…wearing a ‘clinic’ free mask I found in a coat pocket meanwhile. And when mine come black, fabric—I’m going to have Jane paint or embroider a ‘smiling kitty’ nose on it. Those of you with cats are free to copy. 🙂 And dog fanciers, maybe a doggy nose with a lappy tongue?
Getting a new mask soon
by CJ | Apr 9, 2020 | Journal | 151 comments
151 Comments
Submit a Comment Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
BTW 3-4 days since start (i planted in the afternoon Mon, didn’t turn on the full cycle until Tues morning—It’s Thursday, and we have lettuce. We have green growth going on in all 6 pods. Give us 3 weeks to actual salad. Takes 4-12 days in an outdoor garden.
Mama and I are still well and very tired of our own company. My last day of work is tomorrow, then I’m furloughed.
I hope y’all will stay well and weather the rest of the month, and into May. Good to hear from you, Tommie.
And you won’t have to worry about slugs or other critters finding your lettuce.
Salads, indeed!
This might be a little overkill for your mask needs, but it is very cat. Many meow, wow.
https://boingboing.net/2020/03/28/diy-catface-n95-mask-cover-wh.html
I am not sure if I have an inner Furry, but I love that caftan mask idea. Goober has a little “paint smudge” on his mustache, and is otherwise very formal in his tuxedo. It gives him a nice whimsical look.
That’s quick to achieve salad veggies I will be very glad wen the fretted salads arrive with my grocery order.
I took a break, late morning, and all the kittens hung out in the bedroom where I was. Then Dubhan decided my lap looked like a nicer place to nap than the desk and stayed until a guy came buy, mowing. He and Wizard were napping together after that. So I am still considering keeping them.
Still have a bit to go on the pantry and kitchen, but needed a break…and I’m too sleepy after lunch. Not sure why, except I’m still way into sleep deficit.
Reporting in from south Mississippi!
I already had 4 courses online, but then had to switch my 3 classroom courses to an online environment. 4 of those courses are composition-based, and 3 of those are doing the culmination research papers. I’m spending at least 10 hours every day online working through the messages and grading piles. I have many students now at home in the greater New Orleans area. We all wish they could have sheltered in place at the college, but it is now officially closed down – I can’t even get in my office. My one student from Brazil is happily working at home with great internet.
We will only offer online courses this summer, keeping the campuses closed.
I have many athletes in my classes; their schedules have been totally thrown out the window. They will get another year of eligibility, so some of them are dropping classes – they have to be full-time students to be eligible to play. Others will take the transfer to universities. It’s almost on a case-by-case basis; I’ve had several conversations with the Athletic Dean and VP of Student Affairs – what to keep, what to drop.
On a happier note, I have been proven correct – college instructors DO have to learn and use learning management systems (LMS) or get left behind. All the coworkers I had convinced of that – relatively smooth sailing. The naysayers – really and truly struggling up the learning curve mountain. I endured years of snarky comments questioning the quality of online education, even as universities were placing their students in my courses – that’s all over and done now.
I have all the equipment, supplies, and ability to sew masks and head caps, but absolutely no time. So far the best I’ve done is donate supplies for other local sewists.
My husband is workng himself to the bone on the yard and the garden; it’s how he deals with stress.
We can do this. Keep very calm, keep your internet going, and await the next Foreigner installment!
I just wrapped up my 3rd online, Zoom class about 15 minutes ago (Massachusetts History). Zoom is working out surprisingly well, especially when the students turn in their camera so we all can see each others’ faces. Mind you, some of my students do not have computers with mics or cameras. I teach adult learners rather that the more ‘traditional,” fresh out of high school & straight into full-time, student life with no distractions. I’ve taught fully online, but asynchronous (no “live” same time interactions) before: those were totally hell to prep (way more work than when you are verbally conversing and lecturing); the Zoom has been a fairly reasonable approximation of in-person.
We have been talking a lot about how we (and others: students did an oral history interview) have been experiencing COVID-19 & —surprise, surprise—stress. One student who is an immigrant and lives in East Boston says that he misses going outside but now he is just staying inside because outside doesn’t feel safe. Yesterday he looked out the window and saw “them” taking a woman out of the building… the implication being that she was severely ill with COVID. Ouch—I’m worried especially for my students without many resources and support systems. Another student needs income and has been applying for grocery store jobs.
(1) I was one of those very non-traditional students. If I could’ve resolved things in my first run through as an undergrad at a major university, I might have done fine and gotten my Bachelor’s degree, although this was before there was a web for web design, which might’ve been ideal for me. So I have a very colorful transcript with English and French classes, a little computer science, and the basics of what was the core curriculum at the time. I later went back, to community college, and got an Associate’s degree, but it’s really not useful. (It turned out to be more, how to use then-current software, rather than anything much else.) But I graduated with honors, twice on the honor roll. Life then threw me another major curve ball, and hasn’t been the same since.
For online classes, I’d definitely want some level of interaction for questions after the lecture, or for support questions in a lab practicum class. While getting a “canned” (non-interactive) lecture IS good, you get a lot out of it, being able to ask questions where you get the prof’s / grad student’s answers with audio-visual instead of text-only, and with any drawings or other examples, I think is necessary to be sure both sides get across their message. Hmm, and as a vision-impaired person, many, many times, I have seen YouTube videos where the text on-screen was too low-quality and too small to read, and where following a cursor / pointer or other. on-screen activity, with colors and contrast, or images and writing on a white-board, could be almost impossible to Cath. (This is different than my vision level when I was in classes, too, in which I used a small telescope on glasses, similar to what you may have seen surgeons use.)
Many years ago, I tried an online course, free enrollment, not for credit, on Cherokee. But after only three lessons, my computer and internet connection would refuse to accept the hookup for the video live or pre-recorded streaming, so it ended up of no use to me, disappointing. But this was early, around 10 to 12 years ago now. — I’ve heard of Zoom but haven’t seen it in use.
