WOW!  I have certainly been amiss in my posting on this here blog.  In earlier days, I posted every day.  I guess I thought the world was waiting for my incredible words of wisdom, advice and clever quips.  Such folly.

As the months and years went on, I had less and less to say--to anyone and especially the world.

Then I started working on genealogies and I drained my brain everyday on research and writing the family story and there was nothing left to post here.

Then I posted once a week, on a Sunday.  Now I have gone two weeks and believe it or not...there are people that e-mail me and want to know if I am all right because I haven't posted.  Silly Billies.

Yes, I am fine. If I had died, you would have known because my daughter Pam has instructions to post that event on FB AND in this blog.

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What is there to post?  This quarantine has kept me home bound.  the muscles in my legs are becoming weak without my weekly visit to the HUGE grocery store that I used as my exercise program.  Walking the breadth and length of that store and up and down aisles.

So, I initiated a walking program.  Every day, out at 2:00 (after my Soap) and attempting to walk down to the corner, perhaps a block away.  But, half-way there my back would start aching.  My legs would feel weak, my pace unsteady, my balance was off.

So, I went into the shed and hauled out the walker that Medicare gave Fred after his heart surgery.  One of those fancy ones--with hand brakes and even a seat.  That helped a bit.  Sometimes Jackie would walk with me, she also using her walker.  Sometimes Pearl's daughter would come out and push Pearl, in her wheelchair, Merle tagging along behind us, occasionally Dar would bring her 98 year old father out in his wheelchair and we would parade along.

We did that on two occasions, coincidentally on the two days we had of Spring.  Now it is 90 degrees with the humidity at 62% and it feels like July or August.  I am heat-sensitive, ever since a heat stroke took me out years ago, and I get nauseated and faint in the heat.  Sometimes I want to slap Dar who brags, to all that listen, that she loves the hot weather and I just need to drink more water to cure my problem.  Of course, she complains and suffers in the winter time, when I am outside with no hat or gloves enjoying the cold, crisp air.

Maybe she needs to drink more water.

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This quarantine has taken all the fun away.  Although I am used to staying home and only going out to the store or bank once a week or every 10 days, to know that I am supposed to stay out of the stores and the ones I want to go to are closed, has set me back.  AND if I go--once a month to pick up a prescription, I have to wear a mask and those dang things are hot!

I need a hair cut!  My hair hasn't been this long in many years and it is heavy hair and it is hot.

I need to go to JoAnns or Michaels and get the kids cross stitched wedding sampler stretched and framed.  Both stores are closed and my hands are so weak and shaky that I can no longer stretch and frame the piece myself.

So, I'm closed up in the house with the A/C running and it is just like being closed up in the house in winter with the furnace running.  Closed up is closed up, no matter when it is.  I want the windows and screen door open to let in the fresh, spring breeze, but like I said, we only had 2 days of spring.

It is very tiring with nothing to do.  No genealogy to work on.  No ability to go out into the gardens.  No grocery shopping to do.  Nothing.

Now you can see why I don't post more often.

I have nothing to say.

It's been many years since I got together will all my kids on Mother's Day and five years since I've been with the 3 daughter's on Mother's Day.  My Mother died many years ago at the young age of 53 and since then, I would just as soon forget all about it.  So to me, today is May10th 2020, a Sunday with lots of sun and even a few early morning snow flakes.  Bah Humbug.

Ah-hh, but yesterday, daughter Karen and her hubs Mark came over and in the windy and chilly 47 degrees, ripped out the raised garden I had on the west side of my shed.  That garden has been a pain in my heart and I have been trying to find someone to take it out for 4 years.  The rain that came off the shed roof, poured down into that garden and at one time, it was great because that meant I didn't have to haul the heavy hose out there to water.  In the last 6-7 years, that rain has poured into the garden and directly UNDER the shed, which in turn as caused the shed floor to rot and fall apart.  Apparently whomever erected that shed did not put down a cement pad first.

The kids also dug a hole, where I had a Mulberry tree taken out 5 years ago, to get it ready for the gift for me that I used a bit of my Economic Impact money for.

