The End of March

As each new month begins, I make a folder on my computer that ends up containing all of the photos that end up gracing the pages of Camera Crazy. I can tell you that when I made the folder for March, 2020, I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined how the month would end. While there have been photos of empty shelves created by panic buying, I've tried my best to remain positive because, frankly, what else can we do? Call me crazy, but I've found that complaining generally does no one any good.

Around here, nature has been providing more than its fair share of drama. One afternoon, Bruce saw a cat trying to get to a duckling, running outside and shooing it away. Picking it up, he tried placing it amongst the Mallard ducklings and there was a bit of havoc. Apparently, the ducklings began attacking it, and then Mama became a little violent as well. While I've not seen any other ducklings, I suspect it was a Wood Duck and Mama Mallard was having no part of caring for another. She's got her hands full already!

For the most part, we can get very close and they stay put quietly observing us as we observe them. Which brings me to more drama that includes the otters. Oh my goodness, it was so scary! Out the window I noticed the swirling water, the tell-tale sign that the otters are near. I ran outside just in time to see two otters clamor onto the shoreline, ready to pounce, and our little family was frantic, squealing and trying to get away. I started shouting--get away!--and I swear, they listened, after a time. Meanwhile, the family became separated and I became frantic, but Mama kept calling out and found two way down along the shoreline. As they waddled closer to where I stood, I kept hoping they would make it and the good news is that they did! Telling Matt about it, he said it was like watching a nature program on television except this was very close to home!

Amazingly, there are still ten which is two shy of when we first saw them, but to tell you the truth, it seems pretty miraculous because more often than not, every day one usually disappears. How many will eventually survive is anyone's guess, however,  I'm doing my part to keep them safe.

With the Coronavirus seemingly the only news anywhere, the lack of rain here has hardly been mentioned, but it is noteworthy how little there has been, to the tune of 0.02" for the month. What is normal? 3.51"! The lakes are getting low, thus our shoreline is very muddy, in part because our beautiful trees drop lots of organic material daily.

What else is noteworthy is how creative people are getting in the wake of this pandemic. All over social media people are posting fun stuff that helps keep us from sinking into despair. While I had left the complex but once all week, when I saw my friend Candy post a photo of 16 Wood ducklings at Lake Davis, I drove over for a quick look-see. As you may recall that is where Bruce and I walk, that is until the pickleball craze took over. As I walked the path, I came across some affirming chalk drawings,

and before long, there they were. Horrible lighting, but fun to see nonetheless.(note muddy bank and someone putting out food)

Before too much longer we should have some on our lake, yet they are way more skittish than the Mallards, so I don't suspect they will allow very much close contact. Then again, the world is upside down right now, so maybe they will!

Here's the little shelving unit Bruce painted with mostly library books filling the shelves.  One jigsaw puzzle that took Bruce and I most of one day to complete, is now on there as well. Too bad we don't have any more.

The other night I learned about "P. E. with Joe" from Gayle who said her grandson was doing it at the urging of his school. Here is the link if you think you might be interested.  Because he is from London, I asked Matt about him and he said he was already famous in the UK, and now even more so as he has turned his attention to getting kids to exercise at home doing pretty much the same exercises we did in elementary school. Later on Matt texted me back, saying he'd done the workout and it was something he thought we should try. As Nancy was at the pool, and Bruce was outdoors reading, I gave it a try. Oh my word am I ever out of shape! I got about halfway through before stopping as my arm was giving me fits. That's my excuse anyway! Seriously, my arm is so darn sore from serving that I am trying to rest it, sitting out while others play. Nancy is picking it very quickly and having fun in the process.

To reiterate, we are using precautions, wiping the balls down after playing. Hands, rackets, car, gate, we are doing all that we can.

Sadly, the pictured chair is one we purchased for camping, but that's not happening anytime soon as all of the parks are closed, and in fact, we have already received our refund from the state for our May 15th reservations at Silver Springs State Park. Oh that this would all be over before May, but it seems as if that may not happen. Remember how I said I was putting the Florida cases on the calendar, beginning on March 17 with 216 reported cases. As of the 29th, there are 4,950. Of course there is more testing, explaining some of the numbers, certainly not all though.