(2) When I rescheduled utilities hookup after the shutdown, one of the caller techs I spoke with was, it turned out, an international student from Spain. He said he was living with someone here, his uncle, I think, working from home as much as he could to get money, and it was just him and his dog. He wasn’t going outside much if any. His English was nearly perfect and his accent was so good, I’d thought he was American. I complimented him for it. He said he’d been here around 5 to 6 months and planned to be ere through the summer. I presume he was going to continue in the fall. A very nice young guy, and he was the one who’d started the conversation. I hope he does fine. Being in a foreign country, even when you clearly love it, in the middle of a global health crisis, worried about things here and back home, has got to be tough. He said his family and friends back home were doing OK, but of course he missed them and was worried Abu them. And my gosh, any international student here…to love a country like America and yet to have to see the political circus nonsense and worrisome tendencies going on right now…you’d have to be of very strong character not to have that bother you. I didn’t do any international study, living abroad. That would be a huge immersive language challenge. My experience around this apartment complex has shown me how hard it could be, even when you did very well in classes, because there is so much vocabulary and customs that you don’t know you don’t know yet, ahah.
I remember dorm life, and trying to live on campus or off, during something likee this, would have to be really rough. Good thing they shut down the campus and students went home, I presume, but oh, that’s a lot of concern for what to door the rest of the semester and for summer session. Nearly a month of class time remaining in the semester.
(3) I would hope those athletes realize they do need classes like composition and literature, liberal arts and sciences and technical, because even the best athletes are only going to go to about 35 or 40, and then where will they be? Plus, they need a good job while not practicing or in games and on the road. (I had only one of my English profs who was a problem; I think because I’d been foolish enough to say I wanted to be a writer. It was my only English class to get a low grade. And one of the books for required reading was an odd short novel called McTeague. Personally, I think it should have been as an example of what not to do. Literary merit? Good story? I couldn’t see it. My mom read it after hearing me complain, and was more appalled than I was. She graduated with a B.A. in English from Rice. Heh.) But I also had other very good English profs and a good but highly eccentric Frenchwoman as my French prof. Heh.)
The two most memorable profs otherwise were a calculus lab t.a. from China and a Syrian immigrant prof for community college. The latter, only because his handwriting was entirely indecipherable and his last class, he basically turned over to me, no kidding, while he was doing grad studies and writing his thesis. I objected that I was the student, not the instructor. I nearly complained. to the dean but decided hey, if I could get my degree and go, good. The Chinese grad student was a very nice guy, very good at his subject, with a very bad English accent, trying very hard, and we as a class all liked him. Once you got past the accent, you knew you had a smart teacher and a good person there. (“yeeks long you” was x ln(u).) It went like that all semester. If he could’ve worked with an accent each or had classes in the foreign language dept., it might have helped him a ton.) I wonder if he kept on here in America. I hope so. It was interesting how much his sincerity and friendliness and knowledge of his subject got through to us, even to the students who could barely make out his accent. I don’t recall his name, but that has stuck with me all these years.
CommentMy wife is teaching 6 form psychology at home on the internet, she is using something called “blue button”. she can talk and hear the students and put the powerpoints up all at the same time. inbetween classes and all easter break she has been updating lessons for next year.
stay safe
kyran
Yay, the pantry is done, except the floor plus another wipe-down of the door and frame.– Hmm, I discovered what I need to use up, extra. Except for the top shelf, it was better than I expected. I didn’t bot anything up yet.
The “cat” mask, or dog mask embellishments sound cute CJ! I’ve spent weeks collecting my supplies, bought and sent mask materials off to our daughter and others. I just did not have the right things in house to make anything other than the most basic rough mask for hubby to sanitize the mail and pick up prescriptions curbside. Add in allergic reactions to an antibiotic (new one to add to my list, sigh) for allergy related sinus infection, and … I gave up and ordered some better masks for us. My quilter sister offered, daughter offered, but they’re making for medical workers. I’m happy to send some funds to a gifted artist so my family can keep working. Now that the drug mental fog is lifting, I’m going to try mask making again.
Placed my first online grocery order; a week long nightmare of a learning curve LOL, but in theory we’ll get some fresh food. Plenty here, but the vegetables, fresh and frozen, were down to remnants and carbs. My friend laughed so hard at my exploits in food procurement, she and her chef friend are making us a hot, home cooked Lebanese dinner for curbside pickup tomorrow. She’ll put in the trunk and wave, and grab the jars of my nephew’s bees’ raw honey in return; she insists she’s got the better end of the deal.
I’m so impressed with your hydroponics, CJ … wow, lettuce sprouting already; that’s wonderful! I’m worried about our hard water, but first I have to hope the unit ships; they say they’re swamped with orders. Mine was confirmed last week, so maybe soon. Stay safe, all.
I feel for y’all. I’m still awaiting my grocery order, submitted Sat./Sun., to arrive Easter morning. Oh, what I’m out of! Oh, how good it’ll be to get the “want, yum” foods too. And supplies I’m nearly or fully out of. — I ordered masks and gloves, but the masks and the wipes came back as arriving in May. I decided to let it go through rather than cancel it. I haven’t tried ordering masks, but likely will. I do have a couple of bandanas. Yeehaw! I did get the reusable dishwashing gloves (Playtex). These remind me of my grandmother, hah. Good memories, though. Disposable gloves are supposed to arrive this week or next.
I discovered a couple of things I’m out of, so ordered them and hope they get here before I move, or else that once I have a change of address in, it covers it. — The new house and one are still on hold. I am still getting ready to move, so I might be caught up by then, ahah.
I love CJ’s mask cat nose idea. 😀 Although mine may be via Sharpie marker or paint pen, if I find where the white or metallic paint pens went to. (I ordered, with the thought of putting a name on the kittens’ collars.)
This morning, I had actually slept overnight, don’t recall what my dreams were, but not bad, a lot of moving around and interacting with dream characters, imaginary as far as I know. — So I woke, fed the cats, had no problems but a minor bit with Springer Unicorn, not too serious. Had a worry over yesterday evening, until I found the other box of moist food. Thought for a while there, I’d disastrously miscalculated. But I’m fine until the net order arrives, I think. As long as it does arrive on time. Flush from completing the pantry yesterday, I tossed all remaining nearly expired produce and other stuff hanging around In the fridge. Still need to scrub it out and go through bottles. (How long has that been in there? Is that still good? Toss it? Yes, No, Maybe?) That’s for later, when I feel brave, ahah. Getting over allergy / fatigue related sinus, which is better this morning. I’m _still_ over-tired, and I may nap while the cats are napping. Clothes washed yesterday are not dry yet, so the bedclothes aren’t yet changed and washed.
