FURLOUGHED: Quarantine Fatigue

Posted on May 4, 2020 by cordeliasmom2012

Even though I’m probably one of the laziest people on this planet and have been perfectly content sheltering in place, by the end of the 7th week even I needed to get out a bit.

The weather had finally become spring-like (yay), but the forecast indicated more freezing temperatures in the days ahead, so hubby and I decided to take a nice Sunday drive.  Yes, even after 5 weeks of being together 24/7, we were still looking forward to sitting side by side in a car.  You would’ve known?

Anyway.

We tried to think of places that were outdoor, with green space  but not a lot of people.  Considering that everyone’s been in lockdown for so long and that the social distancing requirements are still in effect, our options were understandably limited.  Fortunately, we have a number of college campuses near us, and most of the students are not currently in residence.

Our first stop this Sunday was to the State University of New York at Buffalo – Amherst campus (a/k/a SUNYAB).  This promised to be an ideal location since it’s not within walking distance of anyone’s neighborhood, thereby limiting casual foot traffic.  We saw only a handful of students and a couple of families who had driven there, apparently for the same reason we did.  No one was within 10 feet of anyone else.

The only problem was the geese.  These little guys were total unintimated by humans and let me get within a foot of them, until the smaller one had enough and started hissing at me:

This guy really was that close!

Back Off!

One human couple did walk by (approximately 10 feet away) and looked at me curiously as I stood relaying instructions to the geese on just how I wished them to pose.  (All righty then, let’s stay away from that lady with the camera- the virus has probably gotten in her brain.)

These geese weren’t the problem, though.  The issue was that this particular campus has so many geese that it’s nearly impossible to walk anywhere without stepping in goose poop.  After about 20 minutes, we gave up.

So, next we drove up along the Niagara River.  We know from experience that the parks in the City of Tonawanda are always crowded, and those areas would be the perfect spot for anyone wishing to sit, either on a bench or in their car, and watch the water.  Since I wanted to get out of the car to take photos and didn’t want to have to wear a mask, we decided to go a little further north.  However, we didn’t wish to drive as far as Niagara Falls (which was also likely to e crowded).

There’s a smaller park/boat launch in North Tonawanda, which is now called Veteran’s Park.  I think it’s also called (or used to be called) Fisherman’s Park – I know where the parks are, but unfortunately don’t know all their names.  However, this particular park is north of the City of Tonawanda but not as far north as Gratwick Park (not that any of you know these river front parks, either, but just trying to clarify where we were.)

Veteran’s Park also had a fair number of visitors and not a lot of parking, but everyone seemed to be in their cars and the few people walking around were wearing masks and staying away from each other.  We didn’t stay long, but I did get out to take a couple of pictures of the water:

Veteran’s Park – River View

Veteran’s Park – View from Dock

By then, I really needed to pee and definitely did not want to use a public restroom in a public park, so we headed home.

Naturally, the best photo I took all day was taken in my own back yard:

The hated Dandelion!

Sure, we all hate seeing dandelions in our yards, but they’re still beautiful – and they definitely mean spring/summer is on the way!

Enjoy the rest of your week.  May the weather be spring-like wherever you are.

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love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

 

Posted in Covid-19, Health, Photography, Road Trips & Cars, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

FURLOUGHED: Week Seven

Posted on May 1, 2020 by cordeliasmom2012

May Day!

Who would have thought the lockdown would last so long, and it may be awhile longer yet.  Current deadline for New York’s PAUSE order is May 15, but while New York City’s virus numbers are falling, here in Erie County they’re still climbing.  Somewhat dramatically.  Erie County’s number of positive cases is already higher than that in some states.

I got all excited when I found disposable face masks and gloves “in stock” on Amazon, so I ordered some.  It was only later than I learned they were coming from China.  That was a couple of weeks ago, and according to the tracking information, they’re still in China.  Probably the pandemic will be over before they ever get to me.

Of course, I can always make my own masks.  It’s not that hard.  But I’m also not all that energetic, and I don’t have a sewing machine.  So I went back on Amazon and found some cloth masks that ship from right here in the good old USA.  They were, in fact, shipped within 24 hours, and hopefully are on their way to me right now.

Meanwhile, I try to stay in as much as possible.  There’s plenty to do in my own house and in my own yard, and certainly it’s safer here.

I wonder about certain neighbors who insist on having mini-block parties whenever the temperature rises over 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  No masks, kids (and adults) running from house to house.  Didn’t they get the memo?  But at least they’re far enough away that their activities don’t really impact me.  The closest I get is if I have to drive by on the way to a medical appointment.

