Monday, May 04, 2020

I Am Still Here


Planting the tulips in this space will not be repeated. In the dark, people, like the newspaper delivery guy, trip over it And with all the deliveries now, it just makes their trips to the door awkward. I would like to have two concrete squares laid here but not sure if that can happen this year. So I will drag out some big pots until.

The landscaping service came and did their work. Hate to see the bill for three guys for two hours. But it is too much for me to do alone. Never buy a corner lot house.

We are sheltered through May now and although the nurseries are open, I have no way to get to them. You can't drive with anyone you are not sheltered with.

Finished Lean on Pete and am vacillating on what to read next. I always have two books going but need to have one that is not hardback to read in bed.

Today is a gorgeous day. Hard to believe what is going on from the looks of it.

I am very troubled by the obits in the Freep. You would think that there was nothing but white people in their eighties and nineties dying in southeast Michigan. Where are the African-Americans dying in Detroit? Why not obits for them? And this is pages and pages of obits. It takes me back to the AIDs deaths.

Enjoying some live stuff on you tube. They did a short play based on the Apple family saga by Richard Nelson, which has played at the Public Theater.  Very clever too in navigating the actors being in separate zoom boxes. Also watched the Sondheim tribute and some of Coriolanus from Stratford. If you have you tube on your TV there is so much to watch.

Also watching Mrs. America and Normal People on Hulu. Found Deadwater Fell disappointing on acorn. And apparently I no longer have the focus for Bosch.

What's up with you guys?


15 comments:

Margot Kinberg said...

I agree, Patti; there's a lot on YouTube. I usually use my computer for it, not the TV, but that's definitely a thought. Glad you're having some good weather. It's hard to be sheltering in place; I think it's harder if the weather is so bad that you can't at least get outside into the yard.

Jeff Meyerson said...

We're up to the final episode of DEADWATER FELL. The problem it, Tennant has played so many of these roles. We finished HOMELAND and I must admit I didn't see where they were headed. I wonder if they did. Despite getting good reviews, I didn't really care for series three of (Norwegian) OCCUPIED. RUN we are still watching but it isn't what I was hoping it would be. If you want soothing, try VIRGIN RIVER. Soapy but easy to digest. We are watching BOSCH as well as series three of (Israel) FAUDA. We finished THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA and are up to the final episode of series two of MY BRILLIANT FRIEND (on tonight). So far, BAPTISTE is not keeping me awake. Nasty story. If you have watched MIDSOMER MURDERS and want something similar (a little more low-key and fun), try the New Zealand-set BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES. We're still watching episodes of NCIS (series 9) we never watched, as well as reruns of THE WEST WING we did (he was just re-elected; if only). Jackie just discovered OUTLANDER, which we never saw when we had Starz but is now on Netflix.

We got outside yesterday and did see tulips everywhere, which was nice. It was a beautiful weekend in the '70s, but the cooler weather is back this week. We got food from out favorite local Italian restaurant, which is now open for pickup and curbside delivery.

pattinase (abbott) said...

That is exactly the problem and it is too predictable. Got to go back to MY BRILLIANT FRIEND. Yes, Baptiste is very nasty. I have watched some of Brokenwood Mysteries. I like the setting most. Let me know about Outlander. I am almost ready to be taken away to whatever century she goes to.
It is getting colder again this week, Margot, so it won't be as easy.

Jerry House said...

Perhaps some of those battery operated nightlights they have for walkways will stop delivery men from trodding on the tulips.

Yes, YouTube can be a lifesaver, although we use it to catch up on the late night comics, the news, and (well, me, not Kitty) for old B movies of the 30s and 40s; Kitty also uses for miscellaneous things that catches her eye when she has insomnia. We really should broaden our YouTube horizon.

Two very good things happened this week. First, Amy got a puppy! She had been looking for one since she had to leave her co-owned dog Waffles behind when she left Boston. After a lot of searching and a lot of disappointment (you have to move quickly to get a rescue dog nowadays), she found the perfect dog on Craig's List. Of course it had to be located three hours away in Mississippi, so Christina (being the best aunt in the World) drove Amy and Erin and Jack to get the dog. Her name is Nugget and she is now just twelve weeks old. She's an American Corso and will probably top out at 100 pounds when she grows. She's dark gray with a fine, smooth coat and is sweet and friendly and loving. Amy and the rest of us are totally in love with this dog. Amy's been socializing and training Nugget from the time she got her.

The other good thing is that our local beaches are open! We missed our beach time. There are two dog beaches near us and I love to sit and watch the waves on the Gulf, as well as watch the people and their dogs. We've gone for the last three days and will go again this morning. Saturday and Sunday Amy was able to come with Nugget. Yesterday the dog learned the wonderfulness of carrying a stick in her mouth. Life can be exciting for a dog.

The down side of opening up parts of the state is that some people are dumb. At the beach we are able to socially isolate ourself, as do most of those there. But there are some who feel now that something is open, there is no longer a worry from Covid-19. I find this far more pronounced at Walmart. Walmart workers are now wearing masks, some not properly, and the store has been sanitizing carts, limiting access, and urging social distancing. We go in an out as fast as we can, wearing masks and following safety procedures. But there a hell of a lot of Yahoos who act like the threat is completely over. In the end, I fear opening up the states will prove disasterous for many when the second wave hits.

One other good thing about this week. I did not inject Lysol or swallow bleach. Sorry, Donald.


