Day 56, May 31, 2020 -- All Quiet on the Homefront

When I went to bed last night I wasn't too sure what the state of the city would be like today.  It appears that it did in fact survive the night with a total of 23 arrests.  Most of the people were from Reno, Sparks, Fallon and Truckee.  So much for outsiders being bussed in to cause trouble.  If they are, they know how to avoid arrest. 

This morning I took a hike with my girlfriend up a huge hill.  We arranged to meet half way (her way down, my way up).  I was only 5 minutes late.  Now I know.  We had a good chat especially as we sat at a park, drank lemonade (wink, wink) and watched all the puppies frolicking on the grass.  Here we are!!

And the park:

The walk was beautiful and a good way to spend 3 hours this morning.  I need to do more of this.  I practiced it a lot last year in preparation for the Camino with a 15lb backpack.  Got a ways to go before I will feel comfortable doing it that way.

This afternoon I set up the ladder ball game that I am planning to take with us on our camping trip next weekend.  You know, it is just such an effort to do this stuff -- reading directions and all but once I got it set up I got a chance to practice!!  Now I have practice setting up the game AND tossing the balls.  Good drinking game -- a beer in one hand and the ball in the other.  Can't wait!!

I got another little bitch about apple -- I have been a diehard fan but they are really taking it too far.  When I used to transfer photos to my computer, they came in as jpeg format but NOW apple has to have their own format (HEIC- all caps no surprise)  which, of course, does not sync with google aka Blooger.  What a pain.  I have to send it from my phone and change the extension before I can post it here.  I hate to compare this to politics but I just don't know why the two can't work together to make this easy on us.  Rant done for now.

We are scheduled for a cocktail party which I am hosting on Zoom at 5 pm and I still have to walk the dog so - adios for tonight.  

In The Biggest Little City? Really? Day 55, May 30, 2020

Coronavirus has been dwarfed by the situation across our country as a result of the murder of George Floyd.  Right now I am watching a protest unfold on our local TV station KOLO in Reno.  Right now night is falling and things are getting really testy.  You can see the protesters include pros who are wearing flak vests.  There has been a lot of tear gas shot into the crowds as the rioters have damaged city hall, breaking windows and setting fires inside.  

I feel bad for these police -- they are definitely stuck between a rock and a hard place.  

The mayor and the Washoe county sheriff have declared a curfew which all of the people that are on tv right now are ignoring and are therefore in violation of the law.  The freeway exits have been closed in the downtown area to prevent more participants.

I do understand the unhappiness and frustration that we all feel.  I am also devastated and ashamed.  Where do we go from here?  How do we affect a change?  Certainly it is not the way I am watching on TV right now.  

Interestingly enough, I was living and working in Detroit in 1967 during the riots there.  We never got the perspective that we are able to get in this day with video and onsite reporting.  Now I kind of have an idea of what it was like downtown then.

The good news is that Space X got off the earth safely -- just in time!  I am sure that Doug and Bob are happy to be in that peaceful environment and I wonder if they are aware of all of this violence.

Yes, wow this is a shot of the TV made after a tear gas round has been shot off.  Wow Reno, I just can't believe you 😭

Day 53 and 54, May 27 & 28. Why can't we be colorblind like the rest of the world?

Today is Thursday, I think, or maybe it is Sunday or what???  I really have no real memory of what I did yesterday but this morning I woke up determined to get back into the walking mode.  It is so hot here that I knew it had to be done early.  I took a little 4 mile walk downtown and back and noticed a lot of things opening up.  There were coffee shops with a few people in them, some people strolling by the river and some even kayaking in it.  

I returned up Arlington and was treated to some beautiful backyard flowers and overhanging shade trees.  Reno really is a special little city.

So later in the day I had the opportunity to experience a trip to the dispensary.  This is not a common occurrence for me, in fact, it is only my second trip.  I had done research online to figure out what tincture would best help me with joint pain and sleep.  I had a recommendation from a friend and after several emails to the dispensary of choice I figured I had it down.  You see, right now there are no "consulting" people available at the dispensaries, so I had to wing it.  

