, however it is very lightweight so maybe this one and its' mate could have held up a few books (maybe three?) as pure decoration.

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And who can resist the makeup? A 1930s 'Betty Boop' heart-shaped lip treatment and an oh so dramatic eye liner! Love that!

Well, I hope this peek into my obsession with chinoiserie style collectables diverted your mind, if only for a moment...

Stay well family and friends!


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Friday, March 27, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 9

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Well friends and family, except for sitting in my backyard, I haven't gotten out and about in several days due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and a mandatory leave from my government job. My, how things have changed...

Yesterday it was clear that a grocery run was needed so Jim and I went to two different grocery stores.

Our first stop was Trader Joe's. Quite a different experience from Jim's trip last week, which was day 4 of my leave from work. On day 4, which was a Saturday at around 6 p.m., there was no line and not very many people were in the store. But yesterday, outside the store, there were 6 foot markers (basically orange pieces of tape with '6 ft.' written on each) placed on the sidewalk. There were shoppers lined up according to this social distancing rule that is now in place, I think, everywhere.

As Jim and I approached the front of the line and could get a clearer look at the scene, the hand drawn sandwich board (above) reminded us to keep the six foot distance rule as we shopped. There were two employees stationed at the door allowing shoppers to enter only as other shoppers were exiting.

When it was our turn to go into the store everyone was, indeed, mindful of the social distancing rule and the store was well stocked (except no toilet paper - what up with that people?), organized and there was a calming energy. If you've ever been in a Trader Joe's at a peak shopping time in the past, no doubt you've experienced a packed store, with loud music blasting and a lot of positive high energy. At least that is how it was here in Eugene, Oregon.

As Jim and I approached the check-out counter, the clerk, wearing safety gloves, wiped down his station and the touch pad of the electronic card reader, and then greeted us with a smile. Of course the conversation between us and the clerk was about the current 'pandemic predicament' we are all now living in. Jim and I packed our groceries into the reusable bags we brought from home and the clerk was gracious and helpful and we thanked him for being there.

The second store we went to was The Kiva, a local downtown natural foods grocery that has been in business for 49 years. It was a very different experience from that of Trader Joe's.

The first thing Jim and I noticed was how empty the parking lot was. As we approached the entrance, we noticed one of the doors was propped open - very unusual for Kiva. We stood outside and asked the clerk standing at the check-out if they were open. Yes, they are open. Of course we noticed that all the employees were wearing safety masks and gloves.

There were not many customers in the store at all, which is another very unusual thing for Kiva. The Kiva is not only a hub of activity with shoppers in and out all day, everyday, but it is also considered a connecting point for many people in the area who want to put their money where their mouth is in regards to supporting a local, socially conscious business. So to experience The Kiva without all the hubbub was concerning.

The store was calm and well stocked and Jim and I proceeded with our shopping. When we got to the check-out, we were not allowed to pack our groceries in our reusable grocery bag. The procedure is, as we learned it at that moment - the clerk scanned our items and placed them back into our shopping basket. After we paid we were then instructed to take our basket of items outside to a table, pack our reusable bag at the table and then leave the shopping basket there, where it will then be sanitized by the store clerk and brought back into the store.

Welcome to the new somber reality of grocery shopping in the middle of a global pandemic. Even though it was stressful it was also good to know that my community is taking this situation very seriously.

And in the midst of this crisis, there are glimmers of hope, like when Andrew David recently sang Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah on the near empty streets of Chicago.

Take care friends and family. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones.


     
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Thursday, March 26, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 8

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Friends, today's image is not to boast about my recent birthday nor is it to brag about how perfect my family is or how happy I am.

Rather, it's a time stamp on a moment that occurred before the COVID-19 pandemic struck my country. And, perhaps, it is a moment where I will forever look back on it as 'that time before the pandemic' and as 'the time before I was put on mandatory leave from my government job'.

We now all share this pivotal moment which has changed our daily life as we knew it. Those marks we made on our calendars to set aside time for important family events, photographs taken and shared, gifts, greeting cards, bits of wrapping paper or ribbons saved as evidence that 'this happened' - and now, we don't know where all of this is going, do we?

I have been an avid memory keeper and scrapbooker for a number of years. I know that everyone (including me and my family) is scrambling for survival. But let's not let this situation allow us to loose sight of who we are or of what is important to us.

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My hope is that as we find our new rhythms and patterns of existence that we are able to take time to appreciate those precious memories of the past, and, at the very least, be able to document in some way those photographs which have the most meaning.