Are there any amongst you who know someone who has had Covid-19? Mostly I am curious. Are there any amongst those reading who know someone who has lost their job? I believe it was reported in Saturday's newspaper that the unemployment rate in Florida at the end of February was 2.8%, an historic low. Although we won't have any figures for a while, I can tell you that in that same article the number of unemployment claims rose from something like 26,000 in the first week of March to 228,00 in the next. The tip of the iceberg, or so I fear.

Let's see, what else? Nancy gave Bruce a haircut on the front porch, for one thing.

Meanwhile my hair, well, let's not even go there.

We finally have a little baby gardenia bloom on our new plant.

So many folks are enjoying new orchid blooms while mine continues doing well. Because of how dry it has been, I finally remembered something our old market neighbor, Jim, used to advise people when they purchased his orchids. Spray them lightly with water. Done.

Yes, with no rain, it has been way too hot for March. Wednesday is Bill and David's birthday, but of course we won't be celebrating just yet. So very many of the things we have taken for granted have gone by the wayside for the foreseeable future, haven't they? Matt and Tom remained home to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary yesterday, making the best of things, as we all are trying to do. Saturday night would have been the concert we were hoping to attend with Jon and Alissa in Austin. For a time we had considered driving there, camping along the way, however, now it is a good thing we canceled because, get this, our governor is not letting people from Louisiana travel to our state due to their high number of cases and deaths. As I type there have been 60 deaths in Florida so far. I have been informing myself from this site hosted by Johns Hopkins University.  Pretty grim reading.

Our groceries are holding out pretty well; should we need something from the store, Nancy has volunteered to be our designated shopper. This Anhinga gets his food for free.

Tell me a little something about how things are in your world as we travel through these extraordinary times.

Wishing for you "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding"......

your friend,

Gail

Making the Best of Things

You know, it sure is a good time to know how to prepare meals, isn't it? That of course depends on if you can procure the ingredients which is anything but a certainty these days. My friend Bonnie is posting photos of all of the dishes she's made beginning with one piece of meat, sometimes up to four meals in the hopes of making her food supplies last longer. Aren't we all? Around here there is no hoarding going on, in part because we have no more storage space. Generally I do have some back ups for staples, however, after deciding to make a carrot cake on Tuesday, I discovered that I was short on sugar. Nancy arrived on Monday afternoon to ride out the storm here amongst her family because the thought of going it alone in Atlanta was just too much.

Carrot cake is one of her favorites, and because she has not had a proper birthday cake in forever, we were calling it that even though her birthday is in October. Extraordinary times call for the extra ordinary! Offering to go to Publix for sugar, I was convinced that would be an easy item to purchase, whereas she had her doubts. She won. Is everyone else baking too? She came home with a box of sugar for which I was grateful. The cake turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.

While I may not be as creative as Bonnie with stretching our food, I have been making comfort food, beef stew, macaroni and cheese with ham, that sort of thing. Bruce braved the senior hour at Publix, bringing home some Italian sausage and mushrooms in order for me to make one of my most favorite dishes, Dirty Risotto.

Leftovers for lunch soon!

We have been playing pickleball with Connie, and while I know it makes some nervous, we have bleach wipes for our hands and paddles when we finish playing. As well, we are way far apart and so far no one is sick or had contact with anyone sick; for now, it feels safe, something I can't even believe I am typing. There is a rule around here--no sacrificing our body for points because no one wants to get hurt, especially now.

Taking the trash out, I saw someone had left a little shelving unit beside the dumpster. Honey, do you think you can make something of this?

But of course he can! It was wobbly as all get out, probably from having sat on someones porch for ages, so after shoring it up with braces, cleaning and sanding like crazy, he followed that with several coats of paint. The gold we used in the bathroom was my choice.

For now I am making do with things from around the house for decorations and it is adding a little ray of sunshine by the front door. Hurray for making the best of things!

Unlike me, Nancy loves to clean and organize so who better to do that than she? Beginning with emptying the freezer,

she found a place for everything, not to mention finding things in there I'd forgotten I had.Before, I was cramming stuff in the freezer the best I could, but now, oh my gosh, it is heaven!