The experience was very okay.  They only allowed 10 customers in the place at a time so as one went out, another came in -- kind of reminded me of The Bookstore Bar in college.  There they kept their occupancy limit by forcing potential customers to line up outside in the cold and snow while waiting for a current customer to get sick, puke and have to leave (that was the ONLY reason you would leave that bar once you were in).  This time we were forced to wait outside in 95 degree heat and wait until the current customer exited the building.  We were also made to wear our face masks, no problem.  It seemed that most people in line were regular customers and knew exactly what they wanted so the line moved quickly.  For the record, NONE of this was unexpected or a problem for me.  Glad to see cooperation here.

The other similarity this place had to the bar was that they checked your ID when you entered.  This time they ran it through some kind of machine though which makes me think that they now know I have been there.  

Following my visit to the dispensary I made another stop at the Wine store where I stocked up on enough wine to last the week (I hope).  If the mj doesn't work -- the alcohol will!!  Let you know.

I can't leave this day without sharing my thoughts on this recent killing of a George Floyd in Minneapolis.  Right now I want to stop every black person on the street that I see and apologize, beg their forgiveness and ask what I can do to help change this horrible situation in our country.  I just can't believe it has come to this -- where did we go wrong?  And don't tell me it is Trump, alone.  Racism has been here, in this country, since I was little.  I'm also sure that there were white men murdering black men then -- we just didn't hear about it.  I just don't understand why the US has such a problem with BLACK!  The rest of the world  seems to be colorblind.  What is wrong with us and what can we do about it?  Electing a president who is black didn't seem to help -- what will?  I pray for the answer to this every night.  

Enough for now.  

Day 52, May 26, 2020 Wow! Somebody turned up the heat here!

I knew it was going to be hot this morning so Cirila and I planned to meet on Mt. Rose for a hike at 9 am and I am glad we did.  We walked the  Incline Flume Trail .  On the way up the mountain I saw so much snow on the south side that I was pretty sure we wouldn't be able to walk the trial but I was wrong.  The trail was clear with only a couple of small creek crossings and snow patches.  The views were, as always, spectacular:

After the turn-around, we encountered quite a few more folks.  It was difficult to "socially distance," with the single track trail.  We only saw one couple with masks, but I was sorry I didn't have mine at my fingertips.  I have grown so accustomed to using it.

That brings me to another place.  I find myself watching a show on TV where people are close to each other and hugging and in crowded places and my instant reaction lately is "what are they doing?" they are too close.  I wonder if others  have a similar reaction?

I digress. 

Tonight I had a zoom meeting with 8 other ladies who are Baja girls.  It was so fun to connect with them.  We were supposed to be in Baja this past month but alas, you know where that is right now.  So for now, here's a picture of us:

Don't we look like a "fun bunch/"

It was good to check in on what is happening in various parts of the the west.  One of my friends who lives in Idaho says that things there are "business as usual."  Nobody wears masks, nobody seems to be concerned.  Others who live in the LA area describe continued lockdown and surprise at any lack of social distancing.  All of us are ready for this to be over. Period!

Day 50 & 51, May 24 & 25, 2020 - A little backyard Celebration

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day Celebration yesterday.  We decided to do a low-key but in-person backyard visit with our family.  Cohen, Montana, Uriah, Joye, Russ and I and Ceilidh shared an all American meal of hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, beer and a flourless chocolate cake. 

Since I don't have any new photos I thought I would share this one of my grandson who is 7 years old.  We haven't been able to touch him in 3 months and this is a rare occasion when we are actually within 10 feet of each other.  In this picture he is standing in front of a greenhouse that he and his Dad made a few weeks ago.  the vegetables are beginning to grown but I understand that somehow a bunny got in and stole some lettuce. 

I know that those of you who are grandparents know what I mean about how hard it is to be apart when we live so close.  I am hoping that we will be able to help out this summer and take him camping -- if he will go, or at least have him stay with us so Mom can go back to working in the office.  

Anyways, that is a couple of weeks off.  Can't believe school is almost over!  

We played bocce ball and ring toss.  The grass is so long and healthy (thank you Ruben) that we had a difficult time finding the little white ball to shoot for.  Cohen won, of course.  

Beautiful weather -- people are pretty good about keeping their distance at the lake. 

Tonight we will do a zoom cocktail party with the friends that we plan to camp with in 2 weeks.   

Tomorrow I'm going on a hike with Carila and Ceilidh.  Hopefully I will have more pictures and cool stuff to report.  I hope we don't run into too many people.  Because of social distancing, we have to travel in 2 separate cars to the trailhead.  Pain in the butt!! It will be worth it though.  We are heading out early because it is supposed to get toasty in Reno for the next few days. 