Even if all you have is a stack of photos that you haven't had time to do anything with, now could be the time to take a soft pencil and write the date, time, place and people appearing in them on the backside.

I was reading an article in The Atlantic last night - How the Pandemic Will End. And then I saw this morning on Twitter that President Obama was recommending it be read. It is based on science, facts and the opinions of professionals - something the world desperately needs right now.

Take care family and friends.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 7

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Friends, I was looking at the COVID-19 numbers for Lane County Oregon this morning. As of today, March 25th, 2019, the number of tests conducted for Lane County is 264 and the number of positive tests results is 6 with 1 suspected death from the coronavirus.

I'm sure by now most everyone is aware that the test is not easily available to all that need or want one. And that the numbers for our county could very well be much higher if testing could be more rigorous and available.

Today feels like a holding pattern. While our nation awaits the results of the stimulus package that will hopefully bring economic relief to families in general and those left unemployed specifically by this world pandemic, the best course of action is to follow our Governor's order to Stay Home, Stay Safe.

This isn't easy, is it? I'm sure most of us are struggling with this. I wish I knew the real numbers for my county because what I really want to say is we can do this! But without concrete numbers, doubt lingers...

Until next time, my friends.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 6

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Friends, the caption for the image in the magazine spread above states "Here 15 islandlike rocks are so arranged in a sea of raked sand that some always remain hidden from any vantage point, suggesting life's mysteries." If there ever were a time in our lives when that which is hidden has been revealed then this is that time.

Hello. How are things with you today? Me? It's day number 6 of my mandatory leave from my job due to the COVID-19 pandemic and I am still feeling well.

Yesterday, March 23rd, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order directing us to Stay Home, Stay Safe. Apparently, after the closure of schools and a ban of consumption of food and drink at food establishments, some of my fellow Oregonians were not adhering to the social distancing rules and were crowding beaches and State Parks on the coast and other places around the state. So the purpose of the Stay Home, Stay Safe order "is to reduce person-to-person interaction with the goal of slowing transmission."

In light of the current situation I have been filling my quarantine time with projects around the house that I would normally do on any given weeknight or weekend and trying to stay focused on what can be done rather than on what can't be done. However I will say that attempting to get any business taken care of amongst the chaos is very frustrating with phone lines down and emailing a slow process. But I am very grateful for all the people that remain at their jobs, working via those modes of communication, and their diligence in keeping systems going as best as they can under these grave circumstances.

As I mentioned in my post on day 2, I am working on a type of collage journal using images cut from 1970s National Geographic magazines (like that above) as inspiration for the journal pages. The 1970s were my coming of age years and many of the images resonate with me, evoking memories and feelings of growing up in that time. I hope to share some photos of the pages I've created thus far, as soon as there is enough sun here in the Willamette Valley for photography! I am so glad I have something to focus on while I am staying home and doing what I can to flatten the curve.

Won't you join me?


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Monday, March 23, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 5

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Hello friends, how are you doing today? Yesterday was a good day for our family unit - no one went anywhere so it was a quiet and uncomplicated day.

Today however, day 5 of my mandatory leave from my job due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has not been great. There have been some tears and some frustrations for sure. We are currently in a holding pattern on some paperwork that needs to happen so I'm taking a moment to check in here.

I mentioned in an earlier post that our public library has closed and that hand washing stations have been placed on the sidewalks around the building. The photograph I'm sharing today (above) is the now closed library with the washing station so you can see what it looks like.

Like so many of you, our family has been looking on the internet for information about the pandemic and I'd like to share some of what we found.

Our daughter Audrey is a professional cook and although she lost her job when all restaurants were ordered to close she is of course extremely interested in the issue of food safety. COVID-19 is not a food borne or digestive illness but there are still food safety issues to be concerned with so if you are wondering about what is safe to eat and best practices, then check out Food Safety and Coronavirus: A Comprehensive Guide.

With the stores running short on cleaning supplies my concern was how I can disinfect high use areas like doorknobs, faucets and light switches. We already use household rubbing alcohol to clean certain items around the house and I regularly use it on the vintage tea ware I offer for sale in my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures. But until I read These Common Household Products Can Destroy the Novel Coronavirus by Consumer Reports I did not know that it does actually kill viruses, including corona.

