From time to time, I’ll be posting thoughts gleaned from musing over a good cup of coffee. Stay tuned.
Coronavirus watch = March 29, 2020
My husband and I, and possibly most of you, have been staying home for fifteen days or longer. Now, the President has extended that advisory for 30 more days. We are fortunate in that we are retired and this isolation has not cost us a loss of income. I may not be able to concentrate very well on doing something creative, but I am getting my yard in shape, slowly.
A ride around town with a good iced chai latte to see the flowering crabs, weeping cherries, and the coming of spring lifted my spirits. While it’s sad that we can’t all go out and fully enjoy it, it would be so much worse if this had happened in then winter when were are all a little down in the mouth with the cold and drear.
So, stay at home, work in your gardens, and we’ll see spring, if in a different way this year.
Coronavirus help V. 2 – March 21, 2020
By today, the stir crazies had set in so my hubby and I took a drive through a local coffee shop (hoping to support our local businessmen) and then drove around town to see spring popping up. While I know Bradford Pears aren’t the best tree around, their fluffy white blossoms lifted our spirits as did a gorgeous Tulip Magnolia. Mother Nature hasn’t heard the warnings, apparently. She’s showing us that we will get through this.
Coronavirus help – March 20, 2020
The first thing I read online this morning was a friend’s post of Wendell Berry’s poem, The Peace of Wild Things. It was just what I needed and it propelled me to go out and work in my garden where there are signs of new life in what has felt like our very existence is endangered. Removing leaves, uncovering acorns trying to create an unwanted forest among the day lilies and tulips, and seeing tiny grass sprouts where once was only bare ground gave me the strength I needed to endure more days of self-isolation. Try it. It’s a grand help for our times.
Coronavirus daily – March 19, 2020
Yesterday I still needed a few things from the grocery store that I hadn’t remembered to pick up before I began self-isolation. Things like milk, dog food, and dishwashing detergent. So I used a delivery app, Instacart, to get what I needed from our local Kroger store. Of course, being the Freida Frugal my husband has dubbed me, I felt compelled to buy enough to get free delivery. Well, wouldn’t you have?
So, after a few chats with the “shopper” I thought we had it all together. He’d said they had no milk whatsoever, so we dashed into our local bodega and bought a gallon. An hour later the order arrived. There was the milk that miraculously some cow had produced complete with a gallon jug. And, as an added bonus, a two pound bag of Lucky Charms. Did I order that? Hell, no. We don’t have kids at home; I eat Special K and my husband eats Cheerios. I told them I’d take them back but got a message that it wasn’t necessary. So, Richard, aka Mr. Sweet Tooth, will slowly work his way through the leprechaun’s timely gift marshmallows and all.
Coronavirus Writing – March 17, 2020
It’s a tough time to concentrate on anything besides what my aunt used to call “news of fresh disasters.” I’m finding it hard to work on my novel in progress. But staying tuned to the news or Facebook isn’t good for the creative soul either. So here’s my suggestion:
When you can’t write —– READ. You’ll be transported to another world, another time or place, or another problem that you don’t actually have to solve. Some recent publications that deserve attention are Goshen Road by Ohio author Bonnie Proudfoot. The poignant “Don’t Tell ’em You’re Cold” by Kathy Manley will certainly make you forget your own problems. How about American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins? Or The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards. For a true life novel, read The Secrets We Kept, by Lara Prescott. Okay, this list ought to keep you occupied until the writing bug returns.
Happy reading.
https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/books/book-detail-page?ie=UTF8&bookASIN=1726674940&index=default
Carter Taylor Seaton 