Not much happening this week.  It’s been rainy most days, and the back yard is a swamp.  There was one nice day during which hubby and I managed to clean up the weedy front yard.  It’s still too cold to put new flowers in, and I’m thinking I may not bother at all this year, other than to maybe get a couple of free-standing planters.  We’ll see.

Meanwhile, I can enjoy the buds coming out elsewhere:

Yes, we’ve managed to get Puppy Cody out occasionally, although now that we know dogs can also get COVID-19, we always wipe her paws with disinfecting wipes before she gets back in the car.  I could maybe handle it if one of us got sick, but not the dog – never the dog!

Enough for today.

May everyone stay safe and healthy.  The end may be in sight.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

 

Posted in Covid-19, Health, That's Life | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

A Little Treat for My Readers

Posted on April 28, 2020 by cordeliasmom2012

It won’t cure, nor prevent, any disease, but it sure can add a bit of cheer to an otherwise bad, or sad, or simply bored day.

See the creamy goodness dripping down?  Imagine the icy sweetness, the gooey chocolate syrup, the crunch of the M&Ms, topped by an abundance of real whipped cream.  I made it with love, for all of you.

(Knowing I could eat the prop after the photo shoot didn’t hurt, either.)

Dig in and enjoy!  Along with virtual ice cream sundaes, I give you all virtual hugs.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
__________
Image by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

 

 

Posted in Health, Photography, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

FURLOUGHED: Week Six

Posted on April 23, 2020 by cordeliasmom2012

My, the weeks sure are piling up!  The lockdown in New York State has been extended to May 15.

Days are spent sleeping late, eating too much, hanging around doing not much of anything – finally, I’m living the dog’s life!  I always knew her life was better than mine.

Someday maybe I’ll be bored enough to take up basket weaving (isn’t that an awesome photo?), but not yet.  I have lots of cookbooks to work through, hundreds of video games to play, and lots of cleaning and household stuff to do.

Of course, eating well sometimes means eating simply:

Ham-Egg-Cheese Sandwich with Chips

After such a hearty brunch, it’s time to check the old bank account.  Yep, still doing ok, thanks to New York State Unemployment, with the added U.S. Government funds (an extra $600 a week!  I’m making more staying home than I ever did working), and the monthly Social Security.  Fortunately, hubby and I also had enough sense pre-pandemic to put some money into savings.  We’ll get by without too much hardship.  My heart goes out to those who were living paycheck to paycheck and are currently having trouble getting their unemployment funds in place – and to those essential workers who are risking their own health on a daily basis while still receiving the same pay they got before (and in at least one case I know, an essential worker whose pay was cut by 5% – WTF!).

Anyway.

The weather is still crappy, and weird.  All week it’s been cold and either raining or snowing.  Some days it was snowing while the sun was out.  One day there was a hail storm:

Hail Storm! (April 21, 2020)

Hail Storm – View to South

Hail Storm! My Poor Car.

Hail Storm – Windshield Closeup

Five minutes after that storm, the sun came out and melted the ice.

Bear in mind that this is the third week in April, when we could reasonably expect mild weather and new blossoms.  The grass has grown a bit and a few tough dandelions are struggling through the mud, but mostly it’s just yucky out there.

So, still not much incentive (for me at least) to go on a  nature walk outside my own backyard.

Puppy Cody seems to be ok with that.  The few times we’ve taken her over to the local school for a longer walk, she didn’t really seem to enjoy it all that much.  I’m not sure if that’s because she doesn’t like getting her feet wet, or if she’s just become so accustomed to our own property that she feels uncomfortable elsewhere.  We’ll occasionally take her anyway, but she does get plenty of exercise chasing bunnies and squirrels on our own property.

BTW, I pulled out our property survey and measured the property lines.  A walk all the way around the perimeter of the backyard is about 500 feet – just under 1/10 mile.  I figure if I walk that perimeter every time I take Cody out, I’ll be getting a fair amount of exercise even though I’m at home.  With mud and snow acting as friction, the walk is a bit more strenuous.  With luck, by the time the weather does warm up, I’ll be able to trot around that yard (won’t that be fun for the neighbors to watch?), and certainly I’ll be ready to resume my walks in the park.

The good news is:  Hubby just returned from the grocery store and tells me most items have been at least partially restocked.  Hopefully, that’s an indication that the crisis is at the beginning of the end.

How’s it by you?

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
__________
Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

 

Posted in Covid-19, Health, Photography, That's Life | Tagged , , , , | 29 Comments