Have you heard about the petition being circulated by Change.org? My sister Joyce, who lives in the Bay Area and is currently living through a 'Shelter in Place' order, shared the link with me and I've shared it with my family members and now here with you as well. It is a call to action to get Congress to support families with a $2,000 payment for adults and a $1,000 payment for kids immediately for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. Change.org is seeking to get 500,000 signatures and as of this writing 464,436 have signed.

And lastly, this video on youtube of the Chino Hills High Chamber Singers reminds us that our human spirit can keep going through critical times.

Be well my family and friends and I will to be back tomorrow.

 
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Sunday, March 22, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 4

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Good Sunday morning everyone! I hope you are healthy, well and able to function in some manner that is somewhat close to your normal life. I'm in day 4 of my mandatory leave from my job due to the corona virus (COVID-19).

Yesterday as I sat here writing to you during day 3, I was feeling a bit despondent about the current state of affairs in the world, in my country, and in my town and neighborhood. I then took some much needed time to sit in the sunshine in my backyard with my lunch and then took a power nap. Just 20 minutes or so and my brain literally readjusted itself and I felt so much better and I was able to adjust my attitude as well!

Early yesterday morning I made several phone calls to the various stores we frequent. My goal was to find out which stores were offering 'senior shopping'. It's not surprising that new language would creep into our daily life - COVID, corona virus, covfefe - and as you may know, senior shopping and shopping for our vulnerable population have both crept into the lexicon of this unique time in our history.

Sure enough, Safeway, Market of Choice and Target are all offering this service now. But I was disappointed to learn that Trader Joe's is not. In fact, the woman I spoke with said they are only allowing 25 people in the store at a time. Thanks hoarders.

Trader Joe's is our family's mainstay. We buy probably 80 percent of our groceries there. The ingredients are natural and foods TASTE really good. You get a lot of variety - a 'world flavors' kind of experience. And the best part is that the prices are very reasonable. You don't feel like you are compromising health and nutrition for price.

So we were all bummed out about it and then Jim had the idea to try going last night one hour before closing which is now 7 p.m. - two hours earlier than back when everyday life was normal. He promised me that if there was a crowd and lots of people waiting to get in the store that he would not wait and leave. Well, who knows if it was just a lucky moment in time or if folks had slacked off their shopping but there was no line and the staff were not restricting the number of people in the store at all. In fact, Jim told me, there were probably less than 25 people inside (hello social distancing!) and he came home with three bags of groceries!

Well, before I sign off I just wanted to mention that my daughter Audrey is doing a bang up job on her new life in survival mode. She is a professional cook and was laid off her job when the restaurants were ordered to close. She has been filling her freezer with home made soup, curry, and quick bread (so far) and her Instagram Stories have been rockin' all the steps in those processes. She also posted the info-graphic at the top of this post and shared it with me and so I am sharing it here. I think we all need this right now! Thank you Audrey!


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Saturday, March 21, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 3


Friends, it's only day three of my mandatory leave from my job due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ever since yesterday afternoon and into today, I am searching for my empathy, humility and ability to accept my circumstance. Granted, I am not sick nor do I know anyone that is, but when I was at the grocery store I felt a loss in humanity.

It wasn't that I witnessed anything particularly bad - it's just that when I see people being overly anxious in their shopping or seemingly ignorant of the situation the world is facing at this moment, I loose faith in my fellow citizens to conduct themselves more responsibly.


I'm not trying to be the moral police here. But I do want to say that now is not the time to freak out (which I'm sure I probably will at some point) nor is it time to pretend that nothing is unusual about daily life. I would like to encourage people that are worried and uneasy to please phone, text, Face Time or Skype a friend or family member that you can talk to. Or you can leave me a comment.

Now is the time to come together and respect the social distancing rule and be mindful that your shopping habits may not only impact your neighbors but the economy in general and hurt more of us in the long run.


It's a lovely Spring day here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and I am going to spend the rest of my day in my backyard enjoying my lunch, the sunshine, and I'm staying off media. My hope is that soaking up the sights, sounds and smells of my small garden space will renew my spirit and allow the beauty of this precious life we have to refill my senses and my ability to keep going.

Won't you join me?


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Friday, March 20, 2020

Flattening the Curve, Day 2

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Good morining friends - how are you? No, seriously - has your normal life and your usual routine been disrupted due to COVID-19, or corona virus? Mine also! Through this blog I am sharing what I know, think and feel as well as how I am coping, and the activities I'm doing to keep myself busy and sane in what seems, right now, like a crazy world.

