Tag: Corona time

Jumpstarting My Life

I am half way there…maybe. I received my first dose of the Covid 19 vaccine almost a month ago and am scheduled to receive my second dose this coming Saturday. But will I?

Health Care Professionals – Our Fierce Warriors

My initial encounter in this process was wonderful, very efficient and from arrival time to the shot entering my arm perhaps 10 minutes elapsed. I was impressed. I was given a card with the date of my first shot and the potential due date for my second shot. I was told I would be emailed the date and time of my appointment. And therein lies the rub. To date I have received no email and an email I sent requesting instructions generated a robotic response with a phone number to call if I needed further assistance. So I called the number only to hear the dreaded terminal busy signal and the web site very politely states there are no more vaccination time slots at this time. Refresh, refresh, refresh!

On the plus side…I retired on January 31, 2020 so my timing was perfect. I have used my lockdown time to hone my artistic abilities. I have tried countless new recipes, keeping the best, trashing the rest and eaten my way through a year in solitary confinement. I transformed the balcony of my condo into a 75 square foot garden and somehow managed to grow an astounding amount of food. I’ve watched countless U-Tube videos on gardening learning about new plants in exotic places and developed a list of favorites…the Mumbai Gardener in India, Bob Blast for art, and Crazy Lamp Lady who manages to do a fabulous job of taking me along with her as she scours thrift shops seeking a buried treasure to flip for profit. I discovered that anything I might want to learn is available there. I’ve read a long list of books and watched multiple television programs. In short, I’ve tried to maintain my sanity as best I could. I am in good company for every other person in my world has done their best as well. So I wait…

Swiss Chard, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Basil, Mother Thyme, Lemon Grass, Peppers
Small scale Balcony Composting
Cruicial survival tools
“Alone” – A Mixed Media Project
Acrylic 2020

Update: Success! I received my second shot and unlike the first one it did manage to take me down a notch. I had fever, general malaise, body aches, headache and the annoying symptom of not being able to keep my eyes open for want of sleep! A very small price to pay for my freedom after a year of isolation. I’ll still wear a double mask, still social distance, wash hands and continue to try to be a thoughtful and caring human because I DO CARE about my fellow humans.

Be a Care Giver!

DO YOU CARE? If so, please wear a mask.The life you save is loved and treasured my many other people.

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An Old Friend Returns

fashion woman working girl
Old Friend

So I am still trying to expand my interests and fill my “corona” time as I remain isolated and in safe harbor in my living space. Before the hard lockdown occurred, one of my oldest friends came to visit for a couple of weeks. We knew we would be isolated and spending much time at home, but this didn’t bother us, simply because we have always enjoyed each others company and have many of the same interests. Our time was spent planning meals, cooking, playing cards, reliving old memories, and working on art projects.

In the course of her visit during one of our reminiscing moments, I lamented that I no longer had my guitar. I had loaned it to a granddaughter and it had migrated to its last known residence in the halls of the music department at La Jolla High School where I am hopeful some young budding virtuoso was strumming those strings and creating great music. In retirement I thought I might return to picking out a few tunes and was saddened when I realized my Aria was gone. When my friend heard this she reminded me that I had given her my first guitar many years ago, an act that had been totally wiped from my memory. She told me she knew where my old guitar was and that she believed she could get it returned to me. This became her mission and nothing can stop her from completing a mission.

Within a few weeks, a huge box arrived at my home and when I opened the box and removed the plastic wrap, my eyes fell upon an old friend, my learner guitar, a 52 year old companion that helped a young woman of 22 cope with life and find happiness for many years with girls scouts and friends singing around a campfire. I wept with joy at the sight.

So I began spending some time each day trying to pull the chords from the retired files in my brain and toughening my fingertips. At one point a long time ago, my fingers could fly from one chord to another and my right hand could strum and pic automatically to the beat of the song. Now I am like a toddler learning to walk…I move slowly, lose my balance frequently, then pick myself up and try again. Just in a short two week period, I have gotten better so muscle memory is beginning to kick in and hopefully in the not too distant future, I will be able to play some of my old favorites.

Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold! An old friend is home!

Happy strumming!

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