Be safe all💋

Days 58 and 59, May 22-23 Let the Summer Begin - from a distance please!

Yes, it is here.  You can feel it in the air and you can see it at Virginia Lake.  Many people are out and about, ignoring and/or abiding by social distancing rules.  It just kinda blows me away that people would not want to just be sure.  It's kind of like going to church in case there really is a heaven.  Why wouldn't you do it?  Who is going to laugh at you for wearing a mask?  He who laughs last, laughs longest.  Whatever. 

I understand that some of my friends in Truckee are complaining about the same problem.  Locals are not happy with visitors right now to their paradise and I don't blame them.  We all need to be really careful on our way back to some semblance of reality.  It's going to take a long time but it will take longer if we don't follow common sense rules. 

Yesterday I was sitting at the pickleball court waiting for my turn when I noticed a group of about 6 teens walking down Plumas.  They were definitely not following the 6 foot rule.  But the amazing part to me was that they were also not hanging all over each other.  They were all -- and I mean all -- studying their cell phones.  You would think that if they wanted to break the rules, they would want to do it so they could do what teenagers do -- maul each other.  But I guess that's not what they do anymore -- they check out their social media. . . .

So today (Saturday) I got in a 3 mile run on the road.  It was a beautiful day weather wise.  Here is what my backyard looks like

I love this time of year.  Everything is so green and the blossoms are on the trees.  Soon (this week) it will be 90 degrees and dry.  

Tomorrow we will do a social distanced celebration of Memorial Day.  We will be here in our backyard with hot dogs, potato salad and corn.  I also made this cake from a recipe I found on the internet.  It is a flourless chocolate cake.  The ingredients are butter, sugar, chocolate, eggs and cornstarch.  We will cap it off with raspberries soaked in cognac.  Oh yes and a little whipped cream on top of that.  

Oh by the way, that bottle you see in the upper portion of this picture is the $300 bottle of Platinum Patron that my brother-in-law Chuck purchased for me as a gift and let me tell you -- it is pretty special. 

Whatever else you can say about Chuck -- he never does anything half-ass.  Thank you Chuck!

Home Means Nevada!! May 20 & 21. Day 56 and 57

We left these folks this morning at the highly recommended Prospector Hotel in Ely, NV.

And after the circuitous route that we had taken on Tuesday:

Our way home was pretty straight forward.  We hopped on Hwy 50 -- the loneliest highway in the USA and only stopped for pit stops until Fernley.  The one pit stop we needed to make in the wilderness we both stepped out of the car, pulled down our pants and -- you guessed it -- a car pulled up.  So much for lonely.  What are you gonna do?  There is no easy way up, or down. ....

We had been craving a good cup of coffee for a couple of days so the next stop was Fernley where, lo and behold, we found a Starbucks!  Now I'm not a fan of this coffee but compared to whatever that colored water was in the hotel rooms we stayed in, it was liquid gold (brown or whatever).  

1.5 hours later we were at Costco  in Reno to fill up with gas for Carol's final leg to Truckee with her new car!!  Then it was home for me.

For those who haven't traveled the southwest, it is really something to see.  Here there are no city lights, no hustle-bustle; nothing but clear blue skies, ominous grey clouds or puffy white ones, incredible land formations and a lot of nobodies.  It is a place to be experienced by everyone who lives in this country -- hell on this earth!  Here is Mother Nature/God's extraordinary creation!  Do yourself a favor -- just go see it!  The pictures do not do it justice, believe me.

Home now one day and really relishing and appreciating my little place.  I plan to meet the pickle ball girls tomorrow for a game or 2 (outside court).  They asked me so I told them I had been out of town and wanted to be sure they knew.   They said -- good to go.  Just bathe in Whiskey or Tequila.  Thought I would start with this, a precious gift from my brother-in-law Chuck:

Reno seems to be easing back into pre-corona virus mode (will there ever be a normal?).  I plan to keep myself out of public places  (other than outdoors) for 2 weeks just to be sure.  Fingers crossed.

  

Day 56, BIG VIEW DAY! May 19, 2020

We set out today from Kanab, Utah which turned out to be a just beautiful town.  I had heard that it was a nice mountain bike place and after checking out the topography I would have to say that it looks like a winner! 