BTW, while looking at Kroger’s while going through my next order and removing items I already have in the pantry, ahem, I came across — shredded chicken and shredded turkey, about a pound each. Somehow, I did not know they had it pre-shredded, packaged for sale. That was a yes, to try in a future batch of stir-fry or something, maybe salad toppings. I discovered my flour is still, hmm, usable but maybe a bit stale. No weevils, thank goodness. Closed sealed containers. I also found Kroger’s has naan, so I’m going to try those. And “rainbow” baby carrots. white and purple and orange, I think. I’m going to try them just for the novelty and colors. If I like the colors, cooked, those will become a regular instead of plain old baby carrots. I don’t recall anything else of special interest. I’m going to try making homemade enchiladas when my order gets here, and hope that turns out OK. Cooing while kittens are underfoot is…perhaps a competition sport? But so far, no mishaps to me or them. Also so far, have avoided any feline getting on the stove and getting burned. Please don’t kitties.
I looked for a lid for my small wok, and I hope the stell chef’s pot lid will work better than the domed steamer lid I tried. It sort of works, but isn’t stable enough. A tapered glass lid turned out not to fit well, fell, and shattered some months ago Not so tempered after all, I guess. Or ill-tempered. An ill-tempered clavier clatter? Haha.
Thanks to a YouTube video from TabiEats, I have seen a “cup man” ramen cup lid stopper. I frowned until I found a cheap set of 6 of these little guys; they’re shaped like little guys trying to hold down the cup lid, or climb off or escape. And in the search, I saw a Naruto version, but very chili as opposed to the more realistic rendering. I figured for $9 each, the humor value was well worth the cost.
Man…allergy / sinus has me so draggy that all I want to do is go back to bed, rather than finish cleaning the fridge or doing packing. But I want to get things done during daylight hours while I can see. — Nuts, I am going to sleep. Maybe it’ll ease off the stuffy nose and sniffles and tiredness so I can get to things with some energy and enthusiasm. This does not sound like the cover-19 symptoms I’ve heard. I think it’s mostly fatigue and stuff stirred up from cleaning. — The pantry was not good, but better than I’d feared, except that top shelf. The rest of the apartment will get a sweep / vacuum and mop when I get to it. Hoping to have it all done before the shutdown ends, in time to move. I am not caught up yet, but at lest making progress. Just…no real ambition and very tired and not feeling great today.
New collars and tags for the kittens and a new tag for mama are due any day now. I have not checked the P.O. Box since earlier this week, so they may get here by tomorrow. Unicorn’s kitten collar showed back up after she got it off. Wizard’s stars-mand-mons kitten collar is still missing somewhere in the apartment, but should turn up while cleaning and sorting.
It’s been days since I listened to the 2nd book in the Dreaming Tree. I’m in the first third of that still. I may listen to it and some music while doing cleaning later today.
Think I’m going to cook the remaining fish for lunch or supper.
Kitten Update for Sat. 04-11: I was awake all night; not any of the cats’ faults, only my own for not being able to sleep, then getting up to confirm it. I had tried to nap in the evening, but it didn’t work.
This morning’s entertainment, after feeding time and attempting to nap, was getting back up to look for mail outside the doors, and I’d planned to check the P.O. Box as well. But I only got as far as the one door, and will have to check the other when the kitty crew are fast asleep and possibly not in the room.
Why, you ask? Do tell! Mama thought this was a fine morning for a peek outside, and so two kittens got out while I corralled others and somehow got them in. I picked up mama and brought her in without protest once, twice, again attempting to get kittens back in. Mama then got out again just as I thought I’d won. OK, by then, I could see I needed to solve this another way. So I got four or five kittens into the bedroom, unsure if everyone was in the apt. or the bedroom. Good enough. Now what about mama? Well, she’d looked around and I guess she didn’t see anyone or anything to greet as a friend or fight off as a mortal enemy, valiantly aggressive alpha girl as she is. And by then, her maternal instinct was back. “Meow?” Oh, good, yes, please do come back in without me carrying you in. Much better if it’s your idea, mama-girl.
Then to check the kittens. Either the fifth appeared to greet everyone, or was in the bedroom as I’d hoped. I did a nose count (really a collar count) (I still can’t tell them apart except by personality and weight / body shape, thin or pudgy.) But good, all five kittens present and accounted for, everyone safe and unhurt, and presumably mama didn’t get anything untoward in her brief look outside.
Goober viewed it all from his vantage on the ottoman atop a box, his favorite perch besides my bed or the desk. — He has not been fussing at the kittens quite as much unless they get into his food bowl, which happens often. I’m not sure there’s any real love and friendship going on yet, but it’s maybe not as antagonistic as before.
Ah, and they may be winding down towards morning naps after much energetic, happy play and that almost dose of outdoors.
With a bit of luck, their name ID tags will have arrived in the P.O. Box. I felt I needed to get them tags, since they’d be here through at least the end of the month, and are getting bigger and could get out, as nearly happened today.
So everything turned out OK after all, and could have been much more worrisome if mama or kittens had gone missing on walkabout.
No sign at all of Mystic in all this in and out this morning. I think Tuesday when I took Peppercorn to be spayed was the last time I saw him, unless I’m forgetting a day between then and Friday. He didn’t eat despite that I gave him food. I don’t know if or when I’ll see him around, or if he’ll want anything more than a greeting of, oh, hi, I remember you, you’re a nice human, but I’m not staying in, no.
All the kittens were in the bedroom with Goober and me for a while yesterday, bt then cleared out when mama woke up and meowed to ask where everyone was. She seems to want to know that I’m here and haven’t gone, besides wanting to know her kittens are OK. I _think_ she has finally weaned them. — I have not really gotten to look at her incision since she’s been home. She won’t show it and doesn’t want me snooping, although she’s fine to be with me and relax and get petted. She’s clean and healthy from everything I can tell, and it’s now been 8 days since she came home, 9 since surgery.
Not sure how much I’ll get done today. At some point not sleeping is going to kick in. The pail of litter from Petco is due today, but the pet food order had not yet been shipped and won’t be due until the 17th or 18th, while a small order from Amazon is due Sunday, besides Kroger’s groceries.
