Wasting away

I am going stir crazy.  It is bad enough being confined to this bedroom, but now there is no hope of being able to go somewhere - anywhere - for a change of scenery.  C went to Walmart for groceries and there were 10 or more people working feverishly to restock the shelves and cold cases.  There was a little meat, no frozen veggies, and so on for perishables that would need to come a fair distance.  He did get pizza for dinner, so all is not lost, if pizzas are available.  Still no t paper.  What, pray tell, you would need t paper for a respiratory illness?

I finished the Lost Room (a made for TV mini series) , and I am now watching The Mentalist.  It has 7 seasons so I should be good for quite a while.  I always wanted to watch this when it was on TV, but if you miss the early season, it can be hard to catch up.  Besides, this way there are no commercials.  But I can figure out where they were from the fade-to-black points.

I am getting some done on my cross stitch projects; actually I started a small project so I will feel like I am making real progress.  The one I picked is for a round piece that will make the cover of a cookie tin, and included the tin, lace, floss, fabric, needle, the works.  I am stitching it "in hand", that is, without a hoop.  As long as I can wash it when done, the hand oil will come clean, and then I will iron it gently on the back side.  That is the way I did it in the (ancient) past, and it feels right to have it easy to make the back look neat without having to continuously turn the fabric over.  The pattern says "to Cheer You" in the center, but that makes it sound like a gift for someone sick or sad.  So I changed it to "I (heart) cross stitch" and that way I can use the tin to hold stitching stuff while I am working on the next pattern.

I guess the telemarking people have stayed at home as we have very very few robocalls calls.  I wish everything slacks off, at least for a while, as we are not the right age group and routinely hang up before they deliver their pitch.  The ones that use a recording, before they start you will hear a "bloop" noise as the tape begins.  Such a boring way to pester people.

It is now one am and This is so boring I am feeling sleepy at last Too late to take Anbien, I would sleep until noon tomorrow and then feel wide awake next night.  So, good night!

Robin pestiferous

Last year there was a robin doing battle with the side mirror on the truck.  We tried to discourage it with shiny tape, pinwheels, and so on, but migration finally solved the problem of huge amounts of bird poop all over the sides of the truck.  And wouldn't you know it, but she is back this year again.  So today I ordered mirror covers and a big inflated balloon that has owl-type eyes on it. huge ones.  Once it is inflated I figure we can tether it to the windshield wiper arms.  I don't have much hope that this will help, but I think we need to try something.

The check from the saddle sale came and it was nice to see money coming in, and not just going out.  And I got the estimate for the bathroom remodeling, but the bank is closed.  All except the drive-up windows, for two weeks, the email stated.  I can't very well discuss a loan, etc., with no one at the desks.  I may try another bank where we had the original home mortgage, although it has been paid off years ago.  So far they are open for now.

Today was the first time I have been out of the house in two weeks, and went to the dentist.  Starting tomorrow they will be closed for 2 weeks, at the direction of the state dental board.  WV has one confirmed case, but has done very little testing, which will change soon.  We live in the back of beyond, and we have a reasonable amount of food and supplies on hand, so I, at least, am catching up on Amazon prime viewing.  The latest that I am watching is called the Lost Room.  I have seen this years and years ago, and just recently tried to remember the title or actors, so when the synopsis appeared I was delighted. I am not watching it all at one sitting, I want to have a chance to mull it over as it progresses.  I am seeing it on my MacBook, it is OK even if it is a very small screen.

The college students on spring break are at the ocean partying as usual, virus or no virus.  I remember a book title, "There is no fate.  There is only choice."  I certainly don't remember being so bold when I was in college, even during the Vietnam era, but times do change.

Time to wrap this up, I haven't gotten a cartoon yet, but I will add that later.  Bye!

It is greatly appreciated

My silver show saddle sold (say that 4 times quickly!) for more than the asking price because there were two bidders that wanted it.  The check was delivered today, and I will split the money in half with C who did all the cleaning, polishing, packing and taking it to UPS (did I mention the shipping weight was 46 pounds?) for delivery to the consignment place.  It sold for almost the price that I bought it for, back in 1975.

ANNNDDD the bathroom remodeling guy called me and said he would get the estimate by Sunday evening.  I knew he would be tied up for a couple of months with other jobs, but I need the estimate so I can go to the bank and kick around a loan.

Furthermore:  The attic guys stripped the attic of everything and carried it to the garage for us to sort through.  It wan't cheap, but the three guys worked like fiends, as one carried off a load the second one would get the next armload.  There was some debris that followed the tracks as they went in and out, but that is a small price to pay for the job to be done at last.

The psych doctor I have been seeing for 20+ years is retiring in June, and so I called the clinic and got lined up with a new doctor in June.  I signed a release for my medical records; the file is 6 inches thick and that is just volume 2.  Hopefully she will only have to send a summary that hits the high points.  Meanwhile she renewed all my meds for 6 months or a year, so a new doctor isn't trying to be read in before I need a refill.

Miscellaneous

My uncle was a high school science teacher years ago, but then took over adult education for the entire state.  It meant he had to travel a lot, but it gave him an intimate knowledge of how to get wherever  in the state.  He retired quite a while ago to help take care of my aunt, but I never expected that he would be the first to die;  she died about 5 weeks later.  Did I already relate what he said to me when we were leaving from a visit?  I was always the last to go, and he would give me a big hug and whisper," I love you".  It made me cry every time; there aren't many left to say that to me now.  It makes me cry now, too.

C is currently taking a load of junk to the transfer station and the garage looks amazing, most of the debris is gone and the floor swept of leaves.  I want to hire someone to help clear the attic into the garage where we can sort it, donate or pitch.  I have the classified ad here, but man do I hate calling a complete stranger.  Last night C burned some of the brush and 8 bales of hay, still have 50 more to burn thru the spring.  It is all moldy, must have been stacked too close to the wall where frost would form and make it all nasty when it thawed.  Baled hay doesn't burn well, even cutting the baling twine and fluffing the hay so air can penetrate.  It does eventually smolder away, with repeated attempts.  There is still more cleaning up in the barn to be done.  Of course.

The Beans cat is in the hallway crying like a baby, she is carrying her "bird" toy so she sounds like it is more a wail than a meow.  Eventually she will be flipping it up in the air and it will end up behind the washer or whatever, until we retrieve it, she has us totally trained.

We call her Beans because she is full of them.  She is 16 y.o. and I dread the day she passes, it is always the most loved that goes first.

I finally found the missing camera-to-computer cable so I can get the photos onto the Photoshop app for editing.  It was, of course, right in front of me.  Sometimes I search and search for things that I am holding in my left hand.  Sigh.

Onwards and upwards...