Flowers and Feathers: Pandemic Times, January 17-23

Sunday, January 17

Sunday pancakes started our day on a sweet note. For the past few weeks I've sent a message to my Sunday School group since we aren't meeting. After breakfast I prepared and sent that out.

We used to while away a couple of hours on Sunday reading the newspaper. We can no longer get home delivery, so we give those hours to Sunday news shows. We watch all the major networks. The Lady Vols had a game at 2 so there goes another 2 hours. Then Bill had football and I read. Thus passes another day in the life.

Ruby cooked for us again this Sunday - our favorite salmon.

Monday, January 18

Martin Luther King Day - a national holiday. Holidays don't have the same meaning when you don't work. I woke up thinking that I am not only a morning person, I'm a Monday person. I've always been this way. Monday morning presents a fresh opportunity to "get it right." I aways begin the week with great ambition to exercise, eat right, not drink much and be more mindful. I never get it fully "right," of course, but I'm always optimistic that I will do better (whatever that means!) Mother said the same about herself up until the last months of her life. We are always a project, in progress, never finished.

This Monday I determined, like so often before, to exercise. I manage a yoga set and 20 minutes on the treadmill. Goal 1 checked. I decided to start a new sewing project. I have a pretty piece of fabric that I bought 4 or 5 years ago to make an Easter dress. As an act of optimism and hope that I will be able to attend Easter services at Trinity, I started on the dress today. I'm using my favorite pattern, a simple sheath. I've made more than half a dozen dresses from this pattern over the past 20 or so years. The pattern is so old that it cost less than $2 while today patterns cost $15 or more.

Monday Numbers:

As of this morning there have been 397,617 Covid deaths. We are grateful that our Katie is not one of them. She is doing a little better today.

TN:
687,751 total cases; 8430 deaths; 0-10 35,401; 11-20 86,463

Lo Co:
4955 cases; 510 active; 50 deaths; 59.7 case rate; 19.9% pos rate. Testing is still down and vaccines are not available.

Tuesday, January 19

A 9am dental appointment got me going early, but I was home well before lunch. I finished my dress today. I look forward to the day that I will be able to wear it to church or anywhere.

We had a 4 pm Zoom church meeting and then at 5:30 a small group of us met outside the church for a bell-ringing, candle-lighting memorial for Covid victims. The bell tolled 40 times for the 400,000 lives lost. I'm glad that we did something.

Earlier in the afternoon, I made a new soup for the crockpot - turkey, white beans and collard greens with lots of good savory seasoning - and a pan of cornbread. Supper was waiting when I got home.

Wednesday, January 20

Today is the Day! Inauguration Day!

Would there be any "incident to mar the celebration? I didn't realize how much tension that worry created until the day was over and nothing negative materialized.

Kathy had cataract surgery scheduled today and I was her designated driver. After she got checked in, I went back to the car to wait. I turned on the radio just as Biden's swearing in was beginning. I listened to the whole ceremony from that point - Biden's excellent speech, Amanda Gorman's superb poem and on through the closing prayer. Biden's reference to "uncivil war" reminded me of a poem I wrote after visiting Manassas National Battlefield Park and Appomattox Courthouse back in 2017: An UnCivil War

Perfect timing as I was called back in to get Kathy soon after it was over. Kathy fared very well. We picked up some takeout and headed home.

This is the first calm sunny day we've had in a couple of weeks, so Bill and I left for our walk about 4:15. I took my camera and he took his binoculars just in case the eagles were out. They gave us a great show for Inauguration Day!

Thursday, January 21

January gloom has returned, but our spirits are lighter, basking in the warm glow of yesterday's events. We don't expect a smooth ride politically, but neither do we fear chaos. There is hope that we will be a functional democracy once again.

After breakfast, while I was processing yesterday's eagle pictures, I noticed a hawk perching on the apple tree stump. This time he/she hung around for quite a while. I was able to get a few decent pictures through the window glass, and to see him/her closely through the spotting scope. I've kept the scope set up in the window for just this purpose. Bill watched with his binoculars. We both thrill at the beauty and power of a bird of prey, realizing that he/she is also a threat to the smaller birds. We don't worry so much about the rodents, but we worry about the bluebirds. The tail-bands indicate that he/she is most likely a juvenile re-shouldered hawk.

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk perching on the bluebird house

We had a 1 pm recording session at church and I picked up a few groceries while in town.

Claire came over for a visit and stayed almost two hours. I wish I had taken her picture, but it never occurred to me. We enjoyed our conversation. She goes back to school tomorrow.

Pork loin chops with fried eggplant and green beans for supper.

Friday, January 22

Nothing on the agenda for today except a yoga routine. First I had to replenish the bird feeders. I enjoy watching the birds while I'm doing yoga. It is very relaxing and keeps my mind from wandering.

I spent some time at my desk reflecting and writing. As I said to Bill at breakfast - before you know it, it will be late afternoon. And before I knew it, Bill was calling me to go for a walk. We are thankful for the rare sunny days in January and don't want to waste them. Our eagles were elsewhere this afternoon, but we enjoyed walking in the crisp air and sunshine.

For supper I made almond-crusted flounder with garlic potato rounds and green peas.

Saturday, January 23

We woke up to another crisp, clear January day. After breakfast was finished I fiddled around with learning more about the new church Zoom account so I could set up a Sunday School class meeting for tomorrow. Then I worked on this blog and before I knew it, it was 1 pm.

At 3:30 we went for a walk. One eagle on the perch today. We met Susan and Ed who had seen my FB posts and came to see the birds in person. I have not yet grown jaded at seeing these magnificent creatures or tired of taking pictures of them. Today I tried to get a picture of the next. It is in the pine tree to the left and is most visible from the road across from the parking lot. I need to learn more about the manual focus options on my new camera.