Stay safe, stay sane, and avoid any recommendations from a certain politician who says he is not a doctor and then issues 'medical" advice, Patti.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Outlander - she goes to the Scottish Highlands in 1743. Fortunately for her (and the guy she is clearly going to end up with), she is a nurse. I guess Bonnie Prince Charlie will be involved in one way or another. I know people who love the books, but I believe they are endlessly long. Just checked. Book one is 640 pages, but by book five, she is up to 990.

Steve Oerkfitz said...

The weather was great this weekend but back down to the fifties this week.
Been watching a lot of tv but not really bingeing on any one thing. Got bored with The Plot Against America. Watched a lot of true crime stuff but nothing memorable.
Hardly read this weekend. Spent a lot of time on the phone. But running out of things to talk about.
I always thought Outlander was a romance series with fantasy overtones. The novels were always marketed towards a female audience. Have never watched the show.
Tired of the news. Only one thing over and over. And the yahoos who took over the state capitol while carrying guns and Trump signs. Makes me feel embarrassed for Michigan.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Everyone is getting dogs. It really is worth an article explaining it. I know people who just got their first dog in their fifties.
I also don't understand why anyone wants to read a 900 page book. For me, a 200 page book is usually ideal.
Yes, indeed, I think we are headed for big trouble and Trump will again prove he is an completely incompetent moron.

Rick Robinson said...

Everything is fine here, we're both healthy. I stay home, Barbara does the necessary grocery shopping and errands once a week. We haven't gone to the nursery either, Patti, not because we can't, but because we have mostly perennials that come up and do their thing, so few open spots. Maybe you could put some ornamental grasses or small flowering shrubs in that space.

The weather has been in the 50s with rain, but will start going up a few degrees a day until we hit 80 by Sunday. For me, that's too hot for May! We're not watching much beside old episodes of MORSE which we're enjoying. Other wise it's reading and working on a jigsaw puzzle. Stay well.

George said...

Our landscaping crew is scheduled to show up this afternoon. We've had a lot of rain so they're behind in their appointments.

Diane baked zucchini bread. Yum! Today she's making lasagna. Double Yum!

I finished a Big Fat YA SF novel and now I'm turned to some much shorter books.

Diane and I Facebook PORTALed with Patrick and Katie yesterday. Both are doing fine working from home.

Sadly, the New York State unemployment rate jumped again. Pretty soon, more people will be unemployed than working!

Stay safe!

pattinase (abbott) said...

I like a mix of annuals and perennials so I always have something blooming. But I may have to be satisfied with less.
It is too cruel that we have both the disease and a horrible depression.

George said...

Patti, pandemics and economic depressions go hand-in-hand.

If we had handled the coronavirus the way South Korea and Taiwan did--test, contact trace, quarantine--we may have avoided the upcoming Depression. So many small businesses will fail because the money went to Trump's and Mnuchin's friends and NOT to the local small businesses as it should have. So many millions will be out of work because those small businesses went out-of-business because they couldn't get the aid they needed to stay in business.

Trump is promising a vaccine for covid-19 by the end of the year. Unlikely. People forget Jonas Salk took six years to come up with the polio vaccine.

On the plus side, the pizza Diane and I ordered over the weekend was delicious!

Jeff Meyerson said...

George, our favorite pizza place, Peppino's, has a poster that says:

I have 99 Problems...and Pizza Isn't One of Them.

We're hoping they reopen soon. Their website says they are open for take out and delivery, but every time Jackie calls, they still are closed.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

Still here as well. My son and I were supposed to do blood work and all as it is physicals time. Supposed to have done it last Friday as the governor looked at the rising infection count and ordered things to start reopening anyway. I am terrified and so I called the doc and eventually got it pushed back till the 22nd.

Allegedly, a medication delivery service tied into Kroger will be bringing refills this evening. Set up for an Amazon Fresh grocery delivery tomorrow. They have been awesome.

Dallas libraries are still closed and there is no sign they are going to open up in any way any time soon. I still have a ton of books here from the library, not to mention all the print books from other sources and the massive eBook pile that could be communicating with SkyNet at this point. So, reading wise I am good.

Loved the new season of BOSCH. 4 episodes into the new season of KILLING EVE and it just is not as good. Something is missing though I can not put my finger on it.

That is about it from my little part of NE Dallas where we hit 95 freaking degrees today....

Kevin

TracyK said...

Sorry to be late to this post, but it was good to see all the comments too.

The two books I am reading right now are The Provincial Lady in America and The Master and Margarita. Actually I haven't started The Master and Margarita yet, but I will today.

I have probably said before but I just have a tiny "yard", front and back areas for a condo. I am trying to clean it up now (weeding, clearing out unused pots) but I need more plants and potting soil. We can get to a nursery but not sure if I want to walk around in there or what to order if I can't look at it. Some places are "reopening" now at some level in California but not sure what that means right now.

The really good thing is that I finally have a compost bin again, after so many years. It is small and I don't know how much use it will be, but symbolically, it makes me very happy. I don't have to throw out things we prune or even scraps in the kitchen. So wonderful.

We are rewatching NCIS, probably for the 2nd time, at least at the point we are now. The later seasons we only watched once, as they aired. Rewatching the old Mission Impossible series. And some movies now and then.

I agree that briefer books are better, to me 250 pages is perfect. But I have enjoyed reading some in the 400-500 page range lately.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I remember reading The Master and Margarita back in the sixties. Phil made me read it because he liked it so much but I can't remember if I liked it or not.
I would like to move to a condo like yours, but I think this is probably not the time to do it.
I imagine my house's worth is about to fall a lot.