The Illuminati And The Virus

I texted Gail early on to ask if she'd park on Hill Street, rather than drive into the complex, and she did. We did our five-mile walk again and I greatly enjoyed it.
I'm afraid, however, that I find Gail a bit tedious. She's one of those people who have absolutely no sense of humor and, seemingly, no idea of how to judge whether to obey "authority" or make up her own mind in various situations. However, she's okay to be with otherwise, I guess, and we made a date to walk tomorrow, too. (She rides her bike on Tuesday, many more miles than we walk).
El called while we were out to tell me about a site she reads which assures us that the Illuminati or whomever, would shut down the Internet and phones sometime between April 1 and Easter. Television would work and, presumably, we'd get instructions from that. Ellen doesn't necessarily  believe that, nor do I, but if it has to do with the evil government, shadow or otherwise, I won't discount it.
Met up with Andrea and Lauren and little Brindley outside and we chatted a bit. Nancy called and we chatted for a bit. For the first time in weeks, she went outside--to the pharmacy at 8:00 am to pick up her prescriptions.
After lunch, I cut up three zucchinis I had bought at Von's on Sunday, and put them in the slow cooker with chopped onions and seasonings. I actually sat outside on the patio for a bit, reading my germ book, which continues to be fascinating.
After I went in, I was surprised to find a message on my phone from Don S., a friend of my son, Mike's. He was cautioning me to take the virus threat seriously. He added several other cautions about it and I was nonplussed; I wondered if this was a hoax or a hack. Anyway, we exchanged messages back and forth for a few minutes and the upshot was that I called him. Yes, the messages were from him, he was just concerned about me, and so on. We talked for almost an hour, mostly about Covid-19, a topic which is getting old, dammit,  However, I like Don a lot and enjoyed talkiing to him. He hasn't had the easiest life--his mother left when he was an infant--and I was glad to talk to him. Since he lives in Jersey, it will probably a long time before I see him, if ever.
Had a vegan dinner, consisting of the cabbage and apple dish, turnips, which I had prepared on Sunday, and the zucchini. Yum, yum, and I want to do this more often.
 

My Schedule And Germs

It occurred to me that I need to set a new, tentative schedule. In the old days--pre-virus--I didn't actually follow one, exactly, but often did the same things at roughly the same times. My mealtime I do follow pretty religiously with breakfast at 8, lunch at 1, and dinner at 6. (I can eat after those time, but not before.) However, I was always ready to put into motion my policy: "never turn down an invitation," if something fun came up. On regular days, though, I'd walk down Victoria in the morning and go into town in the afternoon on the bus.
Well, that's over for now, but I'll probably follow loosely what I did yesterday: After breakfast, I talked on the phone, then walked over to Von's in this getup:

(I had the mask left over from the Thomas fire two years ago.) I got lettuce, cabbage, a big, fat apple, and Dave's Killer Bread. Prepared the lettuce for my lunch salad, cut up the cabbage and apple and put them in the slow cooker, and tidied up a bit. After lunch, I took off over the footbridge and followed the same route Gail and I had on Friday, putting in roughly five miles. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and fairly warm, although the wind blew up here and there.

I had called Ellen earlier to ask about how to hand renting an DVD from Amazon and she educated me. I then called my old Sunrise Bay friend and neighbor, Susan G., and we talked for more than an hour. I was surprised to hear the exercise group was still meeting at the clubhouse--I kind of doubt  the office people are in.
I just started the following and it's fabulous; I bought when we went to Bart's Books while Patrick was here:

I was incredibly ignorant and this is eye-opening, especially HOW MANY germs are in the body. According the Dr. Tierno, "There are more germs in our bodies than there are stars in the sky, some thousand billion germs per gram of matter...the combined weight of microscopic germs exceeds the combined weight of all living animals and plants." It boggles the mind! I'm only up to the fourth chapter and can't wait to continue.

Texted Gail and we'll walk again in a few hours.

