I know many of you are still dealing with weather but here in California it’s been very mild with temps between 65-79 degrees. As I was walking around the neighborhood the other day it really did feel like spring was just around the corner. Everything is blooming and the grass is green again. We had a few weeks of mucky brown grass. This is one of my favorite times of the year. I feel so hopeful when the sun is out and the plants start popping.
Right Now:
We’ve been debating in-person church services. It would be nice to go back but I am not quite ready. Every time I drive by there is a large crowd. I miss it but we have online viewing options available to us so I’d rather be cautious. My youth group is about to meet in-person again so after that we’ll probably pull the trigger on regular service as well.
I really wanted to go to the zoo today but it’s a timed entry and you have to book in advance. Many of the exhibits are closed. I will wait. Instead, I will get a long walk in.
This Week:
Speaking of walks. I found this podcast recently and I’ve added it to my walking routine. Bookish talk. Lots of it. Each episode is roughly an hour long so it’s perfect for walking. Shelf Care is available for free on Spotify but you can also listen via Apple, Stitcher or SoundCloud. I’ve already added a few books to my want list.
Reading:
I am finishing up The Sanatorium. It’s a Reese Book Club pick. It’s gotten very mixed reviews. I’ll write up the review as soon as I am finished but I usually do pretty well with Reese’s picks.
My next book will be Murakami’s new one, First Person Singular. It comes out in April but I can’t wait anymore. It’s a collection of stories. If you’ve read his stories before then you know how many of his stories could easily be the premise for a novel and some do become that. I am looking forward to it!
Watching:
Almost to Season 5 of Schitt’s Creek. Still super enjoyable.
The Walking Dead starts again tonight. Only six episodes this season. I will see how this season goes and then decide if I want to continue. I keep giving these showrunners a chance to rally this show back to what is used to be but it’s not been great and my loyalty has run out.
Grateful for:
- University faculty who take the time to talk to a potential student. These people are invaluable.
- Art and music and the different ways we can access it now. I’ve been listening to some great concerts lately. I’ve signed up for a few museum tours too.
- Green juice. It’s a weird thing to be grateful for. I used to make green smoothies but I’ve found that V8 Healthy Greens has all the good stuff. No sugar or artificial flavors added. It’s quite affordable and shelf stable so I stock up. This is not sponsored but it helps me feel good so I wanted to share.
What does your March look like? It marks my one year anniversary of working from home. Feels so strange to say. I remember those early days and how weird it all felt. The streets were empty. You had to gather up all your courage to run to the market only to find that bread and milk were sold out, along with every cut of meat. My city eats well apparently. Forget shelf staples. They went for the meat case. Remember those days? I guess we have come a long way from that if you really sit down to think about it.
Book Chatter 
It’s been rainy but 40 here so not complaining as it’s melting the snow. I got a free audio download of the Sanatorium but, I found the narration off-putting so I’m hold #4 for the print edition from the library. I’m curious for your thoughts. Spent today going over tax stuff not a fun thing but at least being retired we are set up to get a refund most years.
Yes, the store shelves are much better than the start of the pandemic, well except for pet food as of late for some reason. My son has also been working from home for one year and he doesn’t think he can go back to an office environment. LOL
You’re triggering all sorts of memories of early pandemic days when we were all amazed at the masks we found, what fit, what didn’t; Xs on the side walks to show us where to stand; and empty shelves. Now it’s all so normal.
Masks for me still feel weird and I get weird reactions on my face from them no matter what I wear. I think it’s my detergent and it being that close to my face.
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous this week in FL… definitely my kind of winter! It’s very comfortable for walks and bike rides, but I expect it will heat up again soon. Hard to believe we’ve all been at this for a year now. Lots of “anniversaries” coming up… recently had the 1 year anniversary of my last pedicure! Some things are better now – like supplies in the grocery store, but some of it is really getting old. My husband is talking about going back to church, but I honestly don’t see that for quite some time. Have a good week, Ti.
My husband is getting really antsy about the gym. They’ve been open with outside sessions but I am not comfortable with him going. He is pushing though. Education has been added to the priority list for the vaccine and I found some appts but I can’t take them because of my darn shingles shot. Gotta wait at least four weeks. I am allergic to most everything so I will wait as advised.
I’d love to listen to 1-hour podcasts but unfortunately, I don’t have that one hour room. I’m hoping once the weather gets warmer and we are able to go for walks, I’ll start listening to longer podcasts. For now, I’m listening to dailies, which are often under 10 mins an episode.
