12 Oakdale

We celebrated Thanksgiving with 19 of our family, including a new grandnephew and a new perhaps significant other. Two turkeys, 4 kinds of stuffing, veggies, etc, with all the trimmings, plus 7 pies, banana bread, and brownies. Then Stephanie brought out the chocolate cake she’d made for my birthday, cookies, cupcakes, and Rice Krispie treat “drumsticks”.  Fortunately, our family is all vaccinated, with the exception of the younger children. We didn’t have any of the fights other families had. My neighbor has a niece and her husband who refused to be vaccinated, so there was much deliberation about how to handle the situation. Conveniently, the couple and their teenage children all came down with Covid, so were too sick to come to dinner. As they say, karma is a bitch. I was the delighted recipient of a big-numbered rain gauge from sister Peg, a blinged-out Christmas flamingo and flamingo-decorated bowls from Step and Clara, a set of prime-rated ear buds from my sweetie, and 2 of t...

And just like that, the pandemic is over. Yesterday, the head of the Centers for Disease Control announced that fully vaccinated Americans could do anything they want, close in and unmasked, indoors and out. Except at places that still require them, like airports, planes, and hospitals. Of course, since only about 40% of American adults are vaccinated, and those that refuse to be are the most adamant about not wearing masks, I wonder how this will all play out. The mutants are among us. I am in San Diego for a few days to get a quick visit before the summer. No gardening or lifting grandchildren to give my shoulder a rest. Even with physical therapy, ice, and ibuprofen, it still hurts like the bejeezus. I continue with the exercises, graduating from 1# to 2# weights soon. Would that the CDC could declare my aches over too.  Bella and Doug In the mean time, I sit and watch hummingbirds bathe in Mary’s fountain and lesser goldfinch eat niger from the bag she hung right outside her fr...

My first professional  hair cut in over a year. I told OJ to cut it as short as the shortest hairs left from my last home attempt with our clippers. She was skeptical but game. It always grows back. I think my one-inch buzz is the same haircut as my father wore when I was young. His was browner; mine is grayer. Having OJ wash my hair and massage my scalp was delightful. In Naples, there was a Polynesian woman who came into a local salon once a week just to have her magnificent long black hair washed. Now I know what a pleasure that is. Little by little, we seem to be returning to pre-Covid practices. Steph has been called back to her office full time at the end of March, so Clara returned to face school. Governors of several states are relaxing mask mandates. People are congregating. Yet, the numbers are still terrible. Even though they are dropping, they are above last summer’s highest. I think we have fatigue from the pandemic. It may not be over, but people are done with co...

Thursday we got our second Covid vaccine shot. It took exactly one hour from getting in line to driving away. This time, an Orange County fighter, rather than a nurse, administered the shot. I don’t know if that was the cause, but by evening, my arm was really sore. My shoulder hurts all the time anyway, which I am hoping to deal with by continuing my shoulder exercises. They helped my right one which no longer hurts.  I think I did them both in by over-zealous gardening when we first moved to our little house. If a couple months more of strengthening exercises don’t improve my left shoulder, I’m going back to the orthopedic surgeon to see what is the problem. I digress. My arm hurt like the bejeezus, but I consider it a small price for the relieve of getting the vaccine. Friday morning, we decided to visit Bok Tower to see grasses planted around a bog and a pond, which I learned about at an Orange Audubon Society Zoom meeting. Bok Tower, in my memory, was green lawns and azaleas. ...

This should be one of the best days in the past year. Grant and I got our initial vaccines. Not without some chaos on our part, because we first drove to the wrong convention center. That was solved by putting the correct name and address in Google Maps. Once there, we got in line with about 100 cars ahead of us and followed the signs designating the driving path through the parking lot. The line moved almost consistently. I could just take my foot off the brake, and the car rolled fast enough to keep up. Once we got to the underground staging area, we presented our QR codes, answered some health questions, and received our printed shot information to stick on our sleeves. We were directed to one of the 16 staffed areas, and the first of the glitches appeared. The nurse said she couldn’t give me my shot because I carry an EpiPen for my honey bee allergy. Fortunately, a manager was able to override the software, I promised to call my doctor if anything felt odd, and the nurse fired away...

