110 days invested in my health

I am so happy to be feeling fine and coping with self quarantine.  

I'm too lazy, but otherwise, I am well.

The Ditch Lilies bloomed this morning.  They are not my favorite, but they are a flash of color.

The view out my bedroom window, these look a little washed out in the bright sun.

I see a few Sundrops have avoided the midnight snackers.

The deer love these blooms, I'm happy to see them today.

I was pleased to see some random Sundrops in an area of the yard that is wild.

I hope that they thrive there.

I have a couple of Asiatic Lilies, this one is full of blooms today.

I gave myself another haircut on the back deck today.

I added a thinning scissors to my hair cutting tools.

It goes okay.

Once I decide where to go for my next haircut, 

I know that they will have challenge to fix the work I have done, but it is getting me by.   

Much of the nation is going back into shutdown mode 

due to increases in positive testing for Covid-19.

Not the news that many businesses were looking forward to for July 4th.

Cases overview; Europe is opening up some travel restrictions, but 14 nations are cleared for travel, the US is not on the list.  I firmly believe that handling this crisis was bungled from the get-go.

Wisconsin

Confirmed 25,068 +315

Recovered 19,543

Deaths 745 +0

United States

Confirmed 2.67M +36,390

Recovered 822K

Deaths 129K +338

Worldwide

Confirmed 10.4M +178K

Recovered 5.28M

Deaths 507K +4,153

109 days

I am well. 

The grass got a good dose of rain last night, 3.5 inches. 

The night was filled with thunder and lightning,  which made for sketchy sleeping.

I attended the library board meeting today; socially distant seating & masks.  Our mission was to discuss re-opening our local public library.  It was good to do something that felt a little normal.

Today, I watched a documentary movie "The Untold Story of Emmett Luis Till".  Another disturbing story of hatred, bigotry and murder in our country's history of racism.  A 14 year old boy, who made the mistake of whistling at a white woman in 1955, was brutally beaten and killed.  His mother was courageous through it all and did not let it go without shining a light on the crime. 

108 days of Shelter at Home

Sunny and 86℉ today.  The lawn got mowed, my lawn guy rocks.

There are a few more birds around, maybe the babies are starting to fledge.

Baltimore Oriole, Male

Red Bellied Woodpecker. Male

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Rose Breasted Grosbeak, male

I have plenty of jelly & seeds on hand, I hope they keep coming back.

🐦🐦🐦

I've been mostly wasting the day watching HGTV & golf.

I did clean out the garage in the corner of the kitchen counter.

Little did I know that I have a full sized food processor with blender attachment & a small food processor.  Also about 3 coffee carafes that I don't use.  Dad & Ev liked to use a carafe when they were here, I'm drinking only tea now that I can't have caffeine, s

o those carafes will be donated where they will get used.

That corner garage was a dark cave, 

but I see there is an open outlet in there, so I plugged in a nightlight, 

TaDa!

Instant lighted garage.

Forward!

Day 107

The first of the Stella Lilies are open. 

They only last a day, but they are  so cheerful.

crappy photo with my phone

 It looks like it will be a good year for the ditch lily / tiger lily / wild day lilies.

Lots of buds on all the bushes.

Ever since I purchased and installed a rain gauge in the yard, no rain.

I'm so in love with my kitchen now that I have a new sink!

I have been cleaning and purging, there is more to do, but I love my kitchen again.  That old sink was pretty snaky and did not inspire me.

😼😼😼😼

I saw a clever statement on Twitter:

"Holy Shit!

Have we really turned wearing a mask into a political issue?

Go out and buy an awesome Packers mask, or wear a blank on that would represent the Vikings trophy case.

Either way just wear a freaking mask!"

The Covidk-19 Virus refuses to let up.

Cases overview; record increases nationally and a big increase in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin

Confirmed 25,068 +520

Recovered 19,543

Deaths 745 +0

United States

Confirmed 2.55M +44,726

Recovered 783K

Deaths 127K +599

Worldwide

Confirmed 9.89M +177K

Recovered 5M

Deaths 496K +5,116

106 days of Safer at Home

I got a surprise call that my plumber could come today to install the new sink.  

