Clematis in February, Surfer Statue, Zoom Friends, Encouraging My Friend

 

This Clematis surprised me with its early blooms the first week of February. The flowers are about 2 inches across and have a light sweet fragrance, and this variety is Apple Blossom. They are a vine and keep their leaves. I planted it in summer of 2017 and it bloomed in February 2018, reaching the top of my six foot tall fence in those six months.

 The surfer statue across the street from my favorite coffee shop. I was at the coffee shop twice this week meeting a  different friend each time. One of them describes herself as a shut in because of her fear of covid, and she rarely leaves her house. So we had a great chat, sitting outside in the sun. It was a big step for her to venture out, and I think this encourages her to get out more. I invited her to meet our two mutual friends for lunch in a restaurant in March where there is outdoor seating and she put it on her calendar. Baby steps.

The front of the church where the coffee shop is; I like the clean architectural detail and line in my photo. This week we had our Zoom meeting, three of us have been friends for about 20 years; we met at work and are now all retired. We chat on Zoom twice a month and spend an hour catching up and meet in person quite often for lunch, next scheduled lunch is for my birthday. How is your February going?

Paintings That Bring Me Joy, and I Am Hosting a Zoom Group

 When I was in college I had a passion for visiting art museums and experiencing paintings and sculptures of great beauty, which led to my change of college major to Art History. I visited the Louvre perhaps 20 times, the Rodin studio, the oval room in Paris containing paintings of Monet's pond, the rooms in the Louvre full of tiny Netsuke sculpted objects, the Egyptian rooms at the Louvre. My husband and I discovered the rooms at the Tate Gallery in London with the Pre-Raphaelite paintings, and that group of artists became my favorites. Here are some paintings in several genres that I like.

This above artist, Sophie Gengembre Anderson,  is new to me, she is noted for her paintings of children and women. This painting is "Picking Honeysuckle" and Anderson was a French born British artist, 1823-1903.

I love horses and paintings so combine the two and I find this painting,  "Whistlejacket" painted by George Stubbs in 1762, a winner. The painting of the horse is life size.

 Do you like the above painting? "Rome, Castle Sant Angelo" by Camille Corot, 1826-1827. My  husband and I spent several days in Rome and stayed near the Castle so saw it often.

Above is "Pretty Baa-Lambs" by Ford Maddox Brown, 1852. When seen in person his paintings are jewel like and Brown is in the Pre-Raphaelite artists group I like so much. Each of their paintings has a story, often from history, fable, poetry, Greek and Roman myth, Shakespeare or the Bible.

The above is "Women in the Garden" by Claude Monet, 1866. I hope you enjoyed this journey through some favorite paintings by a few of my favorite artists.

ZOOM and me hosting

I didn't tell you before but I volunteered to host Zoom meetings for a group of three women. We met 14 months ago, as a Zoom group for women over 55 who were finding isolation hard. Then we started meeting outdoors in a coffee shop with a huge patio and gardens across the street from the Pacific Ocean. Then, in covid's erratic way, for safety we needed to meet on Zoom again. The woman who had hosted us on Zoom left the group. I did not know if I would succeed but I did. Not too shabby for this senior lady to figure out the Zoom hosting.

 

Bounce, Fluffy, movie Edie, Melaleuca tree

Fluffy Kitty and Mr. Bounce taking a nap together on Bounce's favorite sofa spot.

Above is before I woke them and called to them so they would look at me. What is going on around your house in these days of Covid-19? Yesterday my book club met on Zoom, eleven of us, and we each reviewed one book, so I got some reading ideas. I shared The Warden by Anthony Trollope, I do love that book! I enjoyed all 27 of Trollope's novels that I have read thus far, out of the 47 he wrote, bless his heart. He wrote in the 1850s through the 1880s.

Above are my son Lane and Bounce enjoying the shade under the canvas awning Lane bought and put up for me.

I am standing in the kitchen when I took this photo of our new canvas awning on our back patio.

This is me under the awning, I am rather dark in the shade.

Melaleuca quinquenervia tree in my neighborhood, AKA broad-leaved paperbark. I learned that it is an invasive problem tree in the Florida Everglades and an important tree for wildlife in its native Australia. It is pretty with its soft white cloud like flowers.

Above is a close up of the Melaleuca flowers, a bit blurry, but you can see the flowers are attractive.