It's been 25 years that I have yearned for a Red Bud tree, but not the pink kind we have around here, I wanted one with almost black trunk and the branches twist and grow twisty and it reminds me of a Ming tree.  Plus, I wanted one that has purple blossoms--kind of Lavender color--and dark purple leaves.

I checked with the garden center/nursery just down about 600 feet and across the road from me.  Yes, they had them, but they no longer arrange for delivery and planting of the tree.  But, yes, they had them, 5-6 feet tree and only $225.00.  Oh, and it comes with a one year warranty.

EGADS!!!

So I checked on-line and found one, 5-6 feet tall, comes in a burlap bag that you plant along with the tree, one year warranty, and it is a weeping variety.  Shipping and all--$99.00.

 This will be a perfect specimen tree for that spot as the tree doesn't get too wide and only about 8-10 feet tall.

When it arrives, Karen and Mark will come back and plant it for me.

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Karen also got me a web cam and I got hooked up with ZOOM so I can attend the virtual wedding shower next Sunday.   Apparently grandson Stephen and Carolyn are still getting married on June 6th, but not the big church wedding they wanted way over on the west side of the state.  Instead, they will be married in the Catholic church here in Brighton, Stephen's home church, with 25-30 people invited and I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.  

How easy for me to get dress and drive the 3 miles into that church.

Their reception will be end of August on the west side of the state and I probably will not go to that.  2 hour drive over  there and 2 hours at the reception and 2 hour drive back home....I figure would just about kill me or at the least, put me down for 3 days.

I have had their wedding sampler cross stitched for about 4 months.  I thought at one time I was going to have to pick out the "date" threads and re-do it, but....now if I can just figure out if I am allowed out of my house to get it to the frame shop and get it all done in time for the shower next Sunday, I'll be okay with that worry off my mind.

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The weather man has promised, that we are done with chilly and this next week it should warm up for the next 4-5 months.  I have my Baltimore Oriole feeder up and 2 pair of Orioles enjoying the grape jelly and sugar water.  The Thistle seed sock is up for the Finches, that have just started coming in and the Hummingbird feeder goes up this afternoon.

I don't when or if I will buy annuals.  I am only going to plant one planter--the 3-tiered one I have for my porch.

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I am hoping the hair salon open up before the wedding because I look awful with this sticking out, gray/dark, long hair.

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Did you know that the Governor from New York, instead of putting older COVID-19 people on the ship or at the Javetts center, sent them to nursing homes to recover?  Instead, they infected the population in the nursing homes.

We have 380 cases of COVID in this County.  20 have died--all over the age of 70.  No new cases or deaths in this County for the last 5 days, so maybe we are calming down.

What beautiful weather we have been having...well at least the last two days.  Tomorrow it will rain again and get colder.  At least with the nicer weather, it makes the whole CV-19 go away for awhile.

It all feels very normal, when I wake up in the morning.  I get up, feed the cats, look outside at my spring bulbs blooming so nicely.  Spring bulbs come up no matter what else is going on in the world.  If I keep the TV off, there is no News of the latest cases and deaths to disturb my peace.  It's nice not to have to deal with reality for a few hours at least.

I watched a virtual graduation ceremony for my grandson Stephen and his fiancee' Carolyn.  It wasn't exactly a ceremony.  The Dean was on with a few comments, then a photo of each graduate, with the medical degree they had earned.  It took 90 minutes to show those photos.  I watched and waited so I could take a screen shot with my camera of the kids.  The photos didn't turn out real well.

After 8 years of study, they are both Doctor's.

They have postponed their wedding until August 20th.  We are still having their virtual shower on May 17th.

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Maddie sent me a photo of my 2 month old great grandson that I still have not seen in person.  Bright blue eyed, little blonde.  He looks so serious.  Benedikt

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I went out to check my garden today.  They are coming along just as they should AND my pair of Baltimore Orioles showed up at the feeder today.