I had thought it would be another week, 

so I had to scramble to clean out under the sink & clean off counter tops to make room.

Ryan is the brother of my nephew-in-law, and we always have a nice chat.  

It was fun watching him work.  Plumbing takes a creative mind. 

I am verrrry glad I did not attempt this job with just myself or a helper.

The sink is a beauty and fits into the look of the kitchen nicely.  

Now maybe I'll get motivated to finish the painting the walls in the kitchen.

 Tomorrow's job is to deep clean the kitchen.

𝍅𝍅𝍅𝍅𝍅

I feel sad for this Currant bush.

Every year, something strips every bit of leaf and I never have been able to see the guilty bug.

I guess I'll do some research and may sprinkle some Seven on the bush.

That's it for today, hope you are well.

Day 105

Today was a nice summer day.

Saw this little volunteer growing out of a crack in the driveway.

I had the Orkin technician appointment (mice & ants), and then thought I would get sewing.

Then, the kitchen faucet came apart in my hands.  The metal just deteriorated from the high iron in my water.  Makes me wonder what it does to my stomach...

Anyway, I've been wanting a new kitchen sink for a couple of years, and I had already purchased a new fancy faucet long ago, so today I just had to get the sink.  Menards had one I liked and so I ordered on line and went to pick it up.  Menards is not nearly as organized with their drive through as Farm & Fleet is, but I managed.

I came home and assembled the new faucet on the new sink, now all I'm missing is a plumber to make the switch.  He is going to let me know when he can come.  I'm ready when he is.

I had planned to sew today, but so it goes.

Be safe.

104 days of Safer at Home

I got a book in the mail today that I had pre-ordered.

Pete Souza is a Madison native and often posts photos from our state's capitol.

This book is packed with great photos from the Obama years.  I miss those years.

I was trying to snap a photo of Barley watching a chipmunk on the bird feeder tray 

and a Grosbeak swooped in.  

Scared the chipmunk, not so much Barley though.

Time for a pandemic update.

Wisconsin is doing better, but several other states are experiencing big increases in positives.

Cases overview

Wisconsin

Confirmed 25,068 +263

Recovered 19,543

Deaths 745 +5

United States

Confirmed 2.42M +33,315

Recovered 743K

Deaths 124K +766

Worldwide

Confirmed 9.33M +133K

Recovered 4.68M

Deaths 479K +3,847

103 blogs about Covid

More fun on the trail cam.

Yesterday afternoon.

Just a sunset this guy, it looks like he is running.

Wonder what was going on in the front yard?

 Asiatic Lily in bloom, I think the deer like these, might not be around long, so glad I saw it.

 I watched a really fun movie last night.

The Show Must Go On:  Queen + Adam Lambert.

It was such a fun celebration of Queen music and I have loved Adam Lambert since I saw him on American Idol.  I remember thinking that his audition was so great, he seemed like an Elvis type of entertainer, turns out he can sing anything and do it well.

I was up very late because I got really sucked into the movie.

★★★★★

103 days of blogging, when I started blogging every day, I thought it might be for a month.

Little did I know,  3+ months and looking like we could go for at least 9.

I might ease back on the daily updates.

Life is Good.

Day 102

I checked the trail cam, I think this might be the night visitor who chomped the yellow flowers.

 Heading for the flower bed.

Pretty little boy.

So, continuing my unlearning of some history and learning a lot of new black history as part of my desire to be more anti-racist.  Last night I watched Freedom Summer.

✅Freedom Summer

I'm so impressed with all the young people who went to Mississippi during Freedom Summer. This documentary was full of history that I missed, partly because I was a young teen, but mostly because we didn't study the contemporary history after this happened. Black lives matter.

✅Documentary on Netflix called 13th

✅The movie I Am Not Your Negroe

✅The movie Selma

✅The Central Park Five by Ken Burns

Documentary of the accusation and false imprisonment of 5 boys in New York.

✅When They See Us on Netflix

The story of the Central Park five as a movie.