I watched a good movie today titled Edie. The main characters are Edie, a spry 84 year old widow, a young man she meets named Jonny, and the wild hills of Scotland.  Edie is played by Sheila Hancock and Jonny is played by the handsome Kevin Guthrie. Guthrie is in the new TV series, An English Game,  which I aim to watch. After short opening filming in London, where her daughter has Edie set to enter assisted living, all the filming is done in Lochinver, Scotland. Edie attempts to fulfill her long ago dream of hiking up Mt. Suilven. I recommend this movie. What beautiful scenery in the hills of Scotland and a story that is meaningful to me, about aging, looking back on life, and going ahead to try an adventure.

New things for me, my mask, Instacart and more

Above is the new pottery I treated myself to, which was hand painted in Mexico by a family who has done that for 30 years. The pot is large, the biggest I could find and is flat on the back so it will hang on my fence outside a window. If you buy this type of pot be sure to find one with a drain hole on the bottom, for some strange reason, most pots in this style lack that. And see the cute Chihuahua pillow? I bought that the first Christmas Bounce joined my family.
I have noticed new things in my life since the lockdown. Here are some of them:
Wearing a mask outside when in public.
A year ago would you have believed you would wear a mask when outside near other people? No way. Masks used to be used by bank robbers, probably still are.

How glamorous is this? Ha ha. I like this style of mask, which looks like a sleeve, because there are no ties behind the ears and it is easily pulled down and worn around my neck. See photo below with mask pulled down around my neck, handy at a moment's notice. If you search online to buy one, a term used by sellers is rave masks. Anyone else like women's tops from Jess and Jane? The ones I buy, including this turquoise floral one, are 100 percent cotton and made in the USA.

Using Zoom
I had never used Zoom until this crisis and I think increased use of Zoom and similar programs will continue. It could have a good effect because people will drive less often to business meetings, hang outs with friends, school meetings, etc. One thing that irks me is that well known environmentalists and politicians schedule big conferences on saving the environment and fly hundreds of people from all over the planet to meetings. Teleconferencing would be much less polluting, listen up people! That would be a good change going forward, not just during lock down. I joined my first environmental group when I was eleven, it was called Defenders of Fur Bearers, and focused on protecting coyotes from being poisoned and trapped and I am still a member of that group albeit it has a new name Defenders of Wildlife.
I attend our once a month book discussion group, our weekly church group which usually met right after church, and friends had a birthday party for me, all on Zoom.

Cleaning in my house in a new way 
Feel free to laugh at the photo above, my life has some boring aspects to it these days.
Since I am home almost all day I have noticed things in my house; I saw that my stainless steel kitchen sink, which is only two years old, looked less bright than it used to. If I didn't have all this time home I would not have noticed this; no matter how carefully I cleaned it, it looked a bit shabby.
So I ordered some Stainless Steel Sink Cleaner, Perfect Sink, used it, and am pleased how the sink looks renewed. I had never before thought of such a product. So that is a bit of a plus.
Ordering Groceries Online and having them delivered to my door using Instacart
Services like Instacart will continue to be used by many people after the crisis, especially by our aging population. It has a cost but saves me big in time and in driving, and I am at the age where I am supposed to not go in stores during the crisis so this is an all around good service for me. Instacart includes a tip in my bill, the standard tip is 5 percent and I give tip of 10 percent. The delivery is no contact, and they wear masks and disposable gloves, for their safety and mine.
Going for 10 weeks and more with only me in my house
Well that is not happy! Most of the time it is just me in the house, and I am excited when my adult sons visit me. I will love when I can give my favorite friends and family hugs and see them in person. My dog Bounce reminds me that he is here in the house with me, so I am not alone. A loyal dog. A prayer I am saying more often recently is "I am not alone. God is with me. He is my protector. He is all powerful, and no problem is too big for Him."
Searching online for cleaning supplies
Toilet paper, masks, disinfectant wipes, disposable gloves and paper towels. After this crisis when supplies are available I will order enough to have supplies on hand. It is frustrating that some people are hoarding these supplies in large quantities! I am almost out of disinfectant wipes and have read about some alternatives involving hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol. In a comment Lin asked about the wipes; I use Lysol or Clorox Disinfectant Wipes that kill 99.9 percent of viruses and bacteria; guidelines from many sources recommend using them to wipe frequently touched surfaces like door knobs, refrigerator door handles, TV remote controls, exterior packaging of foods (for example, plastic bags that hold loaves of bread and plastic wrapped around packaged cheese), etc. and that is what I have been doing. Also car door handles, gear shifts and steering wheels if I have been driving where people are. I am a senior citizen so am being extra careful.
Some positive results of this pandemic
Junk phone calls have almost disappeared
I keep a landline phone and usually get 25 junk calls a week. I don't pick them up, they usually hang up when they reach my answering machine. Now the spam call centers seem to be shut down, since I am only getting about 7 junk calls a week on my landline. I am also getting less junk paper mail.

