I really do want to know how you’re doing. Yesterday’s post was scheduled way back before the world closed down, when I still thought I’d be in Australia for the first part of May. Abby and I picked May 18 because I didn’t expect to be back in the country in time for her book release. And, I certainly wasn’t posting “Distractions” on Mondays way back then. It seems forever ago, doesn’t it?
As I said, I’m back at work. Our system is planning to start curbside service at all of the libraries on June 1. We still won’t be open to the public yet, but at least people will be able to pick up books they’ve placed on hold. I have to say our library users have been very patient.
My biggest distraction is still FoodTV. I don’t really cook much, but I enjoy watching some of the shows while I’m eating. Other than that, I spend my weekends reading and watching all the wildlife outside my back door – squirrels, rabbits, quite a few ducks. And, one of the squirrels, George, loves to come right up to the door and taunt one of my cats.
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| George |
So, what have you been doing lately as distractions? Most important, how are you?
I don't trust them – squirrels, that is.
Mostly reading and watching and eating and occasionally shopping.
I know what you mean about Australia. Sorry you couldn't go. We are looking at the "postponement" (which we are reading as "cancellation") of our summer concerts (officially May and June so far, though we aren't hopeful about the rest) as well as a planned trip with cousins to Boston over the July 4 holiday. I have a feeling it is going to be a "staycation" for most New Yorkers this summer. (See, as long as concerts are only "postponed," they don't have to give you a refund.)
I wish our library went to a drive-by/pickup system, as there are several books I have on reserve that are not available as ebooks.
That's okay. I hope the world is back to a new normal next year, Jeff, so I can go to Left Coast Crime and Ireland and… I miss my trips. I have no idea what airflight will look like. I read a horrifying article about it, but I'm sure we'll all learn to live with it.
I'm sure our users will be excited when we start curbside. We'll see what happens. I didn't watch the governor yesterday, but our stats show an uptick, and one of my staff just informed me she was exposed to someone who just had the test because a coworker was diagnosed with it. (sigh) We'll see where this goes.
We have a gift card for a B&B in PA which we got for Christmas which we’re hoping to be able to use in the fall. Until then there really isn’t much of anyplace to go unless we need to make a quick run to the store. I wish our library would start doing pick ups for holds since I have a lot of holds. They started at another branch in the county two weeks ago but I haven’t heard anything about it since.
I hope everyone stays safe.
I'm managing to stay super busy with Zoom meetings, webinars, housecleaning, baking/cooking, pulling weeds, reading, and more. I'm thrilled, though, that I can now return the 7 library books I've read and have bagged and ready to go, and that we were able to put new books on hold yesterday with the promise that pickups can begin tomorrow after we're notified the books are ready. I don't feel comfortable unless I have a stack of books waiting to be read. My emergency stash of TBR books in my bookcase is shrinking…so, of course, I ordered a couple of new ones last week. I'm really looking forward to reading the new MWA anthology, Mid-Century Murder.
I'm still recovering from the fall I had almost 2 weeks ago – did something to my ribs – extremely painful but getting better. So I've been doing lots of reading. I still have some of my TBR stack but I've been using Overdrive. Just like holds they all come at once. Understand, I'm not complaining, better to have too many than not enough. Yesterday I made a quiche using fresh spinach and mushrooms from the local farmers' market. I didn't have all the ingredients called for in the recipe so substituted and it turned out fine – in fact, delicious. So I'll be eating well for a couple of days. For pickup this coming Sat. we had to place our order yesterday – looking forward the most to rhubarb – a pie is a strong possibility next weekend.
Sandy, I hope the world has opened up and you can use that gift card in the fall. As to the curbside, I'm sure once they get all the kinks out of it, they'll move to other branches.
Right there with you, Patricia. I need a TBR pile. I guess I really don't have to worry about that, though. I'm glad you can get holds starting tomorrow!
I LOVE rhubarb pie, Sally. Lucky, lucky. Except for that fall. Take care of yourself. I hated to read about that.
Still home and hiding from the world. Still very scared. We are supposed to have our physicals Friday. Something I always dread doing and this year that dread/fear is way, way worse.
Our checked out materials were extended from the due date of May 15th all the way to August 30th. No word yet on when the drop boxes will open or if they will start curbside pickup.
TV wise, I saw something about THE CORONER which is a British mystery series on Amazon. Hunted it down and we have started watching it. Kind of a cozy style deal. Another village by the seashore that looks great and yet has a lot of murder. 🙂
I think, like everyone, I'm doing pretty well. We all have our good days and our not so good days if we're honest. Being retired and a bit of a hermit, things are not as different for me as they are for some and I'd be awfully selfish to complain about sheltering at home; a home I love. It's going out and seeing the really selfish people who refuse to wear a face mask that pisses me off and throws me into a tizzy. Don and I both miss traveling. Even if it's just to hop into the car and drive to Asheville to see The Biltmore House gardens. So – I cook. And I bake. And we eat, and eat some more! LOL! And the Scrabble board never gets put away.
Take care of yourself, dear one! xxoo
I'm scared, too, Kevin, and don't like going out. I told Brad Parks that after working last week, I felt as if I just collapsed on the weekend, and we aren't even dealing with the public. It's wearing a mask all the time, and cleaning everything, and being so careful, and carrying my own pen to sign in/out of the building, etc. Just wears on me.
We all need TV distractions. My distractions later this week will be Celtic Thunder.
I am a homebody as well. But I miss more frequent trips to the grocery store and like Kaye am appalled at the number of people not wearing masks. When I do venture out it is once a week to the grocery store during senior hours. I am grateful my husband is working from home.