I wasn’t online last week but I just got caught up – So glad to hear that you guys are done with all the auditions and admissions and it’s just a waiting period. I’m sure that’s more stressful than when you were doing something but enjoy the break and downtime, before things start getting crazy (or different).
Sometimes I will listen to a podcast when doing chores or shopping so if I don’t finish an episode while walking I will just listen to the rest while working. If the topic is interesting enough I seem to make room for it. I need stimulation these days. My brain is spongy.
My March has a few days vacation in the middle, right after my scheduled vaccination. So it’s not looking too shabby.
They just added education workers to the priority list so I can technically sign up to get the vaccine but now I can’t because of that shingles shot I got. I have to wait about three weeks. They said minimum, four weeks in between but I added a week for good measure.
March is a surprise to me because I spent all last week thinking I had another week of February! I am hoping to take March 8 off for my daughter’s birthday since she doesn’t have school that day because of a teacher professional day. I haven’t heard about it yet, so fingers crossed on that.
Reading is going ok but definitely not as fast-paced as normal. Poetry submissions wore me out for the festival. I am reading a non-fiction WWII spy book, The Princess Spy. It’s really good so far — I read like 100 pages over the weekend.
I have some final things to wrap up for the book festival and poetry contest they are hosting, but then I’ll be done until May. 🙂
Forgot to mention, I plan to check out that podcast. Might be a good one for lunch break!
I am eager to resume some of the wonderful parts of pre-pandemic life, including in-person church and swimming and yoga at the Y. I think I will do some of those things after I get my second vaccine.
Our weather is improving, too. No rain for the past four days and lots of sunshine, which makes my heart sing!
I don’t know when I’ll feel comfortable gathering in large groups again. I guess I’ll know it when it happens. Probably not until summer, though.
I used to listen to a couple of bookish podcasts (What Should I Read Next and He Read She Read), but got out of the habit and now spend most of my walking time listening to audiobooks. There’s only so much time for all these media sources!
Crazy that you’ve been working from home for a year. Those early days were strange and now masks and social distancing feel very normal. I am looking forward to someday being able to hug my friends, though.
Have a good week, Ti!
Yeah I remember those first CV days, when everyone was afraid to breathe or touch anything. It’s been a long locked in year. Thx for mentioning the book podcast that looks good … I will add it. I have enjoyed my walks while in California – so nice – the warmth! Things are blooming here. The pollen will be high soon and my allergies seem to be ramping up. I will leave on Friday, sigh. I will be back maybe in the fall. Hope you are having a great week! & are liking your walks!
I went back to my calendar from a year ago and so much happened all at once. I was sent home, finally, to work from home, my daughter was sent home from school and told it would be a few days. She left all her dance stuff in her locker and could never get it. They emptied and tossed. Seriously. Her choir concert that night was cancelled. Her musical was cancelled two days later. It was crazy. My son’s roommates left housing so he was all by himself in a four person apt. Took him longer to come home. Wow. Seems so surreal.
And I don’t know if you tuned in but on Easter when Andrea Bocelli sang from Rome it was so haunting and then we found out later he had COVID. Another wow. I could go on.
Today it is cold and the pup doesn’t seem to want to go for a walk yet. The temp hasn’t hit 52 yet. That is the minimum temp she will consider.
Did you get any of the rain today? It poured here for a couple or so hours. It’s still fairly overcast. Not that I’m complaining. I love the rain when I can be home inside. I just wish it was warmer.
Timed entry at the zoo–I am glad you mentioned that. We should look into that if we want to go to the Safari Park over Spring Break. It would be our first big outing in a very long time if we do go.
I’ll have to check out Shelf Care. We recently subscribed to Spotify. I don’t normally listen to podcasts, but it’s worth a try.
Last March . . . I remember anxiously watching the board meeting to see if the schools would be shut down (knowing it was likely because so many other districts were closing)–it was the same day. I can’t even imagine how my daughter felt. Being rushed out, told to take home everything possible, including text books that never left the classroom, not knowing when, and if they’d be back. When I picked her up from her afterschool program that night, she was in a bit of a daze. So was I. We had plans that weekend for her birthday–which we still went through with even though we probably shouldn’t have. A last hurrah, so to speak. The rush to find someone to watch Mouse since my husband and I both still had to be in the office to work with schools and daycares closed. The lack of cleaning supplies and toilet paper, of all things. I remember the constant panic and fear I felt back then, not knowing what was going to happen and feeling so helpless.
I hope you have a great week, Ti!
You had asked about the rain. We got some light showers off and on for about an hour. Enough to dirty your car up but not enough to do much else. I am glad for it though. We need every drop.