Ahem, I will try to have mama and kittens safely tucked away in the bedroom for the grocery delivery. — ut they have always made themselves scarce before if anyone arrives at the door.
Oh, and — A kid, probably the loud, bratty little girl, lefter her small toy dinosaur inside the privacy fence patio area (what would be a balcony higher up). Hah, a little brontosaurus, sort of a green version of Dino, almost. I did not disturb the little stuffed toy, and hope its owner gets it back today. I am just fine with it if a dinosaur chooses to guard my apartment, haha. In fact, that might be a plus. — The, ah, loud, bratty, crybaby little girl, I have not actually seen, but her voice and running and tantrums carry all over the place, and so I know her name and her brother’s name by this. (sigh.) If she can mature and outgrow some of that, she might be a headstrong, smart young lady someday. She is, at most charitable, a handful. I don’t know how her mom (and maybe dad) are on discipline, but oh, they are often running around outside, playing with the other kids. Lately, I have heard an exasperated mom trying to deal with her, but somehow, the little girl doesn’t get whatever is needed to curb the crying whenever she doesn’t get her way or attention enough, which is, oh, just about constant from what I can tell. I believe they are the same kids of the herd of elephants upstairs. I am not sure if there is another daughter, but a girl is often along with the little girl, who is somewhere under kindergarten age, I’d guess. — For me, it has gotten very old. But I’m not their dad and so it isn’t up to me. I just hope the little girl outgrows all that bratty misbehavior soon, before it’s embedded as a permanent personality trait. I also have trouble knowing how much of that is normal for that age, and how much is a problem in how she’s disciplined, or in her own personality. Headstrong and smart? Or bratty and loud and using tantrums to get what she wants? At least I think her mom is somewhat clued in about this, but maybe overwhelmed with how to handle it effectively. I can’t really fault the mom. I think tis may be one of the couples who fight, or who are separated but still fight over things. Sigh. — And yeah, it’s public enough for me to know this without really knowing them. Sound carries really well through the windows, front and back. :-/
I so, so hope he new house works out, or if not it, some other. — Repairs on the apt. exterior are not done, and the interior/exterior items, I think were entirely forgotten. I’m hoping to get things further inordder before asking again. — The claimed inspections have not happened yet, and might or might not. Possibly, someone was bright enough to think that sending inspectors to every apartment would expose everyone if anyone has the virus. But I don’t know what to think, except that it may or may not happen this month after all.
Going to watch an episode of something and try to sleep. — My sinus symptoms are a bit better but not yet over. It’s intermittent but not gone.
Why did I not think to order chocolate? I’m out except for the choc. syrup in the fridge and I think some hot cocoa powder on the shelf. I will likely put In an order, but only if I can get it at a decent price, probably from Kroger’s. — Note: I still can’t get a delivery time via Amazon Fresh, and Kroger’s still shows no toilet paper, so it’s good my friend got me some. Amazon psyched me out, showing it available for a bit then not, and then expected I May or later. So I’m glad my friend helped before I ran out. — A box of Fancy Feast (wet cat food) that was supposed to be shipped with the April 3rd Amazon Pantry order finally showed up as due to arrive on or after April 22nd. Whee. So no telling how much will be delayed for the upcoming month-end order. (I will check today to be sure I don’t end up with extras of non-cat items, pending the hoped-for move.)
Stay well, everyone.
I’ve been indulging my baking fetish lately. Yesterday I made a batch of package mix from Amazon, Limpa = Sweet Swedish rye. I divvied it up into 2 loaves, and traded 1 to our neighbor for some oranges from his tree. The oranges were used to make yesterday evening’s ham glaze. The limpa did not survive long enough to cool 😀 After making the dough for the limpa, I went whole hog and reactivated the sourdough starter I had in the back of the fridge, per Diane Duane’s recipe for ‘Weird Bread’. The loaf was baked this morning, and DH pronounced it ‘not as good as the limpa but still very good’. After making more sourdough starter, I may try bagels.
I have several packets of pumpkin-spice pancake mix, which has a recipe for making a loaf of bread – I think all I need to get is eggs, but I’d have to check. BCS might know it: it’s from Pioneer Baking Mix (and otherwise not actually available in my area).
Pumpkin Spice pancake mix? Now that sounds like something I need to try. I’d bet that would be good bread. I know the brand for other things. Yum, sounds good. 🙂
LOL, I’m not sure I’d trust a sourdough starter in my current fridge’s condition. It’d have to stay covered, tented under a kitchen towel or something, if it needed to be out during the day. (Not at night and haha, with the kittens currently into everything, LOL, it would not survive the encounter.) But mmm, that sounds neat. Diane Duane’s recipe, huh? Gee, I need to be more active in fandom and looking around, clearly. 🙂
I basically lost today; slept mid-morning to mid-afternoon, but I feel rested for the first time in ages, and my sinus is a bit better. The steam from the shower nearly always helps too.
A neighbor, the mom of the always-into-everything little girl, knocked to say there were two packages at my back door. I thanked her and got a nice, polite greeting from the little girl, and said thank you, sweetheart to her by default. Because good manners and…I am maybe a pushover. LOL. Also said I hoped they did good. — We didn’t exchange names; I’d have to ask the mom’s name again, as I think she’s said once. — And — we didn’t interact long enough for me to have a clear idea of what the mom and toddler / pre-k girl look like. But that lets me know her age, which explains most of the contrariness and boundary-pushing, probably. Anyway, the mom is very nice. I don’t know what she does, but she sounds more together than her family life might suggest. — So, I did not get to ask about picking up packages, or any such similar thing, but it was good to say hi to them.
Amazon is all over the place for what’s on time and what’s delayed. Still hoping the cat’s tags arrived in the mailbox, and I have to check if the cheap-is bowls are OK; they arrived. — I also got the bright idea of, maybe Ziplock / Glad containers might work and be cheaper. (I’m out of little microwave trays from TV dinners.)
Hoping very much for groceries tomorrow.