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I got my Economic Impact check and I can't begin to tell you how secure it felt...for a day anyway.  Then I went to the bank and deposited more than half of it, came home and wrote out checks on some bills that have been overdue for 4 months, and now I have way less than half...which is still nice.  I have stashed it in my "emergency" jar, hidden in this house.  It's not that I don't trust the bank with all of it, but I am a bit leery of hackers and I do like to have cash in the house.  

Reminds me of my great grand parents.  After the Crash of 1929, they bought a big safe and put it in their house and kept all their money in there...for years and years.

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The hair salons here in Michigan will open on May 28th.  By then, I will be 4 months overdue for a hair cut.  I will be going in, even though I'm a bit scared.  

Hey--if I pick up the Bad Buggie there, at least my hair will look nice for my hospitalization and funeral!!!!!!!

I finished a genealogy.  An interesting one....oh, I guess I say that about all the genealogies I do, but this one will have a few surprises for my client and that always makes me smile.

When I do the pedigrees, I create them on an Excel spread sheet, then I tape the pages together and take it to the print shop to have them copied onto one long sheet of paper.  Well, the print shop is closed, so I taped the pages together and put them in her book.  They look okay, but not professional like I would like.

We have to do the best we can.

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Technology...what can I say about it.  The undermining of the next generation with their noses stuck in the phones night and day, or playing games.  A way to track us with GPS, so every where our phone goes, "they" know.  

I remember when computers first came out, all big and bulky.  We were told it would make our life easier.  We wouldn't have to keep paper files, as everything we needed would be kept on the computer's hard drive.  They neglected to tell us what to do if we needed an important file and the hard drive on the computer had died and we had no paper in a file folder to get what we needed.  Every company I ever worked for, not only kept their files on the computer system, but a duplicate paper one in a file folder in a file cabinet.

One particular reason I am kind of glad for this newer technology, my grandson Stephen and his Carolyn are having a bridal shower.  I figured with all the 20-30 somethings in attendance it would not be a good idea for me to attend.  You know, that age can be carriers and not even have one symptom.

My daughter Karen, Stephen's mother came up with an idea.

The kids will be at her house, where they are staying right now, and the rest of us will be linked up with ZOOM via cameras on phones or PC's so we can watch and everyone can see and hear everyone else.

A virtual bridal shower.  How very clever.  I have none of that equipment, but Karen has ordered the camera and connection that goes in a USB port on my computer and I will be all set.

I feel sad for this couple.  They both graduated from medical school and of course, no graduation ceremonies.  They both have their residencies at the hospital they wanted so that is good, but they have been planning their wedding for over a year.

06-06-2020.  What a lovely looking date, however....that is now being changed.  We don't know the date of the wedding for sure now.  May still be on the 6th, maybe a few days later.  Of course, no one in attendance but two witnesses and their parents.

They have planned their reception for late August and will re-do their vows, in their wedding clothes, at the reception.

They are such a nice couple and have worked so hard to get their degrees and now their residencies have been postponed until The Virus is not so prevalent in the hospitals they were assigned to.  At least they haven't had to work with The Virus patients.  Stephen is going into Cardiology and Carolyn is going into Family Practice.

I had their wedding sampler all crossed stitched and was about to wash it, iron it and get it framed.  Now I will wait until I hear the actual wedding date, because I might have to cut the threads and pick them out of the date I have stitched.

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I've been watching live streaming church programs.  I really enjoy  pastor Allen Jackson from a big church in Murfreesboro, TN.  He had a regular Sunday morning service that I have watched for years.  Now he is live streaming.

He wanted people to write in the comment line what was the first building they were going to go to when things get opened up.  Without thinking, I typed "Hair Salon".  That shows what a heathen I am because everyone else had commented, "Church".  HAH!  All I can say is, I think some of them were fibbing.

I look like someone I don't even recognize.  A very old lady with gray hair poofing way out to the sides and sticking out up on the top.  The back of my hair is way down the back of my neck, touching my collar.  ARRGH!!!!  

