Friday, April 24, 2020

Right at home . . . . . . .


The days continue.  They are different.  
Sometimes we argue - other times we laugh!
Yesterday we did a deep clean of the master bedroom
together!  Will I let him color my grey roots? No way!
Will I try to give him a haircut? Perhaps!
We are in close quarters.
We are not ill, thank God.  

We are not out of work, but are sorry for those who are. 
As retirees we are on fixed incomes. We have noticed prices
 are already rising in the grocery stores. 
We feel somewhat safe financially as we saved for 'rainy days'
and for what we hoped would be a comfortable retirement.  
We, like you, never expected those days would include a
worldwide pandemic which could cause us to be very ill, or
even kill us!


We are going about these days - which for us are not that appalling - doing
 what we can do close to home. We miss seeing family and friends.
Although we are still avid travelers we have had to change that part
 of life for the time being. We can weather this storm here at home as
 long as we stay healthy. 
I'm sad not to be crossing the pond as hoped this Spring to see my family, 
friends and hometown. . . . . . .but we are now planning to go in the 
Autumn when hopefully all will be well in the world.


Male Eastern Towhee : Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Common name comes from its distinctive "tow-hee" call, but known
  mostly for its characteristic call that sounds like, "Drink-your-tea!
One of my favorite garden birds - the female is beautiful too, brown
 feathers where the male has black ones. . . . . . . .a handsome couple
 when seen together, which is often around here.
He's been sitting in an oak tree singing his songs so beautifully
lately, and I'm sure his mate is on a nest nearby.


Hope is the thing with feathers,
    that perches in the soul,
and sings the tune without the words,
and never stops at all.

Emily Dickinson : American Poet - 1830-1886


Let's all have hope.
Sing if you can.
Listen to the music if you can't.

11 comments:

  1. Yes, hopefully, things will be much better by fall and even before. I did not know that the Towhee sings, "Drink your tee." Now if he and my chickadees sing together in the choir, it can be, "Drink your tea, Phoebe." Your photography always makes me smile even if I don't comment.

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  2. We're hibernating ourselves these days. Our own lives are comfortable and peaceful. I do feel so bad for those whose lives are completely traumatized and upside down. So much suffering. Dear Lord, help us all.

    I'm not familiar with the Tohee bird, but he looks very handsome in your photo.

    Wishing you a pleasant weekend, Mary. Be safe.
    Brenda

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  3. It seems our lives are much the same these days - right down to the hair situation! Let us hope you remain well, and can travel again in Autumn. I am hoping to travel next Northern Spring, but we shall see. Hopefully a vaccine will make it easier. The Towhee is a new bird for me, and very attractive he is. Happy birdwatching Mary. x

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  4. I do hope with all my heart that things are different by September, but our officials are telling us that life will not be the same for a very long time. We have spotted Towhees here that look similar to yours. They are handsome birds who tend to dominate the feeder at times. I will have to listen to hear his call and see if he says, 'Drink your tea'. Have a good weekend, Mary, whatever a weekend entails in these days.

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  5. Towhees are a bird we don't have here, so it's always nice to see something new. Living on my own I don't have much opportunity to argue with anyone - and I haven't argued with myself yet. Take care.

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  6. We've had to cancel two trips so far, nothing very far, as you know distances across Europe are nothing compared to what you've been doing on your trips :-)
    Our Yorkshire holiday is very likely not going to happen this year, the cottage is booked for June and I'd love to see my family and friends there, but it can't be helped.
    And all that is nothing compared to the problems many others are facing every day!
    I still have my work, I live mostly on my own so can do as I please, I can find everything in the shops that I want for food and household items, and most importantly, I am healthy. My parents (in their late 70s) are alright, too, and I can even see my partner as long as we keep to ourselves.
    To top it all, this spring has been so beautiful, sunshine every day! Now we are longing for rain...

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  7. I have given Kent a hair cut! But I use to always cut my boys hair when they were growing up. One day at a time....xoxo

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  8. Dear Mary,
    Wouldn't it be wonderful if we can travel this Autumn. I will be the first to sign up.
    Your Towhee photo is a winner.

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  9. Same here, some laughs, some arguments, some projects. Though Brian is still working outside the home (he's a 911 dispatcher), but he's also had periods of long strings of days at home, too. We got to travel right before everything was closed down (mid-March)...to see our son in CA. I thank God we went when we did because just one week later, and we wouldn't have been able to go. Everyone was asking why we booked our trip for early March when that was going to be the rainy season there (we didn't know that in advance). Now I see it as Divine Providence.

    No way would I let Brian touch my hair with either scissors or hair color! This past Tuesday was my appointment for my haircut and color, so I'm just now starting to look pretty shabby. I can only imagine what I'm going to look like in another month (and longer! - we are closed down here now in IL until end of May) but the way I look at it is, EVERYONE is going to look bad, so I'm not the only one. ;-) I'm not good with scissors either, so I don't think I'll be cutting Brian's hair, but I can at least take the electric clippers to the back of his neck and sideburns.

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  10. Hoping for better days. Like you being retired we don't have to worry about going back to work. Oh how I how we can all travel by fall.

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  11. Yes it´s a strange time...I also hope we can travel again this Autumn. Maybe not. Will see...
    Take care now and enjoy the lovely springtime :)
    Titti

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