 There was a cartoon character, a cat I’m pretty sure, that would get something to eat, then rise up in the air in ecstasy, gently floating down in contentment with a sigh. Today, I am that cat. Joy just keeps coming over me. I have a subscription to the Wall Street Journal , so I should receive a paper copy of it Monday through Saturday. Grant has a subscription to the Orlando Sentinel , and he should receive a paper copy of it on Sunday. What our delivery person throws out in our driveway is any random assortment of the two newspapers. Sometimes one, sometimes the other, sometimes both, occasionally neither. The subscriptions have digital backups, so it is only slightly annoying, especially if I don’t get the Saturday WSJ , because its puzzles aren’t on-line.  Today, both newspapers were outside. I will never, ever say another bad thing about the delivery person again, because on the front page of the Sentinel , an article explained how Orange County residents could sign up ...

It’s not quite our turn, but already frontline workers are getting the Covid vaccine. Best Christmas present ever. Each state is handling its own distribution design, and there aren’t enough doses to begin to fill the need, but it’s here. Thank you, thank you to the researchers, scientists, delivery people, test subjects who made this miracle possible. Florida has decided older frontline workers and people in nursing homes are our first recipients. Then the elderly, which Governor Desantis has decreed is 65 years old and up. YES! In other states, the cutoff is 75. On the other hand, Florida has more than 4 million people over 65, so my place in line is good, not great. I am just about ready to make plane reservations to San Diego.  There has been much debate about the moral delima of distributing too few doses. Perhaps the young, who need to be at work and school, should get the vaccine first. On the other hand, old people are more likely to die. When should teachers get the shot s...

The stockings are hung, not by the chimney, but on the bookcase using new stocking holders. Grant got the stockings for our first Christmas, almost 40 years ago. We have a wreath Stephanie bought at a fundraiser she supports, and the greenery and candle center piece Betsy sent me for a birthday and Christmas present.The house smells wonderfully. I indulged my love of poinsettias, buying 2 large red and 2 smaller pinkish at a 4-H fundraiser, then driving to Gainesville for the horticulture students’ annual sale. Unfortunately, the first two days’ socially-distanced reservations were booked, so all the Bubblegum pink were gone by Wednesday, when we could go. I settled for 3 Marbled Star and 2 Carmina Hot Pink. My friend Diane gave me an arrangement with a red and white spotted one in a ceramic poinsettia bowl. Enough? Never. Outside, I put up LED lights along the garage eave, which may be my last time of hanging lights. Climbing up and down the steps tool probably should not be in my fut...

The first cold front of the season has slipped in, and, baby, it’s cold outside, with a low of 41° Monday and Tuesday night. Yesterday, it warmed up some, and only dropped to 45° last night. Brrr. I made William a cardboard den and placed a lamp over it for some heat which is fine since it didn’t rain. A temporary solution. We have to design and build him a weatherproof structure before colder temperatures come. Annie has been reluctant to venture out after being stuck on the porch one of the cold nights. She had refused to come in when we were going to bed. The next morning, she let me know it was all my fault that she was cold. Since her kitty litter is out there, I used a gentle prod to help her make her mind up to go out. She caught on. Now I have to carry her out. She is a fair weather cat. Sleeping on the couch in the warmth  is her plan, with occasional forays to her food bowl.  I’ve added fast walking to my exercise program since I’m reluctant to swim even with my wets...

This year, my birthday fell on Thanksgiving, and we celebrated with our children, including Mary, who came via video call. We invited them, then vacillated about canceling. Covid is on the rise; our children are careful; we’ve been so good, don’t fall off the wagon now; it is too risky. Back and forth we went, in our minds, and with each other.  We decided to proceed. Molly got sick on Monday, so she and Spaulding would have to miss. That meant Patten couldn’t stay with them to see their new house. Steph zipped to Publix to grab potatoes since Molly wouldn’t be bringing them. Molly’s Covid test came back negative. They decided to come. We will have lots of potatoes. Thursday morning, Patten called from on the road near West Palm. His coworker and buddy just called him: he was feeling like he had the flu. Patten said he felt fine, but his hypochondria was kicking in. Should he keep driving? I said yes. My throat started to hurt in sympathy. Friday Patten learned his pal does have Co...

