Month: May 2020

How will it be?

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Will we ever get to meet our newest grandson? Get a hug from our sons, daughter(s), and grands? Will we ever be able to fulfill our Christmas gift trip to three of our grands? How about craft shows? History events? Fiber retreats?

We can’t be part of the herd immunity theory, we are both in the at risk category by age and prexisting conditions. If we were to disregard this SARS-2 virus, likely we would die, not become immune. Our exposure is very limited, wearing masks when we are away from home. Only I will go into the plant nursery or the post office, leaving hubby at home or in the car. We did finally break down to do drive through food occasionally since there have been no reports of transmission by that means and the number of cases in this part of the state are fairly low.

How will our children fair if it lingers and impacts their jobs? Though the two eldest can both work from home now, there are furloughs being suggested in their fields.

Will schools reopen and how? At first the fear wasn’t for children to catch the virus, but rather become vectors, but now there are serious cases and deaths to children as well.

So much history has occurred in my lifetime: Korean conflict, Vietnam war, Cold war, space flight, moon landings, technology to improve power production. Negatives such as factory farms, climate change, pollution by smog and plastic, fracking. We have seen the arrival of HIV/AIDS, SARS, MERS, resistant bacterial infections, but this virus is frightening. It infects across all ages, affects people so differently or not at all as they asymptomatically spread it. It has brought out the worst kinds of behaviors in people who believe that safety measures are infringements on their rights. “Your rights end where my nose begins..” and I don’t want you spreading your illness to me. What has happened to respect and civility in this country.

For now, I will stay home and spin, knit, garden, and take care of us.

Polar or Equatorial

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Spring in Virginia can never make up it’s mind. Usually by mid May it has settled into predictable days and nights, but this week it is yoyoing. We had two freeze warnings for Friday and Saturday nights, yesterday, I worked in short sleeves. Today it is mid 40’s, gray, and very windy again with freeze warnings tonight and tomorrow night, but we are expecting daytime temperatures in upper 70s to lower 80s by the weekend.

Today’s walk was winter clad, wool hoody, quilted long sleeve jacket, gloves. The wind blowing down the mountain burned my face and though after doing some steep uphill walking I could partially unzip the jacket, I never did warm up.

I came up the hill right behind this tree with clusters of purple bell shaped flowers and still holding seed/nut hulls from the fall.

I took a steep but slightly shorter walk, just because of the cold wind.

Last weekend, I did a spindle exchange with another spinner from Minnesota. I got the one I was sending in the mail promptly and she mailed the one I was receiving also on Saturday. Much to my surprise and hers, it arrived in today’s mail. I’m sure she won’t see the one I sent for a couple more days.

This one has the largest wingspan by about a half inch, but is 3 grams lighter than the next largest one. It is made of apple wood, next smaller is Osage Orange wood, the larger of the tiny ones is Purple Heart, the smallest is Olive wood.

I have thoroughly enjoyed spinning on these tools.

Mother’s Day in the Gardens

After two frigid nights, we had a beautiful day. We violated our self isolation to go through a drive through for wings and fries then over to the nursery to get a second pot of petunias for the front of the house. Then I spent some time in the back working on the rock path and planting some pots for color in the back. It has been a great day outside.

The path isn’t done by any means but every time I work on it, it gets better, more level, less unstable.

Part of the effort was creating a pad for the grill that was large enough and stable enough to use it. There was a messy nest in the firebox, a suspect a rodent, it was removed and a serious burn will be held in there before I consider using it. It has reached that age where the gas guts are deteriorating and this may be the last season for it.

Some sod was removed in the walled garden. Some of the small rocks are going to be moved to the back side of the wall to reinforce it and improve the drainage, then hopefully a load of composted soil can be brought in and dumped for more flowers, herbs, and the dye garden.

The strange weather continues until midweek when it finally warms up day and night and will rain. I guess the tomatoes and peppers will have to wait until Friday to go in the garden and some of what was planted today may have to be covered a couple more nights though we didn’t get a frost on either of the two nights it was threatened this weekend.

Right after I finished getting all of the spoiled hay down in the paths of the garden, all but the broody hen got in the garden, they trashed what I had done, dug in the peas, destroyed the spinach, and dug in the potatoes. Some of that damage has been mitigated, but I think the chicken run is going to have to be moved so they can’t get into the garden area at all except during the winter when having them scratch around is welcomed.