We headed out on scenic route 89 towards Zion National Park where we were treated to some more hugely astounding natural wonders

All pretty much from the front seat of our car.  The place was deserted which made it even more enjoyable.  There was no problem with "social distancing" here -- not many people. 

The skies were beautiful with storms in the air and after 2 hours car touring the park, we continued our journey towards home. 

We had lunch at a sweet little park where the restrooms displayed a sign that said "these restrooms are open to the public.  They are disinfected 2 times a day. Provided by the town of Springdale, UT"  I thought that this was so amazing.  Thank you Springdale Utah for making this COVID experience just a little bit less stressful.

Front and center at this park also was a statue entitled "Mother Earth":

We crossed the Utah-Nevada border (#homemeansnevada) and continued to revel at the scenery that played out before us, stopping along Highway 93 for a brief visit to the Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada where we checked out the slot canyons:

Didn't spend too much time here as the storms were quickly approaching and while they looked menacing, they sure made for a pretty picture:

We arrived in Ely, Nevada, our destination for the night and checked into the Prospector Hotel-Casino.  The Casinos are shut down in Nevada but this Hotel and restaurant are open.  How welcoming and bustling this place was after being places that were so somber and sad.  The folks here are so great and accommodating.  It is such a relief after months of everyone hiding from each other.  We are all following social distancing rules and timidly coming out of our shells.  We are social people and we all need each other -- no matter what. Especially these folks:

Here's to our last night on the road.  

Tomorrow by the grace of God, we'll be home.

Days 54 and 55 -- missing a few long days. Today, May 18. 2020

Yes, it has been a long 3 days, and there has not been a lot to share with myself.  Miles and miles of highways broken up only with stops for restrooms, lunch and gas.  There is not much in the way of cuisine out here. Every state is different but the folks in New Mexico seem to be the most strict with the COVID requirements.  It is really cool though that everyone that we have met along the way, in the hotels or the gas stations, with the exception of a very few, are observing social distancing and donning face masks.  I am so hopeful that all of this will prove to help all of us humans stay healthy and beat up this bug -- until science can help us with it!!

We have only eaten in one restaurant and that was in Texas at an outside patio.  the rest of the time we have had to purchase to go food and eat it in our rooms/car/park. 

Today was the brightest spot in our journey so far.  After spending the night at the Best Western in the Grand Canyon Village near the south entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park, we were treated to a 25 mile tour of the overlooks.  Because of the COVID, the park service is only allowing the public to enter the park from 6 am until 10 am.  You can spend the entire day there if you like, but you have to enter between those hours.  This is brilliant because it limits the amount of folks who are near each other. 

The day was perfect.  Temperature 70's with awesome blue skies.  Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.  I took so many and will have to delete tons off my phone.

As you can see the views were amazing!!  What an absolutely wonderful world we live in!  No one can take that away from us. No other country is as beautiful as ours is.  I have been all across it and I know that people who come from other places in the world would die to have this kind of vast beauty. 

We stopped along the way at a deserted Indian Craft Stand.  They are all deserted because of this COVID thing.  We wondered wether this was ordered by the state or just because of a lack of customers.  Either way, we were saddened by the economic blight that has reached here on the Indian Reservations because of this virus.

We chose to continue the beauty by taking the scenic route up Highway 89 North and crossed the border into Utah.  We arrived in Kanab around 6:00 pm, enduring yet another time zone change. 

Tomorrow, Tuesday, we press onto Ely for one more night on the road. 

So Far, So Good! Day 53, May 15, 2020

We made it out of San Antonio this morning after both of us did our morning rituals.  Carol with the Yoga and me with the run.  We had a superlative breakfast at the hotel which was part of the cost of the room.  Joe was our waiter and he said that San Antonio was beginning to emerge from the lockdown but that downtown (which is where he had another job) was still dead as a ghost town.  Joe was anxious to get work back to normal.  We were his only customers this morning.  We left him a big tip.

If you are ever in San Antonio and near the airport, needing a place to stay, I would recommend the Crowne Plaza.  It wasn't perfect but the staff was absolutely wonderful!!