The vegetables are all in one place, turns out I have plenty of meat in stock and some different types of bread. Not to mention 12 mini Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches!

Matt and Tom are working from home, as are David, Bill, Jonathan, and Alissa, with Fallon being the only one working outside the home. She tells us that there are shortages of masks and other protective gear, however she is doing all that she can to stay safe. I'm wondering if this will start a new trend wherein they build shower rooms at the hospital so all workers can go home to their families clean?

The one thing I'm convinced of is that this event will change everything, and I mean everything. People are bound to be more cautious in the future and hopefully there will be recognition of the importance of every worker, from janitorial staff, to the truckers who bring us our food and goods. Nancy is at Publix as I type and she says the crowds are big, and the amount of goods not so big. Speaking of grocery shopping, let's hear it for all those who are stocking shelves like there is no tomorrow. (bad use of words) Will it change global travel in the future? We shall see. Investors, no doubt, will be more wary, while perhaps people will be grateful for their jobs? In Orlando the number of jobless is not to be believed! One benefit that I hope to see is giving our fellow humans a little more leeway, recognizing that from the top to the bottom, most people are doing the best that they can.

The number of people in Central Florida who have lost their jobs is staggering, in the hundreds of thousands. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demming has ordered everyone to stay home aside from grocery and prescription shopping beginning at 11PM, although I did read that Home Depot can stay open. What are we to make of all this?  Because this is a new virus strain, is anyone really an expert?  How could they know how long it lives on surfaces in all environments? Just asking.

And now we begin the happy segment of this post and that is with the appearance, three days ago, of Mallard ducklings!

If anything can bring a smile and lift ones spirits, it is ducklings. I've been watching and photographing them in all different types of lighting.

On this day there were exactly twelve, and I think they were almost brand new, although that is merely speculation on my part. Unlike Wood Ducks, Mallards seem to not be bothered at all by humans, letting me get a respectable distance away without bolting. It was just wonderful watching the ducklings begin to take shelter under their Mother's wings.

The whole lot kept snuggling,

and snuggling,

as her wings expanded to shelter them from predators.

Yup, all twelve under cover. Watching this happen, I cannot help but think of Psalm 57:1:

Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, 
For my soul takes refuge in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction passes by.

As long as the sun rises every morning, we, indeed still have hope that, "this too shall pass", however it sure seems as if it going to be painful for all.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. as a reminder, my thoughts at the time of writing.

p.p.s to date there are 23 deaths in Florida

Counting Our Blessings

Indeed, during this time of uncertainty, we are still counting our blessings and I encourage you to do the same. Easier said than done, right? Looking to nature is my coping strategy.  While we tried watching our church service this morning on the computer, the connection kept getting lost making  for a very disjointed "worship" experience. That said, it does not mean that I'm still not thinking a lot about God and the pandemic. Perhaps you remember singing the song, "Count Your Blessings" when you were in Sunday School, a short little refrain that ensures us that God is in everything, but did you know that there is way more to that song, written in 1897 by Johnson Oatman Jr.? Click here for all of the lyrics.  While that may not bring you any comfort, it sure does me.

I've taken to writing the number of cases found in Florida on my kitchen calendar each evening as to monitor the progression of Covid-19, which is considerable. Then again, and this is in no way meant to minimize the situation, but I like to think of it more in terms of who does not have it, and that is a heck of a lot of people. For instance, the population of Italy is around 60 million people, and while every death is a tragedy, to date, 4,825 deaths is a fraction of the population. I cannot help it so don't get mad at me and think I am callous, it is just how my mind works. When I was working in mammography, patients would often cite the statistic that one in nine women would get breast cancer in their lifetime. While true, that means eight out of nine won't!

Again that is the optimist in me which I cannot change at this point in my life. Have you read anywhere how people who consider themselves pessimists are strangely calm during this time of global crisis because they've been preparing their minds for bad things to happen for a long time? Maybe that explains why I am a little anxious, particularly, if I check the news.

So,  mostly I stay away from it, and soothe my soul with the wonder of nature, including this amazing sight I saw two days ago.

Indeed, Bruce thinks it is a Tilapia sitting on her bed with the sun hitting her just so. I watched in utter fascination as she moved around the bed, but never straying.  Here's a little bigger picture.