Dogs are happy
Above is Bounce and his new Crocodile toy. Dare I tell you that the first day he got the toy, Crocodile lost a front leg!
So many dog owners are home and bonding with their dogs. I see people walking their dogs, keeping a proper social distance from other people, all around my neighborhood. I think all this time spent with dogs shifts people's perspective in a good way. Dogs notice everything in the minute, which is very meditative. On each walk I pray prayers of protection and of thanksgiving as I see beauty around me.
Have you noticed anything to add to this list?

On the lighter side: My First Venture Using Zoom and Books, Books, Books

Instead of posting about you know what! here are some other words from me.
Zoom and My First Zoom Meeting
First, I am so pleased with myself; a few hours before the meeting happened, I was invited to a Zoom meeting. I've been wanting to try that so I said yes, and it worked for me right away! Amazing but true. I think it is beginner's luck. About 5 households managed to join in, hurray. Several people were frustrated and could not join. I think they will sort it out for the next Zoom meetup next week. What fun to see people's laughing faces, there was a lot of humor as people signed in, tried to sit so the top of their heads showed, we could see them but they couldn't see us, etc. A couple of the ladies joked about how long their hair is getting. The leader asked if we had read any good books and I told them about Falling Forward. See below for more on this wonderful book.
Books, books, books.
If you know me you won't be surprised I am telling you what books I am enjoying.

Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship by Ruth Chou Simons. Ruth is a brilliant watercolor artist and the book is overflowing with her dainty paintings of nature. Plus Ruth has six sons, wow! The first photo is from the book, each page is glorious, and the second photo is of the cover with more of her art. In 850 detailed watercolors the author explains how God demonstrates His love and His faithfulness even in our mundane moments. Her paintings and words remind us that God created all things. Thank you FlowerLady for recommending Beholding and Becoming.

Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled by Dorothy Gilman. This is a great book that will take you to the wild deserts of Syria with the world's most unlikely and very capable spy, Mrs. Pollifax. A senior citizen, she accidentally is recruited by the CIA to become a spy because when you see her, you know she could no way be a spy. The first book in the series is The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax and there are at least 14 books. I am not reading them in order, but must tell you the first book has its special charm as we learn how bored Emily Pollifax is with her routine life of a widow. She sure seized the day when she finagled her way into her first work as a spy.

An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor. This is the first and very entertaining book in a series set in the small village of Ballybucklebo. A young doctor finds his first job there assisting the large, kind and gruff village doctor. The villagers are an eccentric lot and very appealing and the book has plenty of humor in it. The series has about 15 books in it. Patrick Taylor retired as a doctor and lives in Canada and Ireland, and was born and raised in Bangor County Down in Northern Ireland.

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. This book is a fabulous find and I am very excited about it, since it applies to me and everyone who is in the second half of life, and anyone who wants ideas about growing closer to God. I guestimate that people who are 45 and up are in the second half of life, so that includes not only us senior citizens. Rohr says that the first half of life may end sooner, sometimes through difficulties at a young age, and this deepening second half could begin even in your twenties. I am just beginning this book and am underlining like crazy (I rarely do that) but so many thoughts of the author's are helpful and wise. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest for the last 40 years and founded The Center for Action and Contemplation, and he explores how our failings in the first half of life can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth.
Happy Trails To You
Who else remembers Roy Rogers and Dale Evans riding their horses and singing Happy trails to you, until we meet again. Happy trails to you, keep smiling until then. Dale's horse was a buckskin named Buttermilk and Roy's horse was Trigger. Happy trails for you today, whether still out in the world working at essential jobs, or staying home and reading, knitting, painting, creating, nurturing family and others. Don't forget to nurture yourself. For me I recommend a Lindt chocolate truffle every day.