Fed the cats hours early. They liked that, of course. — They wisely hid in the rest of the apt. when the neighbor knocked. So we didn’t have any mad dash escapees. (Good thing, that would have scared the little girl.) After I did a nose count, hah, I found all five kittens and mama industriously exploring — the washer and dryer and top of the fridge. The top of the fridge has, up until just now, been Goober’s sacrosanct domain, a perch and refuge to survey things if he’s impatient or wants attention (or mostly food). He hasn’t been there much with mama and kittens taking over the kitchen feeding station. — So, I don’t know if the kittens and mama will be fascinated with those spaces from now on, or if, once explored, the novelty will wear off. — But it’s one of the last few places they haven’t been in the apt. They’re getting bigger fast, starting to get into skinny pre-adolescent mode, I think. Their eyes have changed color, a while back. Mostly all that lemony, mustardy greenish yellow color like mama’s eyes. (Darn it, no orange or bright yellow-gold.)
Goober was extra cuddly and snuggly last night, right next to me on the desk and then when I got to sleep today, he wanted to be right there with me. That’s very good, I miss that. — The kittens were not on the bed last night, but did hang out some, and I expect they will tonight.
So all is well. — I’m not cook tonight, going to eat a can of something or instant ramen, expecting groceries in the morning.
So I’m good with the creature comforts here and for now.
Back to packing and cleanup Monday. Tomorrow, I’m declaring a break because it’s Easter.
I hope the carrot cake muffins I ordered will be good. I think I also ordered a carrot cake mix, in case I want more. I know I ordered cream cheese frosting. Heh. But I forgot to get chocolate, darn it. There will be salad kits, though, and I think I ordered a few oranges and a bunch of bananas. — Some Goya brand flan custard (frozen aisle) is in the next order. I haven’t had pudding or custard in a long while and wanted some.
I hope y’all are all doing well and stay well. I’m still fine and my local friends’ families are fine, and afaik, my neighbors are well. — So far, we’re OK. Have a good Easter or Passover or other holiday; I believe we’re past Passover already, I’d have to check the calendar. Take care, everyone!
East bunny…Hrvey…now I need to rewatch Harvey and Farcape other. An Hatari, because reasons. (The armored monkey-catching scene.)
the URL for the Weird Bread is
http://dianeduane.com/outofambit/2020/04/09/weird-bread/
Thanks, PJ!
I’ve been making sourdough crumpets from my starter practically every other day of this home-stay. Found the recipe on the always excellent King Arthur Flour site: it’s indeed quick and easy… although works better for me with the griddle temp turned up close to 350F (my griddle may run cool): https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-crumpets-recipe
Hi All,
Our outing yesterday was more eventful than we’d planned; in a good way. I am ever so grateful for the tips about securing an online Instacart delivery by searching after midnight. My order was large and varied, from Aldi’s. After 3 hours of “nothing available”, sure enough around 1AM, I had a choice of a delivery by next Wednesday. I took it, was offered “Fast and Flexible” and an experienced shopper picked it up by early Friday morning. We left early afternoon to go get our Lebanese dinner, and the text messages started flying to my phone “Accept Sub, Choose an alternate or Refund”. That was a little hectic in the car, without my glasses on, filter mask covering half my eyes, LOL … but it seems she sent them all in a batch, and then quiet for a while. By the time we got our food picked up, she dropped off our delivery on our porch 5 minutes before we got home. Hubby spent the next 4 hours out back with disinfectants, wipes etc., cleaning, setting things out in the sun for UV rays and fresh air, chloroxing outsides of frozen food bags etc.
On the way to the closed restaurant, we discovered a surprise: An open farm market in the front of a barn near us; usually only open in fall! All the barn doors were open, lots of fresh air, and a ton of good food available, produce, some frozen, flour, chicken, eggs duck or chicken … AND a smart girl, in an N95 mask and a cotton cover, wearing gloves, who suggested we let her choose our groceries from a distance. Sounds good to me! Fresh wild type mushrooms, sweet potatoes, onions, apples, cabbage and more, all from local farms outside ordinary mass supply chains! She was also using big heavy paper bags, and went so far as to separate my order as I asked. We filled several bags, and one for our Lebanese friends, to add to the jars of my nephew’s honey I had for them. We were the only customers; the other smart people wearing N95 masks who trickled in waited far apart outside till we were done, and went in patiently one at a time. We’d passed the local supermarket a few miles away; a sea of cars in a mess of madness … no way.
We made a fast and far apart exchange of home cooked dinner for a bag of fresh groceries and honey. We settled in after all the grocery cleaning, for a nice hot supper and a ive concert … a friend in New Mexico is putting on 4 nights of live free concerts … oh, so much fun; one more to go tomorrow night. Just him and his guitar, his lady, woodfire in the fireplace and occasional appearances by a corgi that likes to sing along LOL. It was SO good to see them live!
Oh, it’s only an hour and ten minutes before the start of my grocery delivery window, if it’s on time. I am a little concerned about substitutions too. But I’m hopeful despite the week-long delay.
This morning, no sign of Mystic or any other cat around. I hope he’s safe and fed, and healthy wherever he is.
Dubhan is on the desk and so is Goober, who is grudgingly putting up with him being right next to him. Goober hissed, Dubhan lay down, and that was that. Dubhan had been in my chair, I nearly sat on him, and then I held him a few minutes, which he liked too. Pinky is on the bed, and meowed to ask if it was OK, or to make sure I saw her. I thought to get out my chef’s coat, handy for a while. Not sure where the other one is. A rust-colored one is reserved as it reminds me of Firefly. So naturally, Pinky lay down on it, white tunic, black kitty. Heh. I live with cats, I expect such things. Dubhan is having trouble finding a comfy spot; too much of pens, etc. where he was trying to sleep.
The cheap-is small melamine bowls arrived, the size you often see at cafeterias for small salads like carrot salad or cottage cheese and fruit or Cole slaw. These are so nice, I am going to wait on the plastic food containers to see if I guessed right on height and diameter. as something the cats can get to without a problem. I had thought I’d lucked onto another style when looking for those, but they weren’t available until mid-May, so no-go.
There was some kind of partition up blocking the access to the P.O. Boxes, so I didn’t get my mail this morning. If it’s still there tomorrow morning, I will have to go around, if possible. The cats’ tags should be there by now.
So nothing urgent today. I’m slightly dressed up, but not how I’d thought. No matter, the GROCERY delivery and one other are all I’m expecting today.
—-
Cathy, that farmer’s market and the trade for your friends’ Lebanese dinner sounds great. I am supposed to have some hummus in my order today. I’ve never had Lebanese food that I know of, though one classmate in community college was Lebanese, friendly and quiet and a bit hapless, heh.