Blue Moon over Lake Down   I’d say that Grant just gave me the worst haircut I’ve ever had, but it wouldn’t be true. The absolute worst was by Bob in Wilton Manors. Normally a fabulous hairstylist, he was just getting started cutting my hair, when he got a phone call from either the IRS or his lawyer, I don’t remember which. As he became more and more agitated about the state of his taxes, my hair received crazier and crazier chops. Eventually he hung up, declared me done. I looked like I’d been attacked with a weed wacker. I actually paid, probably even tipped Bob, and left. I was too shocked to say anything, and he had sharp objects. I never returned, and Bob never called to apologize. Maybe he went to tax prison.  I’ve ordered hair clippers and will give Grant another chance. I may end up looking like a Marine recruit heading to boot camp, but better than it looks right now. Steph and some of my friends are going to hair salons. Others are having beauticians come to their h...

 Our friend is in hospice, the President was in the hospital with Covid-19, and my squash plants have been eaten by worms. I’m starting to be discouraged. Probably the right decision, and one I hope I would have the courage to make, but still, to choose to forgo any more treatment for cancer is heartbreaking. Fortunately he is at home with his wife. Their children have visited. His pain is managed. Now the waiting begins. Were our friends still in Fort Lauderdale, I would drive down to say goodbye, virus be damned.  Which is what, after spending a couple of nights at Walter Reed Medical Center and still contagious, our President likely said. Back at the White House, he told us not to fear coronavirus. Of course the rest of us aren’t flown to and from a prestigious military hospital via helicopter and don’t have access to experimental drugs. He does seem to have a mild case, thank goodness, not like those 200,000+ who died, and the many, many others who have lingering damage to...

Referral  After five months of no physical contact with anyone but Grant, I went to the dentist and had my teeth X-rayed, examined, and cleaned. Three sets of hands in my mouth, fortunately not all at the same time, but a lot of contact. Everyone wore gloves and masks. The hygienist also had a plastic shield. There was an air filter running in the exam room. Now all I can do is cross my fingers that we did enough to keep germs at bay. The bad news: the reason my tooth with the hellaciously expensive gold crown has stopped hurting is because the nerve has died. Now I need a root canal, in the best scenario, or an implant if everything does not work out. I'm ruing my decision to forgo dental insurance.  It also means I will have at least twp more dental appointments, this time at a specialist's office, because my new dentist says mine would be a tricky procedure. Sigh. And I still can't hug my children or go see my grandchildren. This pandemic is getting old.

Bee Balm Bill Frederick Park    We have developed/fallen into a routine that brings us pleasure. I am usually the first up, around 6:00 AM, so I do my RPM*, make coffee, and feed the cat. Annie would prefer the order reversed. Meanwhile, Grant often has arisen, but maybe not. When he does, he dresses in bike kit and goes off for his bike ride. I work in the yard with my phone nearby, just in case he needs a pick up. So far only once, when he got a flat tire. When he returns, we swim, eat breakfast, and decide on our day’s project. Sometimes house maintenance for him, paperwork for me. Other times working in the garden for us both. Maybe a nap if we feel the need. Annie always votes for that.  Thursday’s, after my EarlyBird Toastmasters meeting ends at 8:30 AM, we rush to Costco to make old people’s hour which begins at 9:00. We’ve also supported Total Wine’s over-60 time from 8:00-9:00 when we can’t get something in an online/pick up order, like margarita salt. So far the...

Sourdough and Mango Jam Made By Me  Three and half months into this sequestering, I’ve succumbed to the sourdough bread making craze. It is amazing that an idea that I think started on Instagram has gotten to me, and yet, I only read the newspaper. No social media, no TV news, no friends sending me pictures of their latest loaves. Is the need to bake floating through the air like the virus? I dutifully mixed up my starter and waited for it to bubble. I’ve done this before, once even buying 50 pounds of organic, stoneground speciality flour that I used to make a special warm-brew bread. I’d forgotten what a commitment (pain in the ass) sourdough is. Always wanting attention, threatening  to go pouty if not fed right, just like a new puppy. Fun but a lot of work. One day, before it was active enough to make good bread, I used extra starter for some sourdough pancakes. As I struggled with our stove to get the perfect pancake cooking temperature, I realized I’d never used ...