We here in Michigan are still on Stay Home orders and it is mandatory to wear a mask if we have to go to the grocery store, or they won't allow us to enter.  Do those masks really help?  Some medical people say they do, others say they don't.

The ones Karen made are lined with a coffee filter and, she sewed a seam for a pipe stem cleaner to be inserted, along the top edge so the mask can be pinched to hold tightly to the bridge of my nose.  They say when you put on a mask, light a match, bring it up toward your mouth and if you can blow the match out, the mask is no good--won't help a bit.  I tried that, and no matter how close I got that match, I could not blow it out, so........it gives me a certain feeling of safety.

Our Governor had many illogical restrictions.  Not allowed to go out on a lake in a motor boat.  You could with a canoe or a kayak, but not a motor boat.  Not allowed to buy any seeds or garden items.  The Walmart actually had their garden center roped off and "Do Not Enter" signs posted.  Not allowed to play golf.  All the golf course clubhouses around here were closed anyway.  No landscaping companies were allowed to work.

Last week she relaxed some of the restrictions.  You now can go for a motor boat ride and fish if you want to.  The lawn mowing guy can now come, mow the lawn, pick up sticks and rack leaves.  The nurseries around here opened and yesterday, their parking lots were packed.  You can play golf, but you can't use a cart, nor enter the clubhouse AND you can't touch the pin on the green...It has to stay in the hole.

Our State is opening in phases.  This is Phase One.  Phase Two, restaurants' will open with strict rules.  "Vulnerable" people are to still stay home in Phase One and Two.  Phase Three will allow salons, gyms, tattoo parlors, and the like to open, also with strict rules and in Phase Three, we vulnerable's will be allowed to go out and about.  I expect Phase Three isn't going to hit until August!

I will look like Cousin Itt by then.

ARRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Easter was only a week ago?

It seems so much longer to me.

Still feeling a bit discombobulated. Still not being able to really focus. Still wondering when this plague will leave our lives.

Worry for my family members, especially those in New Jersey. Missing my kids and grand kids and not yet being able to hold my newest--6 weeks old already, great grand boy. Missing hugs and conversations.

 Knowing full well, in the deepest part of my soul that, as in other hard times, God will carry us through. He always has, He always will. Continually praying He will sweep this plague from our country.

Grateful to Him for all that I have and trying to find blessings in each lonely day. Whether it be the sun shining, Robins hopping across the lawn, a beautiful Daffodil standing tall again after shaking off its covering of snow or clean clothes taken out of the dryer and hung up again in my closet. A fresh bloom on my African Violet plant or my sweet Buddy cat, laying on Momma's nightgown, taking a nap.

It's the little things that really count. E-mail photos sent from a granddaughter. Phone calls from my sister. A daughter bringing me food to carry me through.

Della

Harrison, already walking around furniture

at 8 months

Life is still very good and it will be even better...one day...soon I pray.

Aren't we all so weary of all of this?
It's starting to make me really sad.
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Our Governor has closed down everything she doesn't deem essential.  Our lawn mowing guy can't come and pick up sticks, rake up leaves or mow the lawns.  The garden centers at the Walmart and other stores are roped off because buying seeds and getting annual flowers to plants, is not essential.  We are mandated to stay home and can only go out for groceries or prescriptions.

I decided yesterday I needed a drive in my car so I went up to the gas station, filled the car up with gas and went inside and bought a bag of chips and a candy bar.  No one in there except the cashier hidden behind a giant plastic shield.  I felt like such a rebel.

Our Governor had also banned all doctors from using HydroxyChloroquine.  This week, since our numbers have gone up, she is begging for supplies of the medicine.

In my County we have 206 positive cases and 3 deaths.  One was a 20 year old.  Of course, those numbers will go up.

I have a sinking feeling that The Virus will be around until a vaccine comes out for it.  We were hoping that with hot weather coming, it would kill The Virus, but now "they" are saying that nothing can kill it.  So even when the stores open again and businesses and restaurants open, there is still going to be chances of contracting it.

Even me, a natural stay-at-home person is getting tired of it.  I went out for a walk today.  I can feel my legs getting weaker from all the non-exercise.  My weekly trip around the store and up and down the aisles, used to be my exercise.