Telephone

My niece, Joan, called me in the morning and we had a long talk. She and her husband, Jim, live in Manhattan, which seems a wonderfully exotic and interesting lifestyle to me. Joan is very active and had just come from the long walk in Central Park.
That put me in the mood to talk, so I called my friend, Aline, in Little Egg Harbor, and we brought each other up to date. I was alarmed to hear that her great-nephew, who is a college sophomore and lives in north Jersey, was tested and has been diagnosed with the virus. He was advised not to go to the hospital, but to be treated at home (no wonder!); happily, because he's young and healthy, the prognosis is good. Aline lives with her sister, Susan, and they've been eating a lot of take-out, such as pizza and so on. (Seems to me more a danger than the virus!)
Checked my mail and saw Suzanne drive in. We chatted--virtuously six feet away--at the mail boxes. She's going into the office at St. John's to go over her files and so on; the medical education classes she conducts have been suspended, of course. I went out for a short walk around the neighborhood after that, covering maybe a mile and a half, if that.
Called some loved ones, including Ellen, with whom I had a long talk and video visit on Zoom. I had been trying to set up Zoom for a virtual Happy Hour meeting, and El and I managed to do it, but now I'm not so sure it's feasible with Nancy and Carolyn. We'll see. El took exception to me allowing Gail to come in and use the bathroom on Friday and we had a long discussion about that. I'm not so sure if my two pals are up for a Zoom visit--or, for that matter, that I am.

Walking And Filing

Gail got here a bit before 9:00 and we started off over the footbridge, then onto the bike/walking path, which led us to Kimball Park. According to Google Maps, that's a distance of two miles We went around about half the park walk, then back, so totaled at least five, or maybe a bit more than that. Very satisfying, especially since we went in the morning and it was a beautiful day. We agreed to do it again on Monday. I don't think there's a problem with this, virus-wise, as we were out in the open air, didn't touch each other, and left some space in between. Also, more significant or not, neither of us was coughing or sneezing.
I called Suzanne Nextdoor just to see how she was doing and we had a good talk. Walked over to Von's for romaine, zucchini, and a nice, plump turnip (haven't had one for ages). I noticed that my cashier had gloves and a mask on, the bagger just gloves. When I asked the cashier if management had given them out, I was told no, their union had provided the gloves and it was her own mask. It's incredible, it seems to me, that there and at Wal-Mart--and, presumably, at many other places--management isn't providing gloves and masks to their employees. Boggles the mind.
I ran into one of my old walking Kimball buddies,
Called Ellen after lunch and we chatted. She suggested that those I used to meet for either happy hour or lunch (actually, just Nancy and Carolyn B.) might set up Zoom and "get together" virtually. Actually, that's not a bad idea; we could each pour ourselves a glass of wine (in Nancy's case), beer (in mine), or a fancy mixed drink (Carolyn). Only problem is, I don't know how to zoom and I doubt if the two do, either. However, I think I'll pursue it.
Finally heard back from Bianca and sent her my selection for the new filing cabinet. However, the company--not the apartment owners, but LEK, which installed the washer and dryer--have to order it, bring it in and take out the old one. The problem is, they aren't working until, Bianca said, mid April or the end of April. Damn, that means I'll have the files still piled on and under the chair all that time. However, I acquiesced and will just have to live with it.
Speaking of filing--income tax! I know the deadline's extended, but I don't want it hanging over my head until July. I must steel myself, gather the rest of the info to Michelle soon.

The Closet And The Stir-Fry And Activities In Between

It turned out to be not a bad day. I actually started on the bedroom closet, which was crammed with all manner of things. Did I finish it? HA! I didn't even think of attempting that. What I did was to clear out, then re-arrange items on about one fourth of the far end, but I made a dent in it. Here's before, when I had everything piled on the bed, and after:

Anyway, in between this, I got a text from first daughter that they were back in NM; a text from Jeanne Dollard P. about the virus; and spoke on the phone to Noreen, Betty, and Gail. She and I made a date to walk the footbridge an adjoining path this morning, figuring we'd stay six feet apart, of course. I called the Access Van just to find out if they're running and, surprisingly, they are--to doctor's offices and food stores, but as a last resort, I could request one.