My Pumpkin Plant   I wanted to show you my plant that I grew from a seed. After this meeting*, I am going to plant it in my garden. That’s what I am doing while I wait out this pandemic. I am not watching TV or being on social media. I get my news by reading 3 newspapers. One liberal, one conservative and one local. Even with that, I almost missed the most important statement made last week by one of our government officials. On Tuesday, July 15 th , Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, “If we could get everybody to wear a mask right now, I really do think over the next four, six, eight weeks, we could bring this epidemic under control.”  Think about that. “If we could get everybody to wear a mask right now, I really do think over the next four, six, eight weeks, we could bring this epidemic under control.”  Let’s use the longest time: eight weeks, that’s about 2 months. If we started today, just t...

Mangos! As our day blend together, this one will stand out: we had not one, but two new events. After our bike ride, I knocked on the door of the house where there is a mango tree in the front yard and mangos lying all over the ground. I wasn’t hopeful for a response because I’ve never seen anyone home, and a car is sitting, covered, in the carport. Surely, a snowbird happy to not be in Florida now that we led the nation in new coronavirus cases each day. But Vincent answered the door and told me I could take all the mango I wanted. The tree was from Jamaica, and he planted it when it was only 2 feet high. Now it’s huge, and covered with mangos. He warned me they were stringy. They look like the ones we had in Naples. He usually puts a wheelbarrow full of mangos by the street and invites all the neighbors to take as many as they like. This year he hasn’t felt up to it. I biked home for plastic bags and cleaned his yard. Tomorrow I’ll go back and offer to put out the wheelbarrow. ...

Another Bunch of Bananas   Our banana plantation along the canal is fruiting. We harvested 3 stalks, each with 5 - 6 hands of bananas,  and at least 4 plants are in flower or with small banana already showing. Banana bread, banana smoothies, banana daiquiris, bananas on cereal, bananas just by themselves, a lot of bananas in our diets. These are small, but not finger-sized, yellow ones. I am going to find other varieties to add to our crop, perhaps even plantains, if they will grow this far north. Unfortunately, like so much else, the Rare Fruit and Vegetable Council sales are shut down because of Covid-19. The rest of our gardens are on hold. Too late for spring planting; too early for fall. My few okra are hanging on. Something ate the eggplants. I’ve learned to start seeds inside. Grant has kindly turned the compost pile twice, adding the bucket of horse bedding I got when we picked Clara up from horse camp in Mount Dora. I need a closer source. Nehrling House Art...

The virus continues to kill people, the protestors continue to march, the government continues to flounder in response. We continue to separate ourselves from the world. And this seems to be the plan for our foreseeable future. I really do not know what else to do. So, I’ve given myself the goal of having our art hung by the end of the week. The world would continue to spin with our paintings still wrapped up and leaning against the dining room wall, but it’s better that I force myself to make decorating decisions than my spending too much time slumped on the couch, reading the news online. Amid all this, our pool person decided he no longer wants to service our pool. After George didn’t come Thursday, which was not surprising because it poured all day, he also didn’t show Friday (some rain, but intermittent), nor Saturday (sprinkles), or Sunday (good weather). I left a message Monday morning. His wife/office manager called back to tell me they had decided they had enough business ...

A week ago, George Floyd was strangled when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. Mr. Floyd was handcuffed and on the ground. All of this was caught on video and broadcast. He was accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. Four days later, the officer was charged with 3rd degree murder. Three other officers who did nothing to stop the strangulation were fired. Protests began in Minneapolis and have spread nation-, then world-wide. At first the protests were calm. Now they have devolved into riots with looting. Our local Container Store, Krispy Kreme Donut shop, and Panda Express at Millenia were damaged Sunday night. Police are overreacting; the National Guard has been called up; Trump told governors and mayors to stop the protests, or he will bring in the military. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the government needs to dominate the “battle space”. Already most of the police forces have military-grade weapons. And I do not k...