So we got out of town at around 11 and headed through the Texas Hill Country.  If you have never  been there, you might want to put it on your to do list.  We stopped along the way for a little shopping in Kerrville, TX.  Picked up some supplies:

Picnic lunch and pit stop and enjoyed some of the scenery

After miles and miles of no cell service but beautiful Texas landscapes, we pulled into Fort Stockton, TX where we located a hotel and dinner.  Long day, good food and beer.  On to Albuquerque tomorrow.  We have decided to make a beeline to the Grand Canyon -- the South Rim Overlook appears to be open.

The people in this part of Texas are sort of 1/2 face mask and 1/2 not.  I guess it is probably the same as anywhere else.  There is so much open space out here, it seems like folks are ready to get back to work, especially in the small towns like Kerrville.  

Check in with you all tomorrow.  

Sitting in LaLa, Waiting for YaYa Day 52, May 14, 2020

Yep. This is it. I’m going.  Leaving on a Jet Plane. Please don’t shame me. I considered this decision very seriously and finally decided I had to get outta this place! My girlfriend called and asked me if I would go with her to pick up her new/used car in San Antonio. The story is that she has a friend in MX who has a Lexus and for some reason, having to do with her citizenship status, she is not allowed to register her Lexus. So my friend Carol needs a new car so she will buy it. Her friend is driving it to San Antonio where the transfer will be made and we will drive home from there. This will not be an all day, all night drive. We are planning 5-7 days.

The picture above is the Reno airport at 8;15 am. Not too many folks.

So we made it to Las Vegas.  There were only 60 people on our flight.  There was definitely some social distancing and some face mask wearing going on there.  We flew Southwest.  No in-flight service and you had to have a face mask on the plane.  We arrived in Las Vegas with a bounce -- literally, and for me to say that considering where I come from Reno -- turbulence capital of the world.

Las Vegas airport was pretty much deserted too.  The interesting thing about this situation is that no one is in a hurry.  No one is pushing you to exit the plane.  We were all able to social distance (6 feet apart).

We arrived in San Antonio, again to no problem with overcrowding.  The car arrived with the ladies that ferried it up here.  We had a couple of beers in the room, dinner and now to bed.  Incredible and boring life we are living but I am 1100 miles from home!!

This is the first day I have had on a facemask ALL. DAY. LONG.

I gotta say, it was not good but it was okay!!  

Carol got her car today but I think we need to go to the Lexus dealer tomorrow and make sure it is road worthy.  That should eat up some time . . . .  who knows where we will be tomorrow night.  Hopefully somewhere in West Texas!!

Day 51, May 12, 2020 -- Pickleball, Hair Appointment

I didn't post yesterday but I did do a lot.  First up, working out with Michelle and the zoom crew (24 of them).  Then I met Cirila at the tennis courts and we played pickleball.  I am beginning to like this sport and I was hoping that she would too.  My choices of exercise are beginning to bore me -- and I am ready to move on.  Guess what?  She did!! Cirila even chose to challenge herself more by hitting the ball left handed.  We split a couple of games.  I won one and she the other.

Afterwards we shared a cup of coffee and some conversation on the back deck of my house.

Russ and I went out to breakfast this morning at Josef's in Reno.  The Governor has moved into stage 1 of re-opening in Nevada and that includes opening restaurants.  The experience was kind of weird because all of the waitresses had on masks -- as did we when we weren't eating.  I guess this is just going to be this way for awhile.

Following breakfast I took myself for my hair appointment -- another opening in stage 2.  The rules were:  Wait in your car til you are texted to enter, wear a facemask.  It was also different and kind of cumbersome -- but the finished product was definitely better than when I went in there.

Thank you Jenna!! 

Tomorrow I have another HIIT set with Michelle and a game or two of pickleball with Cirila to look forward to.  In the meantime I am reading The Splendid and the Vile  by Erik Larson which, although interesting, is taking a lot of concentration on my part.  It's history and it is English (not USA) so just that much distance causes me angst.  It is about Churchill and his family and WWII.  Does anyone else ever get headaches from reading too much?  

It is not that I am getting too comfortable being at home but rather I am beginning to be afraid of going out.  I don't think that this is healthy either.  What is more important, my mental or physical health??  Something I am pondering right now.

Day 49, May 10, 2020 -- Happy Mother's Day!

We celebrated last night with an outdoor fire pit cocktail party at Montana & Uriah's backyard.  It was really nice to socialize for a change.  Even if we were 6 feet apart.