Kroger’s at first would call to ask if you wanted substitutions. I said I was generally OK with this as opposed to a refund. Later, they went to their current system, rather overdoing it, of asking, for each item in the cart, if you want substitutions. Why they couldn’t have a single checkbox for that, and an override for specific items, so it’s less crowded up, I don’t know. I typically get a text message and/or phone call ahead that my order is on its way or the driver has arrived, and then the knock at the door.
I don’t know if we have Aldi’s here, I’ve never seen or used them, but have heard of them.
I am looking forward to the enchilada fixings and fresh food and items I’m out of. I doubt I’ll fix enchiladas today, ut maybe tomorrow. It depends on how industrious I feel this afternoon.
I never know if my grocery delivery will arrive at the front or back door, so the cats will need to be in my bedroom as the safe spot. — Wish us good fortune!
I hope everyone has a good holiday. I’m happy enough here with the cats, taking it easy today, and then back to it tomorrow.
Here in Westchester NY we have had no luck lately with the ordinary food delivery services – even the time slots that used to open up at midnight are not available- but several local restaurant supply companies are delivering to residences, so that is something to watch for in your communities.
It works well if you can afford the minimum (usually over $200) and can manage the quantities involved. We got, among other things, an enormous box of extremely fresh chicken thighs, which i separated and froze in portion sizes. It was a shame to freeze such fresh stuff! It is like shopping at Costco, though- you just have to figure out what will keep.
In Arizona the governor signed an emergency law that allows restaurants to sell fresh food and supplies to their delivery/walk-up customers. Since the restaurants are closed for dine-in, It seems like a great idea as it allows restaurants to continue supporting the distributors, rotate foods that they have had, and also provide cleaning supplies they have access to which are in short supply in supermarkets.
And a happy Easter to all the salads, growing and homebound! Did another experiment last night in Zoom remote RPGing, which turned out successfully. Since we had ham for Good Friday, I have been defrosting one of the cheap turkeys I got from the after-Christmas sales and it will be roasted. We will be eating ham and turkey for the rest of the next week.
DH, on the way to the radio show yesterday, ran into one of the National Guard roadblocks set up to enforce quarantines and staying home except for necessities; a little disconcerting. We also heard of 2 new hot spots on the island for COVID-19, one at a local church, and one 🙁 at the island’s major hospital. Note to self: try not to do anything that would force you to go to the emergency room, doubly so at this time. Easter services, if I were inclined to such, are right out.
Me, I’d like a mask that resembles one of those smart white jackets with the very long sleeves that tie in the back…
Stay well, all.
If you search Amazon for ( bandana cat ) or possibly for ( baclava cat ) one of the entries will give you a “3D printed” cat face sized to a human face, so you can go around looking very cat-like. However, the delivery date showed at the end of the month. I saved it for later.
I went properly wearing a bandana and felt very silly, like playing cowboys and Indians. I had not located the sliders (wiggles) I got when I got the bandana some while back, but located them this afternoon. — I was not impressed with their idea of a “anther” boggle for a panther or Bagheera or what might be a leopard. I couldn’t turn up a cougar or cat, darn it. I think a nice tawny and beige cougar neckerchief slider would look really cool, if it were shaped right and colored right for cougar markings. And it’s a very American big cat, and related to housecats. Never mind the slang for an older woman chasing a younger man. I’m very surprised some scout troop hasn’t gotten a cougar slider / wiggle made.
—–
Groceries! Arrived, with a couple of hiccups. I am not yet sure what all was substituted or refunded, and have to go through the receipt. But worse, well, the enchiladas will have to wait until I’ve used the hamburger and thaw the other. — While hurrying to put everything up, I didn’t get to the one pack of hamburger. The kittens did, and mama, probably, but I did not see her there at it. So… I rescued it, hope whoever tore the plastic wrap didn’t swallow it. around a quarter to a third of a pound of nice, fresh, wonderful, raw hamburger…was consumed by the little apex predators known as stray cats I am fostering. Sigh. I did not fuss much, it was my fault for not getting it right away and for having them loose. I did not expect it, but somehow, they could smell it thorough the wrapper, or something like that. I cut the untouched portion out for me, cooked it immediately, and then cooked the, ah, not quite mauled, but certainly munched upon, portion they had unsealed. They can have that and I’ll have mine. I am not too mad about it because I think I did it to myself, basically. They just were following instincts. “Hey, that smells great! Gimme some!” I can’t blame them, I like good hamburger too. Of course. Sigh.
So it’s cooked and I’d have to reduce the recipe plus add spices and recook, so it’s not worth it for that pack of hamburger. I did have one still to use, so that will likely go for the enchiladas, once this is used up.
Oops: instead of the usual tortillas, I got extra big burrito wrap size, and a pack of corn tortillas, smaller than I would’ve liked, it turns out, for the enchiladas. I might switch and use the flour tortillas instead. Two frozen deniers were family size instead of regular size, so…well, now I have extra. The bananas were small, only 5, and I didn’t get oranges, darn it. It looks like I did get most things. The carrot cake muffins did not fare well: they arrived upside-down and lost their frosting, mostly melted, but ah, they are very edible anyway. Those ar the only things I really noticed yet.
Somehow, Pinky lost her collar, and I found it, much bedraggled, and gave her a new one. Also I see Dubhan has lost the bell on his collar, which I’ll need to replace.
I’ve looked over the grocery order. Yes, quite a few things were substituted, most fine; but it looks like at least to things didn’t arrive. And several were not bought, not charged. So I’ll have to add them to the next order and hope they get here then. Nuts. Wanted or needed those. No help for it. But I got most of what I ordered, so we’re OK. Hmm, it looks like they substituted root beer for one soda. I agree with Quark; I don’t like root beer much. I will drink it anyway.
All in all, doing OK. I’ve got most of what I needed and can hold out until I can get the others in another round or two.
—–
Hahaha, videoconferencing for RPG playing, that’s fantastic. D&D? Or some other? Interesting that Zoom works OK for that too. (I have not checked out Zoom. I see I need to.)