I don't know.  I don't think any of the experts know either.  It's not like any of us have gone through anything like this, so we know what to do.  Even the Polio epidemic in the mid-fifties wasn't this bad, and we did a bit of social distancing back then.

Life as we have known it, will never be the same after this.

Everyone is so cranky!

I had to make a run up to Walmart this past Wednesday.  I had a prescription to pick up and had been putting it off for a week.  I only had one pill left for that day, so I got there at 8:55, and was the only one in line, when the pharmacy opened at 9:00am.  I couldn't wait to get outside and let the breeze blow the bad buggies off me.  It felt like a scary "adventure".

When I got home, I wrote about my adventure on Face Book, like I often do and put a humorous tone to my story.

Man!  I got blasted by two friends who criticized me for going out that not only could I spread the virus to others or catch it myself and I was making too light of this pandemic.

Late yesterday afternoon, I found out through Dar that our lawn mowing guy can't come and rake leaves or pick up sticks.  His business is not deemed essential.  I was pondering on FB about that.  Wondering why when he would be outside and me inside and never the twain to meet and at least, I could send him a check that would help him feed his two little kids.

Another friend ripped into me.  Sort of accusing me, "Do you think your lawn work is essential?  Really?"

Gosh.  I don't think that's what I posted.  I was just wondering why it would matter if he worked when he would be outside and me in.

So, after crying a bit from the criticism and scolding I got, I decided to stay off posting anything on FB.

GEEZ!!  Last week my sister told me I was over-reacting and now this women accuse me of making light of a serious situation.

I can't win!
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So now "they" are saying we all should wear face masks.  Even though they don't do any good, if you have The Virus it will keep you from contaminating others---it keeps your sneezes and coughs inside the mask.  If  you don't have The Virus, wearing a mask won't keep the bad buggies out.

We have ladies around here sewing masks.  Bless their hearts, but no hospitals will take them.  They have to be made from a double layer of tightly woven pure cotton and they have to be able to be adjusted tightly around the nose part, down low on the chin, or they do absolutely no good.  The poor sewing ladies are trying to help and so far, they are being turned away from care centers.

My sister has some masks left over from when they lived in New York State and went through the SARS scare.  She said she would get one to me.  It appears to be a sturdier than the home made ones.  I might wear one if I have to go get groceries, but....I don't know.  If you keep adjusting the mask, you end up touching your face more and that might contaminate you worse than if you just went without.
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I didn't need one yesterday--outside trying to rake my front lawn from the piles of leaves the lawn guy left last fall when he got sick with Lyme Disease.  I have little blue Star Flowers that come up all over my front yard and I wanted to uncover them.

I only got 3/4 of one side of the lawn done.  Finally I figured that I didn't want to take a chance on an AFib attack and have to go to a germ ridden ER, so I sat in my canvas lawn chair, in the sun, and watched the neighbors walk up and down the street, with their canes and walkers.  Dar had her Dad out, pushing him around the block in his wheel chair.

At least I got to see other humans and call "Hi, how ya doing?"  back and forth.
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My youngest daughter Jennifer, had to go to ER on Wednesday night as she was having a hard time breathing.  She has asthma and is still recovering from an 18 month stint with Lyme Disease.

They gave her a COVID-19 test, with results coming back in 5 days.  Took an X-ray and EKG, both good and sent her back home to quarantine herself in one room.  She has been working from home and has not traveled anywhere, so I don't know where she may have picked up The Virus, if that's what she has.

That is the real scary thing about this, for me.  People can have it and show no symptoms, but still be contaminating others.  That's why I have stayed away from my grandchildren.  Not that I might give it to them, but they were working and in college until the 3rd week of March, so they could have it, and because they are younger, feel no bad symptoms, but give it to me and then...I'd be dead.

I know darn well, if I had to be hospitalized and it came down to who was going to get a ventilator--a 50 year old or me an 80 year old, I would just be rolled down to the Hospice unit.