Today I got word that my credit union is closing all lobbies and that the art gallery where I currently have one of my collages on view is also closing. Our public library has been closed since March 13th and yesterday when Jim and I went out to the Kiva Grocery Store we saw several hand washing stations on the sidewalks surrounding the library. How long this will go on is unknown, right?

The atmosphere in the Kiva was calm and the shelves were well stocked. They even had toilet paper!

Today I'd like to share with you this canvas-covered journal that I had picked up at an estate sale back in 2017 when I was seaching for tea ware for my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures. Of course I had been wanting to create something using the journal since that time. My immediate inspiration was to faff around with it for my Instagram feed.

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I had a seed of an idea back then that I would make a collage journal by utilizing a stack of National Geographic magazines from the 1970s. The idea came together while flipping through the magazines and noticing the many photographs of girls and women living ordinary lives. The 1970s were my formative growing up years and I found that I can identify with many of the girls and women portrayed.

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At the time I did manage to cut out a few images from the magazines and get a start on the project.

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After a very long time, I don't remember how long, I cut out all the images shown in the photo at the top of this post. That felt like an accomplishment! I took that photo last fall when I was going full force ahead with some other collage work I was doing. Then in January I was listening to the Spark Joy podcast episode Someday: Aspirational Items and Unfinished Business and wow, I could see myself there!

Since listening to the episode I have been making an effort to sort through and organize my unfinished business and have forced myself to work on the creative projects I have piled up. The collage journal is one I knew I wanted to keep going with. And I have finished a few scrapbook pages and some journaling on scrapbook pages that was left undone. And then I dived into this journal and have about 10 pages prepped and ready for the journaling. I don't have any of the newly created pages photographed yet, but I hope to do so soon.

So while I am doing my part to help flatten the curve in this unprecedented time in the history of our world, and as long as I am healthy and well, I'll do my best to continue to share stories here with you - every day if I can.

Take care of yourself and your loved ones and be safe! 
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Thursday, March 19, 2020

Flattening The Curve, Day 1

first day of spring 2020 northern hemisphere, flattening the curve day 1, robin redbreast, birds of spring, COVID-19 mandatory leave, COVID-19 pandemic, corona virus pandemic 2020

Hello Friends. Today is my first day of quarantine due to the COVID-19 (also known as Coronavirus) pandemic currently sweeping the globe. In my real life I am a State of Oregon employee and have been put on mandatory paid leave. My daughter has been employed at the same restaurant for the last three years and lost her job when all restaurants were ordered to close. My elderly mother lives in a skilled nursing facility and visitors have been barred since March 11th.

Like many of you I have been searching for ways in which to cope with this situation. I knew my mandatory leave was inevitable and had been given notice that it would happen, but until that moment came I really had no idea how I would react. When the time came yesterday for me to officially leave my worksite, I had mixed feelings of relief and trepidation at the same time. Relieved that my state is acknowledging that there is a problem and trepidation at not really knowing what is going to happen.

So when I got home yesterday, I decided the best route was to stick with my usual routine of a 5 o'clock coffee and a bit of creative time, then a shower and dinner. With some time to wind down and think, I decided to make a list of things to do while quarantined. With many stores and restaurants closed, and minimal shopping trips, it seems to make sense that as long as I am feeling healthy and well that I should look to activities around the house and garden that I would normally do anyway. The next order of business was a good night's sleep.

I woke up at the same time I always do on a work day - 6:15. By 6:18 I was up and dressed and headed out the door to walk to the local Safeway to see if they had any toilet paper.

What's with the toilet paper hoarders anyway?

I bought one package - which I will be sharing.

Today is a new day in a strange time. So I'm showing up here and will try to do so every day as long as I am well and in quarantine. Right now I don't know what I will talk about or share. It could be just a photo like the one opening this post (BTW, happy Spring to all in the Northern Hemisphere! Robin Redbreast photo by Jim, taken a few days ago.) or perhaps a collage project I'm working on.

I have been encouraged by some of my favorite podcasters to use this time as an opportunity to take care of myself and my loved ones and to fill my time with home-based activities that help to contribute to flattening the curve. For instance, on Spark Joy Kristyn and Karen are sharing tips on KonMari and Staying Healthy at Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic and Andy J Pizza of the Creative Pep Talk Podcast is talking about How to Know Where to Focus Your Creative Energy by way of a remote retreat using social distancing as a metaphorical cocoon for creative development.

Stay well friends and family and I will do my best to be back tomorrow.
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