Isn't it miraculous to think of all of the life under the water? A good reminder that there is way more to this world than what we can generally see.

The virus itself, for one thing.

So as to counting blessings, Matt shared a few from his life--a virtual birthday party for a friend, new plants coming out of the ground, an online yoga class. Backyard Apple and Cherry trees beginning to bloom. 

It's the little things that will get us through this my friends. Like the color of Spring....a special green that is unlike any other time of the year.

Fragrant and beautiful blossoms on a Viburnum plant that most of the year has neither. Sunlight sparkling on water,

and, if you live in a sunny area such as we do, the light coming in through a window during different times of the day. This in the evening,

and this in the morning.

You might note the tiny little bottles on the table in the foreground...that would be hand sanitizer courtesy of Delta Airlines from our last international flight. I discovered them in a drawer while cleaning yesterday! Actually we were recently gifted a bottle of it, but these little ones may come in handy if this goes on as long as has been predicted.

I played pickleball yesterday morning, but now some folks are becoming concerned because everyone touches the balls. For us, we wiped our hand with our Clorox wipes, another gifted item, and then washed them thoroughly when we got home.

What do you think? Would that concern you? If everyone is healthy, and has no contact with an infected person, can it still spread? I know this would not be happening in Spain right now where are friends David and Cheryle are living. You can be arrested for taking a walk!!!  Gosh I hope it does not come to that here!

Still on the blessings front, a beautiful hibiscus in bloom on the property.

And as is the nature of nature (!), the orchid buds continue to open.

Last evening, as I was delivering some freshly made fried green tomatoes to Connie, who lives upstairs, I saw a Swallowtail Kite fly overhead, a bird I see rarely. Thinking that it was part of yesterday's blessings, I had no hope that I would see it again, but by golly, this morning, while out photographing some other birds, it flew overhead and I mean WAY overhead, much farther than my zoom can handle, but I took the shot anyway. That tail is amazing!

What birds, pray tell, was out photographing?? Oh my goodness, walking down to the Loquat tree, hoping to see some remaining Cedar Waxwings, something caught my eye away from that tree and onto the top of a nearby tree, still bare of leaves. Wow!

Actually, they too were too high for my zoom, but I did what I could do. They are such beautiful birds!

And while I wish my photographs were better, they aren't, so I'm going to accept them for what they are. A beautiful reminder that life does go on even though right now it feels far from normal, migration is still happening, mating season is upon us, and new life will soon be forthcoming.

While I am so lucky to live amongst nature I realize others are not as fortunate so nature isn't going to work for them. What are people doing instead? Playing cards with real cards? Doing puzzles, both word and jigsaw? Cleaning? I've heard loads of people mentioning that! Perhaps it is a good time for folks to adopt the Marie Kondo method of folding clothes because in this time of feeling as if you have no control over anything, tidy drawers can do wonders for calming a troubled mind.

Which is what worries me the most about this pandemic--mental health as people are sequestered for an indefinite time. And the loss of jobs! My heart absolutely aches over that aspect. Domestic violence as well as drug and alcohol abuse problems are bound to increase. And, of course, there is the matter of investments which have taken an absolute pummeling taking a toll on many. As David likes to remind me, "the stock market giveth, and the stock market taketh away." Isn't that the truth?

So, where is God in all this? That is a question for the ages.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Please note that these post are written in real time, so as the days continue, I suspect some of my opinions will change with new information. Furthermore, always remember, this blog is for me to remember life as I live it!

Sitting and Waiting

This very well may be a bit of a downer post, so let us begin with beauty for balance, shall we?

Oh my friends, what an incredible turn of events in the last ten or so days. Since I wrote this post,  it is not just the stock market in free fall, it is almost life itself as we've all known it. The most astonishing thing about it, unlike a natural weather event, this is an invisible enemy that is touching everyone's lives. Southerners know how to do hurricane prep and the aftermath which while neither are fun, the mess is manageable for the most part. Midwesterners do tornados, same misery, but at least they have experience. This virus, well what will it topple in its wake?  Business as usual is what has toppled so far. Sadly there have been deaths and we can expect more.

