More Simplicity, Fun, Play and Creativity

Life has certainly simplified since the middle of March. It looks to be that way for many. The HR department at Roy's office sent out an email looking for the positives in this seriously upsetting and uncertain time. So here it is:

I decided this week to see if I can find a bright spot – a silver lining as it were – to this pandemic.  Something positive, or at least interesting, must be going on.

Here is an admittedly un-verified top ten list from my knothole in the fence:

1. Pet adoptions are higher and animal shelters are emptier than ever; people are valuing the companionship and unconditional love of pets (especially dogs, no offense to other pets, but dogs are the best)
2. Bicycles and related equipment are flying off the shelf; individuals and families are riding like it’s the 1950’s again; I am dodging them on the way home every evening
3. Outdoor sporting equipment – canoes and kayaks, fishing gear, camping equipment, etc. – are booming; we ordered the last kayak available on Amazon and there were none available anywhere else, used or new; people are taking advantage of the great outdoors and getting that natural vitamin D
4. Jigsaw puzzles and board games are in short supply; you have to catch them when they re-stock the shelves; families are playing, sometimes for the first time ever
5. We are remembering or learning how to sew; even the novice seamstresses can sew a face covering and there are countless tutorials
6. Cooking is returning to the home kitchen and recipes are being shared like never before; even I have baked banana nut bread lately
7. The road trip is back; my son and daughter-in-law have rented an RV and are setting out this week on a family road vacation with built-in social distancing
8. The “to-do” list at home is getting smaller (or, in some cases like mine, getting larger, “while we are at it, let’s do (name that project)”); home improvement stores are enjoying brisk sales
9. We are getting new skills; I had never Zoomed or Door Dashed before COVID, nor had I ever given another human a haircut (!)
10. We are catching up on movies and television series that we always meant to see, but never got around to watching; the current series at my house is the new “Perry Mason”, but there are so many choices….

More family time, more creativity, more play, more outdoor time – it’s not all bad!

Notice that Roy highlighted 6,8, and 10. Ten not so much for me but I have scaled back on Andy and Barney cause I am getting too involved in the fact that everyone enabled Barney. One has to think creatively during these times as well as adding a sense of play. Play is not difficult for me and until it got too hot for me to be outside, loved all the outdoor time right in our own yard. I talked with my friend Bev on Saturday about a project and she was giving helpful hints and lessons learned from her experience.

Over the weekend there were a few cool breezes so I was able to transplant more sunflowers to the side flowerbed and able to do some more mulch work in the front flowerbed. So far, I have only planted one of the butterfly bushes and trying to determine where to place the other one. I was able to cut and bag more weeds. Got more work done in the garage too. So all in all, the weekend did have some productive moments. I took a sabbatical Sunday yesterday. Also making good progress on a book that has a great story line, so I am not barreling through it. Roy also assuaged the fear that our neighbor had over the fence we are having installed later this month. He must have thought we were having it built higher on the property but since it is a decorative fence, we are placing it much lower. But the offer to buy up to the gravel road is out there and we might take them up on it. It would probably cost more to have a surveyor come than the actual cost of the sliver of land.

This morning after reading about increased bear and bobcat activity, when I didn't see any of the ferals out back, I am not going to lie, a bit of anxiety hit. There is usually at least one of them out there. Boo showed up and after thinking Boo was a boy, Boo seems to be a girl. Strawyer is very interested in Boo these days. So, I threw out a few treats and slowly but surely they all began to meander into the yard. The other night, it was coolish and looking for a diversion, I pulled out the good ol child fishing rod and played with the kittens. They aren't into laser light but loved chasing the fish. While we were playing, my eyes just happened to lift to the sky...there were four hawks circling above us. The kittens saw them as well and scurried under the shrubs. I stayed out there on guard until the last hawk flew away. None of us were in the mood to resume the game.