I’ve heard one state has extended the shutdown until mid-May. No word yet if Texas will do so. The governor is doin’ a little side-step and claiming he wants to keep the shutdown, yet might let people get back to work. Hmm, I’m not sure that makes sense, even though people need to be able to earn a living, pay bills, and they need goods and services, which are not being produced now. But I think our governor may not understand the point of the shutdown and social distancing. I guess we’ll see what happens.
I wonder where those other items landed. I’ve double-checked, and no, I didn’t miss anything.Darn it.
Gonna do without for a while longer.
Have a good holiday, everyone. Looks like it’s gonna be hit-or-miss for a while yet.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuyHxZNv9NtwtyD3xv5Vx51gk8oo
I’m trying to send a photo of the masks that my wife made for us to wear in public.
I like the Tardis fabric especially!
She’s also making me a Darth Vader one that looks like teeth over my mouth. It should be fun. It just seems like there’s not enough interfacing in the stores right now.
Very nice! I used some of my spare quilting fabric and made washable masks for all my staff when they return to work. I had some Star Trek fabric, and one of my people is a Trekkie, so guess who got the Lt. Uhura mask? 😀
One can use canvas for interfacing, or plastic canvas or plastic window screen material. I have had success with all three. If you use the last two, smooth all the ‘nibblets’ off of the edges before sewing.
Glad I feel better this morning. The sinus is still not good, but it spiked around bedtime and wasn’t good when I woke up during the night. So I’m still OK.
The cats all loved the hamburger, which was portioned out evenly. So something like 1/4 pound or maybe 2 patties’ worth fed 7 cats, with a can of moist cat food added. If I’d been really smarter, maybe I would’ve mixed in dry kibble and saved the moist, to see how that would do with them. I didn’t warm the burger meat, maybe it would’ve been even more palatable.
Haha, I had the rest of the leftover beef stew meat and teriyaki sauce, veggies, and noodles this morning. There’s a half container of teriyaki sauce and noodles left, which will either get mixed in with the fish I didn’t thaw and cook the other day, or else the leftover hamburger, around 3/4 sounds. I had a bit of it in with the teriyaki this morning, and hmm, the burger meat needs sauce, it dried out too much. But I might put tomato paste and some veggies in there, and use the teriyaki noodles with the fish. I also had two of the small corn tortillas with a slice of cheese this morning. There are at lest two carrot cake muffins left. Mmm.
Goober wants me to stay. He’s on my arm. So he gets attention before I get busy. Telling myself I must get busy and catch up. Don’t know how much I’ll finish, but at least it’ll makee a dent.
—–
I forgot to say, yesterday, I found two of the kittens curled up I the kitchen sink after the grocery delivery was long gone. Hahah, too cute, but I didn’t get a picture before they moved, darn it.
One of the batches of ID tags arrived, maybe the other one or two. I will have to look this over when I sit down again after a break. So I got to the mailboxes OK this morning.
Noting new, except I ordered another couple of kitten collars. They haven’t quite outgrown the kitten size, so the adult size would be way too big and risky for them, all doubled, coiled.
Exra bowls are due tomorrow, and then I wait for whenever the masks and wipes arrive. I have a package still to open, so I am hoping nothing else is missing.
I miss not getting the oranges or pizza or trash bags (small/medium waste basket size), but mostly those oranges. The small bananas are fine, and I may actually use them up before they get too mushy.
I do’t want to know how much I’ve spent on cat food, supplies, or vet bills from Curry onward, and then from Peppercorn and her kittens. Also, I think they make a lot on collars. I didn’t get extra steel bowls, as 8 for $5 a pop, the cheapest in stock I could find, yeah, $40 pluss shipping, ab out $50 to $55 just for that, for two or threee weeks, provided things do reopen at the start of May. Even so, I am still very glad I’ve had the kittens and mama, and I don’t regret Curry or Mystic, I just wish they’d turned out better.
I still haven’t seen Mystic. I still suspect he is around, but I’ve heard no cats for several days. I don’t know if they were rounded up, or if they are just laying low; plus, I’m not putting food out anymore, since I’m not seeing Mystic, and he didn’t eat the last two times I fed him. I hope he has found a good home, but I don’t know what’s happened.
I will be giving.away a belt that is now too big, as I don’t have an awl to poke a hole for a belt notch. I may still e replacing some pants, depending on how much things shrink if and when I get a new dryer when I move into the new house, if and when.
On the one hand, our governor may sign an order letting businesses start up again. On the other, he or the county judge might extend the lockdown to May 15th or so, when we get closer to the end of the month. So I have no idea yet if I will be getting into the new house after the first of the month, but I am sure I will be paying apartment rent and storage space fees.
All is about as well as it can be. Take care, everyone.
Wow — Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market — Now I get a message to Sign Up for these, so they will “Notify Me” when these are once again available in my area. I was already signed up for Amazon Fresh, but haven’t used it before, since, after the lockdown, I could never get a delivery date-time. So I’ve signed up to be notified. But, wow, for one of the largest US cities, one of the largest US and world-wide corporations, not to be able to serve customers and to have to tell people that, just, wow.
I had added oranges and orange juice to my next Kroger’s order, but I have enough for my next full order already in my cart If there’s a way to dump all that into a saved cart or list, I don’t see it. I gave some feedback suggestions weeks ago, but who knows if they’ll ever do anything. I may submit this as feedback again, as it’s non-obvious to me, if it’s already available.
I am going to see if I can get canned / bottled Orane juice through Amazon, their pantry or other shipment, without some high markup factor.
My sinus is still bothering me, and it goes off and on, almost healing up, but going haywire at times. I don’t think this is the virus, because I don’t have a fever or dry cough or trouble breathing beyond normal stuffy/sniffly nose. I think it’s from cleanup and packing and such. I didn’t do much Monday, spent time with the cats, and slept after mid-afternoon for two to three hours, then again tonight. I hope to catch up and get done, so I don’t have it hanging over my head unfinished y the time I might get to close on the new hose, assuming we don’t have an extension of the shutdown into mid-May.
The kittens are due for their 2nd / booster vaccinations on Thursday, and IIRC, Peppercorn has all hers; I will check.
Doing OK overall, getting through this. Thought I should pass along the heads-up about Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market.
The cats are being impatient, running around, with Peppercorn meowing. She either thinks the other litterbox needs to be changed (yes, she has meowed about this before, good kitty) or else she thinks it’s time for more food, way ahead of schedule. Or she might just be hoping for some attention. But Goober has also made sure to notify me he wants something too, which means, probably food, since he’s been right with me, getting plenty of attention.