Anyone know why they have taken to calling it Covid-19 now, rather than Coronavirus?

Our family, while still healthy has been impacted already. Firstly, let me clarify Matt and Tom's situation--they actually had a mostly easy time getting home, shopped for food, and on their final day, drove extra miles the last day to see the Grand Canyon. The excellent news is that although their trip was shortened, they packed a lot into the days they had!

Speaking of shopping, let's have a look at what I found two days ago at 10 in the morning.

The previous day they had no hand wipes, however, now they do, but are using a greeter handing them out because people were either stealing them, or using way too many. On a personal note, I've never used hand sanitizer in my life, nor do I have wipes except for glass cleaning wipes. Well, because there is such a shortage we still had neither, so I opened the lid to the wipes, poured in loads of alcohol and some hand soap and shook it up. Better than nothing, or so I hope!

What else did I find?

So, very little bread and hardly any dairy.

If you look on the top shelf you will find colored hard boiled eggs, but fresh ones were not to be found. The same holds true with this frozen vegetable case,

the lunch meat,

and very little fresh meat, including no chicken, pork, or ham.

That would be expensive beef on the left and jars of sauerkraut on the right in place of pork and sausages.

The lines were not crazy long, but that may be because folks had already done their panic shopping, or there just wasn't enough to buy.

Looking at this photo, I kind of have to laugh at the Little Debbie advertisement---if only it were so easy--unwrap a smile.

As I stood before the empty frozen vegetable cases, I spoke to a Publix employee trying to buy her own groceries, asking if the cases were full when the store opened two hours earlier. Yup.  Maybe you have not done any panic shopping, and they say it really isn't necessary, yet who really knows what things will be like in two weeks. Then too, in Orlando where most of the local economy relies on tourism, there may be folks buying while they still have money. With Disney, Sea World, Universal, and every other theme park closed, not to mention movie theaters, very limited dining options, and now the malls closing, times are soon to be very, very tough for many Orlandoans. Nancy, having just returned to Atlanta learned this morning that her store is closing for the foreseeable future. In our home, the refrigerator has never been so packed.

On our way to the library, which by the way was closing that night, we did pop into Clemmons, my go-to place for produce and it was a wondrous sight.

All the bins were filled with beautiful fruits and vegetables that never looked so good!

Of course the cashier told me that we had arrived on the quietest day in a week, so perhaps they get super low as well.

Now that Matt and Tom are safely in London, soon to be working exclusively from their home, my worry is for David and Bill who work in the financial sector. There are two kinds of folks right now, those who check their fortunes slipping away every day, and those who choose not to look. The two of them have no choice but to look at the carnage and I needn't tell you how hard that is to do and keep your spirits on the upside. David, more so than Bill, has been through this once before in 2008 on the night of his rehearsal dinner. The market closed the lowest in history percentage wise at 4 in the afternoon and he walked from his Park Avenue office over to Rollins College for the rehearsal with a heavy heart. Eventually everything sorted out, but it was not pretty then, and it sure won't be this time.

Fallon told me this morning that there is an infected person on her unit at the hospital. Since she's been studying for her Nurse Practitioners license, she's cut her hours which presumably means her exposure will be limited. Then again, if things get bad, will they insist she work more? Hard to know just yet.

Don't we all wish we were a bird that could just fly away from all this mess?

 Or maybe an otter family that stays in the water most of the time?

On a lighter note, have you filled in your census form yet? I wonder how many categories there were fifty years ago?

Already I am sick to death of all the finger pointing regarding the current world situation; seems to me we should be past all that and moving toward solutions, not playing the blame game. Of course, it must be noted that I'm an optimist, and nor do I like conflict, so I am bound to feel that way. Perhaps it makes others feel better to have someone to blame and criticize. Who knows, but what I'm looking for, instead of editorializing, are the facts and the facts alone.

Right about now there's only one thing I know for sure and that is the sun and the moon will still rise,

something that we can all agree on

The truth is, I cannot believe I am writing any of this. Two weeks ago, it seemed impossible, but here we are, sitting and waiting, for either our entire economy to crash, or to become sick, two very unappealing options, as I'm sure you would agree.

your friend,

Gail