It was a lonely Mother's Day today.  For the past 5 years we have participated in the Reno Mom's on The Run - 5k which is to benefit cancer research and treatment.  It has always been a thing to look forward to and the whole family participates -- some of us walking, some of us running and some of us just cheering on.  This year it was postponed to an unknown date.  So my daughter and I did our own private Mom's on the Run -- venue a couple of miles apart.  Her time was 10 minutes faster but we both got it done! Congratulations Montana.  Look how far you have come!

Here is what I got for Mom's day from my Grandson. 

Tomorrow pickleball and zoom workout. 

Day 48, May 9, 2020 Kinda Bored-How about YOU?

Or am I depressed?  This un-socialization process is really getting to me.  Who knew how much I depend upon other people?  I have been reaching out to some of them and some of them are calling me back.  Others not so.  I am wondering why I miss them that care so little to return my calls, etc. 

Enough of the pity party.  I gotta get out of this place!!

My girlfriend sent me a text this morning asking if I was up for a road trip to Texas to help her buy a new/old car. This sounds like my kind of adventure.  We would fly to San Antonio, pick up the car and begin a trip home.  What an opportunity to get out of the doldrums. I can't pass it up!  I tried to go to AAA to get a map of Texas but they were closed so I ordered a map from Amazon and it should be here on Monday.  I'm in charge of finding any and all fun stuff to see on our way back.  Plans are still tentative.  I'll keep you posted.

I went to the grocery store today to help a neighbor and look what I found! 

Things are pretty bad when you get excited about seeing toilet paper in the grocery store.  Looks like things are starting to return to normal at least as regards to paper products.  We'll see.

Day 47, May 8, 2019 - Gale's Birthday and California enters stage 2!

Nothing but good news today!!  I got an extra workout (Michelle kicked our butts again today!) and just afterwards picked up a news item from the Sierra Sun that they are offering COVID tests over at the North Tahoe Visitors' Center in Kings Beach.  This is somehow connected to the fact that California is now entering stage 2 of recovery!  Read about it here:

Sierra Sun Article Stage 2 for California

What that means for citizens of California?  You will have to read the article!! 

Our Governor in Nevada has not entered stage 1 yet.  That is supposed to happen Saturday.  I understand that restaurants will be able to open for 50% seating (pickup and delivery is preferred), hairdressers/barbers can open with strict guidelines.  No bars, nightclubs or casinos yet.  Oh yes, I made an appointment for a facial at Nicole's first available!! June 5.  Looking forward to using the gift certificate my daughter gave me for Christmas!


Happy Birthday to my dear friend Gale Etchells.  So wish we could celebrate but we will make it up to you -- promise!

There she is -- at the Baja Carwash -- Isn't she BEAUTIFUL?

Still trying to keep my life "normal" I enjoyed the back deck and the book I am now reading - "The Splendid and The Vile" by Erik Larson for a couple of hours.  Russ planted flowers, tomatoes and beets today so we will actually have some home grown stuff this fall.  We also re-arranged the second bedroom, working towards having "my little place" while still being able to accommodate overnight guests.  Still a work in progress.  

At 3:45 pm I headed over to the local tennis courts and met up with my new pickleball friends.  It was 84 degrees so the hour spent pretty much soaked my clothes but it was a good workout and I am beginning to get the rules -- the skill, that's another thing.  Going back on Monday at 11am.  It was fun and something different.

Tonight another zoom meeting and shot with my daughter and her husband.  Just a check in and rapidly becoming a great tradition.

Day 45, May 7, 2020 - lots of ZOOM!

Had a nice run this morning along Plumas street.  There is plenty of room for me, the bikes, the moving cars and the parked automobiles.  What a beautiful day in Reno!

Here is my popcorn ball tree in the backyard.

I'm waiting now for a couple of Zoom meetings.  One with my college friends who will be logging on at 2 pm their time while it is still morning for me.  The other is at noon our time with a few ladies who are in a virtual book club.  We don't all read the same book, we just talk about what we can remember of the books that we have read since the last time we met.  I swear that while I am reading the books it is clear as a bell but about a week after I have finished, I am already forgetting what the thing was about. 

While I was working out in the basement this morning as it happens, I was laying right next to the paper shredder and noticed this information on its top. 

At first I thought it was an insult to my intelligence but really, it is a reminder to everyone and it is in a universal language.  Can you figure out what it is trying to tell you?

