As the World Turns

Frozen in time

Pool noodle to stop ball in hole

It's been a wild ride. Back from Africa on March 7th, and in less than a week, our life turned upside down. Covid19, or the Chinese Flu as Trump likes to say, has taken hold of 180-plus countries and global leaders have shut down the world. It took nearly a week into April before I realized my kitchen calendar needed a flip. No need for a day planner. Every event has been cancelled. Every event.

Social distancing has become the mandate for most of the world attempting to curtail the contagious nature of coronavirus. Governments have dictated what is essential and what is not. WFH (working from home) is the hottest acronym and home schoolers and parent teachers are losing their minds. The one bit of normalcy is the golf course. Yes, the only game in town really. Beaches and restaurants have been closed since mid-March, but golf is still an option. There have been plenty of modifications to the rules of play, but it's better than not playing at all. If you can get a tee time.

We have all downloaded the Zoom app by now.

Zoom with the six chicks

Most of us didn't really know what Zoom was until a Google search provided clues to the popular video conferencing tool. With nothing really to do, yeast and other baking ingredients have disappeared from store shelves. People are hoarding all sorts of items, but most comical: toilet paper. Go figure.

The weather has been beautiful. Between the bike rides and walks, daily exercise is keeping us sane. Easter was so uplifting (no fun intended). Will joined us for dinner in Marco and we video conferenced with the rest of the family. It was the next best thing to being together. Gratitude takes on new meaning during these challenging times.

Chalk art at the park Easter weekend

Territorial Window Strikes

One determined robin has been crashing into our windows for the last three days. A Google search reveals how common this annoyance is in the springtime. The bird is protecting it's territory from a predator (it's shadow). The consensus suggests pasting a silhouette of a hawk or an owl on the window to scare the bird away. To be continued.

Squirrel Stew

Who isn't trying to save a few dollars these day?

INGREDIENTS
- 10 squirrels.
- 11/2 cups lean ham (diced).
- 3 large potatoes (chopped into 3/4″ dice)
- 2 medium onions (chopped)
- 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes (chopped and drained)
- 1 16-oz can whole kernel corn (drained)
- 1 10-oz package of baby lima beans (frozen)
- 1/2 bay leaf
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup K.C. Masterpiece barbecue sauce (original)

DIRECTIONS
Salt and pepper squirrels. Place in large soup pot, adding enough water to cover them. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook it for 45 minutes or until meat begins to fall off the bone. Remove from stock. Allow to cool and remove meat from bone. Add all ingredients to the stock (leaving out the squirrel). If it’s a little thick just add water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add squirrel and simmer for 30-45 min, stirring occasionally. To thicken, mix 1/4 cup of flour with 1 cup of cold water and add to stew. Serve with corn bread.

Hotel Confirmation

Getting ready for the Shamrock Shuffle, we booked a $99 room in Chicago. Love this confirmation:

Breathe easy. Affinia Hotels are 100% Affinia Fresh - All rooms are now non-smoking. If you choose to smoke, you may do so at an additional cost of $250 per stay.

Attempted Attack on the Minivan

After a quick trip to the mall, I decided to get the van washed. Gathering all my belongings and checking to make sure there was nothing in the back, I noticed this strange looking appliance. My guess is that someone tried to unlock the door through the open rear vent window and subsequently lost their grip and device. Too bad, the car is approaching 100,000 miles. As much as I love my van, I'd be happy to get it stolen at this point.

**UPDATE**
Trapped once again in my mental prison of negative thinking, the Bloghusband had a memory recall and finally enlightened me as to the mysterious apparatus in the car, which the Blogstepson will be needing for his move this week. Good thing I didn't take his initial advice and report it to the police!

Follow Your Dream

Stunning and curious, this was a mysterious and deliberately erected shrine in our secluded driveway yesterday.  My son and I were utterly bewildered and somewhat spooked for several minutes as we assessed the scene and message, which was thoughtfully written in chalk.