I picked out my filing cabinet (from Wayfair) and left a message for Bianca, but haven't heard back from her yet about ordering and delivery. Ellen then called and asked if I wanted to go to Wal-Mart. Is the Pope..?--of course, I did, and we went. El bought a lot of stuff and so did I: canned goods, dish detergent, and--happy day--two bags of fresh spinach (Von's hasn't had any). 

When we got home, El helped me take my groceries in and we chatted for a bit. She suggested I call her when I need something and she'd go out and get it, then leave it at my door "so you don't have to go to Von's." The fact is, though, I like going to Von's. Maybe someday it will come to me having to be in all the time, but I'll deal that when it comes.

I met the new upstairs neighbor, whose name is Leah, and we had a nice talk. She's--get this--a pathology technician in the medical examiner's office--wow! She just moved in last week, directly above me, and I liked her a lot.

Cooked  up my signature ground turkey stir-fry for dinner, applesauce on the side.

Thursday

After breakfast, I changed the bed, washed the sheets, and re-made with the other set.
Called Nancy and we had a nice chat. She, of course, has literally not set foot outside the door since this crises began, but that isn't too different from her usual. Called Betty and ditto with her. She insisted she's "not allowed" to go out, even to walk around the block.
I thought I'd make apple sauce with  my remaining six apples, so I got out the apple peeler/slicer/corer thing I had foolishly bought a year or so again. I couldn't put the damn thing together and, frankly, I think it's more trouble than it's worth, so I re-boxed it and put it with my donation stuff. Prepared the apples the old-fashioned way by coring, peeling, and chunking myself. They just fit in the smaller slow cooker and boy, did they smell good cooking away with the apple/cinnamon perfume.
I got a message, then email from my cousin's wife, Linda, telling me of their son's tragic--well, I guess they're all tragic--suicide six years ago. I was able to find an obituary with his picture--what a handsome young man! His name was "Annan," which I had never heard of before. I thought it was Irish, but it's Scottish; however, I read there's a place called Annan in Ireland. I wrote back to her, mentioned Betty's similar sorrow, Jay, who was 31 when he died.
After lunch, I took off for Smart 'n' Final (odious name!). It was good to walk, but it was extremely windy; I had to hold my hat on. Got lettuce and the very last container of napkins on the shelf, then walked home, a total of 2.4 miles I was glad to get in.
Dropped the stuff off, then went over to Von's for grapes and a nice three-piece container of chicken quarters. I like to season and roast them, then eat one and wrap the others to freeze. Had the leftover salmon, plus cauliflower and broccoli, along with the yummy warm applesauce I had made.
Today, I am determined, if it kills me, to at least start tackling the big closet. My strategy is to do section by section and I'll start with the far end, which includes a bunch of---well, stuff.
Good grief, I just looked and it's 41 degrees! No fair!

By Myself

My first order of business was deciding whether to mope and cry all day or not. Not.
So after breakfast, I gathered up the whites to wash, again pleased that I could choose a large, small, or medium load. While they were drying, I got my little cart and trekked over to Von's. I bought considerably more than was on my list, including frozen food which I want in case I run out of fresh; coffee, although I have almost a full large can; and--bowing to the present situation--disposable latex gloves. Also got fresh goodies: broccoli, mushrooms and a nice head of cauliflower.
Home, I cut up the latter and put it in the smaller slow cooker, along with the veggie "juice" I always save, mindful of the vitamins therein.  Prepared the mushrooms for stir-fly, trimmed the broccoli, and got some swordfish out of the freezer.
After lunch, I walked over the footbridge to the Hill Street branch of the library, although I knew it was closed. Walked back, so I got in about two miles, but that's not much.
Happily, El called shortly I got in to tell me she and the Tokyo visitors left at 7:00 am for LAX and they got off with no problem. She said it was quick and quiet driving the 101 to L.A., although it's usually a madhouse. We talked about the virus, too, of course, and damn, that subject is getting old for me already.
I puttered around here and there until 5:00 or so , when I put my swordfish in the oven and stir-fried onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Had the preceding for din-din, along with a nice helping of broccoli and another of carrots.
Played Solitaire after, then my usual games until 8:00, when I settled in with Will & Grace. Today, I plan to consolidate the things I'm donating to Goodwill, then walk to Smart 'n' Final, just to get out.