I got out of the house today and am trying to make some arrangements to ship kids books to Uganda.  One of my online running buddies says that since they have been on lockdown, the kids are suffering with no educational materials.  I went to the post office and, as usual, the employee there was little help.  But she did tell me that we could not use the USPS to ship to Uganda right now.  So, I am at a stalemate.  

But wait!  one of the other friends of this fella indicated in FB that she wanted to help.  So I sent her a message and asked her to be my friend.  She lives in New Jersey and she has a contact that normally ships to that area of Africa so I am hoping she can either turn me onto that contact or I can ship the books to her and she can package them up and include them.  The power of social media.  I'll keep you all posted on the outcome of this.  

I got a text last night from one of the ladies that I approached about playing pickleball.  They invited me to play tomorrow (Friday) at 4 pm.  Should be a scorcher but I am anxious to get on the court and practice.

News flash, the Gold Hill Hotel and Restaurant in Virginia City, NV has begun to take the money that has been pinned to their ceiling off so that they can survive.  The lack of tourism up there has left them in dire straits too.

Here's some good books that I learned about in my book meeting:

Lost Vintage by Ann Mah

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (I have read it and this is a good one)

Becoming, Michelle O'Bama

The Murmur of Bees (didn't get the author)

Book Woman's Last Fling by John Dunning

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (my suggestion and really good)

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (my suggestion and really good)

By the way, under the subject "did you know?" here is something that I learned.  Not exactly sure of its veracity but I have run into the inability to purchase an ebook when I try to do so on my cell phone (Iphone).  I have tried through the kindle app and through the amazon store app but they both say that I can't buy the book through this app.

This, apparently,  is because Apple wanted to charge Amazon a fee per book.  Amazon apparently said no-no.  Like I said, this is the only solution that makes sense to me but you go ahead and try it yourself (if you have an Iphone).  I bet you get this message -- This app does not support purchasing .....If you have a droid I am pretty sure there is no problem.  

So since I have an Iphone, I have to purchase my kindle books directly through my kindle.  They still show up on my kindle app on the Iphone but I just can't purchase them there.

Oh, I got this information from google.

Business.

enough for now 

Day 43, May 6, 2020 a Visit to Lost Marbles Ranch!

Last night we were treated to a most beautiful moon.  My friend from Truckee Kai Amundsen tells me it is called The Flower Moon which is the last super moon of 2020. 

This morning it was up and at em and ready for my 9:15 zoom workout with Michelle.  Talk about clutzy.  I am so uncoordinated.  The best part was running around the chair in the middle of the deck for aerobic exercise.  I swear, I don't know where this girl comes up with her ideas but she keeps it fresh every class!!  This time she incorporated a chair into the workout -- and don't think that the chair was to let us sit down on the job.  Not hardly.

While I was working out on the deck, my dog Ceilidh took off again.  She was gone for another two hours and when she came back this time her face had blood on it.  It was not her blood.  I am hoping that she didn't get into somebody's chicken coop -- probably just a rodent (I hope).  She is tied up now and won't be getting a free rein for awhile. 

We took a little side trip to visit some friends who live up here in the Sierra Valley.  Their home is on 20 acres and they call it "Lost Marbles Ranch."  We did a little outside, social distancing visiting which included homemade margaritas and got a tour of the ranch.  They use the awesome, huge barn to rent out for wedding and extravaganzas -- even concerts.  They have done a great job of restoring the old barn and property.  Too much work for me, that's for sure.

One more thing I wanted to share here.  On my Camino last year, I walked with a lot of people but I really only connected with 3-4 of them.  When I got back home, I emailed Roza from the Netherlands and she responded.  A couple of weeks later and then again a month later I tried to engage her again, to no avail.  She is my age (72) and while we were walking, towards the end, she became kind of sick.  I feared the worst for Roza but had no way of knowing.  Yesterday I tried to reach her again and lo and behold this morning there was an email from Roza explaining that she was sorry she hadn't responded but, in fact, she had been at death's door from COVID19.  She has been home 4 weeks now from a 3 week stay in the hospital where she had been intubated.  She is mending slowly - as anyone who is 72 and survived that virus would be.  I am so grateful for this wonderful outcome.  The grim reaper has been cheated!!

Here is a picture of Roza and me at Finesterra - what a wonderful woman she is!