Life Goes On

Thursday was my turn to go to Harris Teeters, the local grocery store. As I mentioned before, we shop for groceries once a week, but only one of us actually makes the trip. We takes turns to minimize the risk. This trip was a big one because I scored not only our preferred loaf of bread for the first time since isolation began last month, but also a bottle of Clorox disinfecting spray. There was still no toilet paper in stock however. We don't need it, but it has become a game to me to see if I can ever find any.

We have been working on small projects around the house. Jim organized his boxes in the garage, installed pull out drawers in the kitchen cabinets, put up gutter guards, etc. I lined shelves with lightweight acrylic sheets to stop things from sliding through the cheap shelving units the builder installed here. I have also continued with my mask making project, worked on taxes and better organized my filing system. Exciting stuff, right?

Last night we sat out back with two other couples to enjoy the beautiful evening. As before we each had our own chairs and drinks, and kept the 6' distance between each couple. It is always nice to hear how other people are coping with the coronavirus mandates, and just to have new conversations.

Today after Jim finished the gutters and I completed three more masks, we decided to get out of here for awhile. We drove to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte campus to walk through their gardens. We had been earlier this year with our hiking club, and have been wanting to go back. One of the things I miss most about St. Louis, after family and friends, is the Missouri Botanical Garden. There just aren't that many gardens around here, so today's outing gave me an opportunity to photograph flowers and trees while getting my exercise.

With the Stay at Home order we are allowed to be outside to exercise, and in fact the campus garden had signs posted about COVID-19. There were to be no more than 3 people in a group, and we were to keep the 6' distance between us and others. I will say, sadly, those things did not happen. It was a beautiful day in the low 70s, so the place was crowded with groups. Children were running around and blocking the narrow paths, so keeping a distance was a challenge. We just ended up going to a part of the garden that was unpopulated so we could work on our photography. It was so good to have a change of scenery!

UNCC botanical garden

We grilled steaks when we got home, and ate on the back patio. Then we sat in our orange chairs to watch the boaters go by. We even had a bluebird stop by, and a blue heron was across the lake. It was a nice ending to a wonderful day.

bluebird and blue heron

The New Normal

Our calendar used to be chock full of activities for our community as well as various pickleball outings. Now we daily use White Out to remove said activities one by one. We are keeping busy with walks through the community and chatting at a safe distance with other neighbors. Last night eight of us gathered in the yards behind our house and the one next door. Keeping a safe 6' apart, we placed chairs in a circle. Sipping our own beverages, we spent a few hours catching up and discussing anything but COVID-19. It was so nice on a beautiful evening to feel somewhat normal again. I know how fortunate we are to be in a situation where we can get out and enjoy nature, as well as communication with others. I feel for those who are confined to a small apartment in an urban area as the sense of isolation must be huge.

I gave Jim a new camera for his birthday earlier this month, and it is the newer version of the one I own. We have spent quite a bit of time practicing shots together and apart. As one who has never been that comfortable taking my camera off of automatic exposure (don't judge-it takes great pictures), I am finding it extremely helpful to learn what else my camera can do by watching Jim work through his new one.

The community Lifestyle Director is currently running a Photography Scavenger Hunt. She sent out prompts for things to photograph, and we are to compile our photos into a collage and submit them to her. As the first prize is a $100 gift certificate to a local restaurant, I decided to submit. Though God only knows when I would be able to use the certificate should I win. There are 45 items on the list. The deadline is tomorrow, so once I hear who wins I will post my submission here. In the meantime, here are a few of the birds who have been visiting our yard.

bluebird, turkey vulture, and red-headed woodpecker