The kittens still keep hanging out with mama instead of sleeping with me, but had a nice play and hang out session yesterday afternoon. Fortunately, the blinds above my bed survived this intact…. Heh.
BTW, Goober hs been soaking up attention, taking advantage of the time to himself.
I’d paused in listening to the 2nd half of the Dreaming Tree books, but will likely finish this week. After that, not sure what I’ll listen to, but likely another one of CJ’s books / series, and I may try one of my other audiobooks to vary things.
Oh, and both Star Trek: Excelsior and Star Trek: Outpost podcasts have new episodes out. (It’s short con min-eps with fans reading, for the latter). The Excelsior one is fun, for near April Fool’s Day. Both say they are working on eps upcoming.
I’ve been doing a lot of weeding and shelf-shifting at the library, and our shelves are full of spooge. I do know that when I engage in things that are liable to stir up dust, my own nose goes bonkers. Perhaps all your cleaning has put a lot more cruft into the air and your sinuses are reacting. Dust masks, although they don’t much keep out the COVID-19 virus, still keep out dust!
One can use canvas for interfacing, or plastic canvas or plastic window screen material. I have had success with all three. If you use the last two, smooth all the ‘nibblets’ off of the edges before sewing.
Since my latest bouts have been with Clorox wipes and cleaning out the pantry, and daily litterbox sifting, it’s probably those that have my nose weirded out, plus whatever else. But man, it’s bothering me, and it’s intermittent. It will mostly clear up, then I’ll need to blow my nose due to pent-up stuff, and…bleh, trouble again. — The last two or three days, today included, I haven’t done much. I feel guilty and lazy, but I don’t want to do anything. Today, I’ve been listening to the 2nd book in the Dreaming Tree. (Still no Dubhan, but another Pookah instead.)
I am telling myself it’s OK, listen to my body, but I also feel like I’m playing hooky instead of working. I don’t know why I’m like this right now.
Anyway — Earlier this morning I heard a cat screech outside, some distance away, which started all the cats into motion. I don’t know if it was Mystic or some other cat, and it sounded farther away.
This is my first read (listen) to The Dreaming Tree duopoly. Without also seeing it in print, I’m clueless or guessing at spellings of many clearly Gaelic words, names. I know very little of Celtic / Gaelic mythology, except bits and pieces, or whatever has analogues with English folklore or has spilled over into it over the centuries. And it is so, so odd that we have the commonalities but also a marked divide of cultural and language, so that I, like most, wouldn’t be aware of the mythos, the old beliefs, except as they intersect, or those bits and pieces encountered over the years.
(The cats have been “helping” me today. One kitten is currently on the graphics tablet and fiddling with the keyboard, so any oddments in typing…he’s helping me type, haha. It’s Dubhan / Beige Boy. Wizard has been by the bed.)
So CJ’s depiction of the ongoing tug of war, strife between the humans and the supernatural powers around them, and all the things this points to as what people back then feared or loved or revered, the tricky or dual nature of people and supernatural elements, beings…what it says about their relationships and fears of nature — This is really enlightening, really confusing, and it shows an immense depth to the folklore, the mythology and religion of Gaelic / Celtic people. (And some of my ancestors, of course, included). This feels in some ways like a simply daily life in pre-medieval and medieval times, notably minus Christianʼyþ’s later influence. This feels also very rich and true to what people would have felt and believed and how they lived back then. So while on the surface, it seems simple, it isn’t, and there’s a lot of depth. So I’m enjoying the story and beguiled by how ordinary it sometimes seems. But this is showing me a world I don’t really know, in most of the creatures and the customs, what people thought about their world. (And some does apply to Old and Middle English lore, how Saxon and Norman folks lived.)
There are echoes but major differences with works I read in college, but haven’t reread since. Why haven’t I reread those?
Arafel / Thistle (and the Gaelic name for Thistle, which I still haven’t remembered) — The depiction of how these elves look and act, is so very unlike the medieval romance ideas that weren’t much different than very pale, beautiful, eerie human-like beings with pointed ears, perhaps, or a few other slight differences, versus how other supernatural beings looked. So these elves must look multiple different ways, besides their true appearance.
The whole things is very different and I’m liking it. Some things have me thinking it’s an everyday living tale, and then along comes another scene with the supernatural beings and occurrences. CJ also seems to have set up a framework of rules for how things work, as though it’s a different dimension or plane of existence, and moving between the two dimensions.
When I was a young teen, I read Andre Norton’s book, Here Abide Monsters, which was in a current printing at the time. (Late 70’s, early 80’s.) I remember how the book had the humans fearing an elf-like power, elf-like beings who were not necessarily good or trustworthy, and something about their physical appearance, including gender, being different enough to tell apart from humans, in the story. I had the book until at least I’d moved from my parents’ house, but I don’t know if it made it to my old house, or into my storage space after moving into this apartment. I remember reading the book at lest twice as a teen.
The Dreaming Tree is different from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or what I can recall of the Faerie Queene (parts of which I missed, out with the flue in college when we covered it.) But that otherworldly sense, that faerie kind and realms worked differently than human ways, and that they might be good or bad or both, that it was very hard to tell, have carried over into CJ’s rendition.
Liking this. — I guess I’m taking it easy again today. No energy, either. — Not sure if I’m going to make it Thursday for the vet appt. for the kittens, as my friend has had a hitch getting the ride scheduled. I may have to try again on my end, ut I don’t hold out a lot of hope that will work out. It will solve itself somehow, for Thursday or Friday, to get their 2nd round of shots, boosters, so they are covered.
I haven’t heard yet if there’s anything new at state or county / city level for here, but we’re supposed to get another round of decisions, official orders on further shutdown or back-to-work or something. Last I heard, it could go either way, but the doctors want the shutdown at least through the end of the month or longer, and the politicians, some of them, want to get things going again, at least for businesses. Which, IMHO, ignores or misses the whole point of quarantine. So…half a month to go, possibly another half a month past that. Whee….
Stay well, everyone. — btw, I was able to order bottled orange juice through Amazon, on its way to my door, to take care of that craving. Other groceries not in my order can wait until end-of-month or after. I added canned V-8 to the next grocery order too.