Life of the Party

     The rich black gold of composting is worth all the work that I put into it!  Doing our little part to keep some biodegradable things out of the landfill is what I have turned into a hobby. I have implemented some raised garden beds this season. Putting them together was a complete mess in itself. Apparently, you need to read the directions first...  The wooden ones were back-ordered, so I decided to go for the metal ones. They are supposed to last longer.       I will be sharing some photos of my progress in the next few days. This is a new adventure. I also thought about creating a flower bed too. Any ideas?  I had some sprouting potatoes in my compost bin that I promptly moved into the raised garden bed. The dark green plants look really healthy and I plan to keep it that way.       I used some old cinder blocks to build the flower bed, but I didn't like the color. I looked around in some of dad's old boxes and found ...

We spent a few hours today exploring the mountainside. It was great to be out and about.  I didn't expect it to be so cold! I wore and tank top and shorts. This small hike is worth the effort! I hope we go back when the fog has subsided. I bet the views would be beautiful. 

   I can't believe its May already. Where has the time gone? These endless days of working from home have really thrown me for a loop. Some of my students like to work late hours so I stay up and answer their emails. I wake up around 9:00 and do the same thing again. I do not even check the calendar to see if it's a weekday anymore. I just check the emails. 

       My county has decided to open its borders and guess what?  We now have confirmed cases of COVID 19, so I'm pissed. People around me have been practicing social distancing and staying home. The unknown is what drives me crazy. With all these additional symptoms that the CDC added makes me think that they don't know much about it either. We do not have regular television, so I do not get to see the nightly local news and they do not include their entire show on the online stream option. I need information!         Looking back, I will bring you guys a laugh. An elderly lady in the store sprayed me with Lysol because I sneezed. I wonder where she got her information? 

      This topic has been looming over my head for days. It's the basic essentials that are missing from the shelves in our one grocery store in town. We use bleach to clean and to wash whites. What kind of person would actively need that many bottles/jugs of bleach? Walking down empty isles was very informative. They said to buy what you need, not hoard everything! I can somewhat understand stocking up on food, but bleach and toliet paper?       The missing items have also driven up the prices of what is left. Supply and demand. There is a huge demand for things right not, so those who can afford higher prices will be fine. What about all the workers who do not have income coming in? What about the individuals who live on a fixed income? They cannot afford to go out and buy their regular stuff that has been inflated. 

  I have figured out my student's habits.  Overall, they seem to want to work late at night. I have got so many emails around 1am, so wish me luck as I stay up tonight to answer questions and chat online. I'll be here, so HMU! 

     Well, we are supposed to have a curfew and no gatherings of more than ten people. Sadly, we don't have enough sheriff personnel to enforce any true restrictions. My friend was leaving work and posted a photo of teens hanging out in the Ingles parking lot. There had to be at least 6 vehicles in the photograph. If you are not familiar with this scene be aware that it is a small town "hangout." I get that they are bored and annoyed, but stay home.       What is the purpose of missing all this work and school if people are just going to ignore the seriousness of our situation? Irritated and slightly amused at my county's discretion has really made this quarantine disturbing. We block people from entering our community, but then allow our residents to leave and return. They are just as susceptible to this virus as anyone else.

     The windows are open and we are enjoying this beautiful weather.  My babies are loving all this "mom is at home time."  I don't know what they are going to do when I return to work.       I have only left the house 2 times in the last 14 days. We hauled the garbage off yesterday and it felt like a real chore. It was such a weird sensation to not see any vehicles.  I think that is what I miss most. I miss being on the go, but being at home isn't too bad. Ultimately, this is helping everyone, so I'm going to suck it up and stop complaining. 

        Alone is the person not surrounded by their friends and family. Through this whole ordeal that I was has really hit me the most. My community has come together to support each other, but that can only do so much. Most of my family has passed away or has actually moved away.  The daily check-ins are a blessing in themselves. My co-workers check in at least every other day and that means so much to me. I see them struggling with their children trying to homeschool across several different grade spans. I think that is what is going to be remembered most. The family time or the lack of family time. 

     I finally watched the local news and got an update. There are no confirmed cases in my area as of 6 am this morning. This is good news and being isolated seems to be helping. We have checkpoints to get into our community. You must present a driver's licenses with a local address to get in. I have seen several hateful biker videos about the NC side of US 129 being closed. It's to protect our small underequipped community. These idiots cannot see how this is helping.