I am sad there will be no trip to
Chicagoland this month to see my grandsons play baseball and the oldest will not have his 8th grade graduation. Our local farmers market will only be a pre-ordered drive thru which rather defeats the purpose of being out and about on a Saturday morning among the community even though it is the safest option to have one.
Our distractions are playing games of Rummikub and Quiddler and there is always a jigsaw puzzle on our formal dining room table. We are pretty boring creatures of habit watching PBS and Acorn TV in the evening but I am missing my Cleveland Indians on Sports Time Ohio 😊
Stay safe.
Everything here is pretty much open, just not at full capacity. I don't go to town anyway. Even our farmers' market is opening on Saturday.
i still work, and read, but really miss seeing people.
I spend the time reading and procrastinating. I miss baseball terribly, friends and I have partial season tickets to the Oakland A's so that is out for the year, my plays have been cancelled. On the fun side our bridge group has sort of figured out how to play online. And a group of about 14 of us from our college graduating class are zooming every other Monday. That has been fun.
Our library staff went back to work Monday – they are going to start curb side pick up June 1, I volunteer at the library and have not heard when that may start – am thinking early fall maybe. My holds are checked out thru June 15.
So sorry you missed your trip to Australia – and all of your other side trips you take during the year that you entertain us with.
Take care and stay safe.
It sounds as if we all miss people and the outside world. It also sounds as if most of us are being careful, wearing our masks, and I'm sorry that some people don't. That makes it scarier for all the rest of us because then we worry.
I'm sorry we're missing trips, and people, and just getting out to the library or the bookstore or for a cup of coffee or tea with that opportunity to run into someone we know. If we're here, we all have our books, but they don't give you the chance to hug a family member or friend.
As much as it would have been nice to go to Australia, I'm really hoping it won't be too many months before I can go home and see my mother. I love being home with my cats. I really do. And, that's where I prefer to be most of the time. But, I miss family.
We all need to stay safe, and just wait, unfortunately. So, I'm sending lots of virtual hugs to all of you.
We haven't named our squirrel. He chatters a lot and will occasionally throw things down. My husband swears that he aims for him. LOL Staying home hasn't been hard for me as I'm an introvert. I like my home with its cottagy-like garden. What I really miss is having my grandson come over. His mother isn't working as schools has shut down. He's being home-schooled. I really miss his hugs. When I do go out for errands and groceries, it isn't pleasant. I look forward to when I can shop without having to bump into a disgruntled customer, and that I can find everything I need. For now, I enjoy my good health and a comfortable home.
Hi Lesa
I’m late here today as this afternoon I went for a very long walk, and when I got back it was dinner time. It was a beautiful day and I discovered some woods I hadn’t explored before – reading ‘Ghost Trees’, as I am at the moment, has encouraged me to open my eyes more to what is around me, Bob Gilbert really shows you that the interest isn’t always in the spectacular. I sat on an old tree trunk, watched the bees and the butterflies in the sunlight, and had a long chat to my younger daughter on the phone, which was lovely.
This week my distractions have been mostly my walks, my books, reviewing, and the garden. Today I transferred a lemon balm, an oregano and some geraniums to a larger pot, and that means I’ve now planted everything i had, apart from some seedlings I am trying to bring on in the greenhouse, so I will have to wait for the garden centres to open up here before I can do much more. This morning I also did some baking, and even cleaned out the fridge, which was certainly a long overdue chore….
I wanted also to say that I can easily understand how exhausted you must feel at the end of a week at work. We did our supermarket shopping on Sunday evening, and although it was by then very quiet, I find it so taxing worrying about all the rules, the one way systems, the people who don’t keep their distance, etc that by the time we’ve finished I am worn out. And I have noticed that I always feel dreadful the following day – yesterday was no exception, I was so tired and headachy that I really began to worry that I was getting ill. This morning I was absolutely fine again, thank goodness – Madeleine and I were just discussing how psychological stress can manifest itself in physical symptoms.
I am so sorry you are missing all your trips Lesa, I know just how much you enjoy them. I am not a great traveller and don’t really mind that we aren’t in France as we intended to be this month, but I am still hoping we can go to Islay in September. If not I guess we will just have to look forward to 2021. August in Edinburgh will be very strange without the festivals. But as you said, the most important thing will be to see our families – I haven’t seen my mother or any of my children since mid-March. Several of my oldest friends also live within 10 minutes’ drive of our house up here, and again it would be good to be able to meet up with them soon. Other than that I am lucky with the life I have up here, it’s a nice little house, I love my garden, and i still have plenty of books to keep me happy. We’ve also been watching a series about Australian cinema, which is very interesting.
There is still no word at all about our libraries reopening, and they do not do curb side collections, so we will have to wait till they open the doors. I think we are all OK with that, no-one would want to endanger the staff’s health unnecessarily.
Take care Lesa – as you say, we just need to stay safe and wait.
I agree about the shopping, Bonnie. I haven't enjoyed it, either. It makes me tense and wonder what I can't get today that I want. Other than that, I was perfectly content at home. I have a second squirrel, a little smaller. Her name is Iris.
Rosemary, Your notes just feel like a virtual hug. I enjoy every bit of them. Thank you for writing about your walks, your gardening, and what you're missing. Even before I read your note, I agreed with Bonnie about the stress of shopping right now. And, I don't like to shop to begin with.
But, thank you for writing your notes. They just make me feel better.
Thanks for sharing, great post!
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