✅America in Black and Blue: PBS Newshour Weekend Special Report

 A special report hosted by Alison Stewart.  It was a very interesting selection of interviews and worth viewing for sure.  I have also subscribed to Alison Stewart's podcast, "Need to Know".

✅Round table discussion on Zoom with other Barron County Democrats

✅The Uncomfortable Truth

This is a documentary that is revealing and includes history that is new to me.  The systemic racism is all about power and from the very roots of our country, there has been a baked in thought that blacks are inferior and that whites being superior was good for all.  This was designed into our government and the law, and made law enforcement dependent on white supremacy.

✅Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming. 

The day that the slaves in Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation that had been signed 2 years before now celebrated across our country.

✅"The I Have A Dream Project" on YouTube

It was amazing, touching, sad, happy, and inspirational.

The chipmunk probably planted these sunflowers in two of my big pots.

It's fine with me since I didn't buy any bedding plants this year due to Covid.

I did plant some Morning Glory seeds in my hanging baskets.

 They are coming along.

Cleaned the freezer today, 

it was almost empty so a perfect time to completely empty and wash the bin.

Took the car in to fix a very small leak in the transmission fluid, a leaking gasket from some work I had done about 3 weeks ago.

Now it leaks worse, so, I think they unfixed it.

I guess I'll get to go back.

I picked up 2 more buckets of fresh Strawberries from the seller in the all parking lot.

I'm loving the berries!

Eating seasonal is such a treat.

101 days of Safer at Home and so it goes

Sunday, Father's Day.

Here is a nice photo of my Dad from 2011.  

Miss him every day.

100 days of Safer at Home

Well, just like that, 100 days of Safer at Home have clicked by and now we start the 2nd 100.

Evidently the local 🦌 strolled by in the night 

and had a snack on the Sundrop patch.  Only 1 flower survived.

I guess the Oxbow Daisy patch is not as tasty.

The Olde Stoklasa ladder is starting to have a pretty nice hop vine climbing.

Okay, so, 100 days of Zoom Bridge, movies, reading, sleeping in, sewing, and watching mindless TV.

Maybe the next 100 days will be a little more productive.

Be safe, stay well.

99th day

Today is Juneteenth.  

A day that many have heard very little about.  

I believe today is the first day that I have devoted 

any time to understanding the importance of this day.

Tonight I watched a program on TV called Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming.  

It was such a good program with summaries of several key events

 in the history of our country

 and our black communities.  

I'm hoping that this window of awareness lasts, 

I see many comments on social media expressing lack of awareness of the significance of Juneteenth.

But this year, there is more awareness and learning.

The best thing I did today was watch this YouTube video.  

It was amazing, touching, sad, happy, and inspirational.

"The I Have A Dream Project" on YouTube

98 days of Safer at Home

Okay, day 98 was cloudy but warm and plenty of humidity.  

I found one of the 'sun drop' flowers in bloom. 

These are especially tasty to the deer who stroll through at night and look for snacks.

 I have not figured out what this flower is called officially, but it is a real cutie.  I'm still Googling and comparing photos.

Update: Sundrop Oenothera fruticosa
Willowherb Family, Onagraceae

The gorgeous sundrop flower is like a yellow drop of sunlight. The bright yellow flower is very resilient and can grow in almost any type of soil as long as it has sun. In fact, sundrops thrive in full sun, and therefore, they are drought resistant.

The sundrop flower can be found in the wild and is often grown in gardens. It is easy to grow and adds color and brightness to a garden.

Sundrops are native to eastern North America, and are usually found in sunny environments where there is an optimal amount of sunlight. The flowers attract many butterflies as well as hummingbirds.

The sundrop is a perennial flower that blooms from May to June. However, before the yellow flower blooms, its buds are a bright red color.

The sundrop is also known as the sun cup and evening primrose, for the plant is part of the primrose family. The plant can grow up to 2 feet high and the flowers are about 2 inches wide.

Some scientists believe that the Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma used to boil and eat the leaves of the sundrop as herbs

Hopefully there will be a few more tomorrow, all depends on the midnight snackers.

No new movies or documentaries today.

It was a low key day of laundry and reading around here.

The Covid-19 statistics continue to fluctuate.

Be safe, stay well.